KAI closes on P-3 upgrade deal
Contract Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) plans to complete a contract this week for the upgrade of eight Lockheed Martin P-3B Orion maritime patrol aircraft despite a legal dispute between Lockheed and KAI partner L-3 Communications. South Korea's ministry of national defence selected KAI and L-3 in December for the MPA project, but industry sources say a contract has since been delayed, in part because of a legal challenge lodged by Lockheed in the USA claiming L-3 does not have the right to upgrade the Orions. KAI chief executive Hae Joo Chung says during meetings with Lockheed and L-3 earlier this month he was assured the "patent dispute … is not a big issue and it will be solved shortly". Chung expects an agreement between KAI and the South Korean government to be signed by the end of March. Lockheed declines to comment.
Return-to-flight The STS 114 Space Shuttle Discovery return to flight mission is unlikely to meet its May 15 launch target. Discovery is still in the Orbiter Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), awaiting a delayed roll-out to the Vehicle Assembly Building for mating with the solid rocket boosters and external tank, which is now scheduled for 28 April. The new launch date will be evaluated in mid-April but it is expected to slip by a week.
Source: Flight International
