APT Satellite Co. has ordered a Hughes HS-376 satellite for launch as soon as possible, to meet Asian demand that was exacerbated by the loss of the larger HS-601 that was on board the Long March-2E that exploded in January.
WHEN JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN John Shalikashvili fancies what he would do with more money, C-17 transports come to mind before B-2 bombers. ``I'm a great proponent of getting strategic airlift,'' he says, ``particularly since I've looked at the health of the C-141 fleet.'' If the budget were increased, ``my first impulse would not be [to buy] more B-2s.
ICELANDAIR ON MAR. 26 BECOMES EUROPE'S FIRST CARRIER to go smoke-free, system-wide when it begins operating smoke-free transatlantic flights. The carrier's domestic services have been smoke-less since 1984 and its European flights since 1993. Company surveys indicate more than 90% of smoking and non-smoking passengers support the pending policy and that two-thirds of the smoking passengers said they would remain loyal customers.
A reduction in large new European aircraft projects has created surplus wind tunnel capacity across the continent. Most European countries have their own wind tunnel capabilities, and some tunnels in the higher speed regimes remain operational with little research underway. A new group formed to unify European aeronautics efforts for greater efficiency will issue a report by mid-year sharply critical of the excess capacity.
DRAWING THE CONTOURS OF A HIGHLY AMBITIOUS DEFENSE STRATEGY, House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the U.S. should be strong enough militarily ``to defeat any plausible combination of opponents.'' Addressing the first national policy conference of the year-old Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom, Gingrich declared here last week, ``Our position has to be simple. We intend to dominate air, space and sea against anybody and have a mobilizable ground force capable of winning within a reasonable length of time.
More than a dozen internal review teams have identified 5,900 jobs that could be cut from NASA's space shuttle program over the next several years to make shuttle operations more efficient without jeopardizing their safety, according the agency's head of spaceflight.
Olin Aerospace Co. is developing a line of new, environmentally safe solid and hybrid fire-suppression devices to protect aircraft dry bays and engine nacelles. Initial engineering, manufacturing and development contracts for OAC's solid suppressor units have been received from two major airframe manufacturers to protect aircraft dry bays, according to Lyle Galbreath, OAC vice president of special projects. Under one of these contracts, OAC will supply a complete fire-suppression system including fire sensors and an intelligent sequencing controller.
Rodney C. Gilbert has been appointed vice president-technology development and management for WMX Technologies, Inc., Oak Brook, Ill. He will continue as president/chief executive officer of Rust International, Inc., a WMX subsidiary.
NEW, MICROPROCESSOR-EQUIPPED video sensor developed for the U.S. Army's Optical Adjunct Range Asset will be made available for other research and test applications. The transportable, event-triggered Optical Trajectory Imaging Scoring system (Otis) currently is used to precisely track the travel of antitank rounds over six axes of motion at the Yuma (Ariz.) Proving Ground. Its high-quality, ultra-high-speed images are ready within seconds, according to James Chang, principal scientist for Kaman Sciences Corp., Colorado Springs, Colo.
IRANIAN MILITARY FORCES have moved heavy artillery batteries close to the Straits of Hormuz and positioned Hawk antiaircraft missiles on offshore islands to protect them, according to Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. ``We have [an intelligence] flashlight focused on that situation,'' he said. ``The other day they started putting missiles on the [Hawk] launchers, which they have not done before.'' One conclusion drawn by the JCS ``is that they want to have the capability to interdict the [ship] traffic in the Straits of Hormuz.''
NASA set the stage for extensive studies of the universe's ultraviolet emissions with the successful launch of Endeavour, its seven astronauts and a $195-million astronomy payload on a planned record-setting flight. Endeavour lifted off Pad 39A here at 6:38 a.m. GMT, Mar. 2, after a clearing opened in low clouds being driven ahead of a cold front that forecasters initially said gave the mission a 1-in-5 chance of launching as scheduled.
U.S. officials have released the first of about 800,000 vintage satellite photo-reconnaissance pictures that are being declassified for their historic and scientific value. Vice President Al Gore said those images would be the first to be freed as part of a continuing process to release whatever U.S. intelligence information the government believes it can without endangering national security.
The General Services Administration has released a request for proposals for GPS support that will have wide-open contracts, enabling the FAA and other U.S. agencies to easily place orders for a broad range of activities including prototype hardware development. Most of the services to be acquired are expected to support the FAA's needs to improve the Global Positioning System for terminal area navigation and precision through use of Local Area Augmentation Systems (LAAS).
Jean-Bernard Cocheteux has been appointed executive vice president of Labinal and managing director of the Turbomeca Microturbo Div., Bordes Cedex, France. He was chairman and chief executive officer of Microturbo.
FOKKER OFFICIALS are nearing a decision whether to launch the 130-seat Fokker 130 or opt for further development of the 140-seat Fokker FA-X (Fokker Aircraft-Experimental) design, according to company officials (see p. 30). The baseline design of the FA-X ``has been frozen'' and would be a ``totally new aircraft'' with advanced technologies, including a head-up display if ``the market warrants it,'' officials said.
Lockheed's Joint Advanced Strike Technology team is conducting critical propulsion tests aimed at calibrating and assessing a shaft-coupled lift fan propulsion system. The tests at Pratt&Whitney's West Palm Beach, Fla., facility are a prelude to wind tunnel tests later this year with the system installed in a complete, nonflyable, nearly full-scale aircraft model.
A HEAD-TO-TOE soldier protective ensemble is being developed at the U.S. Army's Natick (Mass.) Research, Engineering and Test Center. As envisioned, the modular ``advanced clothing system'' will include several aerospace-derived technologies, including an integrated helmet with a head-up display incorporating weapons and individual communications interface and laser eye protection. The helmet also will contain aural protection.
Photograph: DIA flight operations took the winter storm in stride, but a balky jet-way (left) forced DIA's first arriving revenue flight to change gates before passengers could unload. Concourse B (right) will handle 435 United and United Express daily departures. The long-suffering Denver International Airport took the challenge of a winter storm in stride, handling approximately 800 aircraft movements and 85,000 passengers on its first day of operation. Designed to maintain a 92-aircraft/hr.
EXPECT GROWING CONTROVERSY OVER AN INSTALLATION SITE for Doppler radar nearNew York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Doppler radar can effectively detect wind shear, which is cited as the cause of numerous air crashes. But residents of Brooklyn, the community close to the airport and the logical site for installation, are vehemently opposed to having the radar there because it would emit ``rays'' that are dangerous to health. Supporters say studies prove it is no more harmful than standing in front of a microwave oven.
NASA is evaluating seven proposals to develop two different reusable space launch vehicles, and hopes to name winners by the end of the month. For the larger reusable launch vehicle (RLV), the X-33, which could replace the space shuttle eventually, NASA received four proposals. They were from Rockwell Space Systems Div., Lockheed Advanced Development Co., Space Access and McDonnell Douglas Aeronautics, all in Southern California.
Robert E. Lund (see photo) has been appointed president of S2, a software subsidiary of Stratus Computer, Inc., Marlboro, Mass. He was chief operating officer of Newtrend, Orlando, Fla.
U.S. Air Force and Calspan's NF-16D, the newest variable stability aircraft, is now ready to offer operators a vehicle to perform aeronautical research and the training of new test pilots.
Barbara Newman has been appointed vice president-compensation and benefits of America West Airlines. She was director of global compensation for Avon Products, Inc. Stephen L. Johnson, previously senior vice president/general counsel for GE Capital Aviation Services, Ltd., has been named vice president-legal.
