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Daily News
By Gail Helmer

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Wednesday February 13, 2002

PC News
Dominion Wars Patch v1.05
The newest patch for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Dominion Wars v1.05 has been released. You can update from v1.04 or any previous version, and they add 2 Federation missions, 2 Dominion missions, one Klingon mission and a Maquis mission to the U.S. edition. These missions are released as-is and are unsupported by both Gizmo Games and Simon & Schuster Interactive. Download

Take-Two Interactive Restates Financials
Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software restated almost two years of financial results on Tuesday and said it is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In an annual report filed on Tuesday with the SEC, Take-Two said the agency has issued a formal order of investigation looking into its financial statements and accounting controls. The company also said the outside counsel it retained to investigate its accounting had recommended it adopt a number of remedial procedures.

New York-based Take-Two lowered its fiscal 2000 revenues to $364 million from $387 million and its fiscal 2000 earnings per share to 23 cents from 88 cents. For 2000, the company said it eliminated $3.8 million in net sales for unshipped products and $2.6 million in license revenue, and took a charge of $19.2 million for losses incurred by an affiliate.

The company reported increased revenues for the first three quarters of fiscal 2001, through July 31, of $328 million, up from the previously reported $309 million. It lowered its reported loss per share in the period to 10 cents from 11 cents. For the first three quarters of 2001 the company said it added net sales of $3.8 million that had been improperly recognized in the fourth quarter of 2000.

Take-Two said in mid-December it would delay reporting its fourth quarter and restate its prior seven quarters to re-account for products sold and booked as revenue, and then returned to or purchased back by the company. On Jan. 22 the company again postponed its results pending the accounting review, leading NASDAQ to halt the company’s shares. They have not traded since. Source: Reuters

3DMark 2001 Second Edition
MadOnion.com has announced 3DMark 2001 Second Edition, an enhanced version of its 3D-graphics benchmarking program. 3DMark 2001 has been used by several publications, including GameSpot Hardware, to gauge PC graphics performance. The new edition of 3DMark features support for Microsoft's DirectX 8.1 API, as well as a completely new performance test that uses pixel shader 1.4. In addition, 3DMark 2001 Second Edition has an improved "system info" setting that displays system configuration data, and it also supports the latest AMD and Intel processors, as well as Windows XP. More information on 3DMark 2001 Second Edition (as well as the free public download) is available at MadOnion's Web site.

GDC Awards Nominees Announced
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has announced the nominees for the annual Game Developers Choice Awards. The event will be held at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) from March 19-23 in San Jose, California. Nominations for the awards were free and open to all professional game developers, regardless of membership or affiliation.

Nominees of interest include:

Rookie Studio of the Year
Bohemia Interactive Studio for OPERATION FLASHPOINT

Excellence in Level Design
Ghost Recon team for level design in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Excellence in Programming
Sherman Archibald, John Carmack & Ryan Feltrin for graphics in RETURN TO CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN

Click here for the complete list of categories and nominees.

Red Ace Squadron Goes Gold
Small Rockets, the UK developer, today announced that the gold release of Red Ace Squadron, their multiplayer flight combat game for PCs, is now available. Red Ace Squadron is an arcade-style flight combat game set in World War I. Using easy-to-pick-up controls, players take a variety real WWI bi-planes through a series of single-player campaigns, and online against up eight players via Internet or LAN. The gold release provides increased compatibility, and fixes a number of minor bugs. Download the demo.

Military News
Northrop Grumman Awarded SSGN Submarine Missile Canister Conversion
Northrop Grumman Corporation's Electronic Systems sector has been awarded a $16.6 million contract from the U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) for the demonstration/validation (DEM/VAL) of a Multiple All-Up-Round Canister (MAC) concept used to adapt the missile tubes of Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) submarines from launching nuclear ballistic missiles to conventional cruise missiles. The reconfigured submarine will be known as the Ship Submersible Guided Nuclear (SSGN).Naval Sea Systems Command has overall responsibility for the SSGN conversion and has assigned responsibility for the Attack Weapon System (AWS) to SSP.



The MAC is a subsystem of the AWS that will replace the existing Trident ballistic missile launch tubes and provide for the storage and launch of up to seven Tomahawk missiles from each submarine missile tube. Each SSBN submarine will be able to accommodate as many as 154 precision-guided, conventional land-attack Tomahawk weapons.

Work on the 18-month contract will be performed at Northrop Grumman's Marine Systems business unit in Sunnyvale, Calif., and at teammate General Dynamics' Electric Boat facility in Groton, Conn. Subsequent contract phases for system development and production are valued at more than $100 million.

"Northrop Grumman has been the sole supplier of underwater launch equipment to SSP since the inception of the ballistic missile submarine program in the 1950s," said Jim Hupton, vice president of Northrop Grumman Marine Systems. "Our extensive experience and proven track record in the underwater launch market is strengthened by teaming with Electric Boat, the original submarine builder and platform conversion contractor for the SSGN program."

Tasks covered under this DEM/VAL phase will include test planning, design and fabrication of test equipment, component risk reduction testing and, ultimately, a full-scale Tomahawk test launch from an SSBN submarine using a prototype MAC.

F-22 Raptor Receives Latest Integrated Avionics Software Package
The Lockheed Martin -led F-22 Raptor industry team has delivered the latest integrated avionics software package -- Block 3.1 -- to the program's Combined Test Facility at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for flight test aboard the Raptors located there.

The Block 3.1 software has increased radar, electronic warfare and communication, navigation and identification capabilities, as well as added global positioning system capability to the F-22's integrated avionics.



The F-22's advanced integrated avionics suite is composed of hardware and software produced by F-22 team members Lockheed Martin, Boeing and other key suppliers, including Northrop Grumman and Raytheon who under a joint venture build the APG-77 radar.

The F-22's advanced integrated avionics suite allows the pilot to operate in battle conditions without the burden of managing individual sensors, thereby dramatically improving situational awareness and improving the performance of the pilot and aircraft. "Release of the Block 3.1 software is a significant enhancement to the war fighting capabilities already demonstrated by the Raptor," said Bob Rearden, Lockheed Martin F-22 vice president and general manager.

F-22 Raptor prime contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. is principally responsible for the successful development and initial testing of the aircraft's advanced integrated avionics suite at both its Marietta, Ga., and Fort Worth, Texas, facilities. F-22 team partner Boeing is responsible for final integration, testing and software delivery for the F-22's advanced avionics.

"Block 3.1 supplies more than 90 percent of the total functionality planned for the F-22, and allows the flight-test program to accomplish its objectives," said Bob Barnes, Boeing vice president and F-22 program manager. "The team is very encouraged by the initial dynamic testing of Block 3.1 in our airborne and ground-based labs."

Lockheed Martin To Build Additional F-22s
The Lockheed Martin-led F-22 Raptor industry team has received a $2.681 billion contract from the US Air Force to build 13 additional air dominance fighter jets and to execute other activities related to the successful execution of Lot 2 production.

The 13 aircraft produced under this contract, Raptors 4028 through 4040, are scheduled for delivery to by the end of 2004. They will be used by the 325th Fighter Wing to train both F-22 pilots and maintenance crews. The Raptor will replace the venerable F-15 Eagle starting in 2005.



Under the terms of this contract, F-22 related production activities will take place at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics facilities in Marietta, and Fort Worth, as well as at Boeing's plant in Seattle. Final assembly and initial flight-testing will occur at the Marietta factory where the F-22 programme is headquartered. The US Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Centre at Wright-Patterson AFB, is responsible for overseeing the successful execution of this production contract.

First Production Units For Tiger Antitank Armament Delivered
LFK Lenkflugkorpersysteme, EADS' German missile producing subsidiary, has delivered the first production units destined for the ATA antitank armament of the Tiger helicopter to Eurocopter. The ATA firing post enables the Hot and Trigat LR antitank guided missiles to be launched from the helicopter.



The ATA series production contract awarded to EADS/LFK by Eurocopter provides for the delivery of various firing post assemblies for a total of 90 German and French Tiger helicopters. The first delivery of production equipment comprises components of the ATA firing post which are specific to both Hot and Trigat LR.

Testing of the Trigat warhead ended in late 2001 and in consequence the German Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement has asked the company to present a tender by mid-February 2002 for industrialisation and series production of the ammunition for Trigat LR.

MC-130P Crashes In Afghanistan
A U.S. Air Force MC-130P Combat Shadow, deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, crashed Feb. 12 in a remote region in Afghanistan. RELATED LINKS - MC-130P Eight crewmembers were onboard at the time of the crash. All survived and injuries are not life-threatening. They were taken to a medical facility in the Afghanistan area. The cause of the crash is not known at this time, although officials believe it does not appear to be the result of hostile fire. The names of the crewmembers are being withheld pending the notification of next of kin.



The Combat Shadow flies clandestine or low visibility, single or multi-ship low-level missions intruding politically sensitive or hostile territory to provide air refueling for special operations helicopters. The crews fly night low-level, air refueling


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