Northrop Grumman Corp. received a $64.8 million test support delivery order from the U.S. Air Force for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS), the company announced Oct. 17. The four-year, fixed-price delivery order for the Joint STARS Extended Test Support (JETS) program was awarded to the company's Integrated Systems Sector (ISS).
E-TENNA CORP., a subsidiary of the Titan Corp., has unveiled its AccuWave G100 groundplane, designed to make global positioning system antennas lighter, cheaper and smaller. The AccuWave G100 is designed to minimize GPS position errors, which can happen when radio frequency signals bounce from the Earth or other surfaces and interfere with GPS transmission. The AccuWave G100 uses artificial magnetic conductor technology to reduce these bounced signals.
A House-Senate conference committee late Oct. 16 approved a fiscal 2002 military construction appropriations bill after dropping a provision in the Senate version that would have allocated $10 million in Defense Intelligence Agency accounts to planning and designing two measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) facilities.
NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin announced Oct. 17 he is retiring next month, ending a record-setting, sometimes stormy tenure over the aerospace agency. Goldin, 61, will leave NASA Nov. 17 for an interim position as senior fellow for the non-profit Council on Competitiveness in Washington, before heading into the private sector.
U.S. Army Apache Longbow combat helicopters arrived in South Korea this month, marking the first international deployment of a U.S. Army Longbow battalion. The helicopters were produced by the Boeing Co. in Mesa, Ariz., and arrived in South Korea by ship, where they were reassembled and flown to a U.S. Army facility. The arrival completed the return of the Army Apache unit to South Korea, where it had operated as an AH-64A Apache battalion before the conversion to Apache Longbows began in 1999, according to Boeing.
In light of the changing post-Cold War strategic picture, the Air Force should shift its focus away from the current fighter-centric model to a more bomber-centric force, according to a group of defense analysts at a symposium on the future of America's bomber force.
The U.S. Air Force plans to release a request for proposals for the GPS III program on about Nov. 7, and has tentatively set Dec. 21 as the due date for proposals. The service would issue two pre-acquisition contracts, each worth $100 million and each for 27 months, next March.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control will produce nine Army Tactical Missile System (TACMS) penetrator demonstration missiles under a $16.1 million contract. The company is teaming with Sandia National Laboratories on the integration and demonstration program. The contract was funded by the U.S. Army, and work is expected to be completed by Sept. 2004.
Northrop Grumman has received a $26 million U.S. Air Force contract to wind up advanced development work on the 16th of a planned 19 Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft. Under the contract, from the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems Sector (ISS) will work on one Lot X Joint STARS aircraft.
A strike version of the stealthy F-22 Raptor fighter could attack during daytime even dangerous targets like advanced surface-to-air missile sites, Gen. John Jumper, the Air Force Chief of Staff, said Oct. 16. In addition to making the case for the F-22, Jumper called for modernizing and upgrading other aircraft to enhance the Air Force's overall capabilities and readiness. The advanced stealth characteristics of the F-22, designed as an air superiority fighter, also give it unique advantages as a ground-attack aircraft, he said.
Computer Sciences Corp. of Falls Church, Va., will provide software engineering support services for the Navy's E-2C Hawkeye aircraft, the company announced. The contract from the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) is worth more than $20 million if all options are exercised over the next five years, according to the company. CSC will provide support services for the E-2C Airborne Tactical Data System, including software development, life cycle maintenance, hardware design, integration, prototyping and evaluation.
EVANS&SUTHERLAND COMPUTER CORP. will supply its simFUSION PC image generators for use in the U.S. Army's Kiowa Warrior helicopter simulator visual system, the company announced Oct. 16. The OH-58D simulator is operated by the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences at Fort Rucker, Ala.
Advanced Technical Products, Inc.'s Intellitec Division will supply composite flap fairing components to the Boeing Co. for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet under a $5.1 million contract. The contract calls for Intellitec to produce 30 parts per aircraft for the next five years of production, the company announced. The flap fairing components are produced using the company's resin transfer molding process. Intellitec, based in DeLand, Fla., also produces equipment for the Air Force's F-22 Raptor.
Orbital Sciences Corp. has been awarded a $24 million task order from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command to develop and launch four air-launched missile defense targets. The air-launched target missile will be transported to an area over the ocean by a C-130 aircraft. At the correct location, the target will be dropped via parachute and its motor will be ignited.
As part of a strategic resources review mandated by the White House, NASA is considering scaling back or closing some of its 10 nationwide centers, as well as cutting jobs in the International Space Station (ISS) program. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has instructed NASA to identify the agency's critical capabilities, determine which must be retained and which can be discontinued or led outside the agency.
Sensytech, Inc. will deliver communications and signal analysis equipment under $2.2 million worth of new contracts. "These rapid awards reflect an increased demand for tactical information, for which our technology is well suited," Sensytech CEO S. Kent Rockwell said in a statement. "We have committed to early delivery of the equipment where possible. We are experiencing an increase in demand for all our equipment and services as a result of the U.S. government declaring war on terrorism."
PASSES TEST: BAE Systems' Tactical Aircraft Directable Infrared Countermeasure System has completed key tests for the U.S. Navy, including hostile missile detection and jamming missile seekers. Live fire tests of the system are slated to begin later this month.
(Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from a press briefing that Secretary of State Colin Powell gave Oct. 16 en route to Pakistan and India). Q: Mr. Secretary, since the events, the [military] sanctions against both countries have been lifted - POWELL: Some have. Q: Are you in any way going to discuss that, for example, what the limits might be particularly with respect to military sales to Pakistan. Is that on the plate?
Aerojet of Sacramento, Calif., has been awarded a 17-month, $13.4 million contract from Orbital Sciences Corp. to continue development of a new liquid-fueled engine for a U.S. Army target vehicle. Orbital Sciences was one of two companies given Phase II contracts by the Army Space&Missile Defense Command to develop liquid-fueled target boosters. TRW was the other winner. When development is complete, one company will be awarded a contract that could be worth $100 million over six years (DAILY, Oct. 5).
While not discussing specific targets, a Pentagon official confirmed that the U.S. used an AC-130 gunship over Afghanistan during Oct. 15 air strikes. The AC-130 has been used in a number of U.S. combat operations, including the Vietnam War. It is most often used for close air support, interdiction, and force protection, according to the Air Force.
Heico Corp., of Hollywood, Fla., announced Oct. 16 it has acquired a provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services and a producer of aftermarket commercial aircraft parts. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Officials with Heico's aerospace division said a deal was signed to acquire the assets of Avitech Engineering Corp., of Hayward, Calif. Avitech provides overhaul and repair services on fuel systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical and propeller controls for air carriers operating turboprop and turbofan aircraft.
Orbit International Corp. will supply its Remote Control Units (RCU) to BAE Systems to support the Common Identification Friend or Foe Digital Transponder program, the company announced. The RCU is a multi-usage panel designed to be readable in sunlight or by using night-vision equipment. The $300,000 contract announced Oct. 16 is a pre-production order for 70 RCUs that will be deliverable during the first and second quarters of 2002. The units will be used for airborne, naval and other field service transponder applications.
Sikorsky Aircraft Co. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Korean Air Lines (KAL) to develop multi-mission helicopters for the government of Korea. The companies will cooperate in product development and marketing for the Korean Multi-Purpose Helicopter Program, Connecticut-based Sikorsky, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., announced. The helicopter program could ultimately lead to the purchase of hundreds of aircraft to replace Korea's aging fleet, according to Sikorsky.
Losses from underperforming subsidiaries, a slowing satellite market and a bumped shuttle payload flight hit Houston-based Spacehab Inc. in the pocketbook in 2001, the company reported. The commercial space service's company's $105.3 million revenue for fiscal 2001 was essentially unchanged from last year, but the company's net loss climbed from $3.8 million in 2000 to $12.8 million in 2001. The company reported a $5.6 million loss for the fourth quarter of 2001, compared with income of $22,000 for the same period the year before.
The Navy and Marine Corps are planning three consecutive block upgrades of the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft, a Naval Air Systems Command spokeswoman said Oct. 16. The objective of the first, including a redesign of the nacelle and software upgrades (DAILY, Oct. 16), is to deliver a safe and operational aircraft to the fleet, the spokeswoman said in response to questions.
