July 10, 2000

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Cluster II Quartet To Reinforce International Solar Armada

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, KAZAKHSTAN The final element in an international space fleet intended to perform the most comprehensive study ever of solar activity, and its effect on the terrestrial environment, is scheduled to begin deployment this week with the launch of two Cluster II satellites.

By MICHAEL A. TAVERNA6 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

JSF Studied As Potential Jamming, Laser Platform

FORT WORTH and WASHINGTON Lockheed Martin is studying special derivatives of its Joint Strike Fighter candidate for special mission applications that center on electronic attack and the use of directed-energy weapons. These initiatives are drawing serious interest from the U.S. Defense Dept. and the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense, according to Lockheed Martin officials.

By EDWARD H. PHILLIPS,DAVID A. FULGHUM5 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Mald Makes Bid For New Missions

WASHINGTON Northrop Grumman is expanding offerings derived from its Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (Maid), which will put the small cruise missile-like system in direct competition with several Raytheon and Lockheed Martin products in its bid for market share.

By ROBERT WALL4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Navy Target Win Boosts Orbitals Base

WASHINGTON The U.S. Navy has tapped Orbital Sciences Corp. to fill a long-standing requirement for a new supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) to exercise ship self-protection systems against advanced threats. The Navy wants the new target to replicate what is widely seen as one of the greatest threats to its ships, the Russian-built SS-N-22 “Sunburn” missile.

By ROBERT WALL4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Europeans To Probe U.S. Surveillance Network

PARIS The European parliament and a French prosecutor, in unrelated moves, plan to investigate the U.S. National Security Agency’s Echelon electronic surveillance network. European politicians and economic intelligence experts in the last few months have claimed repeatedly that NSA’s highly classified Echelon network, believed to involve up to 120 geostationary spacecraft, is being used to intercept phone, fax and e-mail communications to obtain sensitive economic, military and industrial information.

By PIERRE SPARACO3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Carrot-and-Stick Approach Defines Thaad Contract

WASHINGTON The Pentagon has structured the contract to the Army’s Theater High-Altitude Area Defense system with penalties and incentives to keep pressure on prime contractor Lockheed Martin to maintain strong program oversight.

By ROBERT WALL3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Congress Tweaks Export Reforms

WASHINGTON The Clinton Administration’s effort to reform the licensing process for U.S. weapons exports, the Defense Trade Security Initiative (DTSI), has hit a snag in Congress, but backroom negotiations have narrowed the scope of the changes lawmakers are seeking.

By ROBERT WALL3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Industry Team Picked For Navy UCAV

WASHINGTON The Pentagon is significantly expanding its work on Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) with contracts to Boeing and Northrop Grumman to explore stealthy versions for the Navy that would introduce air-to-air surveillance to the unmanned systems.

By ROBERT WALL2 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

German Science Satellite Set for Plesetsk Launch

The German science satellite Champ and two piggyback payloads are undergoing final preparations for launch on July 15 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The German aerospace agency DLR and the Geophysical Research Center (GFZ) at Potsdam developed Champ, short for Challenging Minisatellite Payload, to gather high-precision gravity and magnetic-field measurements of Earth simultaneously over a five-year period.

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July 10, 2000

July 10, 2000

Russian Module Brings ISS to Critical Juncture

By CRAIG COVAULT9 min