DSP Architectures has started production of a new radiation-hardened, digital signal processor chip that's slated for a 2005 launch as part of NASA's Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (Gifts). It will test new technologies for measuring temperature, water vapor, wind and the chemical composition of the atmosphere. The radiation-hard DSP24 is part of a chip family that uses a fast Fourier transform to boost the efficiency of signal and image processing. The chips are the first optimized for the frequency domain, according to the company.
The A320 series, the cornerstone of Airbus' product range, is being pummeled by the airline industry downturn. Combined production, which was set to grow to record levels before the crisis erupted, will soon be stabilized at a low 19 aircraft per month. Nevertheless, the schedule revision is not affecting the A318, Airbus' smallest aircraft, which is to enter service in mid-2003, completing the European product range's lower end. ``After adding the A318, the A320 family will be fully deployed.
This year's Farnborough air show is the largest gathering of the aerospace industry since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11. That fact will not be lost on the 300,000 visitors who are expected to attend the biennial event. Increased security is planned for the weeklong show, and the impact of the war on terrorism will be fresh in the minds of many, if only for having run the gauntlet of often unwieldy and unreasonable security measures at airports on the way to London.
While a background in law enforcement alone appears to be qualification enough to get a job at the Transportation Security Administration, it's apparently not good enough to keep the top job. TSA boss John Magaw, a former head of the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, was shown the door last week. His shortcomings included not being ``hands-on'' enough, not being ``inclusive'' with the aviation industry, not being accessible and not keeping Congress adequately informed. Magaw, who was nominated to run the TSA Jan.
Zuji, a joint venture travel portal for 16 Asia-Pacific airlines, has been soft-launched in Singapore and Sydney with the goal of building a 500,000 membership in the Asia-Pacific region, including 80,000 in Singapore. Officials say Zuji will be available in Hong Kong, New Zealand and Taiwan by year-end, and the formal launch is planned in the first quarter 2003.
Lufthansa says its 48-seat Boeing Business Jet service between Newark and Dusseldorf did well in its first month. Even though business travel, the targeted market, normally falls off in the summer, the flights had a load factor higher than the roughly 60% needed to break even, a Lufthansa official said, and better results are expected in the fall. PrivatAir of Geneva operates the BBJ service for Lufthansa on a wet lease (AW&ST May 27, p. 44).
The PTZ-Cam 2.75 robotic inspection camera fits through narrow access openings to view a vessel's contents and evaluate its structural condition. This waterproof inspection tool packs a color video camera with 40:1 zoom inside a head assembly that pans 360 deg., tilts 10 deg. and casts illumination. The system includes high-torque stepper motors, each coupled to a hardened-gear linkage. An integral slip clutch protects each drive, and allows the entire head assembly to return passively to its home position for retrieval in the event of a mechanical or electrical failure.
FedEx executives last week nudged Airbus' conviction that its all-cargo A380 will be a force to contend with one step further toward reality. ``The international express market will grow 8-13% per year for the next several years, supplying a spot for the A380F,'' FedEx Corp.'s Chairman, President and CEO Frederick W. Smith said.
The hand-held EGA06H axial design magnetic induction probe with small field effect is suited for measuring small parts or areas, such as nuts, bolts, screws and other fasteners. With a measuring range of 0-28 mil., the probe measures non-magnetic coatings including zinc, chrome, copper, tin, paint and enamel on ferromagnetic base material using the magnetic induction method according to DIN 50981. The smallest surface the probe can measure is an 0.08 in. dia., 0.04 in. of convex curvature and 0.79 in. of concave curvature.
French systems and avionics manufacturers are concerned that a sharp decrease in funding for civil research, combined with a steady drop in defense R&D funding, may undermine the future competitiveness of European suppliers. According to figures released by the aerospace industries' association Gifas, French spending on basic and applied civil research not tied to specific development programs has declined 53% in the last two years.
Australian investment bank Macquarie last week purchased a 44.7% stake in Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), operators of Rome's Fiumicino and Ciampino airports. Macquarie, which holds a controlling interest in Australia's Sydney Kingsford Smith and shares in the U.K.'s Bristol and Birmingham airports, obtained the ADR stake for $483 million from Leonardo Holding SA. Leonardo bought a 51% stake of ADR in July 2000 from the state-owned IRI and acquired further shares through public offering to gain nearly 96% of ADR capital.
Continental Airlines reported a second-quarter net loss of $35 million as the carrier struggled to balance consumer demand against capacity, and cope with rising security and insurance costs as well as discount fares by competitors. Although April and May were unprofitable months for the Houston-based carrier, it did post a slender $16-million net income in June as the summer travel season began to heat up. Despite this slight uptick, ``we need to find a way to make money,'' said Gordon Bethune, chairman and CEO.
The low-profile Ultra SpillBerm contains leaks and reduces OSHA slip hazards. Made of nonabsorbing polyurethane, the 10-ft. sections bend to follow curves or angles. Applications include: containing oil leaks from machinery and equipment, diverting stormwater, sealing areas during washdown operations and spill response. Interlocking end joints allow multiple SpillBerms to be connected, creating longer lengths. Safety orange units measure 10 ft. X 21/4 in. X 13/8 in. UltraTech International, 9454-9 Philips Highway, Jacksonville, Fla. 32256.
Curtis W. Robb has been named senior vice president/chief information officer of Delta Air Lines and president/CEO of subsidiary Delta Technology Inc. He had been chief technology officer.
The 200-ft.-tall Boeing Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle is shown stacked for the first time on Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral following a nearly $1.5-billion development split between Boeing and the U.S. Air Force. First launch carrying a Eutelsat communications satellite is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 9, but could be as early as late September. This first vehicle is a Delta IV Medium Plus version with two solid rocket boosters and a 13-ft.-dia. shroud.
American Science and Engineering Inc. has received a $4-million order from the Defense Dept. for two MobileSearch X-ray inspection systems for use in force protection and counter-terrorism applications. The order represents the first transaction under a three-year, $500-million blanket purchase agreement awarded to AS&E last May.
Jeffrey P. Bialos, former deputy undersecretary of Defense for industrial affairs, has become a partner in the Washington law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. He is expected to focus on aerospace, defense and homeland security issues. Bialos also will be senior adviser to aerospace and defense consulting firm JSA Associates.
Aviation personnel with access to crucial transportation nodes such as air traffic control face tougher screening under the Bush administration's ``National Strategy for Homeland Security.'' Issued last week, the administration's first formal counterterrorism charter says the attorney general and the proposed Homeland Security Dept. will scrutinize employer liability statutes and privacy protections to make sure they are not unduly hindering background checks of ``insider employees'' with access to control centers and restricted areas at airports.
Teams of materials, structural and cryogenic propulsion engineers mobilized across the U.S. are zeroing in on the cause and repair of hydrogen propellant line cracks that have grounded the space shuttle program. But more questions than answers remain. Engineers are examining flow liner weld and other techniques that could return at least one orbiter to flight by about October or November, when requirements for International Space Station support will begin to rapidly mount.
The easiest way for aerospace companies to make money is to take a tried-and-tested product, tweak it and repackage it to spur further sales. For Raytheon, that strategy has worked in abundance on Maverick, and now the company hopes to squeeze yet more life out of the 30-year-old missile. Faced with new rules of combat that require U.S.
The U.S. Defense Dept. cleared the sale of six Lockheed Martin C-130 military transport aircraft to Pakistan. The C-130E Hercules aircraft are valued at a total of $75 million. Pakistan requested the six used cargo aircraft, as well as several engine and aircraft upgrades, spare parts and personnel training, to remedy a current and long-term airlift shortfall, and to better support U.S. efforts in neighboring Afghanistan, the agency said.
USAF Brig. Gen. (select) Gene L. Ramsay, who has been vice commander of the 176th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard at Kulis ANGB, has become commander. He succeeds Brig. Gen. Van P. Williams.
A NASA Inspector General's audit has criticized some safety-related documentation and procedural practices used by the Kennedy Space Center to oversee United Space Alliance, the prime shuttle contractor. The IG audit found that ``Kennedy procedures for ensuring that USA properly implemented . . . safety requirements were not the same procedures defined'' in the Space Flight Operations Contract the agency has with the contractor.
