October 18, 1993

October 18, 1993

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HEADLINE NEWS

AIR FORCE PROPOSES INDUSTRY RESCUE PLAN

By DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

HEADLINE NEWS

GRUMMAN WILL ABANDON CRITICAL AIRFRAME SKILLS

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

FRANCE STRETCHES DEFENSE PROGRAMS

By PIERRE SPARACO5 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

AIR FORCE PROPOSES INDUSTRY RESCUE PLAN

WASHINGTON The Air Force's number two general has framed a plan to save the beleaguered U. S. defense industry by building weapons systems such as aircraft slowly enough to match reduced defense budgets, but with enough predictability to maintain a military sized to fight two major regional conflicts.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

GRUMMAN WILL ABANDON CRITICAL AIRFRAME SKILLS

NEW YORK Grumman Corp. will jettison its remaining capability to independently design, develop and test new generations of tactical aircraft, effectively completing the company's five-year evolution to a systems integrator from a premier airframe prime contractor.

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI5 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

FRANCE STRETCHES DEFENSE PROGRAMS

PARIS Service entry of the French air force/navy Rafale multirole combat aircraft and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier will be delayed an additional six months to stretch program funds further and obtain short-term savings. Orders for air force and navy missile programs also will be reduced.

By PIERRE SPARACO5 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

U. S. MAY EASE SATCOM BARRIERS

U. S. concepts to enhance global competitiveness could significantly affect the Motorola/Iridium and Inmarsat programs

By CRAIG COVAULT4 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

NATO C-130s FLYING WITH COCKPIT ARMOR

BOSTON The U. S., British and two other NATO air forces have lined the cockpits of C-130s operating into Sarajevo with Kevlar/glass ceramic armor to protect aircrews from small-arms fire. Low-intensity conflicts like those under-way in Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and areas of Eastern Europe are driving this interest in cockpit armor for C-130s and also for C-141s.

By DAVID HUGHES4 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

CARNS ATTEMPTS TO SAVE JOBS

WASHINGTON Preserving aerospace jobs is a primary concern in a new U. S. Air Force-generated plan to reshape the military's depot and sustainment system—but many positions will be lost, and a battle is shaping up over whether the reductions will fall primarily on industry or government employees.
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HEADLINE NEWS

PENTAGON PUSHES TSSAM DESPITE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

WASHINGTON The Pentagon wants to begin low-rate production of the first of four versions of the Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile despite a continuing litany of technical problems with critical subsystems and lengthy delays in flight testing.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO3 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

TEXTRON SUES OVER A-12 WORK

WASHINGTON The ongoing battle between McDonnell Douglas and the Defense Dept. over responsibility for the Navy's A-12 fiasco has taken on a new dimension with HR Textron, Inc., filing a civil suit of its own against both parties. The Valencia, Calif.-based subsidiary of Textron, Inc., which subcontracted with McDonnell Douglas Corp. (MDC) to build actuators for the now canceled Navy aircraft, is seeking at least $23 million in its suit.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO3 min

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HEADLINE NEWS

RUSSIA AIRS PLANS FOR NEXT-GENERATION SATCOMS

PARIS The Russian Ministry of Telecommunications and the Russian Space Agency have approved a plan to accelerate development of a badly needed space communications infrastructure for the former Soviet Union. The new "Programme Russia" was briefed to about 1,000 attendees at the Inmarsat conference here.
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HEADLINE NEWS

NASA PROBES DETONATION THAT DAMAGED PAYLOAD BAY

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER NASA officials are investigating why two explosive cords on a satellite retainer ring detonated together, fracturing the ring and showering the shuttle Discovery's payload bay with debris that punctured the bulkhead between the bay and the orbiter's auxiliary power units.
October 111993 October 251993