BELL HELICOPTER and Samsung Aerospace Industries of South Korea have teamed to build a new, seven-passenger light twin helicopter. Tentatively designated the Model 427, it would cost $1.875 million and be 13 in. longer then Bell's new 407.
THE U.S. MILITARY is increasingly eyeing use of foreign components for its space systems. The Pentagon recently inked a memo of intent with France to explore cooperation in EHF satellite communications technologies and has entertained offers of launch and satellite components from other nations for use in U.S. military systems, according to Brig. Gen. Robert E. Larned, the Air Force's space acquisition chief. Meanwhile, Florida Gov.
The explosion of a Russian Proton heavy booster stage last week threatens to delay a major U.S./Russian commercial launch initiative. At the same time, however, the launch of a new Russian flight to Mir, and planned return from Mir this week of a European astronaut, further bolsters cooperation among Russia, the U.S. and Europe. New unmanned commercial activities were set back Feb. 19 by the failure of a 200-ft. Proton booster that was launching a Russian Gorizont military/civil communications spacecraft from Baikonur.
Israel conducted its second test launch of an Arrow 2 anti-tactical ballistic missile last week, with initial data indicating that the missile, developed by Israel Aircraft Industries, performed as planned. The test, which did not involve a target intercept, was aimed at obtaining tactical focal plane array data, validating intercept guidance and control software and performance of the RF seeker. The Arrow fire control radar, developed by IAI subsidiary Elta, also played an integral part in the test launch for the first time.
L. Frans Berthels has been named vice president-manufacturing and logistics for the Raychem Corp., Menlo Park, Calif. He was director of corporate quality.
Rosalind Ellingsworth of Aviation Consulting has been elected president of the Aero Club of Washington. Other officers are: first vice president, E. Tazewell Ellett of Hogan&Hartson; second vice president, Paul Bollinger of Day&Zimmermann; secretary, Rachel Trinder of Zuckert, Scoutt&Rasenberger; and treasurer, Walter Coleman of the Regional Airline Assn.
IRIDIUM INC. SECURED another $315 million toward financing, bringing to $1.9 billion the amount raised for its system of 66 low-Earth orbit satellites designed to provide hand-held voice communications worldwide. Still no word on when TRW will make an announcement on investors for its competing Odyssey project.
The FAA's emphasis on the performance of radomes is aimed at ensuring flight crews' ability to detect wind shear with airborne radars. The new priority is on maintenance of the radomes to preserve their designed electrical properties--which is necessary to prevent degrading the radar's wind shear detecting capabilities. Testing procedures following radome maintenance were recently tightened up to ensure consistent performance throughout the life of predictive wind shear radar systems.
Delta Air Lines' union pilots have agreed to a 2% pay cut and other cost savings in a tentative four-year labor agreement that should allow the airlines to launch a low-cost 737 operation this spring to fend off competition from Southwest Airlines and similar carriers. The Atlanta-based carrier reached the tentative agreement with negotiators for the Air Line Pilots Assn. on Feb. 20. The pact came after three weeks of intense talks under the close supervision of the U.S. National Mediation Board broke a stalemate in the 15-month-old negotiations.
India's Hindustan Aeronautics hopes to have a design ready in about 60 days for a new 50-70-seat civil transport that would be patterned after the Fokker 50, the Dash 8 and other aircraft in that class. For cost reasons, the turboprop program will involve coproduction, and Hindustan has already received offers from a number of prospective partners, according to its chairman, Ramniwas N. Sharma.
U.S. defense researchers are tackling the three-pronged task of cutting the cost of combat aircraft, eliminating the need for long-range weapons and reducing the danger to aircrews. A year-old project run by Air Force Col. Michael Francis of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), a veteran of the X-31 program, may make the case that all three goals are possible. His study examines the feasibility of moving unmanned aircraft beyond reconnaissance and surveillance roles into the arena of lethal attack.
WITH A CONGRESSIONAL DEADLINE fast approaching, the FAA last week trotted out a draft of its Acquisition Management Reform proposal. As part of the Fiscal 1996 Transportation Appropriations bill, Congress mandated that the program to restructure the agency's acquisition process take effect on Apr. 1. At that time, the agency would be totally exempt from the cumbersome Federal Acquisition Regulations. The draft reform proposal details the reform package, intended to streamline procurement and reduce costs.
China Great Wall Industry Corp.'s fledgling position in the commercial launch market may be irreparably damaged if the company doesn't conduct an open investigation into the latest deadly accident involving its Long March booster.
Tim Tirey (see photo) has been promoted to president from vice president of Baseops International of Houston. He succeeds Haden Swift Tirey, who has become chairman.
John Crichton has been appointed chairman and Kenneth Copeland president/ chief executive officer of Nav Canada. Crichton also is president/CEO of the Air Transport Assn. of Canada. Copeland was president/CEO of the Ontario Workers Compensation Board.
NEAR-AIRPORT WATER RESCUE challenges and long response times may foster calls for development of high-technology rescue vehicles, according to a report by the Flight Safety Foundation of Alexandria, Va. As envisioned now, such vehicles would need to be driven at high speeds down runways toward crash sites, transitioning down inclined ramps into the water without stopping. They also would use waterjet propulsion to achieve on-water speeds of up to 55 mph. and avoid propeller damage to swimmers or life rafts. A quick-loading platform would expedite survivor recovery.
The Hughes Space and Communications Co. HS 601HP APMT satellite will have a lightweight antenna about 40 ft. in diameter for support of a planned mobile phone system in Asia and the Pacific. Hughes will provide two of the spacecraft, the second of which will serve as a spare. In addition, Hughes Space and Communications International will provide Asia Pacific Mobile Telecommunications Satellite (APMT) with training, ground facilities and launch and mission support. Service is scheduled to begin in 1998.
SANDERS WILL SUPPLY ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASUERES test sets for the F/A-18 to the governments of Malaysia and Kuwait. The Lockheed Martin company received a $6.6 million foreign military sales contract from the U.S. Navy for the AN/USM-406D test sets. The sets evaluate the mission readiness of internal and pod-mounted ECM systems, specifically the AN/ALQ-126 jammer and the AN/ALR-67 radar warning receiver.
A Maverick missile has been fired successfully from a Kaman SH-2G in a demonstration of the helicopter's ability to carry and launch missiles. The optically guided missile was fired at the U.S. Army's Yuma (Ariz.) Proving Grounds on Feb. 15 to demonstrate the missile-carrying capability of the aircraft to potential offshore customers.
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE last week downgraded the debt rating of Airbus Industrie to A1 from Aa3. The move reflects the weakening credit quality of the consortium's two largest partners--Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus and Aerospatiale--and increased potential for structural changes in Airbus itself. While such changes could benefit the operating side of Airbus, they also could weaken the link between Airbus' current partners and its future debtholders, according to Moody's.
DEFENSE RECISIONS PROPOSED by top Pentagon leaders for the Fiscal 1996 defense budget total almost exactly $1 billion, defense officials confirm. The Air Force offered up $23 million from operations and maintenance, $78 million from the AGM-130 and AGM-142 Have Nap standoff missile programs, $51 million from the Space-Based Infrared System, $20 million from the anti-satellite program, $5 million from SR-71 and $116.3 million from RDT&E.
An unusual coalition of more than 130 U.S. civic, business and consumer groups, corporations, unions, airports, hoteliers and tourist attractions have joined nine airlines to press for a liberalized U.S.-Japan air services agreement.
NASA's shuttle Columbia lifted off Pad 39B here Feb. 22 on a 14-day flight to refly an ambitious experiment to test the dynamics of a electricity-generating tether in space. After configuring Columbia for orbit, the astronauts on board immediately began preparing to deploy the Tethered Satellite System on Feb. 24 for a 36-hr. flight on an 11-naut.-mi.-long tether.
An AlliedSignal communications terminal being procured to allow military aircraft to receive encrypted intelligence broadcasts has been miniaturized to fit in a briefcase.
David Peake, formerly a chief scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, has been appointed director of the Centre for Aeronautics at City University in London.
