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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 0646.PDF
HEADLINES NEWS IN BRIEF GEARED FOR SUCCESS Messier-Dowty has picked up its first landing-gear con tract in becoming a risk- sharing partner on the Bombardier Global Express long-range corporate jet. The company's Toronto divi sion will carry out defini tion, design and manufac ture of the complete under carriage for the aircraft, in cluding the wheels and brakes. Messier-Dowty be comes the third risk-sharing partner on the programme, along with BMW Rolls- Royce and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. See Business, P16 UK looks for Sky Flash successor The UK Ministry of Defence has started its search for a British Aerospace Sky Flash missile replacement with the release of a request for infor mation for a Future Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile for the Eurofighter 2000. The move tears up the last vestige of the now-defunct Family of Weapons Memoran dum of Understanding with the US Department of Defense which would have seen the Royal Air Force purchase the Hughes Aim-20 Advanced Me dium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). BAe is looking to offer its proposed S225X collaborative missile, while Hughes will pro pose an advanced variant of AMRAAM. The latter is being pushed as a potentially collabo rative US Navy/US Air Force/ RAF programme. Both systems would have extended-range propulsion systems. According to sources close to the programme, known as Staff Requirement(Air)1239: "The requirement has become more difficult with much greater no- escape zones. You are talking about the ability of the missile to overhaul targets that turn and run...the long-range tail- chase engagement is driving the range requirement." • Air-to-Air Missile Directory, P29 US giants clash over control of Grumman BY GRAHAM WARWICK IN ATLANTA Northrop has launched a $2.04 billion hostile take over offer for Grumman, which has agreed to be acquired by Martin Marietta for $1.94 bil lion. Grumman accepted the Martin Marietta buy-out offer after rejecting a merger pro posal from Northrop, valued at $1.73 billion. Northrop chairman Kent Kresa says that the combina tion of Northrop and Grum man serves the interests of US national security and the companies' shareholders. He cites a "strategic fit" and argues that Grumman's board has an obligation to seek the highest possible price. Martin Marietta is "deeply disappointed" at the Northrop bid, which it says "...degrades the character of the rational consolidation taking place within the US [defence indus try]". It is not clear whether the company will improve its bid. Unveiling the $55/share offer, Martin Marietta chairman Norman Augustine said that the price offered was intended to discourage competing bids. He also said during negotia tions that the offer would be withdrawn if Grumman turns the acquisition into an auction. In a letter to Grumman chairman Renso Caporali, Kresa accused the company of not allowing Northrop to participate "on a level playing field". Northrop had been ne gotiating with Grumman "...in good faith since early Decem ber, responding to Grumman's clear statements that it was 'not for sale'," he says. "As early as February 16," Kresa continues, "your repre sentative asked Martin Mari etta, but not us, to submit their highest and best offer. We never received such a request. Never...were we advised that a decision had been made to sell Grumman." Grumman accepted the Mar tin Marietta offer on 6 March, after just one month of formal negotiations. In contrast, Grumman and Northrop had been discussing a merger for more than a year. During that time, Grumman made several unsuccessful attempts to ac quire companies, including Chrysler Technologies. Frustrated by the manage ment's failure to make progress with the merger or acquisi tions, the Grumman board re tained financial advisor Goldman Sachs in late 1993. Goldman approached Martin Marietta in late January, lead ing to a first meeting with Grumman in early February. Martin Marietta made its $1.94 billion cash offer on 21 February, just two days before Northrop submitted its $1.73 billion cash-and-stock offer. The Grumman board decided on 28 February not to pursue the Northrop bid, although Kresa had indicated a willing ness to offer more. Los Angeles-based Northrop plans to create a joint com pany, to be called Northrop- Grumman, which would ultimately be combined with Texas-based Vought Aircraft, in which Northrop holds a 49% stake with an option to buy the rest. Northrop tried unsuccess fully to buy General Dynamics' fighter division, which was sold to Lockheed, and IBM's Federal Systems division, which was sold to Loral. New-York-based Grumman is debt free and has success- Heathrow attacked as terrorism rises Two terrorist mortar attacks on London Heathrow Air port on 9 and 11 March coin cided with the release of figures which show a marked increase in terrorist acts against civil aviation in 1993. Preliminary International Civil Aviation Organisation sta tistics report 29 terrorist inci dents in which 27 people died First mortar attack on Heathrow and two were injured. These compare with ten incidents in 1992 in which nine people died and 123 were injured. Heathrow owner BAA says that there will be an examina tion of security procedures fol lowing the Irish Republican Army attacks. Home-made mortar shells, which failed to explode, were fired into the airport on 9 March and the early hours of 11 March. The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) is calling for an explanation of the 44min pe riod between the first attack and the subse quent northern runway clo sure. About 23 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 16 - 22 March, 1994
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