AAI Corp. has received a U.S. Army letter indicating its Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) system has successfully completed initial operational test & evaluation (IOT&E), setting the stage for a full-rate production decision this fall.
The sale of TRW Inc.'s Aeronautical Systems unit to Goodrich Corp. is unlikely to dampen Northrop Grumman's interest in acquiring TRW, according to Rich Pettibone, senior aerospace and defense analyst with Forecast International/DMS, and a company official. TRW Inc. announced June 19 the sale of its Aeronautical Systems unit to Goodrich Corp. for $1.5 billion cash. Company officials said they expect the sale of the business, formerly known as Lucas Aerospace, to be completed in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year.
NEW DELHI - India's defense ministry and the Russian arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, signed an agreement June 18 to establish a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft maintenance facility center at Nasik, near Mumbai, at a cost of $50 million. A senior Indian defense ministry official told The DAILY that a memorandum of understanding was signed a year ago but the agreement was not completed until June 18. The Su-30 MKI maintenance facility will be set up by India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL).
THE DEWEY ELECTRONICS CORP., Oakland, Calif. Frances D. Dewey has been elected chairperson of the board following the sudden death of its founder, president and chairman Gordon C. Dewey. ENGENUITY TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Montreal Philippe Collard, president and CEO, has resigned from all positions held with the company. EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY, Paris Per Tegnér, current director general of the Swedish National Space Board, has been appointed the new chairman for the next two years. NASA
NATO RADAR: Alenia Marconi Systems signed a contract with the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) to provide five RAT 31 DL long-range Fixed Air Defense Radar (FADR) systems. The radars will be installed in the Czech Republic and Hungary. Alenia Marconi Systems is a joint venture between Italy's Finmeccanica and the United Kingdom's BAE Systems.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - In the hopes of anticipating the needs of the proposed Homeland Security Department, the Boeing Co. wants to market its Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system as a cost-effective solution for domestic air patrols.
NEW DELHI - Pakistan is acquiring a Turkish satellite for military and commercial use for about $15 million, to ensure it doesn't lose an orbital slot at 38 degrees East. The satellite's coverage footprint would include Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. Funds have been made available for the satellite under the project designated PAKSAT.
SHUTTLE LANDS: Shuttle Endeavour landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 19, after inclement weather forced earlier landing delays. Endeavour returned to Earth carrying the Expedition Four crew from the International Space Station.
At the request of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Stephen Cambone, the current deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, soon will take up a new position as director of program analysis and evaluation (PA&E), Cambone told a group of defense reporters June 19. Describing the office as the "connective tissue" between defense guidance and budgeting, Cambone said the leadership change is part of an effort to change the way PA&E operates.
More than 900 firefighters are battling a 7,335-acre fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The fire, at South Vandenberg, is about 50 percent contained, the base said June 18. Fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, bulldozers and an Incident Management Team are helping firefighters extinguish the blaze. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
ANOTHER DELAY: NASA bumped the landing of shuttle Endeavour to June 19 due to inclement weather on June 18. The forecast for Wednesday is better - NASA said there are five landing opportunities, two in Florida and three at the backup site at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Northrop Grumman Corp. has received the final $106.9 million increment of a $221.8 million full-production contract for the 16th E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft, the company announced June 18. The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to the Air Force by March 2004. The contract also includes several system upgrades, including an Improved Data Modem for real-time targeting connectivity with the U.S. Army's AH-64 Apache helicopter.
A Department of Defense acquisition official presented the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award to six DOD teams at a Pentagon ceremony June 18. E.C. "Pete" Aldridge, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, presented the awards, given to organizations, groups or teams that made significant contributions or demonstrated innovations and best practices in the defense acquisition process. The Packard awards went to:
A newly formed group of unmanned aerial vehicle makers wants NASA to join its initiative to clear the way for the use of UAVs in U.S. airspace. The group, called UAV National Industry Team Endeavor, or UNITE, was formed June 14. Its membership roster includes Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Senate critics of the Crusader artillery system have drafted a proposed amendment to the fiscal 2003 defense authorization bill that would uphold the Bush Administration's decision to cancel the Army program and transfer its funds to precisions munitions and rocket systems.
The Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry is preparing to issue its third and probably final interim report within the next few weeks, based on the results of its last public meeting in May. The third meeting was held in Washington May 14, and featured testimony and deliberations on space policy, industrial base and workforce issues (DAILY, May 15). Based on that meeting, the commission is recommending:
The Aerospace Industries Association is pleased that President Bush has signed into law a bill rechartering the U.S. Export-Import Bank for several more years, according to Christopher Lombardi, manager of international affairs for AIA. Ex-Im Bank needed the reauthorization to continue operating. U.S. aerospace firms, including the Boeing Co.'s Renton, Wash.-based Commercial Airplanes unit, rely on the bank's export financing to compete against foreign companies backed by their own countries' export credit agencies, Lombardi said June 18.
SES AMERICOM has signed a contract with International Launch Services (ILS) for the launch of two cable television satellites in 2004. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Under the contract, ILS will launch the AMC-19 and AMC-11 satellites in the first half of 2004. ILS' Atlas IIAS will be the primary launch vehicle, with the Proton M as a backup. AMC-10 and AMC-11 are A2100 model satellites built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, and will replace satellites that are nearing the end of their service lives.
A Private Finance Initiative (PFI) service contract for the United Kingdom's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) program will be delayed a year, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said June 17. FSTA is intended to replace the MOD's fleet of aging BAE Systems VC10 and Lockheed TriStar fleets with new tankers.
Lockheed Martin is seeking bridge funding that would allow its new armored reconnaissance vehicle to be developed further and possibly incorporated into the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS). Through the joint venture SIKA International, Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems have spent the past three and a half years developing the Tactical Reconnaissance Armored Combat Equipment Requirement/Future Scout and Cavalry System (TRACER/FSCS) - a manned, C-130 deployable vehicle for providing all-weather reconnaissance and attack.
PRAGUE - Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody has launched preliminary talks with Indonesian officials on the possible export of L-159 fighters to that country, the company confirmed Tuesday. The talks took place during a three-day official state visit to the Czech Republic by Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who arrived in Prague on June 17. A delegation of Indonesian military officials also visited Aero's production facility just outside Prague.
