With the first test satellite for Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system, Giove A, operating flawlessly, the European Space Agency has decided to push back the launch date for the second unit from April until autumn.
Anne Roosevelt has become vice president-community and education relations for Boeing at its Chicago headquarters. She succeeds Antoinette Bailey, who has retired. Roosevelt was director of Boeing's community and education activities in Chicago. She will be succeeded by Angel Ysaguirre.
Space weather forecasters see a stronger-than-usual "hurricane season" coming up on the Sun, based on past experience and new solar observations. Beginning next year or in early 2008, sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections should increase 30-50% over the most recent solar cycle, with the potential for corresponding disruptions in space and terrestrial systems. Those include both communications and navigation satellites, as well as power grids and ground-based communications networks.
Pierre Sparaco's European Perspective, "California Dreamin'"(AW&ST Feb. 27, p. 50), is an excellent summary of California's premier role in aviation history, and the probable demise of the state's dominance in the near future.
Gas heated to 2,600F pours from a space shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor at 8,400 ft./sec. in this Mar. 9 test. Four RSRM motor segments that had undergone "extended exposure" to the Ken- nedy Space Center environment were fired at ATK Thiokol's Promontory, Utah, facility to gauge post-aging performance.
Northwest Airlines confirms it has entered an agreement with FLYi, parent company of Independence Air, to purchase the carrier's operating certificate and related assets for $2 million.
The outcome of this month's elections in Israel just might give impetus to the government's near-stalled efforts to further consol- idate its defense sector. Senior echelons of government and industry have long aspired to restructure the country's predominantly state-owned aerospace and defense sector. For top industrialists the ideal would be to have two--or at the most three--major companies. Parliamentary elections will be held Mar. 28.
The recent announcement that Saudi Arabia is in discussions with the U.K. Defense Ministry to provide final assembly capability for the Eurofighter Typhoon as a condition of purchasing 72 advanced fighter jets is the latest news in an old game--the game of bargaining. The world's leading providers of defense arms have built their foreign military sales by enticing customers in this way for years--but at what cost?
One of Australia's new Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft cruises over Washington state's Cascade Mountains during its test flight program, the second phase of which has just started (see p. 66). The Boeing 737 has been modified with the insertion of the first 360-deg. scan, L-band active electronically scanned array radar. A fleet of six aircraft will become the centerpiece of Australia's strategic, network-centric force. With the new Northrop Grumman-built radar, the aircraft can maneuver at 6g and still maintain tracking of targets.
Kenneth C. Dahlberg has been named to the board of directors of Los Angeles-based Teledyne Technologies. He is chairman/ president/CEO of the Science Applications International Corp. and former executive vice president of General Dynamics.
George Torres (see photo, p. 10) has been appointed head of communications of ATK Thiokol, Magna, Utah. He was director of communications at the Boeing Space and Communications Group.
Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) has completed repairs to the Hypervelocity Ballistic G-Range and declared the facility fully operational. An accident in November 2004 damaged a pump, two coolers and a large valve when hydrogen gas ignited in the vacuum ducting. AEDC has now installed a series of hydrogen gas sensors in the upper-level ducting and added a nitrogen-purging system to provide an inert atmosphere. AEDC uses the G-Range to conduct kinetic energy lethality and high-impact testing.
A German federal court has cleared the way for the construction of a new international airport at Berlin-Schoenefeld, rejecting claims by neighbors and environmentalists. However, the ruling drew mixed reactions as the court imposed a total curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. and severe restrictions on flight operations from 10 p.m. to midnight. Several carriers said Berlin operations could become uneconomical if they can no longer fly after 10 p.m. The Schoenefeld facility is scheduled to open in 2011.
In 1990, you published an article about a top secret U.S. Air Force hypersonic nuclear bomber, followed in 1991 with one about the top-secret "TR-3 Manta" reconnaissance plane. Neither airplane has emerged, and you have not retracted the stories.
Demonstrators have accused Thailand's billionaire prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, of forcing Thai Airways International to reduce frequencies and suspend routes to enable budget carrier Thai AirAsia to gain additional traffic. Thai has denied that it gave up routes from Bangkok to Hong Kong, Taipei and Singapore to Thai AirAsia. The prime minister is embroiled because his family firm, Shin Corp., owned 49% of Thai AirAsia.
Two regional airports opened last week in southern Japan. On Kyushu island, a $10.24-billion-yen ($870.4- million) offshore facility replaces one located 5 mi. inland that had a 1,600-meter (5,249-ft.) runway. The new airport's 2,500-meter runway will allow regional flights. It is expected to handle 1 million passengers annually. The airport's debut also saw the startup of regional carrier Star Flyer using three A320-200s. Its initial services are to Tokyo. Meanwhile, Tanegashima island, which is home to Japan's space launch center, has a new airport, too.
The Canadian Space Agency has awarded McDonald, Dettwiler Associates a C$7-million ($6.7-million) contract to carry out conceptual design and definition for a fleet of small satellites to complement the existing Radarsat C-band radar imaging family early in the next decade. The next Radarsat spacecraft, Radarsat-2, is set to be orbited in December from Baikonur.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority has signed an agreement with a subsidiary of U.S.-based Verified Identity Pass Inc. to develop Canada's first private sector registered traveler program. Using a biometric smart card, passengers enrolled at Toronto Pearson International Airport could access a dedicated security lane at screening checkpoints. The plan is subject to approval by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and Transport Canada. Verified ID operates the only registered traveler program in the U.S. at Florida's Orlando International Airport.
Greece will not exercise an option to buy 10 additional Block 52+ F-16 fighters from Lockheed Martin. The option was in addition to 30 F-16s already on order for its air force.
Electronically scanned radars are capable of some stunning, but closely held, intelligence and weapons effects. The system designed for Australia's new Wedgetail aircraft is no exception.
USAF Col. (ret.) Michael R. Gallagher (Sacramento, Calif.)
Lee Gaillard's alarmist response to the A380 wing test results falling 3% short of requirements is not warranted. The C-17 wing failed at more than 20% short, due to an engineering miscalculation that was resolved with a straightforward design change and clever fix for wings that had been built prior to the test.
Market Focus 11 Analysis confirms A&D companies are behind many IT acquisitions News Breaks 18 Some F-22s face potential frame strength problems 18 China's Hongdu flies L-15 fighter trainer candidate for first time 19 Lockheed Martin to begin systems testing on Poland's first F-16 20 Space shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor undergoes evaluation 21 Spain and its NATO allies to gain global, secure X-band capacity
The delay of the STS-121 space shuttle launch to no earlier than July 1-19 will enable the program to clear a number of issues that had been threatening the May schedule even before the decision that engine cutoff (ECO) sensors had to be replaced forced the slip. One of four hydrogen sensors in the Discovery mission's external tank (ET) shows an electrical tendency that could possibly cause it to fail in a propellant "dry" indication (AW&ST Mar. 6, p. 33).
The Avion Capital Ltd. joint venture that provides financing to Airbus customers is expanding. Joining Airbus Financial Services, Calyon and KfW IPEX-Bank are DVB Bank and Natexis Transport Finance, the aircraft maker says.
Northrop Grumman's Killer Bee, under development as a multi-mission, joint-service family of scalable UAVs, is designed to provide surveillance and force protection (AW&ST Mar. 7, 2005, p. 50). The version demonstrated last week at USAF's UAV Battlelab at Creech AFB, Nev., has a 9-ft. wingspan and carries electro-optical and infrared sensors. The UAV's ability to provide real-time streaming video and precision targeting info to warfighters was highlighted.
