Rockwell to Join Aerojet in Bid for New Early-Warning System

Rockwell International Corp. will team up with aerospace manufacturer Aerojet to bid on a contract to build a new generation of Air Force satellites that detect enemy nuclear missile attacks, the companies said Thursday.

Rockwell’s participation will be guided by the company’s Strategic Defense Center in Seal Beach, which coordinates the company’s work on “Star Wars,” or the Strategic Defense Initiative. Both companies will bid to develop the sophisticated sensors needed for the system, dubbed FEWS for Follow-on Early Warning System.

The Air Force is expected to award contracts worth $225 million each to two contractors in March, 1992. A final development company will be selected in 1994. The system will replace a 20-year-old network of early-warning satellites.

Aerojet is a subsidiary of Cleveland-based GenCorp. The Rockwell-Aerojet team will compete against at least two other teams: a combination of TRW Inc. and Grumman Corp., and another team led by Calabasas-based Lockheed Corp.