Arjen Pen has been appointed head of sales for Crossair, effective in October. He has been general manager of marketing and distribution for southwest Europe for Lufthansa German Airlines.
AirLiance Materials is on pace to reach $200 million in inventory by year-end and is moving into a new 185,000-sq.-ft. facility at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The company began operations in mid-1998 as the exclusive distributor of surplus maintenance materials and parts consigned to it by founding partners United, Lufthansa and Air Canada. AirLiance has grown to 85 employees and is looking to add additional partners, according to David J. Sisson, president and CEO.
After months of negotiation, the U.S. and Japan finally have signed an agreement to cooperate on research and development for a theater ballistic missile defense program. The five-year program will concentrate on enhancements to the Standard Missile SM-3, the interceptor being used in the Navy Theater Wide missile defense program. The agreement was signed last week in Tokyo by U.S. ambassador Thomas Foley and Japan's foreign minister Masahiko Komura.
Data Systems&Solutions, a joint venture of Rolls-Royce plc and Science Application International Corp., received its first civil aerospace contract for a real-time engine condition monitoring system. The ECM is to support German charter airline Condor's fleet of 13 Boeing 757-300 aircraft under the 10-year contract.
Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems and Aerostructures Sector at Melbourne, Fla., delivered the fifth Joint-STARS aircraft to the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 13. During the next five weeks, technicians will install system upgrades before the airplane joins other Joint-STARS aircraft based at Robins AFB, Ga. A sixth is to be delivered at the end of this year.
Aviation executives are feeling increasingly frustrated by the lack of common rules for airline alliances, even though most of the developed world has now deregulated its airline industry.
Raytheon is challenging the award of the Medium Extended Air Defense System contract to a Lockheed Martin team for the second time. An earlier appeal was rejected by the Italian-German-U.S. MEADS program office. This time Raytheon is taking its case to international arbitration. There is no timeline for a decision.
Teledyne Controls is gearing up for production of its Wireless GroundLink system that will economically move data between transport aircraft and airline flight operations centers. WGL uses packet-based messaging technology and cellular and PCS phone networks, according to John Grabowsky, vice president of broadband communications for Los Angeles-based Teledyne Electronic Technologies. Once the over-the-air portion of transmission is complete, data packets are routed via the Internet to an address of the airline's choosing.
Turboprop-powered commercial transports operating in European airspace should be equipped with collision avoidance systems more rapidly than currently scheduled, French accident investigators say.
Brussels-based Virgin Express plans to start operations from Berlin on Nov. 10. The low-cost carrier will employ aircraft registered with its Irish subsidiary to operate the nonstop services between the German capital and London Stansted, Rome Fiumicino and Brussels airports. In the next few weeks, the carrier is expected to determine whether it will operate from Tegel, Tempelhof or Schonefeld airports. Plans for a Paris hub operation, most likely at Charles de Gaulle airport, are on track for a March 2000 launch (AW&ST July 17, p. 38).
A Boeing Delta II with four solid rocket boosters lifts off early Aug. 17 from Pad 17B at Cape Canaveral carrying four Loral Globalstar spacecraft. The overall mission was valued at about $100 million. The launch brings to 36 the number of European-built Globalstar spacecraft in orbit.
Offensive computer warfare, the black art that has replaced nuclear weapons and stealth as the U.S.' most closely guarded secret, was first used as a precision weapon during the Kosovo conflict. While computer systems have been driven to failure with overloads of extraneous data and other brute-force techniques, the military has never before penetrated an enemy computer system and manipulated it to protect an attacking force, in this case NATO aircraft.
Virtual Prototypes has improved its software development tools that create graphical user interfaces and turn them into C code. Version 5.2 of the VAPS&CCG (C Code Generator) program allows more complex logic in its state chart graphical editor. It adds an interface to the Doors requirements system so that code objects can be linked to particular product requirements. Version 2.2 of CCG Lite will automatically create a Microsoft Word document that describes the graphical interface, cutting the amount of documentation time.
The Cassini spacecraft has flown to within 727 mi. of Earth on its last of three inner-planet flybys aimed at accelerating the scientific probe toward a planned four-year mission at Saturn beginning in 2004. Cassini made its closest approach to Earth at 8:28 p.m. PDT on Aug. 17 at a point above the eastern South Pacific. Program officials said the flyby may have been visible from such small spots as Pitcairn and Easter Island.
Although their industry has undoubted technical skills, Japanese space officials are of mixed minds about whether it can make the leap from developing research and scientific satellites for the home market to becoming prime commercial contractors.
The failure of a Boeing Inertial Upper Stage during the Apr. 9 Titan IVB launch of a missile warning satellite here was caused when a thermal wrap and tape applied to a harness and connector prevented proper disconnection of a plug linking the first and second stages of the IUS, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation.
Delta Air Lines plans to suspend service between Portland, Ore., and Fukuoka, Japan, in October. The move was made due to continued weakness on the route resulting in financial losses, according to the Atlanta-based carrier. Delta began daily service between the two cities in October 1998. Portland will remain a Delta gateway, and the airline is continuing daily flights from Portland to Tokyo and Nagoya, between Los Angeles and Tokyo, and from Atlanta and Tokyo.
Raytheon Aircraft has signed a contract with the Greek Ministry of Defense to provide 45 T-6A trainer aircraft, a ground-based training system and integrated logistical support. The contract is valued up to $200 million and includes options for five additional aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force has picked Spectrum Astro and TRW to design the Space-Based Infrared System-Low missile tracking satellite system, but it also is opening the door for losing bidder Lockheed Martin to remain in the program.
William S. Ayer, president of Alaska Airlines, has been appointed to its board of directors and that of the Alaska Air Group Inc. Bradley D. Tilden has been named vice president-finance/chief financial officer, effective Feb. 12. He was vice president-finance/controller and will succeed Harry G. Lehr, who will retire. Amber Henningsen Post has been appointed staff vice president-finance/treasurer. She has been assistant vice president-flight operations and administration.
Japan's National Space Development Agency said the MTSat, a weather and air traffic control satellite developed for the Ministry of Transport, is to be launched Sept. 10 by the eighth H-2. The launcher will use the Mitsubishi/IHI LE-5B second-stage engine developed for the H-2A program for the first time. MTSat's launch had been set for Aug. 5 but was delayed to change out a central processing unit.
