The U.S. military dropped two more daisy cutter bombs in Afghanistan last week, according to Pentagon officials. Originally designed to clear helicopter landing areas in Vietnam, the daisy cutter bombs, also known as Commando Vault, are 15,000 pound, unguided "dumb" bombs fitted with four-foot daisy-cutter fuses. Eleven daisy cutters were dropped from C-130s during the Gulf War (DAILY, Nov. 7).
Nine European countries have selected the RTM322 turboshaft engine for their medium-sized helicopters, resulting in orders and options for more than 1,000 engines from the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca joint venture. Recent orders for the engines to power new medium-lift helicopters for the armed forces of five European nations have an estimated value of about $225 million, according to the companies.
Last year, the B-1B had far more accidents than other bombers, according to Air Force documents. A B-1B bomber involved in Operation Enduring Freedom crashed Dec. 12 off the Island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. All four crewmen were rescued, according to the Pentagon. The B-1B had 14 accidents, or "mishaps," according to an Air Force publication obtained by The DAILY. Of these 14 accidents, three were "Class B" mishaps and the other 11 were "Class C" mishaps.
Carl B. Fischer has been named vice president/general manager of the Electronic Systems Space Systems division. James F. Pitts has been named vice president/general manager of Aerospace Systems division. D. Wayne Snodgrass has been named vice president of Engineering/Manufacturing. Scott J. Seymour has been named corporate vice president and president of the Integrated Systems sector.
The final version of the fiscal 2002 defense authorization bill fully funds the Bush Administration's $1.54 billion request for development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter but blocks the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's plans to move three missile defense programs to the military services, according to summaries released Dec. 12.
India's Department of Space (DOS) may begin its ambitious Mission to the Moon program with the launch of a satellite that would orbit the moon at a height of 100 kilometers. DOS officials outlined the program in a presentation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology.
A larger version of the range extension wing kit used by Boeing last week in tests of its Small Smart Bomb (DAILY, Dec. 11) has been used in tests of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), a Boeing spokesman said Dec. 11. The DiamondBack wing kit, developed by Alenia Marconi Systems and named for its shape, is folded out of an unpowered weapon after its release from an aircraft. The idea is to increase the range of the weapon.
Despite reports to the contrary, the bottom is not falling out of the U.S. aerospace industry as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, John Douglass, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, said Dec. 12 during that organization's Year End Review and Forecast luncheon. Douglass presented charts showing that projected industry sales for 2001 will total about $151 billion, some $5 billion more than 2000 sales.
THE BOEING CO. has received a $37.6 million contract to enhance the flight decks of NATO's fleet of 17 E-3 Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft to meet European civil air requirements for reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM). RVSM will allow the E-3s to operate in areas where air traffic control requirements have been reduced to handle increased air traffic. The upgrades are expected to be completed between 2003 and 2005.
X-38 TEST: NASA plans a test of the X-38 vehicle Dec. 13 at Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The test will be the highest, fastest and longest free flight of the vehicle to date. The X-38 is intended to lead to a space station Crew Return Vehicle, although its future is in doubt due to a station budget crunch.
Congress will go above and beyond the Bush Administration's FY 2002 funding requests for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including additional funding for the Army's Shadow Tactical UAV (TUAV) program, according to Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.). These plus-ups reflect an "enthusiastic feeling" about UAVs and other unmanned platforms among members of Congress, Weldon said, speaking at a UAV conference in Arlington, Va. Dec. 11.
Paul R. Davis has been named president of Loral Asia-Pacific. C. Patrick Dewitt has been named president of Space Systems/Loral and vice president of Loral Space&Communications.
The Senate has approved spending $2 million to shore up a New Jersey firm that is one of only two companies in the U.S. that produce nitrocellulose, a chemical used to make propellant for missiles and other weapons. The funding for Green Tree Chemical Technologies of Sayreville, N.J., is contained in an amendment that the Senate adopted before passing the fiscal 2002 defense appropriations bill Dec. 7. The House version contains no funding for Green Tree, so the issue will likely be resolved by a conference committee later this month.
Joseph S. Cantie has been named vice president, finance of TRW automotive. Ronald P. Vargo to assume investor relations. John Daegele has been named vice president of science and technology.
The Hunter Standoff Killer Team program, which links an Apache Longbow helicopter with the Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle, will be fielded beginning in 2004, according to Col. Waldo Carmona, the commander of the Applied Aviation Directorate at the Army Aviation and Missile Command.
