Asian strategists are convinced that military modernization post-Sept. 11 will be almost universal in the Pacific Rim, once the world recession is over. That forecast contradicts Western assertions that the war on terrorism is largely an intelligence and law enforcement challenge, not a warrant for a protracted military buildup.
Stephen Henderson has become CEO of Miami-based Avborne Inc. He has been president/CEO of FLS Aerospace Holdings of Copenhagen and was president of BFGoodrich Aerospace.
BAE SYSTEMS HAS RECEIVED a $58-million U.S. Navy contract for the second phase of low-rate initial production of the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) radio frequency countermeasures system. BAE Systems' Information&Electronic Warfare systems unit will provide 14 of the AN/ALQ-214 (V) 2s under the contract. The effort follows a $59-million contract a year ago for six onboard systems and 30 fiber-optic towed decoys. Opeval testing should be completed by July 2002, according to BAE.
Singapore Technologies' Pacific Flight Services and ExecuJet Australia have joined the Flexjet Asia-Pacific charter network of business jets unveiled in December by Bombardier Aerospace. Pacific Flight Services specializes in aircraft charters for private and air ambulance operations. ExecuJet Australia is a unit of the ExecuJet Aviation Group, another charter operation that is sales representative for Bombardier business aircraft in Scandinavia, South Africa and several other African nations.
These indexable and solid carbide thread milling tools are available in tapered and parallel forms, and feature 100% full thread forms on both styles. The tools are offered in DFZ grade for threading ferrous, nonferrous, stainless and aerospace alloys. Parallel threads have spiral flutes with a 20-deg. helix. The tapered form facilitates milling of pipe threads, and both forms are designed to mill threads in one pass. Thread milling diameters for indexable toolholders and inserts range from 0.35-4 in.
Excited about the pent-up demand of 1.3 billion Chinese consumers, Western companies are convinced that the business of contemporary China is business, not military adventurism.
The U.S. Air Force intends to put a high-power microwave weapon on an advanced version of its unmanned strike aircraft by 2012. This reflects a keen new interest by Congress and the Pentagon in the increasingly attractive combination of unmanned aircraft--which means fewer U.S. aircrew casualties in the most dangerous missions--and new weaponry pulled from long-classified programs.
The French government is planning to declassify images received from its Helios I optical imaging spacecraft, and substantially lower their price. According to a top military official, the move is intended to facilitate dissemination of imagery to field units. But it will also increase the amount of Helios imagery handled at the European Union's Torrejon, Spain, processing center, where Helios data have been elbowed aside by much cheaper Ikonos photos.
Negotiators for the machinists' union forged a tentative contract with United Airlines on Feb. 18 within days after 68% of the eligible membership rejected a contract drafted by the Presidential Emergency Board. The five-year pact improves retirement benefits and retroactive pay and allows members to vote on participation in a United economic recovery plan. ``This agreement shows that settlements can be reached without government interference,'' said General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr., of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Timothy J. Puckorius has returned to Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage as senior vice president-worldwide marketing and sales. He was senior vice president-global marketing and sales for the WorldSpace Corp. and had been vice president-international marketing and business development of Orbimage.
One hundred members of the St. Petersburg (Russia) Philharmonic became drunk and disorderly on United Flight 947 on Feb. 18 from Amsterdam to Los Angeles and were eventually ordered off the plane at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to The Washington Post. Musicians were drinking from their own bottles, talking loudly, throwing things and refusing to sit down. The orchestra leader apologized and the next day the subdued musicians were allowed to continue on to Los Angeles. Reuters reported that just 24 hr. earlier, a group from the St.
Michelle Robbins of the Lockheed Martin Corp. has been elected president of Washington-based Women in Aerospace. Other new officers are: Lynn Heninger of ATK/Thiokol Propulsion, vice president-membership; Linda Billings of Spacehab, vice president-programs; organizational consultant Becky Schergens, vice president-communications; Molly Macauley of Resources for the Future, secretary; Jeff Trauberman of Boeing, treasurer; Elvia Thompson of NASA, Web site manager; and Maureen Ryan O'Brien of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, past president.
An international code of conduct aimed at helping curtail the proliferation of ballistic missiles could be formally in place before the end of 2002, marking the culmination of three years of difficult negotiation and compromise. A draft International Code of Conduct (ICOC) Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation was discussed during a two-day meeting in Paris on Feb. 7-8. A critical follow-on meeting during the third quarter of this year, if successful, would pave the way for the ICOC being declared open for signature before year-end.
The discovery of Islamic cells with connections to the Al Qaeda terrorist network in Singapore prompted security questions throughout the island nation. But visitors to the Feb. 26-Mar. 3 Asian Aerospace exhibition are unlikely to notice much different. That's because security has always been a high priority for both on-site events and air show components, according to Jimmy Lau, president of Reed Exhibitions Singapore Ptd Ltd., the show's organizers.
The Balston zero air loss drain conserves compressed air energy by expelling only oil/water condensate from the compressed air system. As condensate collects in the internal sump, a diaphragm is held closed by the system pressure. When the liquid level sensor detects an accumulation of condensate an electromagnet is activated, relieving the pressure above the diaphragm. As the condensate level decreases, system pressure is reintroduced above the diaphragm, closing off the flow of condensate before compressed air can escape.
Aviation executives believe the Asia market will recoup in the second half of 2002, provided the U.S. economy turns up and alleviates Singapore's manufacturing fall-off and Japan's protracted stagnation. U.S. forecasters predict the states will post 2.5% real growth this year if the world recession is over by the end of March. U.S. growth might reach 4.3% in 2003.
Barton A. Drake has been appointed associate vice president of HNTB, Bellevue, Wash. He also will remain director of aviation facilities and architecture.
Ralph Norris has become managing director/CEO of Air New Zealand. He has been a director of Air New Zealand Ltd. and was managing director/CEO of the ASB Bank Ltd.
Despite spotty results and the collapse of Indonesia's ambitious regional airliner program, plans to create competitive commercial aircraft products continue to surface in Asian capitals. The most ambitious is the 70-seat regional jet project unveiled by Avic I at the Beijing air show last summer. Called the ARJ21st, the aircraft would feature rear-mounted turbofans and avionics onboard systems to be procured from leading risk-sharing suppliers around the world on a competitive basis.
THE FLIGHTSAFETY ACADEMY IN VERO BEACH, FLA., has begun testing a prototype ``smart'' identification card to control student pilots' access to its flight line. Security screeners will verify that the student matches the photo on the card. When a student places his thumb on a reader, and the card is swiped, fingerprint information stored on the chip will confirm a match and permission to proceed to the aircraft will be given. Beta tests are expected to take 4-6 months.
The first launch of the Lockheed Martin Atlas IIIB has enabled the company to flight test 85% of the same critical propulsion and avionics hardware that will make up the more advanced Atlas V evolved expendable launch vehicle. The 246-ton Atlas IIIB, standing 176-ft. tall, lifted off from Pad 36B at 7:43 a.m. EST Feb. 21 carrying the Echostar VII spacecraft. The overall cost of the International Launch Services (ILS) mission and satellite combined was about $250 million.
TRW Inc. chief David M. Cote, 49, will succeed Lawrence A. Bossidy when he retires from Honeywell International in June. News of Cote's career move caught many TRW executives off guard. He will remain in his current position until the board of directors finds a successor. His management style should be a good mesh with Honeywell's culture. By his own admission, Cote is ``religiously devoted'' to growth and productivity, and is a strong believer in the gains that are possible by pursuing six sigma.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has ordered airlines to shut down VIP security lines at airports, set up to reduce check-in times for premium-fare passengers. When airlines were responsible for security, they were free to treat customers differently based on high fares. But the TSA, which took over airport security operations Feb. 17, decided as a government agency to treat all passengers equally. The short VIP lines, which handled passengers in minutes instead of an hour or more, also were said to represent an inefficient use of screening resources.
Planetary scientists have started an ``urgent'' reevaluation of NASA's Mars exploration strategy for the decade after 2009, with the long-planned Mars Sample Return mission facing further deferrals because of its billion-dollar price tag.
Jeff Peace has been appointed Seattle-based vice president/general manager of the Boeing 747 program. He succeeds Walter J. Orlowski, who has retired. Peace was program manager for the 747-400.
