France's new defense procurement plan calls for preserving major weapon programs already in development, but withdraws France from the European Future Large Aircraft (FLA) project. It also calls for eliminating land-based nuclear missiles, stripping the air force of more than 100 aircraft, and slashing purchases of the NH-90 and Tiger helicopters.
William A. Bailey has been named vice president of the AAR Manufacturing Group, Elk Grove Village, Ill. Patrick Aherne has been appointed vice president-European operations for the AAR Engine Group International, Ken Mercier vice president-worldwide customer support for the AAR Allen Group and Anthony Russell manager of sales and marketing for AAR Allen Aircraft. James L. Whaylen has been promoted to director of business aviation maintenance services from manager of business aviation service sales for AAR Oklahoma. He has been succeeded by David Chapman.
Introduction of an all-new Bell light twin, and expanding international markets, underscored a rebounding world helicopter market at Heli-Expo '96 here late last month. The industry continues to struggle with noise, cost and airspace access challenges. A high-technology helicopter transportation network planned for the summer Olympics could rejuvenate the helicopter's image worldwide.
McDonnell Douglas Aerospace has won a contract to launch up to 14 NASA payloads using a new downsized version of its Delta 2 launcher and Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus booster. The ``Med-Lite'' contract covers the launch of payloads up to 4,400 lb. over the next eight years. If NASA purchases all 14 launches, the fixed-price contract will be worth about $500 million. McDonnell Douglas had submitted the only qualified bid to provide Med-Lite services.
U.S. and Italian space engineers are scouring reams of processing and test data and snippets of telemetry for clues to why their Tethered Satellite System-1R snapped free of the shuttle Columbia and shot off into space last week trailing 11 naut. mi. of electrical wire.
AMERICAN AIRLINES MANAGERS ARE TRYING on the Boeing 777 and Airbus Industrie A340 for size. Senior pilots have flown the aircraft in recent months as part of an evaluation for a future aircraft acquisition. An order should come shortly after American nails down a new flight-crew contract with the Allied Pilots Assn. Even with the sale of 12 McDonnell Douglas MD-11s to Federal Express, American executives said, the carrier's current fleet should be able to handle traffic growth through the end of the century.
LUFTHANSA WAS TO START ISSUING DOMESTIC passengers new ``Chip-Cards'' on Mar. 1, introducing the latest in high-tech ticketing services throughout Germany. An electronic chip embedded in a credit card-like device substitutes for a paper airline ticket and boarding pass, stores information such as seating preferences and automatically credits frequent-flier accounts. Passengers traveling with only carry-on luggage can breeze through check-in by using ATM-style ``Chip-in'' terminals that transfer information to and from the cards.
Dale B. Elam has been appointed vice president-finance and administration of Computer Sciences Corp.'s Systems Group, El Segundo, Calif. He was president of the Industry Services Group. Elam succeeds Carl Thorne, who has become vice president-finance and administration of the Technology Management Group. Werner Schaer has been named vice president-telecommunications. He headed the Network Integration Div. And, Robert M. Denny has been promoted to vice president from regional vice president of CSC Credit Services.
AIR TRAVELERS TO GERMANY THIS SUMMER will reap some immediate benefits as a side package to a new U.S.-Germany aviation agreement reached last week. Although the ``Open Skies'' pact may not go into effect by the summer, the U.S. and Germany agreed to relax existing limitations on the number of flights between the two countries. As a result, U.S. airlines will be able to operate a total of 316 requested round-trip passenger flights this summer, up from the 276 the existing agreement allows.
Boeing President Philip M. Condit will assume the additional duties of chief executive officer in late April as Boeing Co.'s current CEO, Frank Shrontz, nears retirement. Shrontz, who will turn 65 this year, will remain as chairman. He has served as Boeing's CEO since April, 1986. The move was widely expected and well timed. In the past three months, Boeing has settled a 69-day machinists' strike and won billions in new orders for its 777 transport.
AS BOEING'S POINT MAN IN SELLING and producing products for the government, C. Gerald King always has plenty of political matters to worry about. The president of Boeing's Defense&Space Group says the F-22, space station, V-22 tiltrotor and Comanche helicopter are his group's most important programs for the near term. Which one keeps him tossing and turning at night the most? ``Comanche,'' he says flatly, ``I worry about the commitment to it.''
Small French aerospace and high-technology companies are urging the French government to enact small business legislation that would protect such enterprises increasingly impacted by severe cuts in military procurement spending. ``The [French] aerospace-armament industry is approaching a `procurement desert' and the survival of small companies is in question, according to Herve Arditty. He is president of the Richelieu Committee, which represents 173 French small-size high-technology companies.
The two top officials at the agency that builds U.S. intelligence satellites have been fired in the wake of congressional outrage over their failure to keep track of more than $2 billion. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Director Jeffrey K. Harris and Deputy Director Jimmie D. Hill were asked to resign last week by Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) John Deutch and Defense Secretary William Perry, who jointly oversee the agency.
THE ROLLS-ROYCE TRENT 800-powered Boeing 777 has been awarded its type certificates by the FAA and European JAA. The aircraft, with the 90,000-lb.-thrust engines, was certificated after accumulating more than 550 hr. during 180 certification flights. A second Trent-powered 777 has logged 570 hr. in 180 flights as part of a 1,000-flight ETOPS program.
ALTITUDE AWARENESS PROGRAMS are successfully helping airlines and corporate flight departments eliminate or drastically reduce altitude deviations, according to a report by Flight Safety Foundation, Arlington, Va. The plans focus on improving communications and crew coordination, including altitude alerter setting procedures, as well as ensuring correct altimeter settings. NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System data indicate 38% of all altitude ``busts'' occur due to misinterpretation of the 10,000- and 11,000-ft. altitude pair.
Increased training and measurable standards are required for pilots transitioning to aircraft with highly automated cockpits, according to a U.K. Civil Aviation Authority official.
In what could become its first major business thrust on the East Coast since 1993, Southwest Airlines is studying the feasibility of expanding service to the Northeastern U.S.
The U.S. should collaborate more closely with its allies in space reconnaissance as a way to help pay for its expensive but unparalleled satellite systems. That was one of many recommendations outlined in a new report that caps a bipartisan presidential commissions' year-long review of the U.S. intelligence community.
MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND OVERHAUL COMPANIES are detecting a shift in the mindset of Brazilian airline managers. Many carriers in Latin America tend to select the lowest bidder to perform heavy checks on their aircraft, favoring low price over the more reliable time estimates and better quality that higher bids might bring. Bolstered by profits in the last year, executives at Brazilian carriers are starting to give more weight to quality and timely delivery of their aircraft. This has caught the attention of MRO managers seeking third-party work from the region.
Gary Gaudreau has been promoted to vice president-North American sales and customer support from director of customer support of Diamond Aircraft, London, Ontario. Jeff Owen has been promoted to North American sales manager from Canadian sales manager. He will be succeeded by Michael Payne.
McDonnell Douglas Corp. is reexamining its view of vertical integration, with an eye toward possible acquisitions that would complement the company's existing core technology. Herbert J. Lanese, who last week was named president of McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, told AVIATION WEEK&SPACE TECHNOLOGY the firm is strongly considering such opportunities.
Chile, Brazil and Argentina are pressing ahead with efforts to expand their space launch and operations capabilities by the turn of the century. Chile plans to resume its drive to become the fourth space-faring nation in Latin America in August with the scheduled launch of its second satellite. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico already operate satellites.
THE FIFTH TEST LAUNCH of the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile was delayed Feb. 27 because of high winds at the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range. It was the second weather-related delay of the test, which is expected to be attempted again in mid-March. Army officials have said a decision to cut $2 billion from the THAAD program and slip it two years won't delay testing but could push fielding of the system back to Fiscal 2006.
REP. CURT WELDON (R.-Pa.) SAYS THE ADMINISTRATION has gagged military brass who might back up assertions that an affordable ballistic missile defense system for the U.S. could be deployed with existing technology. Weldon says missile defense chief Army Lt. Gen. Malcolm O'Neill has confirmed that a system protecting all 50 states could be deployed within five years for $5 billion--all without violating the ABM Treaty. But, Weldon says, Deputy Defense Secretary John White prevented O'Neill from testifying at a Feb. 29 hearing of his military R&D subcommittee.
