SGI has signed a memorandum of understanding with NASA for cooperative research and development of supercomputer technology. The pair already have had successful joint deployment of the 256-processor Origin supercomputer at NASA Ames Research Center, and the plan is to extend this experience to larger and more scalable systems. Specific topics of study are to include applications and support tools for multilevel parallelism, operating systems that better utilize large-scale computers, and techniques to reduce the impact of low-level component failures.
Air France has agreed to subscribe to a convertible bond offering by CityJet that could eventually make it a shareholder in its Irish franchisee. Air France will purchase 2.5 million euros ($2.6 million) worth of bonds under a 10-million-euro new capital issue, and take two seats on the board.
The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin have conducted their first fully successful Titan IV mission in four flights by launching an unusual National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The secret payload was launched on May 22 into an initial 125 X 186-mi. orbit inclined 63.4 deg. The spacecraft may have maneuvered higher, after separation from the Titan core vehicle's second stage. Titan IVBs can place 38,800-lb. payloads into orbit from Vandenberg.
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-2 lifted off from the launch pad at the SHAR Center in Sriharikota in southeastern India last Wednesday. The rocket carried an ocean remote sensing satellite from India and two smaller German and South Korean satellites, in the first commercial launch by the government-run Indian Space Research Organization.
Northrop Grumman has agreed to buy San Diego-based Ryan Aeronautical, maker of the long-endurance Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, for $140 million from Allegheny Teledyne Inc. Announcement of the purchase came only a week after the No. 1 aircraft completed its 10th flight. The sortie, which lasted 7 hr. 48 min. and reached 62,000 ft., was the first since the No. 2 Global Hawk crashed on its eighth flight due to an unauthorized command from the ground that unintentionally shut the aircraft down. The No.
USAF Gen. James E. Hill (Ret.), a driving force in starting the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) and founder of the U.S. Space Foundation, died May 20 in Colorado Springs. He was 77. A graduate of the Royal Air Force Flying College, Hill was a P-47 fighter ace in World War II and flew combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars. The highly decorated command pilot later headed the North American Aerospace Defense Command and retired in 1980. Hill founded and chaired the U.S. Space Foundation, guiding the organization to national prominence.
Boeing is flight testing the next-generation electronic warfare countermeasures for U.S. Army helicopters on the AH-64D Longbow Apache. ITT Industries' ALQ-211 suite of integrated radio-frequency countermeasures (SIRFC) will greatly expand the electronic countermeasures capabilities for rotary-wing aircraft, and has applications for some fixed-wing aircraft, including the V-22 and possibly the U-2 (AW&ST Oct. 26, 1998, p. 62).
Indonesia's airlines are considering a further delay in instituting a 60% air fare increase as a stronger rupiah eases their financial burden. The rupiah has gained 50% since its low of 17,000 to the dollar and has allowed a cut in the airlines' soaring dollar-denominated overheads, claims Sularto Hadisumarto, chairman of the National Air Carriers Assn. In May 1998, fares rose 37.5%, and in August a further two-stage hike of 100% was given the green light. The first 40% was imposed immediately, but the balance of 60% has been postponed.
Delta Air Lines Inc. represents one of the better examples of change that has overtaken the airline industry. For decades, opportunities for advancement within Delta's management ranks usually extended only to insiders carrying little outside job experience on their resumes. But deregulation in the U.S., followed by government-sponsored open skies initiatives, soon changed the dynamics of competition.
AlliedSignal Aerospace forecasts continued strong revenues for its Defense&Space group. Shortfalls in U.S. military readiness and inventory are becoming apparent and will help spur sales, according to Tom Culligan, vice president and general manager, Defense&Space. In particular, a worldwide trend toward lifespan extension of in-service aircraft types, through upgrade and modification, bodes well for AlliedSignal's engines, systems and avionics product lines.
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways faces the possibility of a pilot strike over pay cuts that have been under negotiation for some months. The airline wants to cut the salaries of senior pilots, balanced by stock options, while it has agreed to increase the salary of more junior pilots to bridge the gap between the two groups referred to as A and B scale pilots. The airline sweetened the deal last week and has given the pilots until June 11 to accept.
American satellite manufacturers deliberately skirted U.S. laws to help China improve its faltering Long March rocket, but some of the technology transfer allegations leveled in Congress last year were inaccurate, according to the conclusions of the Cox report.
China's conventional weapons program received a substantial boost when intelligence efforts yielded vital information on anti-satellite technology and stealth design, a congressional panel investigating the theft of U.S. technology by China has found. ``[China] has benefited from advanced U.S. and Western military technology in several areas, including ground force weapons, communications, remote sensing and tactical and strategic systems,'' the committee chaired by Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) determined.
General Electric plans to conduct tests of advanced composite fan blades for growth versions of its GE90 powerplant this summer at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Test articles will include pressure-molded, graphite-epoxy blades manufactured with a hand layup process and reinforced with graphite-epoxy ``pins,'' and similar blades reinforced with titanium ``pins.'' About 10 blades will be tested this summer, and all will reflect the size and conventional radial profile of the current GE90 fan blade.
The second runway at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport began limited daylight operations last week. The runway will be opened for scheduled passenger flights during the daily peak hours of 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and at night when the other runway is closed for maintenance. Since April, the second runway has been open at night for a few hours a week, when maintenance is performed on the other runway. It is expected to be fully operational by August.
The Assn. of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) in February recorded its seventh consecutive month of positive passenger load factors. Available seat kilometers also increased in the three months from December 1998 through February for the 19-member AAPA. Those members include every major airline in the region outside China, such as Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Korean Air, Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Cathay Pacific Airways.
Lockheed Martin Missiles&Space has developed and operated the government's second-generation Imagery Dissemination and Exploitation system (IDEX II) for remote-sensing imagery over the past decade, and is now offering a commercial version for very large collections of files. The Intelligent Library System (ILS) will manage, retrieve and distribute more than 10 million gigabyte-plus files stored in a variety of formats, including tape jukeboxes, on shelves, and redundant arrays of independent disks.
AlliedSignal Inc. has been awarded a five-year contract valued at up to $30 million to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for all of its auxiliary power units in the Swissair and Sabena Belgian World Airlines fleets.
India's government has cleared the way for Indian Airlines to be privatized and agreed to lend the carrier $80 million to aid in the effort. India's Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the $80-million infusion to bolster the airline's books and advance its plan to raise funds through capital markets by selling a 40% ownership stake to private investors. The plan, which airline officials have been proposing for several months, would dilute the government's stake in the carrier.
Passengers often wonder if airlines are leveling with them when explaining why a flight is being delayed. Consider a US Airways flight from Reagan Washington National Airport to Boston on May 23. The passengers were told the flight could not depart on time because the FAA was doing a Y2K test of air traffic control computers. At least one passenger on board wasn't buying that explanation. FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey was en route to Boston to attend a ceremony honoring Sen. John R.
China Airlines has canceled its pilot training contract with Singapore Airlines (SIA) in a move that could undermine efforts to restore public confidence in the Taiwan-based carrier. China Airlines has been trying to convince passengers the airline is safe to fly following a series of crashes (AW&ST Aug. 10, 1998, p. 37). Two senior SIA pilots were assigned to China Airlines in August 1998, when SIA signed an agreement, which included an equity stake, with the carrier.
The space shuttle Mission 96 astronauts should be well into their International Space Station logistics and outfitting mission this week following Discovery's dawn liftoff on May 27. In preparation for the flight, U.S., Russian, European, Canadian and Japanese managers met here to update shuttle, ISS and Mir station plans. International space agency heads and ISS managers will meet again at the Paris air show in mid-June to solidify the schedule to launch the first U.S./Russian ISS long-duration crew to the station about March 2000, they said.
Ken Stevenson has been named vice president-program management and Joseph M. Beck vice president-business development of the TSLI Div. of the Telephonics Corp., Farmingdale, N.Y.
On Jan. 3, the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns With the People's Republic of China sent 38 recommendations to President Clinton and Congress. Some have already been implemented. Here is a summary and explanation of the recommendations: Nuclear Weapons 1. The President should report to congressional leaders semiannually on Chinese espionage and the steps being taken to prevent it. 2. The Energy Dept. should urgently implement a counterintelligence program.
