Following its decision earlier this month that a March or April shuttle launch is not feasible, NASA's Space Flight Leadership Council (SFLC) has decided to shoot for the next available launch window in May to return the shuttle to flight.
NEW ORDERS: Westbury, N.Y.-based DHB Industries Inc.'s Armor Group has received more than $19 million in orders for protective products for the U.S. military, federal government and domestic law enforcement agencies, the company said Oct. 29. The new orders are in addition to more than $35 million in orders announced on Oct. 5, the company said.
SMALL UAV: The U.S. Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Honeywell plan to flight-test the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Class 1 unmanned aerial vehicle in March 2005, says Brig. Gen. Charles Cartwright, Army program manager, unit of action. The FCS Class 1 UAV will be 21 inches long, have a ducted fan, and be able to transition to high-speed flight up to 40-50 knots, Cartwright says. The UAV will be carried by soldiers, and is to be able to conduct surveillance by hovering outside windows.
BAA EXTENDED: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Tactical Technology Office (TTO) is extending the response period for its November, 2003 broad agency announcement (BAA) on advanced research and development of system- and subsystem-level technology for warfighters. The new deadline is Jan. 31, 2005. Multiple contract awards are expected, according to DARPA. The TTO's future priorities fall mostly into four areas: space, unmanned vehicles, tactical multipliers and urban warfare/low-intensity operations.
SPACEHAB MEETS: Spacehab Inc. will hold its 2004 shareholders meeting Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. Central time at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake in Houston, Texas, the company announced Oct. 28. At the meeting, shareholders of record will be asked to elect 10 people to Spacehab's board of directors and to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as independent auditors for the company.
Raytheon Co. reported third-quarter 2004 net sales were $4.9 billion, up 13 percent from the $4.4 billion for the same period in 2003, the company said Oct. 28. The uptick mostly was due to increased government and defense contracts, the company said. Government and defense sales for the third quarter 2004 increased 12 percent to $4.1 billion from $3.7 billion in 2003.
India has successfully test-fired a modified naval version of the surface-to-surface Prithvi ("Earth") missile, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported Oct. 27. The medium-range Prithvi III missile, which has a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles), was launched from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea near Balasore and tracked by several ground stations.
Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp. reported third-quarter 2004 earnings of $11.6 million on sales of $161.3 million, compared with $10.6 million on sales of $125.2 million in 2003, the company announced Oct. 28. For the first nine months, segment earnings were $34.8 million on sales of $491.9 million, compared with $37.7 million on sales of $383 million in the first nine months of 2003, according to the company.
Lockheed Martin is waiting for results of tests being conducted on the GBU-10 laser guided bomb kit that it makes following an observation that its flight characteristics may be different from previously observed characteristics, a company spokeswoman said. The Air Force notified Lockheed Martin Sept. 30 that it was suspending operational use of the kit, designated MAU-209/B, Jennifer Allen said Oct. 27 in response to a question.
The U.S. Air Force plans to award a multiyear contract to the Boeing Co. in January for communications upgrades to the B-52 bomber. The four-year, system development and demonstration (SDD) contract, estimated at about $200 million, will call for integrating new satellite communications and other enhancements into the B-52 to improve its ability to share information with other aircraft and with command centers, Air Force officials told The DAILY in recent written responses to questions.
The Titan Corp. reported record quarterly revenues of $526 million for the third quarter of 2004, a 12 percent increase over revenues of $468 million for the same period a year ago, the company said Oct. 27. Titan's net income from continuing operations was $16.6 million, compared with $15.6 million for the third quarter of 2003. This increase included a charge of $2.9 million for ongoing costs of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act government investigations and costs related to the terminated merger with Lockheed Martin (DAILY, June 28).
SUPER HORNET WORK: Boeing has been awarded a $36.9 million contract modification for the full-rate production of advanced mission computers and displays that will be integrated into the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Lot 28 aircraft, the U.S. Department of Defense said Oct. 27. The work is expected to be completed in July 2006.
MTC Technologies Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a task order worth up to $13.5 million to perform unscheduled depot level maintenance (UDLM) on all C-130 aircraft, the company said Oct. 28. The work will include center wing rainbow fitting replacements, center wing spar cap repairs and any other needed repairs.
Radar data captured by the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft during its first close flyby of Titan on Oct. 26 is providing an unprecedented look at the surface of Saturn's most mysterious moon, according to NASA.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) reported sales of $673 million for the second quarter of 2005, an increase of 19 percent from the previous year, the company said Oct. 28. The sales were "driven by organic growth of 11 percent," the company said. Orders increased 16 percent to $548 million, from $474 million the previous year, the Minneapolis-based weapon and space systems company said.
The Atlantic Fleet, now under way with its Sea Swap experiment, is incorporating lessons learned from the Pacific Fleet's Sea Swap that finished last spring, Cmdr. Robert Randall of the guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon told The DAILY. Sea Swap is an initiative that increases forward naval presence by keeping a single ship hull continuously present in a given area of operation - in this case for 18 months - while swapping crews at six-month intervals.
Aurora Flight Sciences is awaiting an award announcement in the Organic Air Vehicle II (OAV II) competition before it conducts the first transition flight for its OAV candidate, the GoldenEye ducted fan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). GoldenEye uses thrust vectoring to pitch forward and fly horizontally after taking off vertically (DAILY, Sept. 11, 2003). The GoldenEye-100 prototype had its first flight in September 2003, and now has completed its flight-test program, according to Aurora President John Langford.
NASA and Orbital Sciences Corp. have postponed the launch of the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft after discovering particulate contamination in the spacecraft's Pegasus launch vehicle. During final flight preparations at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the closeout team discovered pieces of aluminum foil inside the rocket's fairing. The vehicle will be de-mated from its Stargazer L-1011 carrier aircraft and returned to the vehicle assembly building for inspection. NASA does not expect to launch before Nov. 4.
The U.S. Air Force has kicked off a study of options to replace the aging Minuteman III nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to a service official. The Land Based Strategic Deterrent (LBSD) analysis of alternatives (AOA) got under way recently and is slated for completion by Sept. 30, 2005, said Col. Richard Patenaude, chief of the deterrence and strike division in Air Force Space Command's requirements directorate.
C-17 TRAINING: AAI Corp. will upgrade systems used to train maintenance technicians for the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft under a $23.5 million order, the company said Oct. 28. The upgrades will be installed on 26 C-17 trainers at three Air Force bases and one Air National Guard facility, the company said.
The first F/A-22 Raptor made for a deployable unit rolled off the assembly line Oct. 27 at prime contractor Lockheed Martin's plant in Marietta, Ga. The jet, Raptor 4041, will undergo post-production preparations and flights before being delivered to the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., in early 2005. The Air Force announced about a year ago that the squadron would be the first deployable unit to fly the F/A-22 (DAILY, Oct. 16, 2003).
Northrop Grumman Corp. will continue system and software development work on the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) Blue Force Tracking system under a $40 million, five-year Army contract, the company said Oct. 27.
Lockheed Martin said the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) it is building for the U.S. Navy will be equipped with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.'s EADS TRS-3D radar for air and sea surveillance and weapon assignment. The radar also will be fitted to the U.S. Coast Guard's Maritime Security Cutter, Large (WMSL) for air search, the companies announced at the Euronaval exhibit in Paris Oct. 27.
