Thomas J. Scanlan, Jr., has been named vice president-space launch systems for Lockheed Martin Astronautics of Denver. He was director of information resource management. Scanlan succeeds Victor W. Whitehead, who has retired.
The Air Force Research Laboratory's emphasis on space is clear at the western branch of the Propulsion Directorate based here, where rocket engines have been tested and developed for 50 years. Work on the integrated high-payoff rocket propulsion technology program (IHPRPT) is mainly centered here, and has the goal of reducing launch costs 33% by 2010, increasing satellite life by 45%, and increasing satellite repositioning capability by 500%.
If the capital markets that support commercial satellite ventures had a dashboard full of indicator lights, the one marked ``Proceed With Caution'' would be glowing yellow. Project sponsors trying to speed their ventures along also would do well to heed the warning light.
Chase Moseley (see photo) has become director of government affairs for Textron Inc. in Washington. He recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel.
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is initiating a major manufacturing technology (ManTech) program with industry and other federal agencies to dramatically reduce the development cost and production time for spacecraft, launch vehicles and other space-related systems.
Computer hackers in Belgrade were engaged in a bit of guerrilla cyber-warfare last week. They were hacking into NATO's Web site, causing ``line saturation of the server by using a bombardment strategy,'' an alliance official said. NATO was also trying to prevent macro viruses from Yugoslavia from corrupting its e-mail system, which was also being saturated by one individual sending 2,000 messages a day.
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (LMTAS) has selected Sanders/Litton Amecom to provide the electronic warfare suite for Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter program. Sanders also will provide design concepts for advanced low-observable apertures and countermeasures systems, according to LMTAS.
Italy's Agusta has signed a $30-million contract with Aviation Industries of China to develop a power transmission gearbox set to equip an all-new 5-metric-ton-class helicopter.
A successful Sea Launch demonstration mission, conducted relatively quickly and precisely at the equator, has set the stage for the international joint venture's first revenue mission later this year, according to program officials. Launch of the demonstration satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) on Mar. 27 at 5:30 p.m. PST was commanded only about three days after Sea Launch vessels arrived at the equator, despite sea conditions which appeared to approach launch limits.
Although Boeing officials publicly state twins are ``at least as'' reliable as four-engine transports, in-house company studies reveal they perform more reliably than four-engine aircraft. According to the data, in the 12-month period ending on Mar. 31, and again in June 30, 1998, the four-engine Airbus A340 saw an air turnback and diversion rate of more than 0.5 per thousand departures. The 747 registered about a 0.4 rate in the same period. About half of all 747s now flying are the newest -400 model, according to the company.
If you've spent any time in aerospace, you've undoubtedly heard speculation that the much-ballyhooed commercial market for high-resolution satellite imagery is turning out to be a mirage. Don't believe it just yet. True, it's about two years past the point when the first ``spy quality'' remote-sensing spacecraft were supposed to be beaming super-sharp images back to Earth, and not a single dollar in new revenues has been generated.
Many aerospace suppliers have made what would seem to be extraordinary gains in overall production efficiency in recent years, greatly reducing product cycle times and slashing costs. For example, some highly machined components such as investment castings that once required weeks to produce are now being built in days. Moreover, reductions in work-in-process inventories of 50-75% are becoming commonplace.
Advanced sensor technology development by the U.S. Air Force is being rapidly shifted more toward space to provide USAF with the new ``eyes and ears'' it needs for additional integrated air and space operations in the future. These operations are likely to involve highly coordinated missions employing radar sensors on spacecraft in combination with receivers mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to obtain what engineers here said would be ``revolutionary'' capabilities to access global targeting and threat data.
Arthur E. Raymond, the primary designer of the milestone Douglas DC-3 airliner and a founder of the Rand Corp., died Mar. 22 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 99. In 1932, Raymond led the design of the DC-1 prototype, which quickly evolved into the DC-3. During his 35-year career at Douglas Aircraft, he was involved in the transport series through the DC-8, the company's first jet airliner; the Nike Ajax and Hercules air defense missiles, and the Thor ballistic missile. He was a founder in 1946 of Project Rand for long-range strategic planning, which became the Rand Corp.
The U.K. has bolstered its force of eight Harrier GR7s here with another four of the single-seat VSTOL aircraft and committed several Tornado strike aircraft to Operation Allied Force.
Participants in the recent 1999 Army-After-Next Space and Missile Defense wargame learned commercial space services cannot be taken for granted during a conflict, and lack-of-information superiority has a drastic impact on combat capabilities. Held at the Joint National Test Facility in Colorado, the wargame explored the effects of an extended conflict on space and missile defense operations. It was built around a central Eurasian conflict in the year 2022, and involved a sophisticated ``Red'' force invading a neighboring country.
George Sampson has been appointed European sales director for Flight Environments Inc., Woodland Hills, Calif. He was sales and marketing director of U.K.-based Baxter Woodhouse and Taylor Ltd.
The Air Force Research Laboratory's Air Vehicles Directorate here is laying out a technology plan that could enable development of an air-breathing scramjet-powered military trans-atmospheric vehicle by 2013. The technology would give USAF the option of developing a hypersonic cruise reconnaissance/strike vehicle that could reach any spot in the world within 3 hr.
The concept of privatizing the intergovernmental organizations that used to dominate international satellite communications appeals to everyone these days--the lawmakers, the lobbyists and even the very organizations that would be overhauled. But like almost everything that reaches Capitol Hill, no one agrees on the why, when or exactly how. And despite the gargantuan lobbying effort that has emerged this year, what is shaping up is a stalemate between the House and Senate.
Chris Blasband has been named manager of analytical tools for the Surface Optics Corp., Winston-Salem, N.C. He was director of sales and marketing for modeling and simulation products for Photon Research Associates Inc.
France's CS Verilog (www.verilogusa.com) has introduced an Ada code generator for its Scade visual design software for the military avionics and space sectors. Until now, Scade, a design/analysis software of real-time on-board applications used by Aerospatiale, Eurocopter, Schneider Electric and Honeywell, among others, has been based on a C code generator (AW&ST Dec. 21/28, 1998, p.
The U.S. Navy plans to modify 55 F-14 fighters to accommodate Low Altitude Navigation and Infrared Targeting for Night, GPS, digital flight control, fast tactical imaging and night vision systems. In addition, 11 airplanes will receive wing upgrades. Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems and Aerostructures sector will perform the work at NAS Oceana, Va.
John Stanton and Joseph Corbett have been appointed vice presidents of Washington-based Intelsat. Stanton was managing director for pay phone and card services for Telstra of Australia. Corbett has been controller and acting vice president/chief financial officer.
French defense officials said Phase 2 of Operation Allied Force--which began last week as NATO aircraft started hitting Serb troop concentrations in Kosovo--put aircraft at higher risk because of a requirement to operate at low altitude.
