When it comes to buying weapons, what Beijing wants, Beijing gets. Its biggest supplier is Russia, whose arms and technologies have extended China's capabilities and objectives. China's air force, for example, is buying two variants of the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker (including licensed manufacture as the J-11), and is pursuing "indigenous" development of the Chengdu J-10. These air-superiority fighters are seen countering Taiwan's air force.
For those who know and care about what aviation--its men, women and machines--can do in a crisis, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has been the proverbial best of times, worst of times. Thousands of sorties by fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, civil and military, have been flown within a vast area of devastation. They have brought in millions of pounds of food, water, ice and other supplies--and rescued thousands of people, many of them stranded in the most precarious of conditions (see pp. 20-28).
Jim Royston has been named deputy general manager of Astrotech Space Operations for Houston-based Spacehab Inc. He has been head of Florida ground operations and will be succeeded by Don M. White, Jr.
staff editorial director Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. editor-in-chief Sharon Weinberger managing editor Pat Toensmeier assistant managing editor Michael Stearns contributing editors Joseph C. Anselmo Douglas Barrie Amy Butler B.C. Kessner Tim Ripley Robert Wall art director Christine Krol associate art directors
French procurement agency DGA has successfully completed an initial qualification firing of the Franco-Italian SAMP/T ground-launched air defense missile, using a long-range Aster 30 missile. The target simulated a conventional threat flying at medium altitude. DGA also has completed the first round of test firings of the AASM precision-guided weapon using a Mirage 2000 testbed.
The Army's vice chief of staff was briefed earlier this summer on a possible follow-on to the Mobile Tactical High-Energy Laser (MTHEL) program, but there's still no final decision on whether the service will proceed with the proposal. MTHEL began as a joint effort between Israel and the U.S. to develop a laser that would shoot down rockets and mortar rounds, but Israel eventually lost interest in the weapon and now the U.S. Army also looks set to bury it.
The Pentagon was totally unprepared to find and collect radiological threats in Iraq during and after the initial ground war in 2003, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says. In fact, it took six months, until September 2003, to finalize the criteria and procedures for collecting radiological sources, which include medical, industrial and research devices.
The maintenance joint venture Ameco Beijing--comprising Air China (60%) and Lufthansa Technik (40%)--is headed for blue skies, businesswise, bolstered by United Airlines' decision to have the unit perform heavy maintenance on its 52 Boeing 777s for at least the next five years. Moreover, as part of Beijing's airport expansion in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, Ameco will replace an old maintenance hangar with a grander structure that will facilitate line maintenance for two Airbus A380s.
The Hubble Space Telescope may have gained as much as eight months of useful life from a shift in operating procedures designed to preserve its fragile gyroscopes. Controllers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have switched the telescope from three-gyro control to a mode that requires only two of the four functional gyros remaining. Engineers believe the Hubble can now continue to deliver the highly precise pointing control needed for scientific observations through mid-2008.
The French military is preparing to finally launch its first dedicated EHF satellite communications spacecraft, with the hope of being ready to support deployed forces around year-end.
The continuing insurgency in Iraq is reshaping battle tactics and focusing attention on ways to keep U.S. forces out of harm's way. With troops vulnerable to attack from small-arms fire and explosive devices almost anywhere they go, the Pentagon is scurrying to protect soldiers with a new style of body armor that draws inspiration from the Middle Ages. The armor--slated for delivery to Iraq by the end of September--is called QuadGard, and it resembles medieval armor designed to protect legs and arms, not just the torso.
AirVenture Oshkosh controllers generally do a fine job under challenging conditions, but a few more improvements would have prevented two system-induced landing accidents this year (AW&ST Aug. 8, p. 49). The system attempts to meet extraordinary--probably unreasonable--traffic demands, and there are opportunities for improvement in all sectors, including:
In response to Brian Wilson's remark about 250-hr. F-16 pilots controlling civilian airliners, the U.S. military has the finest pilot training in the world. Initial training occupies a year of testing, simulators and flight time in high-performance airplanes. The pilots are trained to do more than read a checklist and fly an ILS. They respond to a huge range of time-critical events that require complex decision making and independent thinking.
NASA has almost 2,000 more civil servants than it will need to carry out President Bush's space exploration plans, and the agency will make the necessary adjustments downward during the remainder of Bush's term. "There will be folks who are simply no longer needed at NASA," says Administrator Michael Griffin.
The aviation community's swift actions to reopen airports paved the way for massive relief and evacuation efforts--but now significant, and costly, airport restoration lies ahead.
Neil Vernon has been promoted to chief pilot for G450/ G550 demonstration from international demonstration captain/safety officer for Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga.
The parent company of SN Brussels and Virgin Express has reported a profit of 15.2 million euros ($18.8 million) for the first half, largely on the strength of merger synergies that totaled about 12 million euros during the second quarter. Meanwhile, there are larger issues ahead. Executive Chairman Rob Kuijpers has presented the board with a long-term development plan, but the board has put off decisions on the matter. Although results are for the first six months, the financial contribution of Virgin Express and Virgin Catering dates back only to Apr.
The multi billion-dollar federal cost of the Hurricane Katrina recovery may make it even tougher for Griffin to sell his fast-paced plans for retiring the shuttle and shifting to follow-on vehicles derived from shuttle components. NASA's "very preliminary" cost estimate for getting the civil space program back on track after the hurricane's deadly Aug. 29 assault on the Gulf Coast was $1.1 billion, but that figure almost certainly will drop in the upcoming tussle over supplemental funding for hurricane recovery.
After three years of being laughed out of meetings, the U.S. Marine Corps' futuristic plans to deploy through space may finally be getting some traction. Although the chuckle factor hasn't altogether disappeared, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) are beginning a study of options for a reusable upper-stage space travel vehicle--the same kind of technology that the Marines might need for a ride halfway across the globe.
Shin Satellite's recently launched Ipstar should be operationally ready in about two weeks, says Executive Chairman Dumrong Kasemset. In-orbit checkout is showing the spacecraft will perform better than expected, delivering 15 kw. of power, versus 14 kw. Also, the company now expects a 16-year life, rather than 12 years.
Eumetsat is developing a system to provide operational data on hydrology and water management. The eighth in a series of so-called satellite application facilities that allow the fusion of data from Eumetsat's weather satellites and other space-, air- and surface-based sources, the new capability is expected to be useful in flood, drought and snowfall monitoring and forecasting (AW&ST Jan. 10, p. 36). It is due to be partially available within three years and to be fully operational by 2010.
Loral Space & Communications executives say the company is poised to exit Chapter 11 protection by the end of the month, ending a two-year struggle to save the company from bankruptcy.
Metal Storm's original "Bertha" prototype shot 9mm. rounds out of 36 barrels at a variable rate of fire of more than 1 million rounds per minute. That rate of fire is said to create a virtual storm of metal, since the bullets at those speeds are separated by less than a foot and can even strike each other in midair.
Russia's guided-weapons manufacturers now have a development road map for the medium term, following agreement with the government on a still-classified list of missile priorities. Industry is also working on stop-gap developments while longer-running research efforts are carried out.
Although Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system is moving forward at a glacial pace, program leaders can at least point to the successful startup of Galileo's predecessor--the Egnos wide-area augmentation system--even if some financing issues remain to be resolved.
