Orbital Sciences Corp. has recently been awarded a $26 million contract from Lockheed Martin to supply avionics systems for the F-16 Block 60 aircraft being sold to the United Arab Emirates.
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The Fairchild Defense division of Orbital Sciences Corp. has recently been awarded a $26 million contract from Lockheed Martin Corp. to provide an advanced version of its mass memory and data transfer equipment (DTE) for the F-16 Block 60 fighter aircraft recently approved for sale by the U.S. to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company's onboard avionics will include terrain-referenced navigation and ground-collision-avoidance systems, and its solid-state video recording capabilities.
In addition to the onboard systems, Orbital is also in negotiations with Lockheed Martin to provide a customized version of its modular mission support system (MMSS). This system would enable flight crews to "rehearse" their mission on the ground and then transfer the data to the cockpit for use during the actual flight. The MMSS was designed to improve both flight safety and mission effectiveness.
The Fairchild Defense unit has already supplied advanced avionics systems to UAE. In 1999, it was awarded a $30 million contract to supply its DTE and MMSS for the country's new Mirage 2000/9 aircraft. The company's DTE systems have already been in use in the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army aboard more than 35 aircraft types, including the F-16, F-22, A-10, and B-1B.
Frank Bokulich
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Aerospace Engineering September 2000
