Jul 28 1976
From The Space Library
Kennedy Space Center announced that Mae Walterhouse, coordinator of the Federal Women's Program at KSC and recently elected national president of Federally Employed Women, Inc. (FEW), would participate in the 1976-1977 Career Development Program at NASA Hq. Ms. Walterhouse would report to Washington 7 Sept. for a yr of experience in the Office of Resources Management. The NASA program would assist the centers in developing potential supervisors and managers at all levels throughout the agency, foster understanding of Hq functions on the part of center personnel, and provide training in specific disciplines or functional areas. Ms. Walterhouse, who received a national award this summer for service to the FEW organization, planned to return to KSC and join the Administration Directorate after the yr at NASA Hq. (KSC Release 376-76)
The Department of Defense authorized development and testing of 2 prototypes of an improved STOL (short takeoff and landing) aircraft for the Marine Corps by McDonnell Douglas Corp. at a cost of about $400 million, the Wall Street Journal announced. The prototype, called the AV8B Harrier, would be an adaptation of the existing AV8A Harrier built by Britain's Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Ltd. The Marine Corps had purchased 110 earlier Harriers from the British firm; if McDonnell Douglas could develop a stronger version, the Corps would buy "several hundred" from that company. The new versions were expected to cost about $5 million each. The Hawker Siddeley group had been authorized to build an improved Harrier for the Royal Navy; the Pentagon said it expected "mutual cooperation in the procurement of supplies and the exchange of information" as the 2 programs proceeded. (WSJ, 28 July 76, 6)
DOD announced plans to sell West Germany 500 Sidewinder missiles and support equipment valued at $43 million. The announcement was one of several made by the Pentagon on foreign weapons sales, since law required that Congress must be notified and have 20 days in which to disapprove such sales. DOD also planned to provide $26 million in pilot training under a Northrop Corp. contract to upgrade the Saudi Arabian air force, through the sale of HE jet fighters and construction of support and training facilities. (WSJ, 29 July 76, 3)
Under a 3-nation agreement announced by Britain, West Germany, and Italy, the Tornado MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft) dubbed "the spearhead of Europe's coming offensive against the United States for equality in the skies" would go into production and would be operational y 1980. The agreement provided for construction at a total cost of $10 billion of 809 swing-wing "wonder weapon" planes that could fly just under the speed of sound at treetop level, and twice the speed of sound at higher altitudes; it was designed to replace 2 of the most profitable planes ever produced by U.S. makers, the Phantom used by Britain's RAF and the F104 Starfighters used by West Germany and Italy. The Tornado carried terrain-following radar that could fly it under enemy radar, and could vary its wingspan from 8.5 to 14m. Panavia (consisting of British Aircraft Corp., Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm, and Aeritalia) would build the Tornado airframe and Turbo-Union (Rolls Royce, Motorenund-Turbinen Union, and Fiat) would build the engine. The U.S. press noted that, for the first time, American aerospace firms would be facing a competitor as formidable as themselves. (W Post, 15 Aug 76, A-14; W Star, 18 Aug 76, A-4)
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