DRS Technologies plans to enter the market for unmanned aerial vehicles with its purchase of a UAV business from Meggitt Defense Systems-Texas, Inc. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but DRS chairman, president and CEO Mark Newman said in a statement that "the acquisition of this small UAV business positions DRS in the growing UAV market supporting special military operations and civil applications."
COM DEV SPACE, a division of COM DEV International, announced it has booked more than $57 million worth of orders for its satellite communications products and subsystems since November 2001, including Surface Acoustic Wave devices, which process communications signals. The equipment, sold to major satellite manufacturers such as the Boeing Co., will be manufactured at the company's Canadian plant in Cambridge, Ontario, and at its European facility in Aylesbury, United Kingdom.
LACK OF INTEGRATION: The on-orbit technical problems that developed last fall in several Boeing satellites were the result of systems integration failures, according to a senior Boeing executive. The company didn't pay enough attention to integrating new technology into the 601 series and 702 series satellites, originally built by Hughes Space and Communications, he says. "The [cause of] those anomalies was driven by one thing, it was lack of good systems engineering. It was great technology ...
NASA is trying to determine what it would need to do to keep the space shuttle flying in case a replacement vehicle does not become available in 2012 as planned. Fred Gregory, NASA's associate administrator for space flight, testified before the House Science space subcommittee recently that he has told the shuttle program to assess what upgrades would be needed to keep the shuttle flying through 2020.
XCOR AEROSPACE of Mojave, Calif., has acquired some assets of the Rotary Rocket Co., including full and exclusive rights to its technology. The company also acquired patent rights for reusable launch vehicle technologies and some equipment, the company said. XCOR plans to use some Rotary Rocket technology in its own vehicle and engine designs, and may license technology to other companies. "Our team has previous experience with these technologies and can rapidly incorporate them into our products," XCOR CEO Jeff Greason said in a statement.
April 29 - May 1 -- National Defense Industrial Association presents 2002 NDIA-U.S. Coast Guard Innovation Expo, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore, MD. For more information contact Angie De Kleine at (703) 247-2599 or email [email protected], or visit www.ndia.org. April 30 -- Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association presents Sky Forum 2002: Advancing the Future, the Waldorf-Astoria, 301 Park Ave., New York, NY. For more information call (800) 541-5981 or email [email protected].
A second "space tourist" is slated to arrive at the International Space Station on April 27, according to NASA. South African Internet entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth is slated to arrive at the station at 4 a.m. as part of a Soyuz "taxi" mission, along with mission commander Yuri Gidzenko and flight engineer Roberto Vittorio. The mission, to swap out the Soyuz lifeboat, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome April 25.
The Bush Administration's policy coordinating committee (PCC) for space is ramping up after an activity lull that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to an Administration source. Issues that are getting the close attention of the interagency panel include space transportation, commercial remote sensing, export controls and international activities, the source said late April 24 at a Capitol Hill space policy forum sponsored by Women in Aerospace. Some policy decisions could be made by year's end.
Engineers with the Boeing Co. have drafted a preliminary configuration for its next-generation passenger jet, the Sonic Cruiser, according to a senior Boeing executive. Engineers will modify the design over the next two years to optimize it for speed and range, he said. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said during an interview with The DAILY that the aircraft probably would go into service sometime between 2007 and 2010. Boeing won't hurry its development, he said.
While there still are plans for Global Hawk to have a signals intelligence (SIGINT) capability, the Air Force has not said what payload would be used on the aircraft, according to a Northrop Grumman official involved in the program.
Tests of a regenerative energy storage system that will enable the unmanned, solar-powered Helios prototype aircraft to fly at night have been successfully completed, NASA announced. The tests, constituting "a major breakthrough," were carried out by engineers from NASA and AeroViroment Inc., which built the Helios. They capped more than two years of development work and "demonstrated the viability of a flight-configured, hydrogen-oxygen aerospace regenerative fuel cell energy storage system," NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center said.
ACS CONTRACT: A team led by Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector will work on the U.S. Army's Aerial Common Sensor program under a $35 million, 15-month component advanced development phase contract. TRW Inc. is a member of the team. The ACS will combine signals intelligence and imagery intelligence collection capabilities and is intended to replace the Army's Guardrail/Common Sensor and the Airborne Reconnaissance Low intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
Facing an early June deadline for determining the U.S. military's electronic attack aircraft options, the number of manned aircraft that the Navy may buy to replace the Prowler is dropping, according to an industry official.
Sikorsky, which had offered a military version of its S-92 helicopter to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, has withdrawn from the competition. This leaves EH Industries' EH-101 as the only entry to replace the Japanese navy's MH-53E minesweeper-transport helicopters. Sikorsky withdrew from the competition because work on the military version of the S-92 wouldn't be done in time for the navy's deadline, according to Mitsubishi Trading Corp., a Sikorsky sales agent in Japan.
TOKYO - Sikorsky, which had offered a military version of its S-92 helicopter to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, has withdrawn from the competition. This leaves EH Industries' EH-101 as the only entry to replace the Japanese navy's MH-53E minesweeper-transport helicopters. Sikorsky withdrew from the competition because work on the military version of the S-92 wouldn't be done in time for the navy's deadline, according to Mitsubishi Trading Corp., a Sikorsky sales agent in Japan.
NEW DELHI - The Indian government has approved development of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (GSLV-3), which is intended to be able to launch satellites to geostationary transfer orbit. The GSLV-3 program, approved by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, would cost $520.8 million. The project would enable India to launch four-ton satellites by 2006. India intends to build a launch infrastructure capable of launching two satellites a year.
While there still are plans for Global Hawk to have a signals intelligence (SIGINT) capability, the Air Force has not said what payload would be used on the aircraft, according to a Northrop Grumman official involved in the program.
Airbus Industrie soon will complete negotiations with Japanese companies about their cooperation on the A380 superjumbo airliner, Airbus CEO Noel Forgeard told reporters in Japan. The company is negotiating with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries for subcontract work on the program, and a final agreement could be completed within a month to six weeks, he said. The total value of the work will be about $1 billion, Forgeard said.
The Bush Administration's policy coordinating committee (PCC) for space is ramping up after an activity lull that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to an Administration source. Issues that are getting the close attention of the interagency panel include space transportation, commercial remote sensing, export controls and international activities, the source said late April 24 at a Capitol Hill space policy forum sponsored by Women in Aerospace. Some policy decisions could be made by year's end.
Facing an early June deadline for determining the U.S. military's electronic attack aircraft options, the number of manned aircraft that the Navy may buy to replace the Prowler is dropping, according to an industry official.
An article in The DAILY of April 23 about Aviation Week & Space Technology Laureates for 2001 gave an incorrect rank for Gen. Lester L. Lyles, head of Air Force Materiel Command.
JSF VOTE: The Dutch parliament on April 25 produced a tie vote on whether to reject the cabinet's recommendation to join the Joint Strike Fighter program, the second such outcome this week. The issue now moves back to the cabinet, which is expected to decide April 26 whether to reaffirm its recommendation to participate in JSF.
Thirty-four House members have sent a letter to leaders of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) urging them to support Air Force and Marine Corps plans for a joint multiyear procurement of 64 Lockheed Martin C-130J-based aircraft. By buying the aircraft together and committing to procure them over several years, the services are expected to save $655 million - $420 million for the Air Force, $235 million for the Marine Corps.
ACS CONTRACT: A team led by Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector will work on the U.S. Army's Aerial Common Sensor program under a $35 million, 15-month component advanced development phase contract. TRW Inc. is a member of the team. The ACS will combine signals intelligence and imagery intelligence collection capabilities and is intended to replace the Army's Guardrail/Common Sensor and the Airborne Reconnaissance Low intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.
BAE Systems' Gripen team has reaffirmed its interest in buying a minority share in debt-laden Omnyx, owner of one of the Czech Republic's largest weapons trading companies, Omnipol. The British-owned company first announced in February it was in initial discussions with Omnyx over purchasing an equity stake. It declined to give further details at the time because it said the size of the participation and the cost are subject to negotiations between the parties.
