Ernest Levert, senior staff manufacturing engineer at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Dallas, has been elected president of the Miami-based American Welding Society.
Korean Air, following United Airlines' lead, plans to install Advanced Taser M26s on all its aircraft, under a contract worth more than $145,000. The airline is obtaining the devices under an agreement with C&S Corp., the distributor in South Korea for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Taser International. According to Taser, the devices are to be installed on all Korean Air aircraft and are intended for use by flight crews and, possibly, cabin crews.
NASA International Space Station program managers believe the project will be able to achieve the critical ISS ``core complete'' configuration for $8.3 billion through Fiscal 2006. The Bush Administration has approved development of the ISS through at least core complete--and NASA is now maintaining the $8.3-billion figure as a formal internal target. Core complete would include all major U.S. elements minus the crew return vehicle needed to increase the crew number above three.
Airbus has won what is believed to be India's biggest commercial transport order with approval last week by the board of government-owned Indian Airlines of a $2-billion fleet renewal plan. India's domestic carrier, IA, has taken advantage of what officials characterized as softer pricing in the post-Sept. 11 market by buying 43 new aircraft: 19 A319s, four A320s and 20 A321s, all with CFM56 engines. They are to replace AI's aging A300s and 737s at its Alliance Air subsidiary. Deliveries are to be over five years starting in 2003.
John Lester Miller has been named manager of the Portland, Ore., aerospace technology office of the Research Triangle Institute of North Carolina. He has been chief scientist of RTI.
Germany's A400M airlifter partner governments late last week were anticipating delivery of a letter of clarification covering Berlin's attempt to finalize its funding, as a precursor to activating the 5.1-billion-euro ($4.4-billion) development contract. Following an A400M steering committee meeting on Mar. 22, a mechanism was put in place to work around Germany's inability to reconcile the number of aircraft it has said it would buy--73--against its ability to pay for only about 40.
U.S. Navy aviators believe the acceleration of a plan to retire S-3B aircraft will cut by one-fifth the ability of East Coast-based air wings to generate missions at wartime rates. Underlying the move is the need to pay for new F/A-18E/F strike fighters and speed their introduction into the Navy, say critics of the early retirement plan. Initially, the ``sundown plan'' to retire S-3 surveillance/strike/tanker aircraft had three parts:
LOCKHEED MARTIN IS LEADING A TEAM comprising Computer Sciences Corp., Boeing, Harris and Northrop Grumman in bidding for the FAA's En Route Automation Modernization program. The main effort is to redesign old software at 20 en route centers. Raytheon, which protested a year ago when the agency attempted a sole-source award to LockMart, is also competing, according to the FAA.
A new deadline of June 20 has been set for gathering public commentary on long-term capacity solutions for New York LaGuardia Airport. The commentary period, originally scheduled to end on Oct. 12 last year, was suspended following the Sept. 11 events. The debate should be lively, as the proposed demand management options include slot auctions, hefty landing fees and incentives to encourage operation of larger aircraft (AW&ST June 11, 2001, p. 45).
The Pentagon is shifting gears on the type of targets it wants for the ballistic missile test program. Instead of solid-fueled boosters, the military is interested in liquid-fueled rockets that would provide more flexibility for testing, said Army Lt. Gen. Joseph M. Cosumano of the Space and Missile Defense Command which manages joint target programs. By adjusting the booster's nozzle, the speed of the target can be altered, making the system more useful since the target can stress different parts of the missile defense engagement envelope.
A Navy/Lockheed Martin Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile was fired down the U.S. Air Force 45th Space Wing's Eastern Range Mar. 17 from the USS Alaska, submerged off Cape Canaveral, Fla. The test was aimed at validating conversion of the Alaska to fire D5 missiles instead of the Trident 1 C4 originally carried. Additional firings will be conducted off the Cape by the USS Nevada, USS Henry M. Jackson and the USS Alabama.
If there are generals who fight wars and generals who prepare for them, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe is shaping up as one of the latter. Dismissing specific exploration objectives like Mars (with humans) and Pluto and Europa (with robots) as ``whimsical fantasy'' using today's technology, O'Keefe told Women in Aerospace he won't designate a target for his agency to attack. Instead, he will devote his tenure to preparing the technology that will enable exploration of the whole solar system at a later date.
Delta Air Lines' Technical Operations division will perform integrated support services for Boeing 767-300ER transports operated by code-share partner Royal Air Maroc, including engineering, maintenance and administrative work. The airline is preparing to introduce the new aircraft into service. In addition, Delta and Royal Air Maroc are cooperating on maintenance programs for the latter's 757-200s as well as support services for engines and components installed on its 737-800s.
CAE has won service contracts valued at up to $13.81 million from the U.S. Coast Guard and the German armed forces. The USCG has selected CAE to provide five years of C-130 Hercules training to its aviators, and the Germans have awarded CAE a one-year contract extension for on-site flight simulation equipment maintenance.
Boeing is conducting detailed simulations of two possible fixes for the propellant system problem that has threatened the mission of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-I (TDRS-I). A team of senior technical specialists has been mobilized to attempt to resolve the problem, according to a company official, who added, ``a lot of brainpower has been put on this one.''
C. Robert Campbell has been appointed executive vice president/chief financial officer of the Aviation Sales Co., Greensboro, N.C. He succeeds Michael C. Brant, who has resigned. Campbell was president/CEO of BAX Global Inc.
Two BAE Systems Hawk MK-53s are reported to have crashed at Iswahyudi AFB, Indonesia, while rehearsing for an air show. The crash apparently occurred when one aircraft was attempting to cross in front of the other. All four aircrew were reported dead.
A tersely worded statement last week signaled the sudden departure of BAE Systems CEO John Weston, provoking copious speculation as to the cause of his exit. BAE parted company with Weston on Mar. 25, with Mike Turner, the chief operating officer, being rapidly slotted in to succeed him as CEO. The company's share price fell more than 5% as investors reacted to the Weston announcement.
To curry TRW shareholders' favor, Northrop Grumman is urging them to vote in favor of giving Northrop access to confidential, business-sensitive information that might support a higher acquisition bid for TRW. Northrop plans to submit the proposal, along with one that would establish an independent committee to review any offer, at TRW's annual shareholders meeting on Apr. 24.
As the F-22 slowly nears operational testing, the U.S. Air Force is beginning to define what the first major upgrade of the stealth fighter should be. The F-22 is supposed to be in service in late 2005, and program managers hope to have the first significant improvement about two years later. Early attention is on increased air-to-ground combat capability through two key upgrades--integration of the 250-lb.-class small-diameter bomb and a radar improvement.
Sally Minard has been appointed to the board of directors of New York-based Loral Space&Communications. She is co-founder of advertising and marketing firm Lotas Minard Patton McIver.
In the wake of the American Airlines Flight 587 accident, manufacturers of large transports are scrutinizing the systems that affect pilots' feel of the rudder and limit its travel. Large rudder motions are the primary suspect for why the vertical tail came off the airplane last Nov. 12, but the reason for the motions is still a mystery.
The Active Aeroelastic Wing flight demonstrator rolled out at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center on Mar. 27. The modified Navy/Boeing F/A-18 fighter will test wing warping for roll control at higher speeds, exploiting a flexible wing that is otherwise prone to roll reversal. The wings are twisted primarily by deflecting the leading-edge flaps. First flight is to be this summer and a second set of tests is to occur in 2003. The $41-million project is a joint effort by NASA, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Boeing Phantom Works.
