Robert J. Bonometti has been appointed executive director for technology strategic planning of the Bell Atlantic Corp. of Philadelphia. He was with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
A six-nation international consortium led by Sikorsky Aircraft has launched a $600-million program to develop the 19-passenger S-92 Helibus, a commercially certified, medium-lift helicopter scheduled to begin flight tests in early 1998. The S-92 will be offered in two basic configurations and built around a ``core aircraft'' common to all S-92s. The helicopter has the potential to be delivered in multiple configurations and could accommodate an almost infinite variety of customer options.
CESSNA AND ROCKWELL ARE NECK AND NECK in the competition for the Air Force/Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) contract. Acquisition officials are said to favor Cessna's CitationJet Trainer, while pilots prefer Rockwell's Ranger 2000. Cessna won favor with a low bid of $1.9 million per aircraft, mainly the result of the hot production line available for the CitationJet business aircraft. The trainer also has the advantage of twin engine reliability.
An improving outlook for new commercial aircraft--manufacturers announced a surge of orders worth $13.48 billion last week--bodes well for lower-tier suppliers.
Lockheed Martin, unable to use British expertise due to preexisting contractual arrangements, has turned to a Russian company for assistance on short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) technology in its bid for the U.S. Joint Advanced Strike Technology program.
AEROSPACE SAFETY TECHNOLOGIES INC., of Minden, Nev., is developing 0.006-0.015-in.-thick electrical heater blankets to protect against runback ice--a topic being studied by the FAA since the ATR72-210 crash in October (AW&ST May 15, p. 41). The ASTI ``No-Ice'' material is made of lightweight conductive fibers that can be bonded on surfaces aft of already protected leading edges.
Swedish government researchers at FOA are developing a dual-sensor IR/millimeter-wave radar seeker and a next-generation ``smart IR'' sensor that they plan to build on a chip.
FIVE MORE BOEING 757-200 Package Freighter aircraft, destined for U.S. domestic operations, will be joining the United Parcel Service fleet, bringing the total number of 757s in UPS service to 70. Delivery of the Rolls-Royce RB211-535-powered aircraft is planned for 1997.
French Mirage F1 releases Texas Instruments GBU-12 Paveway 2 laser-guided bomb during qualification tests. TI-France will supply Paveway kits to convert unguided bombs under a $28.7-million contract (AW&ST June 5, p. 48).
SKYWEST AIRLINES PLANS TO ADD 10 Embraer EMB-120 extended-range Brasilia aircraft to its existing fleet of 29 Brasilias, with delivery scheduled between November, 1995, and March, 1997.
Executive Jet International Inc., which pioneered the concept of fractional ownership of business jets in the U.S., will expand its rapidly growing NetJets program to Europe in the third quarter of this year. A partnership involving Executive Jet (EJI), Zurich-based Zimex Aviation Ltd. and possibly two other European-based firms will launch the program with four Cessna Citation S/2 aircraft based in London and Zurich.
POLITICAL CONCERNS HAD BEEN THREATENING to delay the JPATS announcement until as late as August, but the Air Force was twisting arms last week to prevent any postponement. The source selection advisory committee was expected to make its recommendations June 20, and the Air Force was sticking by its June 22-23 announcement date. The timing was thrown into doubt at one point by Brazil's attendance at a Defense Dept.-sponsored, 34-nation Defense Ministerial of the Americas, slated for July 24-26.
The recently unveiled Tier 3- reconnaissance drone shows the application of stealth principles to a different mission than flown by current manned stealth aircraft.
Richard Wien, manager of commercial systems in research and development for the Eastman Kodak Co., has been awarded the NASA Public Service Medal for helping NASA use imaging technology in the space shuttle program.
Launch of the privately funded S-92 by an international consortium reaffirms the global business strategy laid down by the top managers of Sikorsky and its parent, United Technologies. At the corporate level, this plan dictates finding risk-sharing international partners to reduce corporate exposure and increase market penetration. The search for the best possible partnerships and wide market appeal explains, in part, why it took about three years to launch the aircraft.
BOEING AND THE DEFENSE DEPT. will have to decide their next steps following the June 13 crash of Boeing's sole Heliwing VTOL surveillance drone at Moses Lake, Wash. The 17-ft.-span tail-sitter aircraft is powered by a single 240-hp. Williams Model 124 turboshaft engine driving twin 7-ft.-dia. prop-rotors mounted mid-span on the fixed wing. The entire aircraft pitches to transition between hover and forward flight (AW&ST May 8, p. 17). The crash occurred as the aircraft was near the end of its test sequence.
Robert E. Rosati has been named senior vice president-international of Pratt&Whitney, East Hartford, Conn. He was president of International Aero Engines.
Researchers analyzing data from a space shuttle-borne observatory have detected the first clear evidence that elements created at the birth of the universe are scattered throughout the void between galaxies. Their detection of helium and their extrapolation of the presence of hydrogen in the intergalactic medium help validate the theory that all matter in the universe was created as the result of a massive explosion about 10 billion years ago.
ALLIEDSIGNAL AEROSPACE WILL BE MAKING engine controls and accessories in Russia and environmental control systems (ECS) in China under new joint venture pacts. Thrust reverser actuators, air turbine starters and other accessories will be designed and manufactured with JSC Aviadvigatel and JSC Perm Motors in Russia. The ECS venture with the Chinese Research Institute of Aero Accessories is to be located in the Pukou hi-tech development zone in Nanjing.
Rohr Inc. and Triton Systems Corp. are reviving the defunct Valsan engine conversion program for Boeing 727 aircraft, and program officials expect to secure initial orders this summer from airlines in Southeast Asia. The program is being aimed primarily at third tier airlines outside of the U.S., a Rohr official said. Triton is actively engaged in negotiations with a number of airlines in Vietnam, which consider the converted 727s as an economical means to obtain passenger or cargo capacity without expending large amounts of scarce, hard currency.
Four major Asia/Pacific carriers have paved the way for launch of the stretched version of the Boeing 777 with commitments for 31 of the planned 777-300 aircraft, currently called the 777-300X. The orders--20 are new and 11 are either conversions or confirmations of earlier orders--are valued at about $3.1 billion.
The first part of this special report on the Swedish avionics industry examines progress in radar, infrared and noncooperative target identification at the National Defense Research Establishment (FOA). Work to improve combat protection for tactical pilots is also reviewed, along with the STRIC C3 system being developed by CelsiusTech. Ericsson's work for the JAS-39 Gripen will be covered in a later issue.
A Cessna Grand Caravan 208B structural test article is modified with a Soloy Dual Pac powerplant and 6-ft. fuselage stretch at Soloy's Olympia, Wash., facility. Soloy Corp. has obtained funding for the full-scale engineering and certification of the twin-engine conversion from Keith McCaw, a prominent Seattle businessman. A prototype aircraft now is being modified with a goal of exhibiting at September's National Business Aircraft Assn. convention in Las Vegas. Certification is planned by mid-1997.
The formation of International Launch Services (ILS) by Lockheed Martin and Khrunichev will formally combine the U.S. Atlas and Russian Proton boosters under the same program. But the effort is drawing fire from Europe's Arianespace, which accuses the U.S./Russian venture of ``declaring war'' in the commercial space market. Lockheed Martin and Khrunichev officials announced the joint company at the Paris air show and said they are combining forces to compete directly against the Europeans.
