J. Dorrance Smith has become assistant Defense secretary for public affairs. He was a media consultant to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and a senior media adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.
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Researchers at John Carroll University's Lighting Innovations Institute in Cleveland have developed amber-colored eyeglasses that, they say, will help travelers reduce jet lag. The spectacles, similar to sunglasses, are designed to block the blue component in white light that suppresses the hormone melatonin. The institute recommends wearing the glasses prior to a trip to help the body adjust its circadian clock to the new time zone by getting the proper flow of melatonin. More details are available at http://www.lowbluelights.com.
Priya Bendale has been promoted to vice president-engineering from manager of research and development, and Brent R. Barker to vice president-sales and marketing from government business development manager, for Interface Displays and Controls, Oceanside, Calif.
Mike Conrad has been named vice president-sales and customer services for the Aircraft Service International Group, Orlando, Fla. He was Western U.S. regional vice president-operations. Conrad has been succeeded by Anthony Mazza, who was Western U.S. senior director of customer operations for DHL Express.
NASA is still working toward a May window for the next space shuttle test flight, three years after the loss of Columbia forced development of in-orbit repair techniques for the delicate thermal protection system on the orbiter. The STS-121 mission will see space-suited astronauts test mechanical plugs and putty-like filler on test articles in the cargo bay that later will be subjected to simulated reentry temperatures in arc-jet tests on the ground. A space-walker also will ride on the end of the new 50-ft.
Douglas Barrie (London), Michael A. Taverna (Paris)
European missile manufacturer MBDA's industrial footprint in the U.K. will be determined in the coming months as the company awaits a fundamental decision from the British government.
Anne Esposito has become executive vice president of Baldwin Aviation, Hilton Head, S.C. She was vice president-airports for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn.
Herbert John Shaw, a pioneer designer of fiber-optic gyroscopes widely used in aircraft, missiles and spacecraft, died on Jan. 20 in Palo Alto, Calif. He was 87.
USAF has named Lockheed Martin to run the $2-billion, 10-year program to build the ground infrastructure for the future Transformational Satellite system. The system is expected to provide the interface between the high-capacity spacecraft and the Pentagon's global information grid. The system should enter service around 2014.
European missile manufacturer MBDA is in discussions with at least two potential customers for the ship-launched version of its Marte MK2 air-to-surface missile. Interest in the Marte MK2/N is such that MBDA has already carried out a significant amount of design work for the necessary modifications. The helicopter-launched Marte MK2/S has a maximum range of greater than 16.2 naut. mi. It is already in operation with the Italian navy on its SH-3D helicopters, and has been qualified on the EH-101 and NH90.
Steve Chalmers has been appointed vice president/general manager of the Lighting Systems Div. of the Goodrich Corp., Charlotte, N.C. He was the company's vice president-Airbus.
PRATT & WHITNEY HAS AGREED TO SUPPLY PW6000 engines for the Airbus A318 Elite--a corporate version of the A318 airline transport, and becomes the latest in Airbus's product line of business jets to compete with Boeing's BBJ series of twin-engine 737s. The engines have a thrust range of 18,000-24,000 lb. and will feature a number of upgrades to reduce costs of operation, according to Pratt & Whitney.
Rockwell Collins continues to deliver and support its eTES in-flight entertainment system (IFE) for use on new and existing wide-body airline aircraft, but it does not plan to invest in a new system with the type of functions and architecture needed on the Airbus A380, A350 and Boeing 787. Thales is supplying a new system for those aircraft. Rockwell Collins President and CEO Clay Jones told financial analysts the company will continue to invest in the narrow-body IFE market "because that fits more in our long-term goals."
The first of up to eight Type 45 air-defense destroyers for the British Royal Navy was launched on Feb. 1. The HMS Daring is due to enter service in 2009. It is fitted with the Principal Anti-Air Missile System. Six Type 45s are on order from BAE Systems, and discussions continue with the Defense Ministry over contracting for a further two of the class.
L-3 Cincinnati Electronics is providing its advanced NightConqueror thermal imager for use in the Vistar 350 sensor suite in the U.S. Navy's FSF-1 Sea Fighter. The device produces high-resolution thermal images for 24-hr. observation in poor weather. L-3 Titan is prime contractor for the Sea Fighter, an aluminum catamaran that operates at speeds of 50 kt.-plus. The ship is designed to conduct performance evaluations of high-speed vessels.
With an election-shortened legislative calendar, growing deficits, the Quadrennial Defense Review and the ongoing war on terrorism, the Defense Dept.'s Fiscal 2007 budget request is coming under more pressure than usual.
Bell Helicopter Textron is implementing an aggressive plan aimed at positioning the company to offer a broad range of vertical unmanned aerial systems by 2010. The company is developing two separate and distinct aircraft for vertical unmanned missions--the TR916 and the TR918. The former fulfills a requirement for the U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater fleet modernization program, while the latter targets both military and commercial customer applications, according to Bob Ellithorpe, executive director of vertical unmanned aerial systems (VUAS).
Planing and deplaning are often the longest legs of a trip. Ted, United Airlines' low-cost unit, is set to become the first carrier to operate a fully automated over-wing dual-end jet bridge for its Airbus A320 fleet. The Double-Docker Bridge, designed and developed by Ogdensburg, N.Y.-based Dewbridge Airport Systems, is aimed at reducing boarding and deplaning time by half on narrow-body aircraft.
Dan Smith, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Tewksbury, Mass., has been appointed to the Alliance Principals' Council for Australia's Air Warfare Destroyer Program. The council will be chaired by Royal Australian Navy Vice Adm. (ret.) Chris Ritchie. Other members include John Prescott, chairman of shipbuilder ASC; Lt. Gen. David Hurley, chief of the Capability Development Group; and Stephen Gumley, CEO of the Defense Materiel Organization.
Had he decided to retire a decade ago, Bernard L. Schwartz would have gone down in history as one of the greatest financial whizzes the aerospace industry had ever seen. Between 1972 and 1996, he transformed the old Loral Corp. from a small company with a market value of $7.2 million into a defense electronics powerhouse worth $15 billion by taking on--and often beating--much larger competitors. On Wall Street, he was a CEO that could do no wrong.
USAF Brig. Gen. (select) Joseph D. Brown, 4th, has been appointed executive officer to the commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe of NATO. He was executive assistant to the commander and remains commander of the U.S. European Command, Casteau, Belgium.
The emergence of Morocco-based Jet4you, a startup low-cost operator, could signal the beginning of a new competitive trend in the European airline industry. Although based in North Africa, Jet4you is expected to focus on Europe, including flights to be operated on behalf of TUI, Germany's leisure travel group. TUI owns a 40% stake in the new carrier. Morocco's cost base is significantly lower than Europe's and should boost a low-cost/low-price operator's profitability.
