Aerospace-Defense News Archives

“FAA has no assurance that these countries are providing adequate oversight of the operations of suppliers in their countries”

Regulators and aircraft manufacturers are not keeping adequate tabs on the quality of plane parts made domestically and abroad, potentially raising risks for fliers, government investigators said in a report ... via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Air Force has scheduled a news conference at 4 p.m. central time today to announce the winner of its $40 billion aerial refueling tanker contract. via STLtoday

“There's certainly some momentum that's been built”

Connecticut and Rhode Island lawmakers eager to protect local jobs say they will push hard on Capitol Hill to safeguard federal funding for doubling Virginia-class submarine production to two ships a year. via Hartford Courant

“Whenever the outcome of a competition is close, the slightest doubts about the way in which the process was conducted can provide the basis for a successful protest by the loser”

Weeks before making a final decision, the U.S. Air Force changed criteria used to assess rival bids from Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp for new refueling tankers, resulting in a lower score for Northrop, ... via Reuters

The U.S. Air Force is expected to announce this week a $40 billion contract to replace its aging fleet of air refueling tankers, a process which has been mired in corruption and political wrangling for years. via SI.com

A fuselage section of Boeing Co.'s new 787 jet has passed a series of stress tests that had to be done before the plane can begin flight testing, the company said Thursday. via KOMO

Teledyne Technologies Inc., which makes flight data products and military missiles, spent $280,000 in 2007 to lobby Congress on defense spending bills. via BusinessWeek

Honeywell International Inc., the world's largest maker of aircraft controls, said it will fire about 620 aerospace workers in Phoenix and Montreal and move most of those jobs overseas. via Daily Record

“The website traffic went up a huge amount, and we continue to try new things and new models”

The highly touted web-based drama series quarterlife proved a network television flop in its NBC debut, drawing the network's worst ratings for its time slot in at least 20 years, Nielsen Media Research ... via The Sydney Morning Herald

The missile that destroyed a dead U.S. spy satellite in orbit around the Earth saw its final assembly and checks done in Camden. via KFSM-TV Fort Smith

“Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation selected ABCC because they are a quality-driven organization. We intend to grow this opportunity into a long-term beneficial relationship and exceed both entities' goals and values.”

With our growing network of experienced professionals we strive to bring investors the only multi-dimensional online investing magazine. via M2.com

“Our team brings specific knowledge and experience in the development and instruction of tasks, lessons and courses at the center and more importantly, recent relevant experience in the field.”

Northrop Grumman Corporation a firm-fixed-price contract valued at up to $30 million over three years to provide instructors and instructor support at the U.S. Army Armor Center at Fort Knox, Ky. via Military Officer

AAR Corp. said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire Miami -based Avborne Heavy Maintenance Inc. and a related entity from closely held AHM Holding Corp.

The Wood Dale-based provider of aviation-related maintenance and services didn't disclose terms of the accord.

AAR said Avborne provides maintenance checks, aircraft modifications, new-equipment installations and painting services to commercial airlines and cargo carriers at a hangar at Miami International Airport .

The transaction is expected to close during the company's fiscal fourth quarter, which ends in May, AAR said. Read more

A team from Georgia has won the top prize in an international competition to design a space mission that would ``tag'' an asteroid to determine whether it is on a potentially disastrous collision course with ... via KNX-AM Los Angeles

“We look forward to this new project with SES NEW SKIES and to helping the company meet its high level of commitment to its customers.”

Space Systems/Loral , a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications and the world's leading provider of high-power commercial satellites, today announced that it has been awarded a contract to manufacture a new ... via Customer Interaction Solutions

“That's our biggest constraint right now, is finding skilled workers and really attracting them back to the industry.”

AAR Corp. wants to add up to 400 workers to its maintenance operation at Indianapolis International Airport to meet customer needs and bring in more business. via Anderson Herald-Bulletin

“This acquisition significantly expands our presence in the U.S. financial services sector”

- MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA) says it has bought some real estate lending solution businesses from TransUnion LLC for US$42 million.

The Vancouver-based company, known as MDA, said the Delaware-based businesses it is buying include; collateral valuation, property search, mortgage credit, closing, and flood compliance solutions.

The businesses generate about US$130 million in annual revenues and have about 450 employees, MDA said in a release Tuesday.

When the sale is complete, which is expected at the end of the first quarter, the businesses will operate under the MDA brand name. Read more

The Air Force could announce the winner of a multibillion-dollar contract to build a new fleet of tanker jets as early as Tuesday, following a high-level Pentagon meeting Monday afternoon. via Chicago Tribune

“General Dynamics Robotic Systems has taken MDARS from concept to full- scale production”

WESTMINSTER, Md., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Army has awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a total potential value of $40 million for ... via Advanced Imaging Pro

“We need these sensors to improve the safety and fuel efficiency of jet aircraft engines, while reducing weight and pollution.”

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration thinks silicon carbide is ready to replace silicon in circuitry that must withstand ultrahot temperatures--as high as 1,000 degrees F--or deliver ultrahigh ... via EETimes

“It is in our interest to develop this relationship”

India's quest to modernize its military against a backdrop of China's burgeoning defense growth and an ongoing regional terrorism threat were the focus of talks planned Tuesday with U.S. Defense Secretary ... via Victoria Advocate

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today unveiled its X2 Technology Demonstrator at the George R. Brown Convention Center at Heli-Expo 2008. via Naval Open Source INTelligence

“Sikorsky Aerospace Services will offer customer solutions that are tailored to fit each customer's requirements”

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today launched a comprehensive solution for customer support with the introduction of Sikorsky Aerospace Services at Heli-Expo. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies ... via The South Mississippi Sun Herald

The U.S. Defense Department is weighing rival bids for a huge military aircraft contract that pits US aerospace giant Boeing against Europe's EADS and its U.S. partner Northrop Grumman. via NBC 15 Online

“The U.S. has said Iran doesn't need nuclear power because of its oil and natural gas reserves”

BOISE, Idaho : Companies are racing to provide radioactive fuel for America's nuclear renaissance, and are powering debate along the way. via International Herald Tribune

“It's a win-win situation because the Fire Scout gets to progress through testing and initial operational capability. It will be ready to deploy on operational missions and will be ready when the LCS needs it.”

American arms'n'aerospace tech titan Northrop Grumman has announced that its "Fire Scout" unmanned helicopter will now be trialled by the US Navy on a different class of warship than that planned. via The Register

“We're an extremely strong candidate for the combat search-and-rescue proposal”

Lockheed Martin said it successfully conducted aerial refueling tests between its offering for the combat search-and-rescue helicopter contract and an Italian Air Force tanker, demonstrating its aircraft's ... via Press & Sun-Bulletin

“We have entrusted this important spacecraft to ILS for an on-time and on-target launch in mid-March; our customer; EchoStar, is waiting to use this payload to expand their services to customers across the nation.”

The AMERICOM-14 satellite, of SES AMERICOM, an SES company , was delivered to Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to be readied for its Proton Breeze M launch scheduled for the morning of March 15 local time . via WebWire

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems has combined two of its divisions into a new unit which will deliver products to U.S. and international navy customers. via Bizjournals

“Throughout 2007, the aircraft made excellent additional build and subsystem test progress, re-entering vehicle ground testing in November 2007. Extensive test instrumentation is also being installed as preparation for its first flight”

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today unveiled its X2 Technology Demonstrator at the George R. Brown Convention Center at Heli-Expo 2008. via The South Mississippi Sun Herald

A NASA contract is opening opportunities for using launch facilities on the Eastern Shore. via NBC Channel 4

Following record freighter orders, major development milestones on 2008 horizon SINGAPORE, Feb. via MCADCafe

A total eclipse of the moon will take place Wednesday. The entire event is visible from South America and most of North America as well as Western Europe, Africa and western Asia , according to the National ... via Appleton Post-Crescent

“We will continue to cooperate with the East Hartford Police Department and state's attorney's office”

A former engineer at Pratt & Whitney was charged with filing fake expense reports for meals, lodging and travel totaling more than $150,000, police said. via Hartford Courant

Through a new tax credit awarded by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority, a local company is spending $10 million to expand its Macomb County operations, which will soon lead to 500 new jobs. via ClickOnDetroit.com

“Defense ties between India and the United States have begun to blossom”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates travels to India next week to strengthen diplomatic ties strained by an impasse over a landmark nuclear deal and push American bids for a lucrative $10 billion fighter contract. via Portland Tribune

“India is producing 50[,000] to 100,000 engineers a year; I would say around 500,000 are poorly qualified.”

Boeing Corporation was one of many engineering companies with global locations that attended the Penn State Spring Career Days yesterday looking for engineering students to hire. via Collegian.psu.edu

Northrop Grumman Corp. and Oshkosh Corp. have selected Plasan to help with the design and engineering of armor for the joint light tactical vehicle program, the companies said Wednesday. via Los Angeles Business

“We are proud India chose the C-130J to meet its airlift needs”

New Delhi: US defence and aerospace major Lockheed Martin has signed a deal with the Indian government worth an estimated 1.1 billion dollars to sell six Super Hercules C-130J military transport planes, a news ... via Planenews Aviation News Portal

The executive director of Boeing's engineering union has advised members to start saving for a possible strike. via KING5 Seattle News

“This is one of the biggest defense contracts to come along in decades and will be for future decades”

The Air Force is likely days away from handing out one of the biggest Pentagon contracts in years -- a deal valued at up to $40 billion to replace 179 planes in its fleet of aerial refueling tankers. via The Birmingham News

“Bringing higher-level employees -- that's exactly what Michigan needs to bring the economy back.”

General Dynamics Land Systems will launch expansion plans that are expected to create 500 jobs and more than 600 additional spin-off jobs in Sterling Heights and Shelby Township over the next 12 years, company ... via The Detroit News

“Airlines worldwide have expressed their keen interest to receive formal sales proposals.”

In a major step toward a program launch this year, Bombardier Inc. has authorized formal sales deals for its new CSeries aircraft. via CBC News

The head of Eclipse Aviation says the Albuquerque company could start construction by May or June on an assembly plant in Russia. via KVIA-TV El Paso

Boeing has temporarily suspended work on the short-haul version of its 787. The moves hopes to keep the jet maker on schedule to deliver the first of two long-range models to customers by early 2009. via KSDK NewsChannel 5

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut : General Electric Co. said Wednesday it expects to wrap up the sale of its Japanese consumer financing unit by the end of the third quarter. via International Herald Tribune

Raytheon Company's United Kingdom-based subsidiary has been awarded a contract to support the integration and flight trials of the Paveway IV dual mode precision guided bomb onto the U.K. Royal Air Force ... via Alert 5

“This week's progress also signifies the advancement of our recently expanded relationship with ETIRC Aviation, a partnership that will be instrumental in helping Eclipse reach its global volume production goals.”

Eclipse Aviation and European Technology and Investment Research Center Aviation are speeding ahead with plans to launch operations in Russia. via Aero-News Network

Florida-based leasing company Jetscape Inc. has confirmed the purchase of 10 jets from Brazil's Embraer in a deal worth US$375 million , the aircraft manufacturer said Wednesday. via PR-inside.com

“Once again, BIW is at the forefront of our military's effort to modernize and face the new challenges of the 21st Century”

The Navy on Thursday awarded Maine shipyard Bath Iron Works a final $1.4 billion contract to build the DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class destroyer. via The Citizen

“Our focus has always been on making sure we win the procurement and the services contract, because that's where the real money is”

A Canadian-American consortium with plans to ferry cargo and people to the International Space Station from a launch site in Cape Breton says its failure to secure a contract from NASA won't affect the future ... via CTV.ca

“The ICESat BCP has demonstrated that it can meet the demanding rigors of environmental and remote-sensing requirements and joins other Ball spacecraft in consistently exceeding lifetime minimum requirements”

The Ice, Cloud and Land Satellite built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. will continue operations until at least 2010 following a NASA mission extension contract. via KYTV Springfield

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi official says Iraq will place an order for 40 Boeing aircraft and for a smaller number from Canada's Bombardier. via Chicago Tribune

“Our results continue to show that we have successfully diversified our interests between civil and military markets, and among the various regions of the world”

- Flight simulator firm CAE Inc. (TSX:CAE) says its third-quarter earnings rose 33 per cent to $39.5 million from a year-earlier $29.7 million as revenue rose four per cent, thanks to business growth outside North America.

Net earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 31 amounted to 16 cents a diluted share, compared with 12 cents per share a year earlier, the Montreal-based company reported Thursday.

Analysts' consensus forecast was for earnings of 15 cents per share, before one-time items, according to Thomson Financial. Read more

The U.S. space agency has revised the launch dates for space shuttle flights during the second half of 2008, necessitated by the delayed STS-122 launch. via PhysOrg Weblog

NEW YORK: As Eric Wolff tracks the investments he's guiding, he generally doesn't look to the stock market's best-known indicator. via Akron Beacon Journal

NASA on Tuesday chose a veteran aerospace company to develop a commercial spaceship capable of flying cargo to the international space station after the shuttle fleet is retired. via The Modesto Bee

“We have good support from Boeing, but most of all, we make money from this aircraft”

Boeing Co. outpaced European rival Airbus in competition for Asian customers this week so far, snagging orders for 60 planes Tuesday from two Indonesian airlines. via CNN

“Not only does this new agreement increase wages -- it respects our No. 1 goal: job security”

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems and its Fire Department agreed to a new three-year contract Saturday, averting a possible strike before the firefighters' previous contract was to expire at midnight. via Fire Engineering

Boeing Co. appointed Ralph Boyce, a former U.S. ambassador, as president of Boeing Southeast Asia to replace two retiring executives. via The Wichita Eagle

Goodrich Corp. says Airbus has chosen it to provide cabin attendant seats for its A320 family of aircraft, with the seats being produced at Goodrich's facility in Colorado Springs. via KRDO-TV Colorado Springs

Federal authorities today announced the arrests of four people in two separate espionage cases for allegedly passing information to the Chinese government. via ComputerWorld

Rockwell Collins Inc. plans to open a center in India this fall that the company said will help meet future needs for engineers. via Chicago Tribune

“I am very excited to announce this agreement”

Mumbai, Feb 14: Tata Industries Ltd will form a joint venture company with aerospace giant Boeing Co to work in the $500-million defence-related aerospace sector in India and also supply Boeing's international ... via Newkerala.com

Rockwell Collins Inc. will make helmet-mounted navigation systems to help U.S. Marine Corps parachutists find their landing zone, company officials said. via Chicago Tribune

“We have added additional capabilities to our current system and are working with the departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and State and the international law enforcement community in making our communities and nation safer.”

The FBI on Tuesday selected Lockheed Martin for a contract worth up to $1 billion to build a database for fingerprints and other biometric information. via San Jose Mercury News

“This partnership between Boeing and Tata will further increase the value of the 787 to our customers, helping make it the world's leading commercial airplane.”

Boeing announced Wednesday it entered into an agreement with India-based TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors Ltd., for manufacturing structural components for Boeing's 787 ... via Aero-News Network

Bank of America Corp. and Chevron Corp. will replace Honeywell International Inc. via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

An aerospace company is negotiating to use a military rocket to ferry hardware, crew and cargo to a planned commercial space station, privately-held Bigelow Aerospace said Tuesday.

Bigelow plans to build and operate an expandable commercial orbital outpost in late 2011 but needs the use of a reusable launch vehicle.

The deal, if approved, would include six initial launches of an Atlas V rocket, said Mike Gold, Bigelow's corporate counsel.

The rocket is made by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. Read more

“The work is going to be spread”

- Pratt & Whitney Canada has won the largest contract in its history after securing a multibillion-dollar deal to supply a new generation of lower-emission, more powerful jet engines for use in Cessna's new Citation Columbus business aircraft, the Montreal-area company announced Wednesday.

"This is the biggest contract that we have ever signed at Pratt & Whitney Canada, so it's a big deal," president Alain Bellemare said in an interview

The value of the Cessna deal wasn't disclosed but Pratt & Whitney said it "represents a multibillion-dollar opportunity for us in potential orders" over the life of the program that could span 25 to 30 years. Read more

“I would not be surprised if over the next couple of months we begin to have some exploratory discussions with various members of the government and with Indian industry”

Reuters, Washington Lockheed Martin Corp, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier, has been told India may be ready to look into possible U.S.-Indian collaboration on ballistic missile defense, a top company official ... via The New Nation

Delays in Boeing Co.'s 787 program have given the company extra time to fine-tune the plane's electronics and other systems, lowering the risk that it will encounter problems during flight testing, the head of ... via PR-inside.com

“Congress must ask tough questions about the impact on the privacy rights of Americans.”

Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and IBM are vying for a multibillion-dollar contract to build a database for fingerprints and other biometric information that the FBI is set to award this week. via News Observer

SEATTLE: The Boeing Company has announced an order for two 737-800 passenger jets from Blue Air Transport Aerian of Romania. via Planenews Aviation News Portal

“I am honoured to sign this agreement with the ISRO”

India and the US have agreed to cooperate in the exploration and use of space for peaceful purposes, including in human space flight, under an agreement signed between their space agencies. via Rediff.com