The Guardian 100 military-grade lightweight notebook can be used as a laptop or as a tablet PC slate. The computer’s 10.4- or 12.1-in. screen is sunlight readable. Its case is sealed to IP54 standards and comes with a 120 or 160GB hard drive. A low-voltage Intel Core Duo processor allows fanless operation. Other features include gigabit Ethernet, an integrated GPS, fast wireless PAN and WAN and a reversible waterproof camera. Industrial Computing Inc., 260 Bear Hill Road, Waltham, Mass. 02451 or www.industcomputing.com.
John J. Higgs (see photo) has been promoted to vice president from group director for fluid management solutions for Crane Aerospace and Electronics , Lynnwood, Wash.
The Canadian government has rejected Alliant Techsystems’ $1.3-billion bid to acquire the space business of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), a leader in small satellite design and the owner of the Radarsat-2 advanced synthetic aperture radar imagery spacecraft. The deal would have given the U.S. government access to classified technologies that MDA could not previously sell outside Canada.
When Skybus started service last May as an ultra-low-cost, low-fare U.S. carrier, oil went for about $64 a barrel. When it stopped flying and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Apr. 5, oil prices topped $100.
Wynne says it is unclear what direction the seemingly defunct Space Radar program (once a joint USAF and National Reconnaissance Office effort) will take in the Pentagon’s tight budget environment. The system’s expense grew out of control because of the number of radar panels required to achieve a high revisit rate on ground targets. Wynne says some innovative designs are emerging, including one that employs a power source into the satellite structure. The secretary says he doesn’t expect a system to take form until 2020.
United Technologies Corp. board of directors elected Louis R. Chenevert as CEO on Apr. 9 to succeed George David, 66, who will continue as chairman. Chenevert, 50, will remain UTC President and continue as a director.
AeroSpoilers can help protect aircraft parked outside in high wind conditions. Sheets in the shape of slats are held in place on the wings via commercial-grade suction cups. Each kit contains 10 suction cup/receiver assemblies and eight 30 X 3-in. blades, which provide 20 ft. of coverage and can reduce the lift-producing capability of a wing by as much as 96%, the company says. The injection-molded ABS and thick PVC sheet construct, with marine-grade stainless steel hardware, help the product withstand even harsh coastal environments.
Timothy S. Burris (see photo) has been named vice president-communications for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems , Tewksbury, Mass. He was senior director of enterprise communication at Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
KOR’s CRFM-9041 provides a wide bandwidth, ultra-fine resolution of Coherent Radio Frequency Memory (CRFM), according to the company. Sampling at 2,200 MHz., the CRFM captures, stores and replays RF signals, delaying the signal up to 7.5 ms. with 1-ns. resolution. The CRFM is a multi-functional test asset for development of EW, radar, seeker, and comm systems. Up to 1 GHz. of instantaneous bandwidth is available, and DSP technology performs amplitude/phase modulation.
An Israeli Boeing 747 undergoing heavy maintenance nearly fills an Ameco Beijing paint hangar, which was being used for such visits due to limitations on facility capacity. Ameco Beijing since has opened a new major hangar large enough to accommodate four Airbus A380s. Many MRO providers are expanding to their capacity to capture work increasingly outsourced by the world’s airlines (see p. 70). AW&ST photo by Ed Hazelwood.
Tim Quilter (see photo) has been named director of product management and Werner Langhans director for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the Reston, Va.-based Era Corp.’s Air Traffic Management Div. Quilter was head of air traffic management strategy for Roke Manor. Langhans was head of technology development and head of strategic business development for Austro Control.
Amy Butler (Peterson AFB, Colo., and Colorado Springs)
The U.S. Air Force is readying its first space-based sensor designed specifically for the mission of space situational awareness—monitoring other satellites in orbit—for a launch by next April.
Aero Vodochody has created a line to produce door hinges and inner structural elements for Latecoere under a 1-billion-Czech-crown ($63-million) subcontract signed in October 2007. The line, expected to be in full operation by February 2009, will supply six different doors and four types of hinge assemblies for the Embraer 170 and 190 regional jet program. Two door types have been delivered to date. The Czech manufacturer says it is also preparing to supply machined parts to Latecoere via Technometra Radotin, its wholly owned landing gear affiliate.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Bill Sweetman (Minneapolis)
The Pentagon says its estimate of acquisition costs for top programs has dropped to $1.66 trillion from $1.7 trillion. But warning lights are flashing as analysts and military officials contend that the 2007 report’s “up-front spending increases” are real, while estimates of decreasing inflation and production costs are little more than guesses—and not inspired ones at that.
NASA and Lockheed Martin have pushed back by three months the first test that will actually get the Orion crew exploration vehicle off the ground, citing “procurement problems.” Originally set for September at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the 90-sec. Pad Abort Test-1 will begin to validate the solid-fueled rockets designed to pull Orion off a failing Ares I launch vehicle. The Launch Abort System will lift a boilerplate Orion off the ground and then separate from the capsule mockup, which will return to Earth using three 116-ft.-dia. parachutes.
The Pentagon expects to decide this month whether to terminate the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm) or continue with production. This comes after a year of work on developing and testing a fix to its GPS receiver and implementing a reliability improvement plan.
Singapore Airlines will fly fewer services to Los Angeles as part of a change in schedules that will shift aircraft to closer destinations in Asia and Australia. Network capacity will rise, but a redistribution will reflect “changing patterns in demand for travel,” the airline says.
China Eastern Airlines has suspended two regional managers and an undisclosed number of pilots after 21 flights returned to their origin airports last week as part of a contract dispute. China Eastern says there were weaknesses in the management of the branch in Yunnan province. The airline and the pilots at first said the flights had returned because of bad weather, a claim that met with skepticism even in China’s usually docile official media. China Eastern now says the pilots chose to turn the flights around, rather than being forced to do so by the weather.
Donald R. Forest has been appointed chief operating officer of the Arlington, Va.-based Aerospace Industries Assn. He was a business consultant on East Asia and had been vice president/chief representative of Citigroup CitiInsurance in China.
Alan Wiechman, who is vice president-advanced systems for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St. Louis, has received the Reston, Va.-based American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerospace Design Engineering Award. He was cited for work toward advancement of aircraft survivability through radar signature reduction, including test range fixture experimental validation of low-observable characteristics and leading low-observables integration for demonstrator and operational aircraft.
The Bell-Boeing V-22 consortium scooped up a $10.4-billion, five-year Pentagon contract for 167 Ospreys: 26 CV-22s for Air Force Special Operations and 141 MV-22s for the Marine Corps and options for additional aircraft. The company recently completed the 100th V-22. Meanwhile, Vought Aircraft Industries has signed a $400-million multiyear contract with Bell Helicopter to manufacture the empennage, ramp and ramp door for the V-22.
Trade associations, united with an environmental group, are calling for beefing up NASA and FAA to boost aeronautics research and development programs keyed to environmental issues. The Air Transport Assn. and the International Air Transport Assn. urged the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warning to bolster the R&D programs to look for environmentally friendly efficiencies and cost savings.
I am appalled at some of the reaction in the U.S. concerning the award of the tanker business. If the reasons are substantial (erosion of the industrial base/award of a critical defense asset to a foreign contractor/job losses and so forth), then the competition should never have occurred. Trying to reverse it after the winner is not to their liking implies that the only reason a second bidder was allowed to compete was to save face in what was to be an arranged award to Boeing. The U.S.
W. Timothy Carey (see photo) has become vice president of the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems organization of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems , McKinney, Tex. He succeeds Michael L. Proch, who is retiring. Carey has been vice president/and deputy for National and Theater Security Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.
