The Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and National Reconnaissance Office are trying to keep alive the Discoverer-2 ground surveillance radar satellite effort after House appropriators recommended terminating the demonstration program. The House complained that an Independent Cost Estimate (ICE) found the price tag would be double that put forth by program officials. But Discoverer-2 officials say that's not true. Their cost projection is $598 million, versus the independent reviewers' $747 million.
The Experimental Aircraft Assn.'s (EAA) AirVenture'99 left no doubt that the lightplane business is riding a colossal tailwind that shows no signs of weakening, and seems poised to push the industry to greater heights than it has experienced in the past 20 years.
Martin-Baker has received a $20.2-million contract for the design, integration and installation of 210 shipsets of lightweight seats for U.S. Navy CH-53E helicopters. Each shipset comprises 31 of the detachable, folding utility seats. Under the contract, 52 aircraft will be equipped per year.
Baroness Symons has been appointed minister of state for defense procurement in the U.K. Ministry of Defense. Peter Kilfoyle has been named parliamentary under secretary of state for Defense, succeeding John Spellar, who has been promoted to minister of state for the armed forces.
The chemical oxygen-iodine laser technology at the heart of USAF's planned Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft is being refined for commercial use. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign believe the COIL technology is well-suited for laser cutting and welding applications needing high-power and fiber-optic delivery. These include dismantling old nuclear facilities and sealing small leaks in ship hull leaks underwater, according to David Carroll, a research scientist in the Dept. of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.
Space shuttle executives are facing an unprecedented problem. While NASA has had its share of sustained efforts--developing the world's only reusable launch system was one of them--it doesn't have the track record of Boeing in reinventing the 737 or the Air Force in managing the evolution of a fighter program such as the F-16.
Stefan C. Riesenfeld has been named executive vice president/chief financial officer of the aerospace and electronics segment at the Allegheny Teledyne Corp. of Pittsburgh. He was CFO of ICL plc. of London.
FLS Aerospace and Shannon MRO have agreed to forge a closer working relationship in aircraft maintenance checks, component support and staffing. Although final terms of an agreement have not been completed, FLS would have first refusal rights on hangar slot availability at Shannon, which can accommodate Boeing 727 and 737 transports. FLS has a facility in Dublin in addition to those in the U.K., Denmark and Sweden. The company would make extra staff and equipment available to Shannon, which would make FLS its preferred supplier for component overhaul support.
The U.S. Navy has assumed control of the Ultra-High-Frequency Follow-On spacecraft from the Air Force in the latest initiative by the two services to consolidate their space operations. There are eight UHF Follow-On communications satellites in orbit, providing worldwide communications at ultra-high and extremely-high frequencies, as well as hosting the Global Broadcast System payload. Another of the spacecraft is scheduled for launch this fall. Transfer of satellite control was the result of a study sponsored by the U.S.
Foreign airlines have joined Japan's own carriers in complaining about high landing fees, which for the Japanese airlines have become an uncontrollable cost. Japan's Ministry of Transport (MOT) views the charges as a major source of revenue for airport improvements. But according to the Foreign Airlines Assn. of Japan (FAAJ), the landing fee for a Boeing 747 at Tokyo's Narita Airport is $12,000 compared with $2,000-8,000 at U.S. and European facilities.
The U.S. Air Force has awarded ARINC Inc. a five-year, $43-million contract. ARINC will provide engineering and technical services for the Air Force Technical Applications.
A Pakistani navy Breguet Atlantic reconnaissance/antisubmarine warfare aircraft was shot down last week by an Indian air force MiG-21 near the Arabian Sea, killing all 16 on board. Whether the Pakistan aircraft entered Indian airspace is in dispute, but the incident clearly raised tensions between the two countries just weeks after they had cooled a two-month border war over Kashmir far to the north. Pakistan vowed revenge and the next day fired surface-to-air missiles at Indian helicopters flying near the crash site.
With negotiations over pay for flying Delta Air Lines' new Boeing 777s stalled, Delta's pilots are trying a new method of not volunteering for overtime flying. According to airline labor watchdog The Newfoundland Group, pilots are volunteering to fly more than their monthly requirement only if that flying conflicts with scheduled trips, which allows them to be paid for the overtime trip as well as the scheduled flight that was not flown. The tactic exploits a loophole in the pilots' contract with Delta.
The Experimental Aircraft Assn.'s AirVenture'99 held here earlier this month not only showcased a broad array of new and exotic aircraft, but amplified the strong pulse of general aviation at virtually every level from ultralights to business jets. Tom Poberezny, president of the EAA, said 765,000 people attended the week-long aeronautical exhibition and airshow held at Wittman Regional Airport, including 2,400 participants from 75 nations. The final tally of aircraft registered totaled 11,000, according to an AirVenture'99 official.
British Airways plans to reduce capacity by 12% in the next three years to deal with an increasingly competitive market after posting a 45.7% drop in operating profits for the first quarter of the financial year.
National missile defense activity may be at its highest level since the anti-ballistic missile program nearly three decades ago, as testing steps up in preparation for the June 2000 readiness review.
The U.S. Air Force completed its first successful guided flight of a prototype Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile. In an earlier test, the control surfaces failed to deploy. The missile was launched on Aug. 12 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., off an F-16 flying at 15,000 ft. and Mach 0.75. USAF officials said the missile met all test objectives. The next test, to be conducted in October or November, will be the first powered flight of the stealthy cruise missile.
Air France Industries has completed installation of Boeing electronic support measures equipment on the first of four French air force Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. ESM is a passive system which enables AWACS to detect, identify and track electronic transmissions from ground, airborne and maritime sources. It can be used to identify radar and weapon system type. Once complete, the installation will improve interoperability with U.S., NATO and U.K. AWACS fleets, which already have ESM equipment.
The Allied Pilots Assn. and American Airlines are set to resume discussions this week regarding integration of Reno Air into the airline. Regardless of the outcome of the talks, American intends to proceed with the integration on Aug. 31.
Brenda Henderson and Homayun Navaz, assistant professors of mechanical engineering at Kettering University, Flint, Mich., have received a research grant and have been named to the 1999 Ketterington/GM Alumni Assn. Rodes Professorship. They will investigate noise generated by air flowing over openings in vehicles or gaps in aircraft fuselages.
Of immediate concern to Washington is the risk that Yeltsin's ``government-by-whim'' will somehow unhinge the peaceful and democratic presidential transition next summer, even as the Kremlin grapples with a security crisis in Dagestan in the northern Caucasus. Yeltsin's fifth prime minister in 17 months, ex-KGB loyalist (and suspected money-laundering expert) Vladimir V. Putin, solemnly vowed to quell the disturbance in two weeks.
The FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive on Airbus Industrie A300, A310 and A300-600 aircraft, calling for the aircraft's autopilot systems to determine if the main electro-valve electrical connectors of the yaw, roll and pitch autopilot actuators are correctly installed. The order followed similar action by France's Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile.
Thomas J. Gallagher has become managing director for defense, aerospace and technical services industry for First Union Capital Markets, Charlotte, N.C. He was managing director and executive of the transportation, aerospace and defense investment banking group of CIBC World Markets.
