As South Korea nears a decision in a drawn-out competition to upgrade the Korean air force, the U.S. may be losing its edge, according to some analysts. The procurement - dubbed the F-X program - is worth an estimated $3.3 billion for acquisition of 40 next-generation fighters. The competition has been narrowed down to four companies: the Boeing Corp. of the U.S. with the F-15K, Sukhoi of Russia with the Su-35, Dassault of France with the Rafale, and the Eurofighter consortium with the Typhoon.
ROCKWELL COLLINS said it recently completed demonstrations of its Synthetic Vision Information System (SVIS), working with the NASA Aviation Safety Program in an effort that involved several airlines. The program is aimed at developing a visually based system to increase safety and terrain awareness during approach and departure.
Northrop Grumman has won two U.S. Air Force contracts in recent weeks that promise to increase its contribution to the new war on terrorism. On Friday, the company was named winner of a competition to develop the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system, intended to defend transports against shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles known to be in the hands of terrorists. Northrop Grumman won a $66.5 million contract from the Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center, $31.5 million of which was obligated immediately.
September 26, 2001 Lockheed Martin Corporation Systems, Orlando, Fla., is being awarded a $7,982,000 cost-plus-award-fee contract modification to provide for upgrade to MH-53 Helicopter simulator. At this time, the total amount of funds has been obligated. This work will be complete September 2003. Lockheed Martin Information Systems will perform this effort at the 58th training Support Squadron, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (F42630-00-C-0206, P00021).
A report released Oct. 1 by the General Accounting Office (GAO) says government efforts for dealing with bioterrorism are too fragmented, and contingency planning at the state and local level is insufficient to address the threat. Several federal agencies, including the departments of Health and Human Services, Justice, and Defense, have roles to play in responding to a bioterrorist attack against U.S. citizens, the report says.
Following months of anticipation and debate, the Defense Department's Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) - a congressionally mandated report that defines DOD's strategy and force structure - was released Oct. 1 with few surprises and only moderate changes in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Replacing the Two Major Theater War (2MTW) strategy for force-sizing, DOD will now shape forces to respond to a more realistic set of contingencies, according to a senior DOD official speaking Oct. 1 at the Pentagon.
September 25, 2001 BAE Systems, Nashua, N.H., is being awarded a $5,696,079 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to provide for requirements for one lot of post-production support for the AN/ALR056A/C System Radar Warning Receiver for the F-15 aircraft. At this time, the total amount of funds has been obligated. This work will be completed September 2002. This effort will be performed by BAE Systems in Yonkers, N.Y. The Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (F09603-00-C-0247, P00007).
Although defense analysts disagree on which weapons systems will benefit from the strategy laid out in the new Quadrennial Defense Review, all foresee some changes in the future. The document "makes clear that there's a real attempt to absorb the thoughts and studies developed over the past nine months," said Dan Goure, a senior fellow at the Lexington Institute. "The words, the language from the defense reviews are there."
Pacific Aerospace&Electronics Inc. has announced it received electronics contracts worth nearly $4.1 million in the past 60 days, an announcement that follows a series of setbacks for the financially strapped company. Nearly $3.8 million of the orders are related to defense projects, company officials said. "We are particularly pleased to announce the diversity of these orders," said company President and CEO Don Wright.
The first precision approach by a civil aircraft using a military GPS landing system occurred Aug. 25 at Holloman AFB, N.M., Raytheon announced Oct. 1. A FedEx Express 727 equipped with a Rockwell-Collins multi-mode receiver landed using a Raytheon-developed military ground station, Aerospace Daily affiliate Aviation Daily reported.
A Lockheed Martin-built Athena rocket successfully lifted off from Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska at 10:40 p.m. EDT Sept. 29, deploying four satellites and marking the first orbital launch from the facility. The "Kodiak Star" mission, as the launch was dubbed, carried the NASA-sponsored Starshine 3 satellite, PICOSat, PCSat, and Sapphire. The latter three spacecraft are part of the Department of Defense's Defense Space Test Program.
A rocket nozzle for the Boeing Delta IV's RS-68 engine has passed four flight certification tests and is ready for production and use on the Delta IV's first flight next year, nozzle maker Alliant Techsystems (ATK) announced Oct. 1. The nozzle's certification tests, performed at the John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss., simulated the most extreme mission cycles that could be experienced in flight, according to ATK.
ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP. has signed a contract to build and launch a geostationary communications satellite for Japan's Broadcasting Satellite System Corp. (B-SAT). The BSAT-2c will be the third satellite Orbital will build for the company. BSAT-2a, launched in 2001, is now in orbit. The BSAT-2b was left in a useless orbit after an Ariane 5 booster malfunctioned in July (DAILY, July 16).
SEA LAUNCH has signed an agreement with PanAmSat Corp. to launch the Galaxy XIII/Horizons-1 satellite in the fourth quarter of 2002. The new satellite will support PanAmSat's cable program distribution services, as well as the company's new joint venture with Japan's JSAT Corp. to provide expanded Ku-band services in North America and extended services to Japan and Asia via a Hawaii-based relay station.
NASA's Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) is ready to examine the oldest light in the universe now that it has settled into its distant home in space, NASA announced Oct. 1. The aerospace agency said MAP has arrived at L2, a semi-stable gravitational location that is one million miles from Earth, in the direction opposite the sun.
DRS Technologies Inc. has completed the $67 million acquisition of the assets and some liabilities of the Boeing Co.'s Sensors and Electronic Systems business unit, the company announced Oct. 1.
SUTRON CORP.'s SatLink High Data Rate Satellite Transmitter has been bought by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. SatLink will be part of AERONET, the center's global network of 165 remote sensing aerosol monitoring stations. AERONET's automatic data acquisition, transmission and processing facilitates building local, regional and global databases which are fundamental for understanding the influence of atmospheric aerosols on climate change.
STRATASYS, INC. of Minneapolis is touting its rapid prototyping system as a way for NASA to build spare parts in space. The company's fused deposit modeling (FDM) system creates solid models from computer-aided design files using polycarbonate, ABS plastic, wax and other materials. The aerospace agency has experimented with the company's system, according to Stratasys. NASA engineers placed a Stratasys FDM system on its KC-135 aircraft, which is used to simulate weightless conditions.
B/E AEROSPACE INC., which builds aircraft cabin products, announced it has a cockpit security system that could be ready for installation as early as January. The system features an anti-ballistic cockpit door and a camera system enabling the flight crew to monitor the passenger cabin.
INTEGRAL SYSTEMS, INC., of Lanham, Md., has signed a long-term agreement with global satellite telecommunications company New Skies Satellites N.V. to expand the New Skies ground control system that it delivered in December 2000. Under the terms of the five-year agreement, Integral Systems will be the preferred supplier of ground systems for New Skies, and will offer New Skies preferred pricing for ground systems.
