Rolls-Royce plc's AE 3007C1 engine has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as the next-generation powerplant for the Cessna Citation X, the engine maker announced Nov. 6. The AE 3007C1 is a more powerful derivative of the AE 3007C turbofan, providing an additional five percent takeoff thrust, according to Rolls-Royce. AE 3007C/C1 engines are the sole powerplant for the Cessna Citation X.
Aero Vodochody, the Czech aerospace company, has called for talks with Gripen International, the Swedish-British joint venture, to confirm public statements that the consortium may opt for final assembly of its Gripen fighters at Aero Vodochody if the Gripen JAS 39 wins the tender to supply up to 36 aircraft to the Czech military.
FALCON CONTRACTS: TRW Aeronautical Systems will provide flight control and power generation systems for Dassault Aviation's new Falcon 7X business jet, contracts estimated to be worth $350 million over the life of the program, the company announced Nov. 4.
The House Science Committee plans to publicly scrutinize an independent review panel's recommendation that the International Space Station program pursue staff cuts and fewer space shuttle trips to rein in costs. The committee has scheduled a Nov. 7 hearing on the panel's findings. Sean O'Keefe, deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and A. Thomas Young, the review panel's chairman, are slated to testify.
The Army wants to upgrade or replace the aging radar warning receivers on its fleet of MH-47 and MH-60 Special Operations helicopters, some of which are seeing service in Afghanistan. The service wants to move rapidly on the program, which centers on the Northrop Grumman AN/APR-39A(V)1. Industry is being asked to respond by Nov. 9 to a request for information from the Army Technology Applications Office at Fort Eustis, Va.
Big aerospace firms are increasingly turning to electronic auctions as a way to award contracts for bulk items more efficiently, but the response from some aerospace suppliers - especially long-time, preferred suppliers - has been guarded. Some suppliers fear their strategic relationships with larger aerospace firms will be undercut because e-auctions now give their competitors easier access, said David Johnson, director of Engineering Management with Aerospace Industries Association.
October 29, 2001 Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $7,709,823 modification to a cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide for Defense Satellite Communication System III orbital support operations (fiscal year 2001/fiscal year 2002), which consists of satellite normal and anomalous operations and maintenance of ground systems. The work is expected to be completed September 2003. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-97/C-0042, P00044).
An RQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was reported lost over Afghanistan Nov. 2, with preliminary reports indicating that severe weather was the likely cause, according to a statement issued by U.S. Central Command in Florida. The Nov. 2 loss marks the 20th loss of a Predator air vehicle. The previous 19 have been lost "due to mishaps or losses over enemy territory," according to a senior Pentagon official. Each Predator system consists of four air vehicles, ground-control stations and satellite gear.
NASA will have to broaden its perspective on commercial use of the International Space Station (ISS) to find a way to offset the program's budget shortfall, said David Logsdon, manager of space operations for the Aerospace Industries Association. Logsdon cited the Independent Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) report released Nov. 2, which said NASA must cut staff and reduce shuttle flights to save station money (DAILY, Nov. 5).
Kaiser Electronics is developing a new multifunction F-22 cockpit display that uses rear projection rather than liquid crystal technology - the first such display for any aircraft, according to the company. The F-22 Raptor cockpit has six display screens - two up-front 3 x 4-inch active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs), three 6.25 x 6.25-inch secondary multifunction displays (SMFDs), and one 8 x 8-inch display, the primary multifunction display (PMFD).
The Norwegian armed forces should increase its planned purchase of 48 fighters to 60, according to Kristin Krohn-Devold, Norway's new minister of defense. Krohn-Devold, a member of Norway's Conservative Party, was appointed last month after Norway's left-leaning government lost in general elections to the conservatives. The previous government had planned for flat or slightly declining defense budgets and advocated reducing the military infrastructure to achieve cost savings.
A joint venture of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and TRW has received additional funding for work on the Space Based Laser, a satellite-borne weapon intended to defeat ballistic missiles in their boost phase. The venture, called Team Space Based Laser, won a $50 million contract from the Air Force on Nov. 1. It had previously won $232 million in two increments, the first in 1999 and the second in 2000. When the contract is completed in coming years, its value will be an estimated $3 billion.
October 29, 2001 Northrop Grumman Systems, Corp., El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a $19,945,108 firm-fixed-price contract to provide for structuring upgrade programs for F-5 aircraft. The work is expected to be completed December 2004. There was one firm solicited and one proposal received. Solicitation began May 2001; negotiations were completed September 2001. The Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (F42620-01/D-0069).
Several military space technology programs will suffer serious setbacks if House-approved funding cuts become law, according to the Defense Department. In an "appeal" to the House-Senate conference committee on the fiscal year 2002 defense authorization bill, DOD wrote that a $10 million cut in the Air Force's $33 million request for space control technology will prevent the service in FY '02 from starting to develop a mobile system to block an enemy's use of space-based surveillance capabilities.
As the Expedition Three crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) heads into the last month of its four-month mission, preparations are heating up for a third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) Nov. 12. During the five-hour, 45-minute spacewalk, Commander Frank Culbertson and Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov will hook up a set of cables between the docking compartment and the Service Module, as well as test the Russian-built Strela crane that will be used on future assembly missions.
Following several weeks of speculation over the possible deployment of the Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) and the Global Hawk for use in Afghanistan, the Pentagon confirmed that it is planning on using both systems for current operations. First deployed in Operation Desert Storm, JSTARS provides ground situation data through surveillance aircraft, a target acquisition radar and a command and control ground station. Global Hawk is the Air Force's high-altitude, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle.
Eurockot Launch Services of Bremen, Germany, will launch a spacecraft for Japan's Institute for Unmanned Space Experiment Free Flyer (USEF), the company announced Nov. 2. Launch of the Space Environment Reliability Verification Integrated System-1 (SERVIS-1) is planned for 2003 and will take place from Eurockot's facilities at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The experiment is intended to develop technologies to allow the use of commercial off-the-shelf electronic components in the harsh environment of space.
SDS International will provide software models for use by the F-22 Air Combat Simulations (ACS) Integrated Product Team under a contract from aircraft builder Lockheed Martin, the company announced Nov. 1. Under the contract, SDS will provide visual models of the F-22 and other aircraft and weapons models in the OpenFlight format. The F-22 models include a highly detailed external view and an internal cockpit view, with articulated flight surfaces.
NOMINATIONS: The Senate Armed Services Committee announced it will hold a nomination hearing Nov. 8 for Peter Teets to be undersecretary of the Air Force, Les Brownlee to be undersecretary of the Army, and Dale Klein to be assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs.
The Boeing Co. and El Al Israel Airlines are studying the feasibility of a joint venture to establish a security and safety business for airlines, airports and governments worldwide. The joint venture could include developing technology, manufacturing products, designing systems and procedures and training personnel, according to Boeing. A memorandum of understanding signed by the companies will be in effect for 60 days while they study the idea.
