STRONG TEAM: New BAE Systems CEO Mike Turner and the seasoned management team built by Weston - including Alison Wood, group strategy and future systems director, and Mark Ronald, COO and president of BAE Systems North America - "can clearly be relied upon to continue the kind of aggressive growth" in the U.S. that Weston initiated, says James McAleese of McAleese&Associates of McLean, Va.
AAW MISSILE: The Navy is considering its options for a new active over-the-horizon anti-air warfare (AAW) missile, according to John Young, the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. Depending on the funding available, the Navy would like to have a competition for the new missile, he says. The missile could be a Standard Missile 5, a repackaged Standard Missile 2 Block IVA using a PAC-3 seeker, or some other option, he suggests. "There's a good competitive space," he says.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has named an independent task force to recommend research priorities for the biological and physical research that will be carried out on the International Space Station. The Research Maximization and Prioritization Task Force (REMAP) is a follow-on to the ISS Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) task force. IMCE produced a report that said NASA's plan for building the station was "not credible," and recommended staff cuts and fewer shuttle flights to the station as a way to keep it within budget (DAILY, Nov. 5, 2001).
SATELLITE PROPOSAL: Rep. John Thune (R-S.D.) is proposing that NASA develop, launch and operate a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite to provide better imagery for farming, fighting forest fires, and exploring for oil. Unlike the U.S. Geological Survey's optical LANDSAT satellites, a SAR satellite could take pictures through rain, cloud cover or nightfall. Another advantage over LANDSAT is that the angle of the radar would allow it to pick up more of the fractures in the earth's crust, which geologists look for when searching for oil.
CHINA FEARS: While China's increasing military capabilities concern the U.S. military, China still is not capable of holding Taiwan in an all-out conflict, says Adm. Dennis Blair, the Commander in Chief of U.S. Pacific Command.
The Defense Department is drafting its first national security space (NSS) plan to "tie together" space activities across DOD and the intelligence community, according to a brief, unclassified description of the project. The plan, which will be classified, is expected to "fulfill a critical role in resource allocation" decisions, according to the project description, which was released by the Air Force.
Lockheed Martin is spending its own money to develop a concept for a submarine-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system that would allow the sub to remain submerged during both launch and recovery. The company hopes this capability would make a good fit for the Ohio-class ballistic missile nuclear submarines (SSBNs) that are being modified by the Defense Department for special operations, according to Neil Kacena, deputy for advanced development programs at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
A report on the U.S. and European defense industry released last week by Standard&Poor's says mounting fears over terrorist attacks will likely trigger higher defense spending in Europe. Also, battlefield successes in recent conflicts have demonstrated the need for more sophisticated information systems, which could benefit companies like BAE Systems and Thales, the report says. "Rumors [about] transatlantic links are higher than ever, as ...
OFFER EXTENSION: Northrop Grumman has extended its exchange offer for all outstanding shares of TRW Inc. stock until April 12, the company announced. TRW's board of directors has said Northrop Grumman's offer is "inadequate." About 2.1 million shares of TRW stock had been tendered to Northrop Gru-mman as of March 28, the company said.
Arianespace's March 28 launch of two Boeing-built communications satellites leaves only six more flights before the Ariane 4 family is phased out, leaving the company entirely reliant on its Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle, which recently returned to service after a seven-month grounding. The Ariane 4 launch from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou successfully carried two Boeing-built communications satellites into orbit - JSAT Corp.'s JCSAT-8 and SES Astra's Astra 3A.
Cisco Systems, best known for its role in providing key components and systems for the Internet, is seeking long-term relationships with aerospace and defense companies and government agencies worldwide.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLED: Modernizing America's overtaxed air traffic management system eventually will require a dedicated agency, according to John Douglass, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. "Over the longer haul ... in my view, we're going to have to develop something like the National Reconnaissance Office [NRO] over at DOD, which is a combination of Air Force and CIA people," Douglass says.
The AIM-54 Phoenix air-to-air missile is an example of a weapon system that could be dropped so the Navy could free money to buy new systems, Vice Adm. Joseph W. Dyer, commander of Naval Air Systems Command, said March 28.
BAE STOCK: Observers are struck by the fact that BAE Systems' stock barely moved on the March 25 announcement that John Weston was departing as CEO. They contrast this to the dip that TRW Inc.'s stock took on the news that David Cote was leaving the CEO slot there to become CEO of Honeywell International. This, observers say, could be because Europeans haven't placed as high a value on BAE Systems as Americans have placed on some U.S. defense companies.
Boeing and Dassault are the last competitors in what had been a four-way competition for South Korea's multi-billion dollar fighter modernization competition. South Korea announced earlier this week its fighter modernization program has entered its second phase, indicating that at least two of the offers received were scored within three percentage points of each other based on technical and cost estimates.
Departure of BAE Systems CEO John Weston this week has few major consequences for the European or U.S. aerospace industries, a company spokesman said. One American observer said, however, that the development might prompt the company to speed its penetration of the U.S. industry with continued acquisitions of mid-level companies.
Aerospace and defense professionals can reduce the time they spend surfing the Internet for accurate, timely and authoritative information by using a new web portal, Aviation Week's Intelligence Network (AWIN), the Aviation Week Group says. Full-text articles from Aviation Week&Space Technology magazine, Aerospace Daily, Aviation Daily, Homeland Security&Defense, and other group publications will be available on the new network.
RADIOSHACK CORP. provided backing to allow singer Lance Bass of the group *NSYNC to begin medical screening in Russia for a possible trip to the International Space Station later this year, the company announced. If he passes the screening and completes six months of cosmonaut training, he could fly to the station on a Russian rocket, according to RadioShack.
Recent helicopter accidents during Operation Enduring Freedom could have been prevented had the aircraft been equipped with the Tactile Situational Awareness System (TSAS), according to its creator, Navy Capt. Angus Rupert. TSAS (DAILY, Apr. 17, 2001) uses the pilot's sense of touch to provide spatial orientation and situational awareness. After a successful operational assessment last year, Rupert hopes TSAS soon will be installed on operational helicopters.
JSF PARTNERS: BAE Systems and GKN Aerospace Services announced they will form a partnership for the design and production of high-technology airframe components for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Components will include those built at GKN's Resin Transfer Molding facility in St. Louis, which it bought from Boeing last year.
Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee announced March 26 that they will form a Senate Army Caucus to look out for the interests of the service. Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman and ranking Republican on the Armed Services readiness subcommittee, indicated they soon will send a letter to other senators inviting them to join. Akaka and Inhofe, both Army veterans, plan to hold the first meeting of the caucus sometime in April.
THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY plans to demonstrate the Automated Transfer Vehicle, a multifunctional spacecraft to supply the International Space Station, next month at ESA's Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The spacecraft is intended to deliver equipment, fuel, spare parts, food, air and water to the station. The first operational flight of the ATV is scheduled for 2004. ESA plans to build eight or more ATVs, which involves 30 companies from 10 European countries under EADS Launch Vehicles of France, the prime contractor.
The Air Force Research Laboratory hopes to resume demonstrations of space-based relay mirror technology that have been on hold since the era of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Orbiting relay mirrors could one day be used to redirect and refocus the beams from airborne or ground-based laser systems, greatly extending their range and power.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark on March 28 defended the Navy and Marine Corps' willingness to consider sizable procurement cuts for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, saying they need to "challenge every assumption" to ensure they are making the best use of their limited resources.
Hungary will begin sending new pilots to the Canadian Forces base at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, for basic and advanced flight training late next year with the Canadian-managed NATO Flying Training in Canada program, Aerospace Daily affiliate AviationNow.com reported. The deal makes Hungary the sixth nation to use NFTC for pilot training.
