April 10, 2000

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Iridium, Overcapacity Worry Space Industry

COLORADO SPRINGS A new era of prosperity in space may be taking a pause as the industry sorts itself following the Iridium debacle, reassesses some practices, and deals with overcapacity and the flight of money and talent. The long term continues to look bright, but short-term problems need to be fixed.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM7 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

X-35 Undergoing Radar Signature Tests

FORT WORTH Lockheed Martin is testing the radar cross section of its proposed Joint Strike Fighter, the first example of which is being completed in preparation for flight this summer as the company’s team completes design of a highly automated control system for the short-take-off-and-vertical-landing version.

By EDWARD H. PHILLIPS5 min

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

ESA Shifting Station Utilization to Industry

PARIS The European Space Agency plans to turn over responsibility for International Space Station commercialization to private contractors. At an ESA Council meeting late last month, the agency also moved to reorient plans for new light launchers to permit a global launcher strategy, and to pursue a common space policy with the European Union.

By MICHAEL A. TAVERNA5 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

LockMart Gets Daring With COO Selection

NEW YORK The latest development in Lockheed Martin’s executive suite hit Wall Street like a bolt out of the blue. But it appears that the appointment last week of General Motors executive Louis R. Hughes as its next president and chief operating officer could go far in restoring sagging investor confidence in the U.S.’ largest defense contractor.

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Army’s Aviation Plan: Big Vision, Little Cash

WASHINGTON In struggling to meet an Apr. 1 deadline for a report to Congress, the U.S. Army has produced an aviation modernization plan that is short on detail and leaves unanswered basic questions of how the service will pay for hardware to create an updated force of helicopters and unmanned air vehicles.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Joint Ops Make Gains, But ‘Jointness’ Lags

WASHINGTON Technological advances are strengthening the joint operational capability of U.S. forces, but their interoperability still falls short, and overall “jointness” has a long way to go, the Pentagon has told Congress. The Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle and the integration of disparate data links will provide the most immediate improvements in future joint operations, senior military officials forecast.

By PAUL MANNI4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Aerospace Trade Slows

Washington Signs of softness have emerged in U.S. aerospace trade, traced to Asia’s 1997-98 recession, record imports and the State Dept.’s crackdown on satellite sales. The domestic industry’s main lobby, the Aerospace Industries Assn.

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April 172000

April 10, 2000

April 10, 2000