Regarding Raytheon Chairman William H. Swanson’s “Plea To Upgrade Education” (AW&ST Jan. 5, p. 58), varsity sports are more important in most U.S. schools than academic education.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s proposed plan to double enplanement charges to cover capital improvements has prompted Delta Air Lines to threaten routing its connecting traffic to other Eastern U.S. hubs. In a letter to the airport’s aviation general manager, Ben DeCosta, Delta Vice President of Corporate Real Estate John W.
Russia is trying to shore up its defense industry. Hit by credit facilities drying up, the sector is also struggling with debt and bottlenecks in the financing and delivery of domestic procurement programs. The government’s proposed “bailout” package—unveiled by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin—is based on increased domestic expenditure for research and development, as well as for production, of weapons along with upgrades for already fielded systems. Increased expenditure would see a total of 1 trillion rubles ($30.5 billion) allocated for procurement in 2009.
Air Force Bell Helicopter Textron 412 (2) Mikoyan MiG-21bis (5) Mikoyan MiG-21UM (1) Mil Mi-17 (3) Mil Mi-24 (1) Police Bell Helicopter Textron 212 (2) De Havilland Canada DHC-6 (2) Mil Mi-8 (2)
A team from the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed algorithms for an En Route Traffic Optimization project that promises to reduce commercial aviation fuel consumption by more than 1 billion gallons a year and provide environmental benefits.
AeroVironment has opted for Rockwell Collins’s Athena 411 inertial navigation, GPS, air data, attitude, heading, reference system for its Global Observer unmanned aircraft system. The UAS is liquid hydrogen-powered and will fly at a 65,000-ft. altitude for up to seven days. It’s being developed for the U.S. Special Operations Command as well as for other military and civilian applications. The Athena 411 integrates solid-state gyros and accelerometers, magnetometer, GPS receiver and air data sensors in one small unit.
12/5, str. 7, Kursovoy Pereulok Moscow 119034, Russia Tel. (7-495) 730-0450; Fax (7-495) 730-0383 www.rscc.ru Bonum-1 Broadcasting, data transmission, Internet access. Orbital location is 56° E. Carries eight Ku-band transponders. 2010 EOL. Ekran-M Broadcasting. Orbital location is 99° E. Carries two C-band transponders. Launched 2001. 3-year design lifetime.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Alliant Techsystems a $55-million contract to begin low-rate initial production of the AGM-88EAdvanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (Aargm). The low-rate buy is for 27 missiles. This is an upgrade for the High-Speed Anti-Radiation (HARM) system that incorporates a millimeter-wave terminal seeker and GPS/INS, and it was jointly developed by the Navy and Italian air force. The weapon is designed to destroy air defense targets and counter radio-frequency shutdown tactics.
21700 Atlantic Blvd. Dulles, VA 20166, USA Tel. (703) 433-6300; Fax (703) 433-6400 www.orbcomm.com Orbcomm Plane A (A1 through A8) Mobile communications, telecommunications. Orbital location is 45° near-polar LEO at 513 mi. Carries VHF-band transceiver. Microstar model. Launched 1997. Orbcomm Plane B (B1 through B8) Mobile communications, telecommunications. Orbital location is 45° near-polar LEO at 513 mi. Carries VHF-band transceiver. Microstar model. Launched 1998.
With all the laments in the last five years about losing science and engineering talent in U.S. aerospace, can we take a look at making more interesting airliners? In the golden age when airliner improvements came in leaps and bounds, they were big news, exciting and glamorous for all. From the Stratoliner and Constellation to the 707 and DC-8, the public packed the waving decks just to see them. When the Concorde and Boeing 747 were rolled out, it was world news on par with the Apollo lunar landing.
US Airways plans to use its long-haul Airbus A330 fleet in a new FAA trial that is expected to bring the benefits of satellite-based navigation links to congested Northeast airspace and transatlantic routes.
The U.S. Air Force opted not to buy the Aargm kit. Instead, it issued a request for information Jan. 7 on the kit for HDAM (HARM Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses Attack Module). This is a control section upgrade kit including a GPS/INS that was developed by Raytheon. USAF intends to use HDAM on the F-16C/D “to address the force structure gap until sufficient numbers of fifth-generation aircraft and advanced weapons are fielded” to handle suppression of enemy air defense missions.
This month’s inaugural Delta IV Heavy mission for the National Reconnaissance Office is the first of a busy cycle of government space launches scheduled through 2011.
461 S. Milpitas Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035, USA Tel. (408) 933-4000; Fax (408) 933-4100 www.globalstar.com Globalstar series Internet access, mobile communications, telecommunications. 50-satellite LEO constellation with in-orbit and ground spares; orbital planes with five satellites on each plane located at 763 naut. mi., inclined at 52°. Launched 1998-2000. 7.5-year design lifetime. Eight replacements launched in 2007; a second-generation constellation is expected to go into orbit starting in 2009.
