USN Rear Adm. (lower half) Bruce W. Clingan has been named commander of Carrier Group Three, Bremerton, Wash. He has been deputy director for operations at U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. Rear Adm. (lower half) Marc L. Purcell has been assigned as director for plans and policy for the U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill. He has been assistant commander for personnel readiness and community support in the Navy Personnel Command, Millington, Tenn. Rear Adm. (lower half) (selectee) William E.
Two key British Defense Ministry bodies will need to work more closely together if the government is to contain costs of purchasing and supporting big-ticket military programs, said a top U.K. official. The Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) has traditionally overseen the definition of equipment requirements and acquisition of systems to meet these. The Defense Logistics Organization (DLO), meanwhile, has been responsible for support and development of equipment once it has been accepted into service by the armed forces.
John M. Gilmore has been named vice president-sales for Ballistic Recovery Systems Inc., South St. Paul, Minn. He was vice president-sales and marketing for Jetways Inc.
Indigo Systems' VisGaAs sensor is now available in the Alpha NIR camera, enabling simultaneous imaging in both the visible and near-infrared spectrum with a real-time, 12-bit, all-digital camera. The standard Alpha NIR camera head employs a 320 X 256 Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs)-based focal plane array with a spectral sensitivity range from 900-1700 nm. The new Alpha NIR with VisGaAs sensor provides a 400-nm. cut-on wavelength, extending the short-wavelength spectral response beyond the range of previous infrared imaging systems, according to the manufacturer.
The 5140 circuit breaker is temperature compensated, and addresses the need of higher current capacity in less space and weight for commercial and military aircraft applications. With optional auxiliary contacts, the three-pole breaker weighs less than 150 grams--up to 10% less than competing devices, according to the manufacturer, which adds that weight savings can be significant in an aircraft using dozens of circuit breakers. The 5140 thermal circuit breaker was designed for 400 Hz., three-pole applications from 20-50 amps.
Many thanks for your thoughtful editorial "Bush's Space Plan: Bold Vision or Moondoggle?" I agree with most of the technical and economic points, and it is true that it was a different time than now when President John F. Kennedy early in his administration endorsed a Moon mission. The Apollo program spawned one of the finest professional teams and the jobs were all on Earth. The opportunities presented by manned spaceflight were never pursued by later administrations because presidents lacked Kennedy's personal persuasive ability.
The French government has awarded MBDA a contract to develop and manufacture an improved version of the MM40 shipborne Exocet antiship missile, and to convert existing MM40 Block 2 missiles to modified Block 3 configuration. The Exocet MM40 Block 3 will feature a new turbofan propulsion unit affording an increase in range to 180 naut. mi. from 90, along with an enhanced control system to meet the more complex trajectories required in coastal zones. It is scheduled to enter service in 2006 (AW&ST Oct. 28, 2002, p. 35).
Lockheed Martin awarded an $87.4-million contract for two CN-235-300M medium-range maritime patrol aircraft to EADS, under the U.S. Coast Guard's Integrated Deepwater System program. The CN-235, manufactured by EADS CASA in Spain, will support the USCG's maritime patrol mission by replacing older, less capable aircraft. With a 2,000-naut.-mi. range and 10-hr. flight endurance, the CN-235 can handle surveillance, search, rescue and transport duties.
Enno Littmann has become general manager of Sostar Gmbh., Friedrichshafen, Germany, a joint venture of Dutch Space, EADS, Galileo Avionica, Indra and Thales. He was senior manager for business development at EADS ISR. Littmann succeeds Eugene Herpfer, who plans to retire this year.
CSA Czech Airlines has extended for four years an agreement with Snecma Services covering the maintenance of CFM56 turbofan engines powering a fleet of 28 Boeing 737-300s.
Industry teams led by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are awaiting a contract award expected in June for a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system that is anticipated to be worth about $2.5 billion. Called the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), the network is to replace the U.S. Navy's Ultra High Frequency Follow-on (UFO) system. The contract will be awarded by the Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command of San Diego, but will serve all U.S. forces and allies.
Brian K. Harrington has been appointed senior vice president/chief financial officer of Spacehab Inc. of Houston. He held the same positions at the Kirby Corp. Harrington succeeds Julia A. Pulzone.
Speaking of landing fees, the Central Japan International Airport Corp., owner and operator of Nagoya's new Centrair international airport, has proposed landing fees that are considerably cheaper than the country's two biggest international gateways, Narita in Tokyo and Kansai in Osaka. The fee at Centrair for a 747 will be $6,621, compared with $9,048 at Narita and $7,905 at Kansai. Centrair's management says it can charge less because it kept construction costs low.
A HIGH-RESOLUTION MILLIMETER-WAVE RADAR developed by QinetiQ to detect small objects on runways that pose a foreign object damage (FOD) hazard to jet engines will be tested starting in March at Southampton, England, and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports. The Tarsier radar operates at 77 or 94 GHz. and can spot objects as small as a wheel hub (about 3 in. across), with an accuracy of 3 meters (9.8 ft.) out to a range of 2 km. (1.2 mi.), according to the company. Cost of equipping an airport would be about 450 euros ($576), depending on airport configuration.
Southwest Airlines and Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents flight attendants, are still at loggerheads over the content of the next contract after the first round of talks directed by the National Mediation Board. According to a source close to the negotiations, the union is seeking a pay raise but, more importantly, a traditional airline contract with expanded work rules. Southwest offered a "best" proposal Feb. 6 and asked that the entire proposal be presented to the workforce.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 22 Boeing suppliers getting Catia designs for 777-200LR 23 Raytheon, LockMart teams await MUOS award WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 28 USAF planners trying to sat- isfy desire for new weapons 30 Marines plan to be better prepared in return to Iraq 35 Mars Rover Opportunity ready to view new sites 37 Pentagon completing re- quirements for UCAVs 38 France in further overhaul of procurement agency
FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL HAS BEGUN construction of a new learning center for business aviation customers at Farnborough Airport near London. Plans call for the facility to be operational early in 2005, according to an FSI official. It will house 14 full-flight simulators aimed at serving the European and Middle East pilot communities. The initial mix of simulators and JAA-approved training programs will be determined in the next few months.
THE BE A PILOT PROGRAM generated 34,056 pilot prospects in 2003--an increase of 1.3% despite the war in Iraq and a weak U.S. economy, said Drew Steketee, president and CEO. Since the program was launched in 1997, more than 200,000 people have registered for an introductory flight, and surveys indicate about 40,000 of these went to a participating flight school and took their first flight in a small airplane. Steketee said 2,114 flight schools in the U.S. and Canada honor the introductory flight certificates, which cost $49.
I read the article "Hubble Trouble" (AW&ST Jan. 26, p. 24) and wondered if anyone had thought of using a remote robotic mission or even the space shuttle to shift Hubble's orbit to match/attach it to the International Space Station. There, Hubble could be serviced regularly and refueled if necessary via astronauts at the station. This would extend Hubble's life and continue to provide imaging way into the future, as well as allow other uses by engineers at ISS.
Tom Booth has become manager of the Columbus (Ohio) Learning Center of New York-based FlightSafety International. He was assistant manager of FSI's Raytheon Learning Center, Wichita, Kan. Booth succeeds Ted Finck, who has been named to an FSI marketing position.
The French government has awarded a Dassault Aviation-led team a 659- million-euro ($830-million) contract to develop a new software upgrade intended to extend the Rafale's air-air performance and give the fighter strategic strike, antiship and reconnaissance capabilities. The upgrade, known as F3, also could permit high-resolution aerial mapping, if combined with an active-array radar antenna--yet to be ordered--and is the basis of a proposal to the Singapore air force (see p. 70).
Donald Fitzmaurice and Justin Adams have been appointed to the board of advisers of Konarka Technologies Inc., Lowell, Mass. Daniel Patrick McGahn has been named executive vice president/chief marketing officer. Fitzmaurice is professor of nanochemistry at University College, Dublin, Ireland, and founder of NTERA Ltd. Adams is CEO of Switzerland-based High Power Lithium.
Air Canada and the Pension Beneficiaries Group have agreed on a plan to fund Air Canada's C$1.5-billion ($1.1-billion) pension deficit over a 10-year period. The group represents union and non-union employees and retirees. Trinity Time Investments, a 31% equity investor in Air Canada that participated in the discussions, was satisfied with the agreement, but only in the context of proper restructuring of the carrier's pension and benefit plans.
