Kevin L. Jackson has been named director of business development for Alliance Defense Electronics Systems Inc., Clearwater, Fla. He was manager of U.S. Air Force programs in the company's Washington office.
Boeing is betting low-cost, agile manufacturing capability--not risky multibillion dollar new aircraft designs--is key to reestablishing its commercial transport market dominance in the 21st century.
Michael F. Wilson has been appointed director of aviation services for the State of Wisconsin. He was associate professor of aeronautics at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. He succeeds Thad Slaughter, who will remain chief pilot.
Space Shuttle Discovery touched down at Kennedy Space Center at 2:03 a.m. EDT on June 6, ending the first resupply mission to the International Space Station. It was the 11th night landing in the shuttle program and the 18th in a row at Kennedy. Discovery launched on May 27, and its crew spent 53/4 days at the space station before undocking on June 3 (AW&ST June 7, p. 27).
Emirates posted a net profit of $85 million for the fiscal year ended Mar. 31, a 19.3% increase over the previous year despite the Asian currency crisis. The load factor at the Dubai-based carrier rose four percentage points to 74.5%, despite a 16.5% increase in capacity. Passenger yields declined 11.3%, however, with cargo yields down 6.1%. These were offset by lower fuel costs, a drop in interest rates and internal cost reduction efforts, although the airline expects continuing pressure on yields in the current fiscal year.
Steven R. Loranger has been appointed president of Engines and Systems, Francis W. Daly president of Avionics and Lighting and James D. Taiclet, Jr., president of Aerospace Services, all for Morris Township, N.J.-based AlliedSignal Inc. Loranger was president of AlliedSignal Engines, while Daly was vice president of Avionics Systems and Flight Safety Avionics. Taiclet was vice president-engine services for Pratt&Whitney.
Logicon Inc. has been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration's Federal Technology Service to provide information technology for its 10-year, $25-billion Millennia contract.
Three of the U.S. main Asian allies interested in missile defense programs to counter North Korean and Chinese ballistic missiles have very different system needs, a Pentagon assessment has determined. The U.S. Defense Dept. last month issued its findings on theater missile defense architecture options for Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. The report, mandated by Congress, didn't recommend specific missile defense solutions for the countries, but laid out what combination of systems could protect them from ballistic missile attack.
Arun Sehra has been appointed deputy director, Peter G. Batterton chief of the Subsonic Systems Office and Robert J. Shaw chief of the High-Speed Systems Office, all within the Aeronautics Directorate at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. In the Research and Technology Directorate, Woodrow Whitlow, Jr., was named director, Lawrence J. Bober deputy director, Louis J. Kiraly chief of the Structures and Acoustics Div. and Louis A. Povinelli senior aerospace engineer in airbreathing propulsion systems.
Globecomm Systems Inc., has been awarded $2.7 million by the Marshall Islands National Telecommunications Authority to provide an Intelsat Standard-A satellite Earth station at Majuro Atoll.
Tom Cooper has been promoted to director of programs and planning from general manager of technical operations planning for Delta Air Lines. He succeeds Neil Stronach, who has been promoted to director of reliability engineering.
Khrunichev State Research and Production Center will present at the Paris air show the first model of the Angara, a new-generation launch system of modular design similar to the U.S. EELV concept. The Angara family is intended to complement, and eventually to replace, Rockot and Proton boosters.
Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo have developed software that creates 3D virtual reality mockups of planned large-scale factories. Called UB VR-Fact!, the software allows manufacturers to model an assembly plant and solve production bottlenecks before they occur, according to T. (Kesh) Kesavadas, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the university's Virtual Reality Laboratory. Using probability-distribution equations, an entire week of plant operation can be simulated in 30 min.
John P. de Regt, who has been manager of the aviation, aerospace and transportation practice for Heidrick and Struggles, has become managing partner of the Greenwich, Conn., office.
Ray A. Landy has been named vice president/manager of the Construction Facilities and Management Practice at Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall in Los Angeles. He succeeds Craig Smith, who has become president of sister company Holmes and Narver. Landy was director of DMJM's NASA Ames Research Center architecture, engineering and construction contract at Moffett Field, Calif.
A prototype and the first preproduction model of CASA's C-295 transport have accumulated a total of more than 700 test flight hours en route to planned certification of the aircraft in November.
William M. Gascoigne has been promoted to senior vice president-worldwide operations from vice president/general manager for Europe and Hans-Kurt Luebberstedt to vice president/general manager for European operations from head of operations in Central Europe, both for SDRC of Cincinnati.
Life rafts Models FR-10 and FR-25 are designed for use by crewmembers and passengers on aircraft that are forced to make emergency landings in water. Inflation of these dual superimposed tubes is quick and easy. Pull the lanyard and the two CO2 cylinders inflate the raft in less than 15 sec. Each cylinder inflates an individual tube for safety redundancy. Flotation is maintained even with one tube deflated. Hoover Industries, 7260 N.W. 68th St., Miami, Fla. 33166.
British Aerospace Defense Systems will begin operational trials of the latest version of its Multifunction Electronically Scanned Adaptive Phased Array Radar (Mesar 2) in Scotland later this year, followed by tests in the U.S. Trials of a technology demonstrator, now undergoing software and systems engineering work at the company's facility here on the Isle of Wight, are scheduled to begin by the end of October on Benbecula island in the Outer Hebrides. They will include tracking simulated ballistic targets in a jamming environment.
Jack A. Salzman has become chief of the Microgravity Science Div. of the Space Directorate. And in the Engineering and Technical Services Directorate, Randall B. Furnas has become director and Jeffery E. Haas chief of the Facilities and Test Engineering Div.
China Southern Airlines has activated its Systems Operations Control Center at its new headquarters at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The facility gives centralized control over CSA's nine regional branches. Sabre is providing much of the software under a $10-million contract that is to be completed by the end of 1999. Its Airpath automated flight planning and dispatch software and Airops maintenance and operations control system are already operating, and Sabre programs for load planning, flight following and flight crew management are to come.
Barry Eccleston has been promoted to executive vice president-sales, marketing and support from senior vice president-business development of the Fairchild Aerospace Corp., San Antonio, Tex. Steven E. Koenig has been appointed vice president-American sales, David L. Williams vice president-commercial and Doug Oliver director of media relations. Koenig was customer business director for Europe and Latin America for the Rolls-Royce Commercial Engines Group.
MICHAEL MECHAM/SAN FRANCISCO and ANTHONY L. VELOCCI, JR.
The merger of AlliedSignal and Honeywell to create a $10.5-billion leader in cockpit avionics, radar and GPS systems is prompting speculation that the industry is about to see a new round of consolidation based on second-tier systems and equipment manufacturers, rather than the platform leaders who were the standard-bearers a few years ago.
