The White House has lauded the Scottish High Court's decision, issued in the Netherlands late last week, upholding the conviction of Abdel Al-Megrahi in connection with the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in a blast over Scotland in December 1988. In a prepared statement, the White House said, ``This decision affirming the conviction of a Libyan agent for the bombing of Pan Am 103 represents a vindication of efforts by successive U.S.
First flights of the Atlas V and Delta IV evolved expendable launch vehicles (EELVs) this year should help the U.S. launch services industry begin to recapture some of the business it has lost to Europe's Arianespace, according to the latest FAA forecast. The agency's commercial space transportation office estimates it will license 12-14 commercial orbital launches this year, up from only five in 2001. ``The EELV program is expected to reduce U.S.
Yves Bonnet has been appointed vice chairman and Dominique Paris chief executive of the propulsion unit of the France-based Snecma group. Jean-Paul Herteman has become chairman/CEO, Pierre Thouraud vice president-engineering and Joel Barre vice president/general manager of the space engines division of Snecma Moteurs.
Lockheed Martin is proposing an airborne electronic attack configuration for the Joint Strike Fighter and could field an interim EF-35 platform in about 10 years, followed by a low-observable, deep-penetration version designed to stay with strike teams from takeoff to landing.
Senior Russian air force officials seem to be forcing a dose of economic realism on the country's efforts to develop a fifth-generation successor to its Flanker, Fulcrum and Foxhound fighter aircraft. According to Russian press reports, the anticipated selection of an industry lead has been put off as the military takes a hard look at matching scant resources with requirements.
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The Odyssey spacecraft is beginning its 30-month primary mission at Mars with a full set of science instruments, following reactivation of one of its three experiments that had been out of operation for about seven months. Controllers got the Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (Marie) instrument running again earlier this month and placed it in its science configuration on Mar. 13.
East Asia Airlines/Helicopters Hong Kong has signed an agreement to purchase a Sikorsky S-92. The helicopter would be used on routes between Hong Kong and Macau. Sikorsky previously sold S-76Cs to the Asian operator.
Telephonics Corp. will deliver 14 search-and-rescue, weather-avoidance radar systems to Italy's AgustaWestland under a $700,000-work order, to support its EH-101 helicopter program for Denmark.
Boeing Capital Corp. and Ansett Worldwide have selected the Pratt&Whitney PW4060 engine to power nine Boeing 767-300ER aircraft that Ansett will be leasing to customers. Deliveries covered by the $185-million order will begin in September.
Boeing last week expanded its Office of the Chairman to include three senior executives who will help run the company and further its strategic development. The reshuffling did nothing, however, to identify the likeliest candidate to replace CEO Phil Condit when he retires.
The U.S. Border Patrol has ordered 13 Eurocopter AS350B3 helicopters as part of an emergency funding initiative to augment security along the border with Mexico, especially in the Del Rio (Tex.) sector. Deliveries will begin immediately, according to Eurocopter. Each aircraft will be equipped with night-vision goggles, searchlights, digital navigation displays and the capacity for many dual sensors.
Boeing Sikorsky has selected Bridgeport, Conn., as the future final assembly location for at least some RAH-66 Comanches. The company, which also is moving its headquarters to the site, has not yet decided if all Comanches will be manufactured there, but it does expect it will turn out at least a limited number. Flight test location for the aircraft is pending. Completed Comanches could be trucked to Sikorsky facilities at nearby Stratford or to West Palm Beach, Fla., for test flights.
The U.S. Army's selection of Boeing to be the integrator of the Future Combat System sets in motion a process to define the size, shape and scope of a weapon that's being molded largely by airlift requirements.
Meanwhile, SES Global is said to be discussing a venture with EchoStar to jointly supply high-speed satellite Internet access to U.S. residential customers. The venture, which neither company could confirm, would involve construction of a very large Ku/Ka- and perhaps C-band spacecraft offering two-way satellite service. Both companies have been working on such a spacecraft--EchoStar, in cooperation with Israel's Gilat--but have held off on a firm go-ahead because of market uncertainties.
The U.N. and the White House admonished Israel that its massive air and ground offensive in the Palestinian territories was a serious mistake, jeopardizing chances for a cease-fire and risking a wider war. Calling the crisis the worst in 10 years, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan rebuked Israel's use of heavy armament, including American-made F-16 fighters and Apache attack helicopters, in civilian areas and teeming refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza.
French officials and industry executives rejected allegations that a South Korean colonel received bribes from a local Dassault Aviation marketing agent, but they promptly suspended dealings with the company. The South Korean government was set to announce the winner in the 40-aircraft-plus F-X fighter competition between the Rafale, Eurofighter/Typhoon, Boeing's F-15K and Sukhoi's Su-30. Bidders are scratching their heads over the possible impact of the scandal on the competition and wondering if it will cause Seoul to delay the award for an extended period.
Visits to China always leave me with visions of the contrasts between the segments of the country's aerospace industry that are progressing and those that seem to be mired in the past. My visit to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai this month gave me a sense of a country not entirely comfortable with the present, while waiting for an uncertain future to arrive.
TRW Inc. last week took the offensive against Northrop Grumman and its hostile bid to acquire the company. It again rejected Northrop's offer of $47 a share as ``grossly inadequate,'' and announced it would break up the enterprise and operate its space and electronics business as a stand-alone company--all in the interests of ``shareholder value.'' As part of the strategy, TRW would sell its aerostructures business and then spin off its $10-billion automotive operation, also as an independent company.
William J. Masica, who led the NASA Lewis/Glenn Research Center Microgravity Science Program during the Spacelab missions, has received the Space Processing Award of the Reston, Va.-based American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Other recent AIAA award winners are: National Faculty Adviser Award, L. Scott Miller, professor of aerospace engineering at Wichita (Kan.) State University; Aerospace Software Engineering Award, Donald Reifer; Pendray Aerospace Literature Award, George P. Sutton; Lawrence Sperry Award, Edward C.
Mary E. Kicza has become associate NASA administrator for biological and physical research. She was associate director of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Kicza succeeds Kathie Olsen, who also was chief scientist. Olsen is expected to be nominated as associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Raytheon Systems Ltd. (RSL), Raytheon Co.'s U.K.-based subsidiary, recently won a further two contracts to supply and install Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radars for air traffic control in China. With these contracts, RSL has now won business in all six of China's Air Traffic Management Bureau regions, for a total of 25 systems. The systems are scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2003.
Strong demand for regional jets has continued in spite of the economic downturn and recent drawdown of capacity by world airlines. In the long term, the war on terrorism and economic troubles have scarcely fazed the outlook for this versatile aircraft type. The role of regional jets continues to expand even in the upheaval of the post-Sept. 11 market. Manufacturers and forecasters have assessed some short-term negative impact, but the long-term outlook for the regional jets remains solid.
Benoit Gosset has been named chairman/CEO of Messier Services International. He was senior vice president/chief operating officer. Marcel Schott has been appointed chairman/CEO of Messier Services France. He was production director of Messier-Bugatti.
The new NASA/Boeing Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-I) that will be used for both civilian and military spacecraft data relay is shown (left photo) prior to its launch from Cape Canaveral Mar. 8 on board a Lockheed Martin/ ILS Atlas IIA (right photo). Following tests, it will be placed in the TDRS East location. One solar array that makes up the satellite's 68-ft. span extends left, while the spacecraft's twin 15-ft. flexible graphite mesh antennas are folded into their launch configuration at center.
