Issues relating to export control licenses will be among the biggest facing the U.S. aerospace industry during the next year, according to Joel Johnson, vice-president of international affairs for the Aerospace Industries Association. But America's war on terrorism will pose new challenges for export controls, not just for next year, but also for several years thereafter, he said.
The V-22 Osprey, which has remained grounded since a December 2000 that killed four Marines, will return to the air for a new flight test program beginning in April 2002, Pentagon acquisition chief E.C. "Pete" Aldridge said Dec. 21. At a Pentagon briefing, Aldridge announced he will allow the V-22 to resume flying next year, although he repeated his longstanding concerns about the suitability of tiltrotor technology.
Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Dec. 21 it has settled several antitrust lawsuits that subsidiary Litton Industries Inc. filed against Honeywell International Inc. 11 years ago. Under the terms of the settlement, Honeywell will pay Northrop Grumman $440 million in cash, of which $220 million will be paid in 2001 and the rest in July 2002. Litton - which was bought by Northrop Grumman earlier this year - filed the lawsuits in 1990.
Next year will be the make-or-break year for several military aircraft programs both in the U.S. and Europe, according to aircraft analysts. Unless some programs receive substantial orders or funding commitments, they may be discontinued, with the investment community responding accordingly.
Congress has agreed to fully fund the Bush Administration's request for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) after receiving warnings that a House-proposed cut would jeopardize the Defense Department's ability to observe and forecast weather around the world. The final version of the fiscal 2002 defense appropriations bill matches DOD's $157.4 million request for the weather satellite system. The bill was approved by a House-Senate conference committee Dec. 18 and by the full House and Senate Dec. 20.
Britain is providing financial assistance of about 12 million pounds ($17.4 million) over three years to help Russia scrap its chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, under a new treaty signed Dec. 20. With Russia, the U.S. and 140 other states, the United Kingdom is a member of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which is the first international arms control agreement to prohibit an entire category of weapons and provide detailed verification measures.
The weaponization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be the major headline grabber in the coming year, largely as a result of operations in Afghanistan, according to Daryl Davidson, executive director of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).
The C-27J Spartan, jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and Alenia, won military type certification from Italy's ministry of defense on Dec. 20, Lockheed Martin said.
With a declining world market in jet trainers, the Boeing Co. is hoping to market its T-45 trainer to Israel, according to a company official. The Boeing Co. is the prime contractor for the T-45 aircraft, which is used to train U.S. Navy and Marine Corps naval aviators. The two-seat, single-engine T-45 Goshawk is a carrier-based version of the British Aerospace Hawk trainer.
Raytheon Technical Services Co., Chula Vista, Calif., is being awarded a $26,973,569 time and materials contract to provide for repair services, technical assistance and data support for 82 components applicable to the AN/TPN-19 and the AN/GPN022 landing control centers. At this time, no funds have been obligated. This work will be complete 45 to 365 days from receipt of an order depending on the line item ordered. Solicitation began August 2001; negotiations were completed December 2001.
A specially modified F/A-18 participating in NASA's Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) program has demonstrated a 12 percent fuel savings while flying in a birdlike formation behind another F/A-18.
DOD and the Air Force have "vigorous" plans to build a global network of satellites, connected by laser communications, that will tie into ground systems and provide the backbone for future military communications, according to John Stenbit, assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications, and intelligence (C3I). "The commercial world has broken down the barrier of bandwidth in the backbone of the Internet using fiber optics," Stenbit said, speaking at a recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) conference in Arlington, Va.
Raytheon Technical Services Co., Chula Vista, Calif., is being awarded a $26,973,569 (estimated) contract to provide for repair services, technical assistance and data in support of 82 components applicable to the AN/TPN-19 and the AN/GPN-22 landing control centers. At this time, no funds have been obligated. This work is expected to be completed a most a year after the receipt of an order depending on the line item ordered. Solicitation began August 2001; negotiations were completed December 2001.
A House-Senate conference committee has reached agreement on a fiscal 2002 foreign operations appropriations bill that matches the Bush Administration's military aid request of $2.04 billion for Israel, a $60 million increase over FY '01. The committee also approved the Administration's military aid requests of $1.3 billion for Egypt and $75 million for Jordan, the same as FY '01. The aid to the three countries is provided as grants under the Foreign Military Financing program.
The final version of the fiscal 2002 defense appropriations bill slashes the Bush Administration's budget for the Space Based Laser (SBL) by more than 70 percent while adding tens of millions of dollars to the Airborne Laser (ABL) request. The bill, which was publicly released Dec. 20, cuts the $170 million request for SBL to $50 million while boosting the $410 million ABL request to $483.5 million. The bill was endorsed by a House-Senate conference committee Dec. 18 (DAILY, Dec. 19) and approved by the full House and Senate Dec. 20.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $16,363,768 firm-fixed-price contract modification to provide for 45 programmable armament control set (PACS) retrofit kits, 45 conformal fuel tanks, six sets of spare line replaceable units, seven spare umbilical sets, four kits to upgrade support equipment, five spare circuit cards and associated data repair, warranty and support services. This is in support of the PACS upgrade for the F-15E aircraft. At this time, the total amount of funds has been obligated. This work will be complete December 2007.
Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded on Dec. 14, 2001, a $5,800,000 (estimated) contract modification to provide for sustaining engineering services in support of current and future avionics equipment on the C/KC-135 aircraft. At this time, the total amount of funds has been obligated. This work will be complete October 2002. The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (F34601-01-C-0384, P00026).
A key NASA advisory panel has "unanimously and completely" endorsed the recommendations of an outside task force that recommended cutbacks in the International Space Station (ISS) program. NASA Advisory Council (NAC) Chairman Charles F. Kennel sent a letter to acting NASA Administrator Daniel R. Mulville on Dec. 19 saying the council endorses the findings of the ISS Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) task force. NASA released the letter Dec. 20.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, the United Kingdom's chief of air staff, made a recent hour-long flight in BAE Systems' DA4 two-seat Eurofighter development aircraft, the first non-Royal Air Force test pilot to fly the aircraft. The flight was made at speeds of up to 780 knots and demonstrated the aircraft's supersonic cruise and computerized handling capabilities. "Eurofighter has remarkable excess thrust and handling characteristics," Squire said upon landing.
Lockheed Martin has completed testing of its RD-180 engine for the new Atlas V rockets, the company announced Dec. 19. Completion of the tests has established that the RD-180's design and performance will meet all Atlas V mission requirements for commercial and government satellite customers, according to the company. The engine, designed and built by Russia's NPO Energomash, is now qualified for performance on all configurations of the company's Atlas III and V launch vehicles, including the Atlas V Heavy Lift Vehicle.
Officials with Northrop Grumman Corp. confirmed previously announced financial guidance for fiscal years 2001 and 2002 on Dec. 19. Company officials are meeting with investors Dec. 20 to discuss the company's financial outlook. Company officials said sales for FY 2001 would reach approximately $13 billion, and that FY 2002 sales are expected to total about $18 billion. Sales for FY 2003 are expected to total nearly 20 billion, company officials said.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded on Dec. 14, 2001, $6,876,997 of an estimated cumulative total of $2,234,707,309 firm-fixed-price contract for one Black Hawk UH-60L aircraft for Thailand. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2001. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on July 17, 1997, and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (DAAJ09-97-C-0005).
Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc., Columbia, Md., was awarded on Dec. 14, 2001, a $552,099,747 (maximum) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quality contract to provide for systems engineering and integration, development, sustainment, program management and operations and maintenance of the Air Force Satellite Control Network. Funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. The Air Force can issue delivery orders totaling up to the maximum amount indicted above, although actual requirements may necessitate less than the amount.
The Government of Greece signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance earlier this week for the purchase of 90 AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and associated equipment, according to a spokesperson for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Raytheon Missile Systems will be the prime contractor for the sale, worth an estimated $48.5 million.
