Thomas E. Ferguson has been named president of the Hydraulic Institute for 2006-2007. He will also serve on the board of directors. Ferguson is a vice president of Flowserve Corp. and president of Flowserve Pumps.
With India's skies getting crowded as its aviation sector continues to grow - more than 12 percent over the past year - efforts are under way to integrate and synergize the resources available for civil and military airspace. "We need higher technology in CNS-ATM (communication, navigation, surveillance-air traffic management) to cater to the increasing frequencies of flights," says Ajay Prasad, civil aviation secretary.
FAMILY OF VEHICLES: Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems L.P. of Sealy, Texas, has been awarded a $295.9 million contract modification to provide the U.S. Army with a family of medium tactical trucks and trailers, the Defense Department said May 11. The work will be performed in Sealy and is set to be finished by Nov. 15, 2008. The contract was awarded by the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich.
BAE Systems and VT Group on May 10 dropped plans to jointly bid for Babcock International Group. The two companies have been looking at a joint offer for Babcock since March. With a May 18 deadline looming on whether to submit a bid, BAE and VT have decided not to pursue an offer.
John M. Deutch has been named chair of the board of director's governance and nominating committee. Thomas E. Everhart has retired from the board. Warren B. Rudman has retired from the board. Michael C. Ruettgers has been named the board's lead director. Ronald L. Skates will continue to chair the audit committee. Paul Snyder has been named president of the customer services division. William R. Spivey has been appointed chair of the board's management development and compensation committee.
The House chose May 11 to authorize $5 million for the U.S. Air Force's High Altitude Airship (HAA) Program, offset by an equal amount taken from the Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS), as well as require a comprehensive analysis of future airlift and sealift mobility requirements as part of the Defense Department's 2006 update to the Mobility Capability Study.
Senior Defense Department leaders and executives from the aerospace and defense industry have reached an "agreement in principal" on changes to the Berry Amendment that would "protect" specialty metals producers and "thousands" of small businesses, the Aerospace Industries Association has announced.
British forces heading for Afghanistan this summer for NATO peacekeeping duties need more helicopters and other air support, according to a report by an influential committee of British lawmakers. "It is essential that our commanders on the ground have clear objectives and the necessary resources and capabilities they need to meet these objectives," the April 6 report by the U.K. House of Common's Defense Committee said.
The second test of Lockheed Martin's Theater High-Altitude Air Defense system since a major overhaul was "successful" in meeting all objectives, according to Missile Defense Agency Director USAF Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering.
House homeland security appropriators, led by Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), decided May 11 to fund the Homeland Security Department at $32.08 billion, $1.065 billion above the Bush administration's fiscal 2007 request, but also to withhold $1.3 billion until various requirements are met. The funding includes $893 million for the Coast Guard's Deepwater recapitalization program - which is below the administration's $934.4 million request.
Douglas G. Bain will retire as senior vice president and general counsel, effective July 1. Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit will succeed Bain.
William Campbell has been named to the board of directors. Campbell served in the California legislature for 22 years, including 14 years as a state senator. Jerome Krantz has resigned as a director.
The Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration on May 9 issued a request for proposals to begin phase one of the so-called Roadrunner supercomputer at the Los Alamos National Laboratories. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), chairman of the Senate energy and water development appropriations subcommittee, provided $35 million in fiscal 2006 funding to begin a three-phase program to acquire a supercomputer that is able to run at a sustained performance level of 1 petaflop, or a billion million computations per second.
NASA's Mars exploration program is in the middle of a strategic regrouping effort as it continues grappling with the nearly $3 billion five-year cut contained in the Bush administration's fiscal 2007 budget request, which has left it unable to make firm plans for missions beyond 2016. In response, the agency has formed an ad hoc group to draw up plans for the next 10 years of Mars exploration. That group's work should be completed this summer, according to Mars Program Lead Scientist Michael Meyer.
Four H-1 helicopters - two AH-1Zs and two UH-1Ys - left the Naval Air Warfare Center Patuxent River, Md., on May 9 to begin the H-1 program's long-awaited, and slightly delayed, operational evaluation (opeval) period.
