Black Sparrow, the Israeli-made air-launched ballistic missile target, is set to begin testing and certification for use in U.S. missile defense programs, according to a Raytheon Co. official. Last year, Israeli defense firm Rafael, the maker of the Black Sparrow, announced it was joining forces with Raytheon Missile Systems to market the missile as a target for U.S. missile defense programs (DAILY, May 3, 2001). Black Sparrow is used to emulate a Scud B missile in tests of Israel's Arrow II missile defense system.
ATK Integrated Defense Co., a division of Alliant Techsystems, will begin low-rate initial production of sensor upgrade kits for the AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System under a $9 million contract from Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., the company announced Jan. 15. The kits will be delivered to the U.S. Navy and Air Force for integration into multiple aircraft platforms.
A panel of specialists studying India's proposed mission to the moon is expected to finish its report soon, said K. Kasturirangan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Kasturirangan said the panel is looking at all aspects of the mission. "The mission is essential for the country as it would place it in the frontiers of science and cutting-edge technology and enable it to enter an elite club of nations. It's a matter of our self-confidence," he said.
NASA's Galileo orbiter will swing past Jupiter's moon Io on Jan. 17, its last and closest flyby of any of the planet's four major moons. Io's volcanoes have interested scientists since they were first spotted by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. It has an estimated 200 to 300 volcanoes and is the most volcanically active world in the solar system, according to NASA. Galileo will pass just 62 miles above Io's surface, to help put it on a ballistic trajectory for its final destruction in 2003.
NASA's Galileo orbiter will swing past Jupiter's moon Io on Jan. 17, its last and closest flyby of any of the planet's four major moons. Io's volcanoes have interested scientists since they were first spotted by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. It has an estimated 200 to 300 volcanoes and is the most volcanically active world in the solar system, according to NASA. Galileo will pass just 62 miles above Io's surface, to help put it on a ballistic trajectory for its final destruction in 2003.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Jan. 15 that he plans to hold hearings to "prod" the Bush Administration to reconsider its plan to retain some of the nuclear weapons it removes from deployment. Levin told the Defense Writers Group that weapons removed from operational status should be destroyed because keeping them increases the chance that they will fall into the wrong hands. He is particularly concerned that the U.S. approach could be emulated by Russia, where security is less stringent.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research's choice of a modified Gulfstream V business jet to carry out a variety of environmental missions fits into a broader plan to carry out such research with a mix of manned and unmanned aircraft, an NCAR official said.
Long-endurance, high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the solar-powered Helios could have a major role to play in future humanitarian relief efforts around the globe, according to NASA. The technological descendants of Helios, which set a non-rocket-powered altitude record last year (DAILY, Aug. 15, 2001), will eventually be able to loiter at high altitudes for up to six months at a time, according to Helios Project Manager John Del Frate. He said that would make them ideal telecommunications nodes.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Jan. 15 that he plans to hold hearings to "prod" the Bush Administration to reconsider its plan to retain some of the nuclear weapons it removes from deployment. Levin told the Defense Writers Group that weapons removed from operational status should be destroyed because keeping them increases the chance that they will fall into the wrong hands. He is particularly concerned that the U.S. approach could be emulated by Russia, where security is less stringent.
Precision Castparts Corp., which makes forged components for jet aircraft engines, reported a $59 million net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2002 despite strong quarterly sales. Company officials reported sales of $625.8 million for the quarter, which ended Dec. 30, compared with $580.4 million for the third quarter of FY 2001. However, the company also recorded a charge of $92.4 million due to the write-down of assets and a $13.7 million charge for severance payments due to restructuring in the wake of the commercial aerospace market downturn.
AIRBUS PICK: Airbus has selected Honeywell's next-generation flight management system for its A380 super jumbo aircraft, Honeywell announced Jan. 15. Revenue from the Airbus business could top $200 million over 15 years, including follow-on sales of spares, support, database updates and other work, according to the company.
An article in The DAILY of Jan. 15 misstated Russia's budget for space programs. The budget's $311.7 million for space exploration activities is part of the $428.5 million budget for the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
Long-endurance, high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the solar-powered Helios could have a major role to play in future humanitarian relief efforts around the globe, according to NASA. The technological descendants of Helios, which set a non-rocket-powered altitude record last year (DAILY, Aug. 15, 2001), will eventually be able to loiter at high altitudes for up to six months at a time, according to Helios Project Manager John Del Frate. He said that would make them ideal telecommunications nodes.
Precision Castparts Corp., which makes forged components for jet aircraft engines, reported a $59 million net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2002 despite strong quarterly sales. Company officials reported sales of $625.8 million for the quarter, which ended Dec. 30, compared with $580.4 million for the third quarter of FY 2001. However, the company also recorded a charge of $92.4 million due to the write-down of assets and a $13.7 million charge for severance payments due to restructuring in the wake of the commercial aerospace market downturn.
Airbus has selected Honeywell's next-generation flight management system for its A380 super jumbo aircraft, Honeywell announced Jan. 15. Revenue from the Airbus business could top $200 million over 15 years, including follow-on sales of spares, support, database updates and other work, according to the company.
An article in The DAILY of Jan. 15 misstated Russia's budget for space programs. The budget's $311.7 million for space exploration activities is part of the $428.5 million budget for the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
Black Sparrow, the Israeli-made air-launched ballistic missile target, is set to begin testing and certification for use in U.S. missile defense programs, according to a Raytheon Co. official. Last year, Israeli defense firm Rafael, the maker of the Black Sparrow, announced it was joining forces with Raytheon Missile Systems to market the missile as a target for U.S. missile defense programs (DAILY, May 3, 2001). Black Sparrow is used to emulate a Scud B missile in tests of Israel's Arrow II missile defense system.
ATK Integrated Defense Co., a division of Alliant Techsystems, will begin low-rate initial production of sensor upgrade kits for the AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System under a $9 million contract from Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., the company announced Jan. 15. The kits will be delivered to the U.S. Navy and Air Force for integration into multiple aircraft platforms.
NEW DELHI - A panel of specialists studying India's proposed mission to the moon is expected to finish its report soon, said K. Kasturirangan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Kasturirangan said the panel is looking at all aspects of the mission. "The mission is essential for the country as it would place it in the frontiers of science and cutting-edge technology and enable it to enter an elite club of nations. It's a matter of our self-confidence," he said.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is asking industry to help it develop technologies for "Sensorcraft," a projected unmanned airborne vehicle platform that would host a variety of active and passive sensors, or that would lead to integration of new technologies into existing or planned vehicles.
BAE Systems Military Air Solutions&Support (MASS) has re-delivered 107 of 142 Royal Air Force ground-attack/reconnaissance Tornadoes after upgrading them from GR.1/1As to GR.4/4As. The work is being done under a 1.2 billion pound ($1.73 billion) Ministry of Defence contract awarded in 1994. The mid-life upgrade (MLU) program is scheduled to be complete by March 2003, and aircraft are being re-delivered every eight working days.
Flight controllers for NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft sent the final commands to raise the spacecraft up out of the Martian atmosphere and conclude the aerobraking phase of its mission Jan. 11. Aerobraking is a fuel- and time-saving technique in which a spacecraft dips repeatedly into the atmosphere of a planet, using friction to slow itself down and lower its orbit.
The White House announced Jan. 11 that President Bush plans to appoint three people to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee: Thomas Casey, chief executive officer of Global Crossing; Christopher B. Galvin, chairman and CEO of Motorola; and Edward Earl Whitacre, Jr., chairman and CEO of SBC Communications. The committee, which consists of up to 30 industry chief executives, advises the president on national security and emergency preparedness communications policy. Daniel Burnham, chairman and CEO of Raytheon Co., heads the panel.
