Britain's ground-based air defenses will receive an upgrade under a new program announced March 14 by the Ministry of Defence. Six companies are being invited to tender for an off-the-shelf Air Defense Command and Control System (ADCCS), to match what the MOD describes as "the emerging air threat expected to develop over the next 10-20 years."
Senior Army officials told lawmakers March 14 that the latest round of RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program restructuring should eliminate most of the problems that plagued it in the past. "I think there are going to be major changes associated with this restructuring," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki, who appeared before the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee along with Army Secretary Thomas White.
In an effort to sell the west on their requests for NATO membership, the Baltic countries are increasing defense spending and buying modern military equipment, according to the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
DERCO BUY: Sikorsky Aircraft plans to buy Derco Holding Ltd., including its aerospace and repair services units, Sikorsky parent company United Technologies Corp. announced March 14. The transaction is expected to close in April, pending regulatory approval.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, tactical aviation and a third DDG-51 guided-missile destroyer could get more funding if a bipartisan group of House members succeeds in divvying up a $10 billion fund that the Bush Administration wants to set aside as a war reserve in the fiscal 2003 defense budget, members of the group said at a press conference March 14.
The Dec. 3 "friendly fire" incident that resulted in the death of three American Special Forces soldiers and five Afghan fighters probably was the result of the forward air controller accidentally sending his own coordinates to the U.S. aircraft, according to a Department of Defense official. That incident probably could have been avoided had the forward air controller's rangefinding system been hooked to a computer, Col. Barry Ford, the chief of staff at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, told reporters March 14.
After a successful round of troubleshooting, flight controllers for NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey mission have re-established contact with the spacecraft's radiation measurement instrument and begun gathering data with it. Contact with MARIE (Mars Radiation Environment Experiment) was lost last August while the spacecraft was en route to the red planet, and early attempts to troubleshoot the problem were unsuccessful.
A new Department of Defense (DOD) initiative under the leadership of Ronald Sega, director of defense research and engineering (DDR&E), is working to coordinate military efforts in hypersonics, access to space, and advanced space technology. Dubbed the "National Aerospace Initiative," it will include participation from NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), other government agencies, the intelligence community, and industry.
ROCKET CONTRACT: Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will continue to produce propellant used in MK90 motors for the Hydra-70 rocket system under a $30 million contract from General Dynamics Ordnance Systems. The Hydra-70 is the most widely used helicopter weapon system, according to ATK. The rockets are fired from U.S. Army Apache and U.S. Marine Corps Cobra helicopters, as well as U.S. Air Force F-16s and the combat aircraft of 15 other nations.
Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden's nomination to be NASA's deputy administrator was withdrawn after the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee raised questions about having an active duty officer, up for a third star, in that spot.
The AE 2100D2 engines that Rolls-Royce will supply for the Greek government's C-27J Spartan aircraft are derivatives of those installed in Lockheed Martin's C-130J.
The Defense Department's Missile Defense Support Group (MDSG) and MDSG Working Group held a joint meeting March 8 to kick off their role as new overseers of DOD missile defense programs, according to Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics E.C. "Pete" Aldridge.
The March 13 decision by the TRW board of directors to reject the stock exchange offer by Northrop Grumman Corp. significantly reduces the likelihood of a future deal between the two companies, according to Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown analyst Christopher Mecray.
The following charts are from a presentation to the House Science Committee's subcommittee on space and aeronautics by Richard Golaszewski, the executive vice president of GRA Inc. Golaszewski was a member of a March 7 panel and testified that declining research and development investments jeopardize the U.S. position in the world commercial aviation market (DAILY, March 8).
The next flight test for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Segment (GMDS), formerly known as the National Missile Defense program, is expected to take place as scheduled on March 15, said a spokesperson for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The March 15 test - designated Integrated Flight Test 8 (IFT 8) - will incorporate two smaller balloon decoys in addition to the large balloon decoy used in previous tests.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) could develop a satellite to aid with telemedicine, depending on how a new telemedicine project progresses, according to ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan. Kasturirangan made his remarks at the inauguration of the Apollo-Sriharikota telemedicine project, which connects India's Apollo hospitals and the ISRO Hospital at Sriharikota using an INSAT satellite.
ALCATEL SPACE of Paris will build a satellite for the U.S.-based satellite communications company SES Americom Inc. The satellite, AMC-23, will be based on Alcatel's 4000 Spacebus platform, which the company described as one of the largest and most powerful platforms available on the market. The satellite will enable SES Americom to expand its global satellite fleet, which delivers television and multimedia applications to customers in the Asia Pacific region and across the Pacific. The satellite will weight 4,850 metric tons and have 60 C-band transponders.
An article in the March 4 DAILY, on Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin's T-50 advanced trainer, said Lockheed Martin Training Systems would "adopt the T-50 as part of its solution" if the Lockheed training operation is selected for the United Kingdom's Military Flight Training System (MFTS) program. The aircraft selection will occur separately from the MFTS contractor selection and Lockheed Martin's offering would not be limited to a T-50 proposal, according to a company spokesman.
GPS GO-AHEAD: The Air Force has given Boeing Space and Communications approval to move ahead with space vehicle production for the Global Positioning System IIF Modernization program. Added capabilities include a new signal for civilian users and secure Operational M-codes for warfighters, according to the company.
TRW Inc.'s board of directors again has rejected Northrop Grumman Corporation's $5.9 billion buyout offer, calling it "financially inadequate and not in the best interests of TRW's shareholders," the company announced March 13.
LOCKHEED MARTIN and IMAX CORP. will host the premiere of IMAX Corp.'s first three-dimensional space film, "Space Station," on April 17 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The movie, narrated by actor Tom Cruise, includes footage of astronauts floating through the interior of the International Space Station, and conducting spacewalks outside it.
Jim O'Neill has been appointed president of the TASC business unit. Dr. Kerry D. Rines has been named vice president and director of TASC's radio frequency systems operating unit. Dr. Lorenzo J. Abella has been named vice president and director of TASC's strategic security operating unit. Corey S. Moore has been appointed vice president and manager of F/A-18 programs.
Louis Mancini has been named vice president, maintenance operations services. Pedro Salaverria has been named vice president of International Relations of Boeing-Spain. Bonnie Soodik has been named president of shared services, senior vice president of the company and a member of the Boeing executive council.
