BELL HELICOPTER, Fort Worth, Texas Glenn E. Hess has been named president and chief operating officer. LOCKHEED MARTIN, Fort Worth, Texas Michael Fortson was honored recently with the Distinguished Engineer of the Year Award at the 2002 National Society of Black Engineers Golden Torch Awards. MANTECH INTERNATIONAL, Fairfax, Va. Admiral David Jeremiah (ret.), former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been named chairman of the company's advisory board.
Programs that have been certified under the Nunn-McCurdy Act won't be immune to termination if they subsequently fail to perform to expectations, according to Defense Department acquisition chief Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge. "From now on, a program must perform to survive," Aldridge said APril 24 during a keynote speech at the Global Air&Space 2002 symposium in Virginia. "Even after the certification ... if I see that the programs are failing, we will not hesitate to withdraw the certification and proceed on with program termination."
TRW Inc. and Northrop Grumman officials both expressed satisfaction with the outcome of an April 24 shareholders vote, which disapproved two Northrop Grumman proposals to make it easier for it to acquire TRW, but also asked TRW officials to open the company's books for inspection. TRW shareholders voted to reject two of three proposals by Northrop Grumman as part of its efforts to acquire the Cleveland-based aerospace and automotive company.
PRAGUE - A Czech government-sponsored bill paving the way for the purchase of 24 Jas-39 Gripen fighters stalled in parliament April 24 after opposition members succeeded in sending it back to committee for further debate. The decision not to pass the Gripen-financing bill at its second reading has complicated the government's plans just weeks before the country is due to go to the polls in a general election. It is not clear whether the government still will have time to push its proposal through.
Boeing Co. announced completion of a major design review of the radar and identification, friend or foe (IFF) subsystem for Project Wedgetail, under which Australia will get specially modified 737 aircraft for early warning and control. Boeing Space&Communications is working under a contract valued at more than $1 billion for four of the aircraft, plus options for up to three more. The first two are slated for delivery in 2006. The radar/IFF is the aircraft's main sensor, Boeing said.
After three years of intensive negotiations, the governments of India and Russia have agreed to a second joint production program. Under this program, India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association (JSC) will sign an agreement April 24 in Moscow for co-development and co-production of a multirole transport aircraft (MTA). HAL Chairman Nalini Ranjan Mohanty and JSC President Alexey Fedorov will sign the agreement.
The Dutch government's decision on joining the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program has been delayed again. An April 23 vote in parliament on whether to reject the cabinet's recommendation to participate in the program ended in a tie. The JSF program office was told the parliament will conduct another vote on April 25, JSF spokeswoman Kathy Crawford told The DAILY.
NEW DELHI - After three years of intensive negotiations, the governments of India and Russia have agreed to a second joint production program. Under this program, India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association (JSC) will sign an agreement April 24 in Moscow for co-development and co-production of a multirole transport aircraft (MTA). HAL Chairman Nalini Ranjan Mohanty and JSC President Alexey Fedorov will sign the agreement.
WARTON, Lancashire - With the four-nation Eurofighter program gaining momentum from the initial flights this month of the first production aircraft in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, and from the first service deliveries slated for this fall, plans for further development of this ambitious European program already are taking shape.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), said April 23 that he is trying to add money to the Army's fiscal 2003 budget request to buy more test versions of the Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche reconnaissance-attack helicopter.
Developers and buyers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) must avoid "requirements creep" if their systems are to maintain affordability, according to George Muellner, president of Boeing Phantom Works.
With the four-nation Eurofighter program gaining momentum from the initial flights this month of the first production aircraft in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, and from the first service deliveries slated for this fall, plans for further development of this ambitious European program already are taking shape.
Boosted by sales across its military segments, Lockheed Martin Corp. posted earnings for the first quarter of 2002 that more than doubled those recorded a year ago at this time. In an April 23 conference call with investors and analysts, Lockheed Martin officials said net earnings for the quarter totaled $218 million, or 49 cents per share, compared with $105 million, or 25 cents per share, a year ago. Sales for the quarter rose from $4.75 billion a year ago to $5.97 billion this quarter, an increase of 26 percent.
The Dutch government's decision on joining the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program has been delayed again. An April 23 vote in parliament on whether to reject the cabinet's recommendation to participate in the program ended in a tie. The JSF program office was told the parliament will conduct another vote on April 25, JSF spokeswoman Kathy Crawford told The DAILY.
ACS WORK: Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems will work on the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) system for the U.S. Army under a $35 million contract that precedes full-scale development. The ACS is designed to replace the Army's Guardrail/Common Sensor and the Airborne Reconnaissance Low ISR systems.
PRAGUE - BAE Systems' Gripen team is seeking to counter questions about the interoperability of the Gripen fighter with NATO aircraft. U.S. Ambassador Craig Stapleton told journalists in Prague April 22 that a number of unspecified U.S. and NATO experts had expressed reservations after attending a recent "interoperability conference" on the Gripen organized by the Czech Ministry of Defense. Stapleton said some experts had raised questions in a letter to the defense minister, Jaroslav Tvrdik.
NASA's Aqua satellite, which is in final preparations for launch next week, eventually could help weather forecasters extend their forecasts out to seven to 10 days, according to NASA. "We have five major weather forecasting operations around the world that now, on their own nickel, have set up shop to take the data from Aqua during its commissioning phase ... to help demonstrate the utility of the Aqua data," Ghassem R. Asrar, associate administrator for earth science at NASA Headquarters, said during an April 22 press briefing in Washington.
The Missile Defense Agency plans to use a ship-based Aegis radar in a Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) flight test for the first time this summer, MDA officials said April 23. During Integrated Flight Test-9 (IFT-9), scheduled for mid- to late July, an Aegis cruiser will collect data on a target missile after it is fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., said Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Lehner, spokesman for MDA. As in previous tests, the target will be intercepted by a missile fired from the Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific.
The Missile Defense Agency plans to use a ship-based Aegis radar in a Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) flight test for the first time this summer, MDA officials said April 23. During Integrated Flight Test-9 (IFT-9), scheduled for mid- to late July, an Aegis cruiser will collect data on a target missile after it is fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., said Air Force Lt. Col. Rick Lehner, spokesman for MDA. As in previous tests, the target will be intercepted by a missile fired from the Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific.
The Department of Defense needs more precision and standoff weapons, according to Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys, the commander of Allied Air Forces in Southern Europe and Commander of the 16th Air Force.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), said April 23 that he is trying to add money to the Army's fiscal 2003 budget request to buy more test versions of the Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche reconnaissance-attack helicopter.
ACS WORK: Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems will work on the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) system for the U.S. Army under a $35 million contract that precedes full-scale development. The ACS is designed to replace the Army's Guardrail/Common Sensor and the Airborne Reconnaissance Low ISR systems.
Boosted by sales across its military segments, Lockheed Martin Corp. posted earnings for the first quarter of 2002 that more than doubled those recorded a year ago at this time. In an April 23 conference call with investors and analysts, Lockheed Martin officials said net earnings for the quarter totaled $218 million, or 49 cents per share, compared with $105 million, or 25 cents per share, a year ago. Sales for the quarter rose from $4.75 billion a year ago to $5.97 billion this quarter, an increase of 26 percent.
TRW announced April 22 that a potential bidder has signed its confidentiality agreement and will soon begin receiving non-public information about the company. TRW officials did not identify the company. The announcement, made in a letter sent to Northrop Grumman's general counsel, W. Burks Terry, indicates the company agreed to the three-year standstill provision contained in TRW's confidentiality agreement. Standstill provisions typically prohibit a bidding company from acquiring stock shares of a target company for a specified period.
