Aerospace and defense analysts with Standard&Poor's downgraded the financial outlook for Textron Inc. and Textron Financial Corp. Sept. 27 following Textron Inc.'s announcement that it expects to incur a loss of nearly $35 million for the third quarter of 2001 (DAILY, Sept. 27). Analysts downgraded Textron Inc.'s ratings outlook from stable to negative but affirmed its current "A" corporate credit rating.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sought to offer assurances on Sept. 27 that any order to shoot down hijacked airliners that might be on suicide missions would come from the highest possible authority. He confirmed that new rules of engagement instituted after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon allow generals to approve such shoot-downs as a last resort, but stressed that President Bush himself is "never more than a minute or two away from a secure phone," and would be aware of any developing crisis.
The first stage of the Boeing Delta IV launch vehicle is being shipped to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in preparation for its first launch, scheduled for next year.
President Bush intends to nominate Mary L. Walker to be general counsel of the Department of the Air Force, the White House announced Sept. 26. Most recently, Walker was a partner with the firm of Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison in San Diego. She was a partner with Luce, Forward, Hamilton and Scripps from 1991 to 1994. In 1989, she was appointed to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, where she served until 1995.
SIGINT UPGRADES: The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has approved a fiscal 2002 intelligence authorization bill that continues long-term improvements in signals intelligence (SIGINT), processing, analysis, and research and development, according to a statement issued by the panel. The committee, which approved the legislation Sept. 24, still has to release a detailed report explaining the unclassified portion of the bill.
Congress has approved a bill providing a two-year extension of the Defense Production Act (DPA), which would otherwise expire Sept. 30. The Senate approved the extension Sept. 26, a day after the House. The bill, which President Bush is expected to sign into law, is a compromise between the House, which favored a three-year reauthorization of the DPA, and the Senate, which wanted a one-year extension.
THE WINGS CLUB's 59th Annual Dinner is proceeding on schedule for Oct. 16 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. For more information about the black tie event, which will honor Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher, contact the Wings Club at 212-867-1770 or e-mail [email protected].
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) unveiled a set of reforms to the Foreign Military Sales process Sept. 27, changes the agency said could speed the processing of some sales approvals and change the execution of some contracts. DSCA, the Defense Department agency responsible for Foreign Military Sales (FMS), is introducing several changes to the FMS financing system.
(Editor's note: The following is excerpted from the written responses by Gen. John Handy, nominated to be commander-in-chief of the U.S. Transportation Command, to written questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. Handy testified Sept. 25. He was confirmed by the Senate Sept. 26.)
BOWMAN SIGNED: The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and General Dynamics U.K. have signed the contract for the $2.4 billion Bowman British army communications system. The ministry selected a General Dynamics subsidiary for the contract in July (DAILY, July 23).
Pratt&Whitney Aftermarket Services will provide engine maintenance for the engines that power Air Europa Lineas Aeareas S.A.'s Boeing 737-800 fleet. The five-year contract with the Spanish airline covers 20 CFM56-7B engines and is worth about $25 million, Pratt&Whitney announced Sept. 27. The overhaul and maintenance work will be performed at Pratt&Whitney's Norway Engine Center near Stavanger Airport. The center specializes in overhauling CFM56-3 and CFM56-7 engines, which are manufactured by CFM International.
Filling an operational gap cited in the Defense Department's 2001 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) roadmap, the Army has awarded contracts for the development of signals intelligence (SIGINT) payloads compact enough to be flown on small UAVs. Although it has been widely recognized in the military that long-endurance UAVs are tailor-made for SIGINT missions, little work has yet been done to exploit them in this role, according to the DOD roadmap (DAILY, Sept. 18).
President Bush said Sept. 27 that the federal government will be in charge of managing screening and security at commercial airports nationwide in an effort to fight terrorism. As part of this effort, the government will: * Establish new standards for security operations * Supervise the passenger and baggage security at commercial passenger airports * Perform background checks and train security personnel * Purchase and maintain all equipment
PACE APPROVED: The Senate late Sept. 26 confirmed Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. John Handy to be commander in chief of U.S. Transportation Command, and Navy Adm. James Ellis to be the CINC for U.S. Strategic Command. The Senate also confirmed Senior Foreign Service member John Wolf to be assistant secretary of state for non-proliferation. (See Handy's response to written Senate Armed Services Committee questions beginning on Page 7).
Arianespace successfully placed the Atlantic Bird 2 satellite in orbit for Eutelsat, the company announced Sept. 26. An Ariane 44P booster, equipped with four solid-fuel strap-on boosters, took the satellite to orbit, lifting off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 8:21 p.m. local time on Sept. 25.
(Editor's note: The following is excerpted from the written responses by Adm. James Ellis Jr., nominated to be commander-in-chief of the U.S. Strategic Command, to written questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. Ellis testified Sept. 25.) Q: Do you believe that a national missile defense system deployed by the United States would jeopardize or enhance strategic stability?
FIRST HORNET: The U.S. Navy has accepted its first full-rate-production F/A-18E/F Super Hornet from the Boeing Co. The two-seat F model Super Hornet is bound for Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Boeing announced Sept. 26.
The President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, called on U.S. companies to help restore the economy by lifting bans on employee travel and continuing to hold business meetings and conventions. Donohue said the business community, which has already done much to heal and unite the nation, can send a signal that terrorist actions will not disrupt the American way of life.
SatCon Technology Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., announced Sept. 26 that its Power Systems business unit has received a $785,000 contract for the development and production of vibration test systems for use in missile defense work. The contract, from an undisclosed defense contractor, calls for the company to develop and produce Ling Electronics multi-axis/multi-unit vibration test systems.
Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-Mo.) is pushing a proposal to split future production of the Joint Strike Fighter between The Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to ensure the U.S. continues to have two manufacturers of fighter aircraft.
The U.S. aerospace and defense industry, having gone through a period of consolidation, faces a period of refocusing in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, according to one industry analyst. "Regardless of how this crisis raises demands for defense goods, I think it's pretty obvious that the industry needs to be realigned," said Loren B. Thompson of the Lexington Institute, in Arlington, Va.
Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) has chosen not to offer an amendment to the fiscal 2002 defense authorization bill that would have required that $1.3 billion allocated for missile defense or anti-terrorism be used only for anti-terrorism, an aide said Sept. 26. Biden, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had indicated Sept. 24 that he was considering proposing such an amendment (DAILY, Sept. 25).
After its successful operational evaluation (OPEVAL), the U.S. Navy's Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) could be one of the first military platforms to put the principles of network-centric warfare to the test in coming military operations. Developed by Raytheon and Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, CEC is a sensor networking system that integrates radar measurements from multiple ships and aircraft in real time to provide a highly accurate, integrated air picture.
The House late Sept. 25 passed its fiscal 2002 defense authorization bill after approving a compromise amendment that trims $400 million from the $3 billion increase that the Bush Administration requested for missile defense.
Textron Inc. officials announced Sept. 26 that the company is lowering its earnings estimates for the third and fourth quarters of this year, citing the effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the weakening U.S. economy, and "a number of significant adjustments" at Bell Helicopter and other Textron businesses as the reasons. The company plans to reduce its workforce by about 2,500 jobs and is curtailing production throughout many of its businesses to match inventory with current demand, officials said.
