October 17, 1988

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HEADLINE NEWS

Range Safety Officer Blamed in Destruction Of Trident 2 Missile

WASHINGTON The Navy said last week that a Lockheed Trident 2 (D-5) fleet ballistic missile was on course and functioning normally when it was destroyed during a test Sept. 19 by a range safety officer. Initially, the Navy said that a Morton Thiokol/Hercules second-stage malfunction required that the missile be destroyed by the range safety officer 67.5 sec. after second-stage ignition at the Air Force’s Eastern Space and Missile Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AW&ST Sept. 26, p. 32).

HEADLINE NEWS

Dornier Slated to Produce Stinger Missiles in Germany

LOS ANGELES Dornier GmbH. of West Germany plans to start constructing the first Stinger missile production line outside the U. S. by the end of 1988, under U. S. foreign military sales agreements expected to be signed shortly. General Dynamics Corp. developed the shoulder-fired antiaircraft missile and now operates the only production line at its Valley Systems Div. in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Raytheon Corp. is working to be qualified as a competitor for orders after the current multiyear U. S. Army contract ends in Fiscal 1989.

HEADLINE NEWS

Grumman, Agusta Will Team to Propose S. 211 Derivative as Primary USAF Trainer

NEW YORK Grumman and Italy’s Agusta will team to propose a modified version of the Italian firm's SIAI-Marchetti S. 211 trainer as a candidate for the U. S. Air Force’s primary aircraft training system (PATS). The PATS program is expected to come to fruition in the 1990s as a replacement for the service’s aging T-37s. As many as 500 aircraft could be required by the trainer program.

HEADLINE NEWS

Sundstrand Admits Guilt; Fines Total $128 Million

WASHINGTON Sundstrand Corp. has agreed to plead guilty and pay the U. S. $115 million in compensation for criminal conspiracies and fraudulent claims on defense contracts. Sundstrand officials are expected to enter a guilty plea on Oct. 21 and make an initial payment of $82 million, Anton R. Valukas, U. S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said.

HEADLINE NEWS

Lockheed Plans To Consolidate Canadian Units

BOSTON Lockheed Corp. will consolidate its operations in Canada into one subsidiary to concentrate on expanding the sales of military electronics systems and related services in Canada and abroad. The company will form a new Canadian subsidiary by the end of the year called Lockheed Canada, Inc., to be based in Ottawa.

HEADLINE NEWS

Australian Air Show Highlights Bid For Stronger Role in Asian Market

AUSTRALIA Strong international attendance and almost constant aerial displays marked the opening day of the Australian Bicentennial Air Show here last week and underscored the country’s interest in positioning itself as a major Asian aerospace base.

By PAUL PROCTOR/RICHMOND,

HEADLINE NEWS

Contractors Urge Further Research To Validate HSCT Technologies

VA. Building a Mach 2-3 supersonic transport is within the grasp of U. S. manufacturers, but continued research is required to integrate untried technologies for a successful production aircraft. This conclusion was drawn last week by NASA and manufacturers in a report on the third and final phase of NASA’s HighSpeed Civil Transport (HSCT) studies at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.

By JAMES OTT/HAMPTON

HEADLINE NEWS

Zenith Star Laser Design Changed to Two-Part Satellite

COLO. The Zenith Star space-based chemical laser experiment has been split into two segments for launch on Titan 4 boosters, assembly in space and testing by the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, possibly in late 1993. Space-based chemical lasers could play an effective and affordable role in a Phase 2 ballistic missile defense system, according to their proponents.

By DENVER

HEADLINE NEWS

Attention Shifts to Atlantis As Astronauts Debrief Mission 26

WASHINGTON The shuttle orbiter Discovery, riding atop its 747 transport, was returned to the Kennedy Space Center Oct. 8, as attention shifted to the processing of the orbiter Atlantis set for launch on shuttle Mission 27. Work to begin stacking Atlantis on its Kennedy mobile launcher platform is scheduled to begin Oct. 21, with the Mission 27 vehicle’s rollout to Launch Pad 39B set for Oct. 28. The launch of Atlantis and its secret Defense Dept. satellite payload is now planned for about Nov. 23.

By CRAIG COVAULT

HEADLINE NEWS

Air Force, Navy Due to Offer Trimmed Standoff Weapons Acquisition Plan

WASHINGTON The Air Force and Navy are scheduled to deliver an acquisition plan to Defense Secretary Frank C. Carlucci by the end of the month for consolidation of three of the services’ standoff weapons programs. The effort involves combining the more ambitious portions of the Navy’s Advanced Interdiction Weapon System (AIWS) with the Air Force’s Modular Standoff Weapon (MSOW) program.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO

October 101988

October 241988

October 17, 1988

October 17, 1988

Range Safety Officer Blamed in Destruction Of Trident 2 Missile

Dornier Slated to Produce Stinger Missiles in Germany

Grumman, Agusta Will Team to Propose S. 211 Derivative as Primary USAF Trainer

Range Safety Officer Blamed in Destruction Of Trident 2 Missile

Dornier Slated to Produce Stinger Missiles in Germany

Grumman, Agusta Will Team to Propose S. 211 Derivative as Primary USAF Trainer

Sundstrand Admits Guilt; Fines Total $128 Million

Lockheed Plans To Consolidate Canadian Units