Raytheon Co. has established a major business organization dedicated to homeland security. Overseeing the operation is Huge B. Poza, who was vice president and general manager of Raytheon Strategic Systems. The new organization will be based in Falls Church, Va.
It's the report many in Washington, except the Bush administration, seem to know about--the FBI's 32-page assessment of how pilots can protect their cockpits with firearms. The study was prepared for FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, 3rd, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But when questioned by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) last week, Transportation Dept. Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and his deputy Michael Jackson denied knowledge of it.
Diane Patten has been appointed station manager at Jacksonville (Fla.) International Airport, Ron Faulkner at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and Kim Peters at Buffalo (N.Y.) Niagara International Airport, all for Southwest Airlines. Patten was acting station manager at Las Vegas and had been assistant station manager at Oakland (Calif.) International Airport. Faulkner was station manager in Burbank, Calif., and Peters was manager of customer service at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) International Airport.
The board of directors of Pakistan International Airlines has approved the purchase of five Boeing 747-300 leased aircraft and an additional aircraft from Cathay Pacific Airways for a total of $62 million. The sale is subject to government approval.
Nicolas Chabbert has been named executive vice president-sales and marketing and Earle Boyter as Eastern U.S. sales and marketing operations manager for Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd., Long Beach, Calif. Chabbert was senior vice president-sales and marketing for Socata Aircraft. Boyter was head of marketing and sales for the Piper Aircraft Co.
To no one's surprise, the General Accounting Office reports that the federal government's effort to protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attack varies considerably from agency to agency and is uncoordinated. The GAO said at least 50 federal organizations have various national or multiagency responsibilities related to cyber critical infrastructure protection (CIP), including the Transportation and Defense Depts.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has given Rockwell Scientific Co. of Thousand Oaks, Calif., a $7.3-million, 42-month contract to advance research to increase the resistance of metals--including aluminum alloys--to corrosion, abrasion and fatigue, and improve their strength and ductility. The research involves localizing changes in a metallic structure without altering the characteristics of the whole structure. It's been demonstrated in a process called friction stir welding on such programs as the Delta II and IV launchers and the Eclipse jet.
Top-level U.S. and British defense officials are attempting to thrash out whether and how the U.K. will participate in Pentagon efforts to develop unmanned combat air vehicles. The issue of British defense ministry participation in the development of the UCAVs is being crystallized by BAE Systems' interest in teaming with Boeing on the latter's X-45 UCAV program. BAE harbors ambitions to act as at least a joint prime were the program to proceed in the U.K. U.K.
U.S. suppliers have landed several more key systems awards for the A380, reinforcing their already strong position on board the ultrawide-body transport. Honeywell, which is already supplying up to $2 billion worth of equipment for the aircraft, was selected to provide the next-generation air data inertial reference unit, along with the precoolers for the bleed air system, provided by Liebherr.
Andrew Peacock has been appointed president of Sydney-based Boeing-Australia. He has been an international consultant and is a former Australian ambassador to the U.S.
Zacarias Moussaoui, known as the ``20th hijacker,'' last week pleaded guility to charges related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks--then abruptly reversed his plea, telling U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, ``You want to link me to certain facts that will guarantee my death.'' All of the charges carry the death penalty. Prior to last week's arraignment, Moussaoui admitted he was guility, a member of Al Qaeda and had advance knowledge of the attacks.
A two-week 2002 Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment (JEFX) got underway at Nellis AFB, Nev., on July 24, evaluating new integration technologies in a realistic battle management environment. Hundreds of simulations and several live-fly exercises will give both operator and development communities an early look at systems designed to produce air tasking orders; manage intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance resources; and prosecute time-critical targets.
Continental Airlines estimates it has gained more than $9 million from its CargoProf revenue optimization system since it started in July 1999, or a 2.5% increase in net cargo revenue managed by the system. CargoProf is built on Manugistics software and forecasts cargo capacity, then assigns prices to different markets, which Continental can adjust to best meet multiple goals, such as keeping customers happy and retaining market share, as well as making profit. CargoProf also considers freight loadability, least-cost routes, and local cargo regulations.
DAVID A. FULGHUMDOUGLAS BARRIE ( WASHINGTON LONDON)
Britain has developed and successfully tested a prototype directed energy weapon package applicable for use on unmanned air vehicles or standoff cruise missiles, with some of the weapon tests carried out in the U.S. The defense ministry program to develop the high-power microwave (HPM) payload was underway by the mid-1990s. The payload is intended as a weapon for use against a target set including: command and control, communications, and air defense assets. It is conceivable a prototype HPM weapon could be fielded, if required, within the coming months.
The French government has released 908 million euros ($890 million) in additional funding to remedy what it sees as an unacceptably low rate of availability. According to Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, half of France's fleet of Puma helicopters and up to 60% of its Gazelles are not in operating service--far above the 20% rate considered to be acceptable. Observers estimate that it will take nearly 9 billion euros over several years to fully address the problem.
Combining U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Space Command is not a merger or a takeover, but the creation of a new command having a global perspective, according to Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Called Strategic Command or Stratcom, this new entity may become a pathfinder for the Pentagon's military transformation plans. A recent Nuclear Posture Review and a new Moscow Treaty that reduces the number of nuclear warheads the U.S. and Russia will retain has altered the way deterrence is viewed, Myers said.
BAE Systems has agreed to sell its 25% interest in Astrium to EADS for 165 million euros ($162 million), paving the way for full restructuring of the troubled space system manufacturer. Astrium recently announced a thorough reorganization of its satellite activities, but had to await BAE's decision on disposal of its holding before revamping its launcher business, currently split between Astrium and EADS Launch Vehicles. The move is contingent on European Commission approval and finalization of the U.K.'s Skynet 5 milsatcom award, won earlier this year.
Judy Northup has been appointed vice president-human resources, administration and information services for Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. of Dallas. Vern Broomall has been named vice president-quality, engineering and technology; and Randy Smith director of integration and strategy development. Northup succeeds Margo Parker, who is retiring. Dan Smartis has been promoted to vice president-materiel from director of subcontract management, succeeding Northup, Broomall succeeds Bob Rudnicki, who has retired. Smith was director of integration.
The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center last week was leading a preliminary design review to select the preferred technique for repairing the orbiter hydrogen flow liner cracks that have grounded the space shuttle program. A separate team was continuing to study the possibility of returning to flight with the cracks as is, but that is considered unlikely. Managers earlier this month narrowed the repair options from six to three primary candidates.
Bahrain has selected the BAE Systems Hawk to meet its jet trainer requirements. BAE and Bahrain inked a contract covering the provision of basic and elementary training in January 2002. BAE has not released details of the Hawk deal; however, the order is thought to be for six aircraft, with an option on a further six.
The joke making the rounds at the Farnborough air show goes: ``Everybody knows the answer is UAVs and UCAVs, but nobody is sure what the question is.'' This quip expresses the concern that unmanned aircraft, now every modern military force's darlings, will be spoiled by success. Budgeteers in particular believe good designs could be loaded with more sensors, more weapons and more missions until they become too expensive to build or too valuable to be risked in combat.
The future of Britain's commercial air transport infrastructure was flung under the spotlight last week with the government floating contentious options for airport development at the same time as it came under fire over its partial privatization of air traffic control. The government's consultation document on how to meet projected traffic demands over the next three decades suggests a number of alternative sites for further development.
A multiaxis test stand (MATS) capable of ground testing vectored-thrust aircraft, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has been transferred to Edwards AFB, Calif. It had been in operation about five years at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., but was shut down due to noise complaints. The MATS is being reassembled at Edwards, and should be in service sometime early next year. It will be instrumented with a suite of sensors to measure forces, pressures and temperatures throughout a vectored-thrust engine's full range.
Electro-Radiation Inc. (ERI) will demonstrate its GPS antijamming capability to protect precision-guided munitions under a contract from the Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems Rapid Response program office. ERI believes it has found a lower-cost method for countering jamming, applying its electronic warfare background. The technique relies primarily on polarization to discriminate between GPS and jamming signals, and takes into account the effects of the antenna, ground plane and the environment.
James Crawford, a research scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center's Atmospheric Sciences Competency, has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for 2001, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on researchers who are beginning their independent careers.
