The head of Israel's Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) hopes Congress will help fund a U.S.-Israeli study of a short-range missile interceptor he says could be "a new kind of missile for us and the United States." The Defense Dept. already provides about $80 million for improvements to the Arrow ground-based ballistic missile defense system, deployed in Israel since 2000. At a Capitol Hill reception, IMDO Director Arieh Herzog says $16 million from Congress would help fund a feasibility study of an interceptor defense against missiles with a range of 40-200 km.
Whiffletree Corp.'s WST hand-held beacon testers for 406-MHz. satellite safety/emergency beacons are easy to use, the company says. The fast, accurate measurements exceed IMO MSC/Circ. 1039 and Circ. 1040 requirements. The tester can be used to evaluate such beacons as C91 and C91A ELTs used by aviation interests.
Jane P. Chappell (see photo) has been promoted to vice president from business development lead for strategic imaging systems for Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, Garland, Tex.
Raytheon is developing a quick-reaction hyperspectral satellite for the Air Force Research Laboratory. The Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer is scheduled to be ready within 15 months, according to the details of a $14-million contract. The satellite is expected to use off-the-shelf technology to prove satellites can be quickly built and launched to satisfy the Defense Dept.'s urgent needs.
As the aerospace industry gathers this week at the Paris air show, there will be a handful of major topics (see p. 62). As is customary, Airbus and Boeing will be in the spotlight, not the least because their respective government sponsors are embroiled in a World Trade Organization dispute over aircraft subsidies. Each company will be touting its newest product. For Airbus, that means the A380 mega-transport (top) will be the dominant presence at the show--the A350 not having been formally launched.
I wish to refute inaccuracies in the letter from Jeff Lemon (AW&ST May 23, p. 8). First, Lemon states, "the 737 was [not] originally conceived for operations for long, overwater flights." While this was true for the earliest 737s, the 737-700s that Aloha Airlines flies, along with other members of the 737NG family, were designed specifically to be certified for 180-min. extended twin operations (ETOPS).
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Aviat Aircraft has secured STC rights to offer a new propeller option for the Husky. Up to this point, the aircraft has been produced with a 76-in., two-blade Hartzell propeller. It will now be possible to order a new aircraft with an 82-in. MT composite propeller. An STC is available for owners of Husky who would like to upgrade to the MT. The new blade creates more thrust, which in turn provides improved rate of climb, better floatplane operations and better high-density response, according to the company. Added thrust shortens the takeoff run in any configuration.
Air Marshal Angus Houston has been promoted to chief of Defense Force from chief of the Royal Australian Air Force. He will be succeeded by Air Vice Marshal Geoffrey Shepherd. Vice Adm. Russ Shalders has been appointed chief of the Royal Australian Navy. Lt. Gen. Peter Leahy will remain as chief of Army, while Maj. Gen. Ken Gillespie has been named vice chief of the Australian Defense Force. Gillespie takes over for Shalders, who in turn succeeds Vice Adm. Chris Ritchie, who will be retiring.
Rene Oosterlinck has become director of external relations for the European Space Agency. He was head of its Navigation Dept., where he was in charge of the Galileo and Egnos programs.
Boeing and Cisco have signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding to extend their business alliance aimed at capturing more of the projected $200-billion global market for network-centric defense and security operations. Boeing functions as an integrator, while Cisco provides open-standards-based commercial networking technology and services. They plan joint investments in creating and deploying new products for complex and time-sensitive military missions.
India has test-fired Pinaka, a 10-ft. long ground target mobile launch rocket, from the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) site at Chandipur. The indigenously developed multi-barrel rocket is part of an area weapon system intended to supplement existing artillery guns at a range beyond 30 km. It has undergone several tests since 1995.
William H. Paloski, Principal Investigator (NASA Artificial Gravity-Bed Rest Study, Houston, Tex.)
William B. Scott's first-hand report of his spin in our artificial-gravity centrifuge (AW&ST Apr. 19, p. 62) clearly explained the current steps that NASA and others are taking toward realizing this potential multi-system countermeasure to the physiological deconditioning that astronauts will face during long-duration space flights.
In its own industrial backyard, Airbus will make its first air show presentation in Paris this week of its double-deck A380 and try to build momentum for the launch later this year of the A350, its answer to the sales threat posed by Boeing's midsized 787.
Inadvertently nearly dropping a roughly 100,000-lb. prototype onto a hangar floor might seem an odd moment to identify as a positive turning point--but the impact was only a delay, not a written-off airframe. For as previously star-crossed an effort as Britain's Nimrod MRA4 (maritime reconnaissance and attack) program, however, avoiding damage to the PA2 prototype--the aircraft involved--appears a miraculous event.
3M Aerospace has introduced new preformed polyurethane protective tapes to help decrease cycle time during the mandated inspection of main landing gear cylinders on MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft. The company's polyurethane protective boots SJ8667HS FP502 replace the labor-intensive removal and reapplication of the primer and paint topcoat during the FAA-mandated maintenance process, thereby returning aircraft to service more quickly, according to the company.
Raytheon's Flight Test Operations has some exotic distinctions, including flying the world's last squadron of Douglas A-3 Skywarrior bombers and a DC-10 with an open port for sensor observation that is believed to be the largest in the world on a currently flying aircraft.
India's largest domestic carrier, Jet Airways, is caught in a legal tangle with a U.S. company by the same name as it prepares to launch U.S. operations June 23 with services six times a week from Mumbai to Newark Liberty International. The Indian airline is taking legal action against the Maryland-based Jet Airways Inc. for alleging that Jet (India) had directly financed terrorists since 1991. In a statement, the airline described the charges as "totally baseless" and amounting to "outright harassment." The Indian carrier says the primary motivation behind the U.S.
Robert V. LaPenta left L-3 Communications Corp. as president and chief financial officer in April, but he's taking his "L" with him. LaPenta, who founded L-3 in 1997 with Frank C. Lanza and Lehman Brothers, last week announced formation of L-1 Investment Partners of Stamford, Conn., a private firm focused on biometrics. That technology uses unique body characteristics such as eye retinas and facial patterns to help identify individuals, and is considered one of the most promising fields in the homeland security market.
Stratos Lightwave's family of ruggedized small form factor (SFF) optical transceivers are compliant with industry-standard MSA 2 X 5-ft. print and packaging requirements. They are the first SFF units available from any major manufacturer constructed to IPC Class 3 standards, and are validated for compliance with Mil-Std-810E, the company says. The transceivers provide speed and security of fiber-optic communication with the durability and reliability needed for military and avionics applications, and need no additional rework or testing to meet these standards.
Airbus is overhauling many of its production processes to cut lead times, reduce waste and achieve savings as it tries to remain price competitive in the face of exchange rates that favor Boeing in a weak-dollar-dominated industry.
End users want Europe's next-generation geostationary weather satellite system to expand applications for long-term weather/climate forecasting and research. But they propose scaling back plans to use the system for emerging atmospheric chemistry applications.
Most supersonic transport designs end up with a highly swept, cranked delta wing, but the Aerion Corp. of Reno, Nev., is gambling that its business jet is better off with a largely unswept wing featuring large amounts of natural laminar flow.
The Bell/Agusta BA609 commercial tiltrotor is scheduled to reach a program milestone late this month when it is flown in full airplane mode for the first time. The twin-engine hybrid, part helicopter and part airplane, returned to flight June 3 after a planned 18-month pause in the certification program, to allow for engineering upgrades including software that will control the transition to airplane mode.
Although the European Space Agency's operations center in Darmstadt, Germany, may be better known, the German government's own facility here, near Munich, is fast growing in importance as Berlin expands its role in space imagery and communications missions.
