PRESIDENT CLINTON MAY RELAX U.S. anti-nuclear policy against Pakistan, but his course is iffy. The four-year cutoff of military and economic benefits--including 28 F-16s-- has failed to persuade the South Asian nation to give up its nuclear program in the face of arch rival India's nuclear capability. With Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visiting the White House early this week, it is clear Clinton would like to warm relations with Pakistan as he has succeeded in doing with India.
The Indian Parliament's Public Accounts Committee is urging India's Defense Ministry to expedite final development and production of the Advanced Light Helicopter. Of the13 program milestones originally scheduled for completion in 1991, only 10 had been finished by late 1994 despite assurances from the ministry that all 13 would be done by year-end. Each aircraft is estimated to cost $3 million. The ALH would be powered by a single AlliedSignal Light Turbine Helicopter Engine built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics, Ltd., in Bangalore.
Romania's civil aviation authorities are investigating why a Tarom Airbus A310 twinjet transport crashed shortly after takeoff from Bucharest's Otopeni international airport. Tarom's A310-300, scheduled to operate the Bucharest-Brussels route, crashed Mar. 31, at 9:11 a.m. local time, about 3 min. after takeoff, killing all 60 passengers and crewmembers on board.
LOOK FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DEPT. TO GET INTO THE ACT in the X-33 and X-34 reusable launch vehicle (RLV) programs. Frank Weaver, who heads the Transportation Dept. commercial space office, says his bureau would have to certify whatever vehicles come out of the NASA/industry programs, before they could be commercially operated. ``When it goes commercial, we're the only agency that will regulate it,'' Weaver adds, ``so it's best to get involved now.''
Boeing 757 undergoes Russian cold weather certification testing in Yakutsk, Siberia, earlier this year. During the tests, a 757 was exposed to temperatures down to --54-deg C. (--65-deg. F.), not unusual for eastern Siberia during the winter months. Previously, the 757 had been limited to takeoffs and landings in temperatures above --30-deg. C. (--22-deg. F.) in Russia.
Startup airline VIF Airways, Hyderabad, India, will begin service this month with 30-seat Dornier 328-110 aircraft from Begumpet airport to destinations in the south-central, coastal and western regions of the nation, including Bombay. The first of five aircraft ordered arrived at Delhi International Airport on Mar. 29 after flying from Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Indian regional airlines have ordered 12 Dornier 328s.
Israel's new Offeq-3 spacecraft is returning initial low-resolution test images of ground targets following launch on a three-stage Shavit booster Apr. 5. The solid-propellant Shavit, launched on an unusual ascent flight path, is a derivation of the Israeli Jericho intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM). The 225-kg. (495-lb.) Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) spacecraft is returning both visible and ultraviolet wavelength images with resolutions no better than several feet, Israeli officials said.
SCIENTIFIC MONITORING of Tempe, Ariz., is in detailed design of neural network and ``fuzzy logic'' reasoning for an active, predictive blade tip clearance system for turbine engines. As envisioned, optimum blade tip clearance from the engine casing will be maintained by modulating centrifugal rotor longitudinal clearance using a magnetic thrust bearing. The software also will be able to anticipate blade ``rubs'' that happen so quickly they may not be prevented by state-of-the-art feedback-actuation technologies, the company said.
Peter Somaglia has been named chief executive of Swissair Cargo. He was head of Swissair Cargo in Central Europe. Somaglia will succeed Ernst Funk, who has become head of Market Intercontinental.
THE FAA COMPLETED certification of the Chinese Y-12 Harbin regional transport to Part 25 standards, paving the way for China to sell the 19-seat aircraft to U.S. operators. The turboprop-powered Y-12 is produced by the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. located in the northern Chinese city of Harbin. FAA officials have been overseeing the Chinese certification system for three years to ensure compliance with U.S. regulations. The agency also certified production of Chinese aircraft tires that can be sold in the U.S.
Lawmakers continue to snipe at the need for the U.S. Air Force's F-22 fighter, its performance and its $71-million flyaway cost, while eyeing the stealth aircraft as a target for raids to fund other defense programs.
CROSSAIR'S DGPS EVALUATION PROGRAM is scheduled to begin this year--and may become the framework for one of Europe's first GPS-based IFR approach systems, according to the carrier. The two-phase program will be run by U.S. companies Interstate Electronics Corp. (IEC) and Airport Systems International, which formed a partnership last year to develop GPS aircraft landing systems.
First production Raisbeck Engineering aft-fuselage stowage locker for the Lear 36 jet will fit up to six pairs of skis with poles or two golf bags. The 8-ft.-long bay will accommodate 300 lb. of unpressurized, unheated cargo, according to James D. Raisbeck, company chief executive officer.
Introducing the new-technology MD-11 posed a challenge for FedEx pilots and mechanics, but their trials of recent years have paid off with an innovative training technique. FedEx has taken the unusual step of merging mechanics' training with that of pilots on the new automated equipment entering the fleet.
Russia has agreed to supply 30 new, advanced MiG-29 fighters worth $1.25 billion to India in late 1995 to modernize its force of Soviet-designed fighters and attack aircraft.
A BEARINGLESS JET ENGINE is closer to reality following a test in which a gas turbine shaft was magnetically suspended and then spun at 36,000 rpm. SatCon Technology Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., said the noncontact magnetic bearings eliminate the engine's lubrication system, allowing the turbine to run faster, cooler and more efficiently. The test, conducted under contract to the U.S. Army's Power Systems Div. as part of the Small Business Research Innovation program, involved a 30.2-lb. rotor.
John Sauers has been named assistant director of standards for regulatory compliance, Bonnie Hendrix director of maintenance training and Jack Young director of training, all at FlightSafety International's Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington Center.
Sam Galeotos has been named vice president-operations and customer service for Worldspan of Atlanta. Sue Powers has been named vice president-product marketing and John Such vice president-sales.
MICHAEL ARMSTRONG, chairman of Hughes Electronics Corp., said he believes his company's proposed joint venture with Raytheon on further development of the Navy's Standard Missile offers a ``creative new alternative'' to consolidation in the U.S. defense industry. The proposed Standard Missile Co. would have a separate board of directors, although production contracts could ultimately be competed between the two companies. He said the Pentagon supports the collaborative effort which is now being reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Dept.
Egypt is softening its opposition to the indefinite extension of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but the global pact's fate remains uncertain as a 171-nation vote looms within five weeks. Officially, Egypt continues to reserve its position on whether it will sign in order to maintain pressure on Israel, a non-signatory long suspected of having a nuclear capability (AW&ST Mar. 20, p. 21). But following a White House meeting last week with President Clinton, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak declared, ``We will never withdraw from the NPT.''
David H. Mobley has been appointed chief engineer at NASA headquarters in Washington. He was technical assistant to the director for space station activities at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
The flight crew's failure to recognize wind shear and initiate a prompt escape maneuver caused a USAir Douglas DC-9-31 to crash at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in July, 1994, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
