WASHINGTON Last week’s dismissal of the Lockheed Martin and Air Force F/A-22 management and continued uncertainty over the size of its cost overrun signals how precarious the situation is for the stealth fighter program, one of several USAF projects facing uncertainty.

WASHINGTON NASA is moving toward an international solution to the problem of how to keep crew on board the International Space Station after 2006, when Russia’s current commitment to supply Soyuz lifeboats to the orbiting facility expires.

VERNON, FRANCE Half a dozen years after its first flight attempt, the Ariane 5 is ready to take to the air in an enhanced configuration designed to considerably augment performance and decrease costs. The upgraded version, set for launch during the night of Nov. 28-29, will carry aloft France’s Stentor experimental telecom satellite and Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 7.

WASHINGTON European manufacturer EADS is making another push to bolster its leading position to supply the U.S. Coast Guard’s new maritime surveillance aircraft, and executives are eyeing a U.S. production site for a future Army transport program.

LONDON PARIS Europe is being urged to establish an equivalent to the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), and the issue is being addressed within the context of ongoing work on a new European Convention. The creation of a capability similar to the Pentagon’s Darpa is being pursued by senior executives within European defense-aerospace giant EADS.

PARIS A group of parliamentarians has issued a report asking European governments to block a potential takeover of satellite operators Eutelsat and Inmarsat by U.S. companies, and to make military functions a clear part of Europe’s space policy.

GREENVILLE, TEX. The most visually striking aspects of an upgraded RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft are its four huge new engines. The replacement CFM 56-2B-1s have impressed aircrews with hot day performance, a major improvement given the escalating demand for operations in the Middle East and the increasing weight of signals-intelligence-gathering payloads.