Daily News Briefs

Sagitta, a Hauppauge, N.Y.-based maker of process and analytical equipment for the fiber optic and semiconductor industries, has announced a strategic partnership with Moritex Corp., a Japanese provider of fiber optic, machine vision, automated optical alignment, automated bio equipment, spherical and optical technologies. Moritex will be the representative in Japan for Sagitta's fiber optic process equipment. . . . Flir Systems Inc. has been awarded a contract valued at $7.0 million for the delivery of its Star Safire III thermal imaging systems to the Royal Australian Air Force for use on its AP-3C maritime patrol operations aircraft. Deliveries will begin immediately and are expected to be completed by early 2005. . . . Col. Ellen Pawlikowski, director of the Airborne Laser (ABL) System Program Office at Kirtland Air Force Base, received a leadership award at a Missile Defense Agency ceremony held recently in Washington, in conjunction with the agency's annual ballistic missile defense conference. Pawlikowski was recently selected for promotion to brigadier general. The ABL beam control/fire control integrated product team received a technology award for its efforts in science, technology, engineering and testing. ABL is building the world's first laser-armed combat aircraft, a converted 747-400 freighter aircraft equipped with a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser developed at Kirtland in 1977. Testing is currently underway at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.