December 15, 1963

December 15, 1963

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PICTURE CREDITS

Message From the Publisher

Industry's Endless Challenge

By Robert W. Martin

MILITARY PROCUREMENT

DOD Maps Contract Management Changes

By William H. Gregory

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PICTURE CREDITS

Cover—The Martin Co.; 41—Cessna; 46, 47—USAF; 50—General Electric; 51—(top) Sikorsky, (bot.) Wide World; 61—Boeing; 64—-Erwin J. Bulban.
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Message From the Publisher

Industry's Endless Challenge

The aerospace industry is facing another year of technical and economic transition that will offer a substantial challenge to management. It has been a tradition of the aerospace industry, from the original Wright brothers factory in Dayton to the space age, that technology has forced changes almost faster than organizations—both industrial and political—have been able to absorb them.

By Robert W. Martin

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MILITARY PROCUREMENT

DOD Maps Contract Management Changes

Washington—Defense Dept.’s extensive modification of military procurement policies and procedures was completed for the most part this year, and next year will be one of consolidation and refinement. Industry’s day to day operation, however, may be strongly influenced by what will probably be DOD’s only major new item on the 1964 procurement agenda.

By William H. Gregory

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New Designs for COIN Aircraft

Defense Dept, emphasis on limited war capability has produced new concepts for counter insurgency aircraft, like the configuration (left), and the Cessna T-37 (right) modified under USAF contract. The YAT-37D carries two weapons and one fuel pod under each wing, has armor plate under the seat, and wide track wheels for rough field operation.
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MILITARY PROCUREMENT

DSA Aerospace Procurement May Grow

Cameron Station, Va.—Aerospace industry contractors may find the Defense Supply Agency becoming a larger factor in their business next year as a result of a study of combined management of aircraft turbine and piston engine spare parts, and aircraft tires.
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MILITARY PROCUREMENT

USAF Adapts Contracting to New Climate

Washington—Air Force is translating into a second generation of ballistic missile development and production and is refining its contracting techniques to fit the changing environment. Even in advanced development areas there is increasing use of incentive contract types.
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MILITARY PROCUREMENT

Navy Activates Single Buying Command

Washington—Activation of the Naval Material Support Establishment this month ended the autonomous procurement roles of the Navy’s functional bureaus. Existence of the bureaus continues, under command of Vice Adm. William A. Schoech, Chief of Naval Material.
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MILITARY PROCUREMENT

Army Studies Procedure Standardization

Washington — Basic organization of the Army Materiel Command has emerged intact from its initial year of operational existence, but study is under way of realignment or standardization of its procurement, supply and distribution procedures.
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SPACE TECHNOLOGY

NASA Plans More Competition, Incentives In Contracts

Buying and contracting practices of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are changing markedly, with increased emphasis on competitive awards and wider use of incentives the major outward signs of the change. “We feel we’ve had very good results from our first incentive contracts, which we negotiated this year,” said George J. Vecchietti, Jr., deputy director of procurement.

By Alfred P. Alibrando

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MANAGEMENT

Small Business Defense Role Stressed

Washington—Small business—generally a firm with 500 or less employes— is now receiving about $9.2 billion annually in prime and subcontracts from Defense Dept, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. There has been a slight, but steady decline in the dollar-volume of prime awards to small firms, a few percentage points over the past few years, attributable to the almost inevitable result of the increasing complexity of weapons and space systems.

By Katherine Johnsen

December 91963 December 161963