The European Southern Observatory and Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility have released a collection of astronomical tools for data processing and analysis--Scisoft v5 for RedHat Linux 9. The CD-Rom contains software used by professional astronomers to process and analyze data from large telescopes such as ESO's Very Large Telescope or NASA/ ESA's Hubble Space Telescope. Scisoft had been reserved for professionals but, as of version 5, distribution has been opened to advanced amateurs.
Dassault Aviation says work on its first Falcon 7X business jet is proceeding on schedule, and that the ultralong-range aircraft will fly in the first half of next year, as planned. The company said last week that the fuselage is being mated to the empennage and being prepared to receive the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney PWC 307A engines. Wing-fuselage mating is set for mid-September. Ground run-up tests are planned toward the end of the year, and a rollout is set for the first quarter of next year (AW&ST May 31, p. 73).
After engineering the ouster of Boeing earlier this year, Czech aircraft maker Aero Vodochody now has its sights on Sikorsky. McGraw-Hill's Aviation Daily reports the company will seek a new agreement for production of assemblies for Sikorsky S-76C helicopters, following press reports that the company has lost nearly 1.5 billion Czech crowns ($59 million) on the subcontract work. Sikorsky declined to comment, saying the Czech company continues to supply the program. Debt-laden Aero Vodochody has yet to conclude an accord to buy back Boeing's 35.3% stake.
THE NEWLY INAUGURATED SHANNON, Ireland, en route air traffic management center expects to handle 90% of transatlantic flights when the Northern Oceanic Transition Area airspace is implemented in January 2005. With the current airspace, Shannon handles 70% of the transatlantic traffic. Both the Shannon and Dublin centers are equipped with Thales Eurocat ATM and voice communication control systems. This has the added benefit of providing a virtual center for the Irish Aviation Authority, allowing remote supervision and flexibility in locating the controllers.
Thomas E. Whytas has been appointed to the board of directors of the Aerosonic Corp., Clearwater, Fla. He succeeds Charles M. Foster, Jr., who has resigned. Whytas is chief financial officer/finance director for CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Fla.
USN Rear Adm. (ret.) Robert C. (Willie) Williamson has been named Washington-based director of naval integration and transformation for Raytheon Network-Centric Systems, McKinney, Tex. He was director of government relations and federal programs at Microsoft.
Regarding "Sneak Attack" (AW&ST June 28, p. 34), Air Combat Command Gen. Hal Hornburg should be aware that there are some very effective countermeasures out there for his stated desire of shutting down the ignition systems of enemy armor. These countermeasures are called diesel engines.
Lawrence J. Delaney has been named executive vice president-operations for the Titan Corp. of San Diego. He has been senior vice president and president of the Advanced Systems Development Sector. Peter A. Cohen has become lead director on the company's board. He is founder/managing member of the Ramius Capital Group.
The Russian air force's 70 Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire strategic bombers will remain grounded while an investigation team seeks to determine causes for an accident on July 8, northwest of Moscow. All four crewmembers were killed. The pilots reported engine-related problems but failed to eject.
HONEYWELL HAS ACHIEVED FAA CERTIFICATION for a primary-display electronic system of navigation charts and maps for the Gulfstream G550 business jet. The displays are part of the airplane's Primus Epic integrated avionic system, and allow pilots to point and click to access navigation information. The new capability serves as a supplement to conventional paper charts used for flight navigation, and will be available on the G500 as well as the G550. Certification for the G450 and G350 jets is underway, according to Honeywell.
Boeing's newly launched 7E7 could prove to be a threat to Airbus, despite the European manufacturer's assertions that the 250-seat A330-200 is a superior middle-of-the-market offering. Airbus is not planning a counterattack because it doesn't see the need for one. Even if it did, the $10.7-billion A380 mega-transport has tied up most of Airbus' ready cash. Investment in new production and test facilities and development aircraft is centered on preparation for the certification program set to begin in early 2005.
Itzhak Dvir has become chief operating officer of Elbit Systems Ltd., Haifa, Israel. He was general manager for unmanned airborne vehicles, security and tactical systems. Dvir has been succeeded by Haim Kellerman, who was vice president-UAV programs.
American Aerospace Controls has released a series of bi-directional current transducers capable of accurately following extremely fast (DC and/or AC) current waveforms. The 929 series consumes a flow 80-270 mW. during operation, and provides an ultrafast response to complex current waveforms in the range of DC to 350 KHz., making the transducers well suited for demanding environments where high-speed current monitoring is needed, according to the company. The transducers offer accuracy ±1% FS over a wide temperature range--40-85C (140-185F).
Cignys has a new series of leveling jacks for ISO shelters and containers. The new medium-duty model has a 2,500-lb. operating load capacity. This jack series comes in three models with 6-, 12- and 8-stroke, and up to 1,200-lb. side-load capacity. Weight ranges from 18-32 lb. and height from 18-28 in., retracted. The new model provides for a static capacity load of 4,500 lb. and is available with a caster-mounting footpad. Jacks operate vertically or horizontally to raise, lower or push loads.
Mirroring debate in the U.S., European missile specialists are weighing the respective advantages of slow and very low-observable versus high-speed, high-altitude guided weapons. France, with its ASMP supersonic cruise missile in service, and the successor ASMP-A in development, is pushing technology applicable to next-generation strategic and conventional long-range cruise missiles.
Peter A. Nitze has become vice president-operations, Steven L. Patterson vice president-internal controls and Thomas F. Daley vice president/corporate counsel for DRS Technologies Inc., Parsippany, N.J. Nitze was chief operating officer of the Regulatory DataCorp., a division of The Goldman Sachs Group, and had been an executive of Honeywell International. Patterson was senior manager of corporate audit for Boeing's facility in Huntington Beach, Calif. Daley was president/CEO of the Clearwire Equipment Co.
Rex-Cut's cotton fiber-mounted points for blending, finishing and cleaning scratches and imperfections on welded fabrications are capable of leaving a 32 RMS surface finish on stainless steel and aluminum, according to the company. The points are impregnated with aluminum oxide abrasives in a proprietary bond and are available in coarse, medium and fine grits for deburring, blending and finishing welded fabrications. Rex-Cut Products Inc., 960 Airport Road, P.O. Box 2109, Fall River, Mass. 02722. 209 on www.AviationNow.com/oic
An industry with an annual turnover approaching 20 billion pounds and 120,000 direct employees would hardly appear to be one meandering toward crisis--but appearances can be deceptive. Britain's defense-aerospace sector remains globally highly competitive, contributing 2.5-3 billion pounds ($4.6-5.6 billion) per annum to the balance of trade. The foundation on which this is built, however, is eroding: behind the apparently healthy facade are serious concerns for the long term.
Steven M. Hankin has been named CEO of Sentient Jet, Norwell, Mass. He was president/chief marketing officer of Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems.
The more things stay the same, the more they change. On July 15, Southwest Airlines announced the usual, a 53rd consecutive quarterly profit, and the unexpected--the retirement, effective immediately, of Vice Chairman and CEO Jim Parker, for "personal reasons" he didn't specify.
Both value and momentum investors the world over could find worse places than aerospace/defense stocks to park their money for the remainder of this U.S. election year. That's the gist of what some market professionals are communicating to their institutional clients. Here's why:
The U.S. space propulsion industry, a technology linchpin for America's return to the Moon, is looking to retool and reorganize around a new but controversial "national propulsion company" concept that could help revitalize the industry. This plan is beginning to emerge from secret talks between Pratt & Whitney and Boeing on Pratt's possible acquisition of Boeing's Rocketdyne space propulsion division. Top Air Force and Lockheed Martin managers, however, question whether the plan could stifle competition.
