Italian flag carrier Alitalia, after joining the SkyTeam airline alliance and establishing tight business links with Air France, plans further cooperation with the French carrier. However, Alitalia's losses this year could soar to 350 million euros ($392 million), while predictions for 2004 indicate a loss of 300 million euros.
PHASED ARRAY ANTENNAS FOR THE PENTAGON'S advanced extremely-high-frequency (EHF) satellite program will be so crucial to delivering faster, more secure communications to users moving on the battlefield that Northrop Grumman has opened a new facility in Redondo Beach, Calif., to produce the antennas. The satellites, to be built by Lockheed Martin, will provide 10 times the capacity and six times the data rates of Milstar communication satellites, according to Northrop Grumman. Nulling antennas will be used to counter enemy jamming.
PSLV LAUNCH India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C5 is scheduled for an October mission to put Resource Satellite-I into an 800-km. (500-mi.) Sun-synchronous polar orbit. The satellite will carry a multispectral camera delivering imagery in four spectral bands to enhance service for agriculture, disaster management, and land and water resource monitoring with better resolution. At 1,360 kg. (2,990 lb.), it will probably be the heaviest payload to be launched on a PSLV.
RESPONSE TIME The Air Force is giving a little ground in response to a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) request to consider modifying the proposed lease of Boeing 767 tankers and to provide additional information. The Senate panel wants the Air Force to consider leasing 25 aircraft and buying the remaining 75. Air Force officials have provided their input to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which will formally respond to the SASC.
Small drones are seeing increased operational military use, and development efforts are shifting to making them easier to use, as earlier problems with performance have now largely been solved. U.S. special operations teams have been using these man-portable aircraft in Afghanistan and now in Iraq to provide local reconnaissance without having to rely on outsiders, and the fielded troops are asking for more. The main system being used is the AeroVironment Pointer, a 10-lb. drone that with its ground station can be carried by two men.
DUPAGE AIRPORT IN ILLINOIS HAS BECOME the "third busiest airport" in the state and is earning a reputation as the "21st Century Jet Center," according to Shelley A. Longmuir, president of the National Business Aviation Assn. (NBAA). It represents more than 7,300 companies that own or operate business aircraft. DuPage ranks third in operations behind Chicago's O'Hare International and Midway, Longmuir said during a recent visit to DuPage. A recent study by the University of Illinois found that DuPage generates $262 million annually for the local economy.
David W. Zolet (see photo) has become vice president-homeland security for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Information Technology Sector, Herndon, Va. He was vice president/general manager of the Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Sector's Civil Systems Div.
HONEYWELL HAS RECEIVED FAA certification of its Primus Epic integrated avionic system in the Gulfstream G550 ultra long-range business jet. The electronics suite provides pilots with displays and cursor control devices that replace traditional knobs and switches, according to John Todd, director of Gulfstream programs for Honeywell's regional and general aviation avionics. The system includes four 10 X 13-in. LCDs that operate in a point-and-click Windows-type environment, he said. "Primus Epic architecture offers . . .
The struggling digital audio radio pioneer, WorldSpace, is being forced to revamp its strategy to stay in business, even as other vaunted new satellite services--which analysts are counting on to help drive recovery of the commercial space sector--are reporting promising growth. Chairman/CEO Noah Samara said the company would throttle back attempts to broadly penetrate new markets in Africa and Asia, where it has operating spacecraft, and focus on three key areas: France, India and China.
The "magic groove" captive screw for aerospace applications is a fully retractable, structural captive screw with a unique grooved design, according to the company. A rigid retainer ring can be slipped onto the tool without bending, breaking or distorting. This design is meant to ensure long-term integrity of the fastener. The groove pattern permits the retainer ring to be manually inserted in place onto the bolt shaft, eliminating the need to force the ring up and over the end of the bolt.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 20 Alitalia explores further link with Air France 20 BAE Systems posts reassur- ing profits for first half 21 Titan IVB/Centaur launches $1-billion NRO satellite WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 24 CEOs and analysts see new satcom industry vitality 26 Satcom financing picture continues to improve 26 Market trends spell growth for satcoms, say execs 27 RSCC, Gascom poised to or- der new round of satellites
After months of tourism-industry prodding and with only weeks to go, the State Dept. is considering postponement of the scheduled Oct. 1 tightening of rules governing a popular, economically important but security-challenged inducement for short-term travel to the U.S. The inducement, the visa-waiver program, enables travelers from 27 countries, 22 of them in Europe, to visit the U.S. for as long as 90 days without a visa. These nations offer the same privileges to U.S. travelers, and the program is used widely for tourism and business trips.
PROTOCOL IMPROVEMENT Rockwell Collins has released software, called P4, to improve network protocol for its Airshow Network news and info service for airline entertainment/Internet services and AirCell onboard phone system. P4 is designed to improve reliability of connections and data transfers.
Regarding runway incursions at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (AW&ST July 28, p. 44): *O'Hare should not be used for any general aviation or small business jet operations. There- fore, it is important that downtown Meigs Field remains open. *A new runway parallel to the east 18/36 can be built by the edge of Runway 27R going north and taking over the former U.S. Air Force site. It can be possible to have two parallel runways over this site for future expansion.
USN Rear Adm. John G. Cotton has been nominated for promotion to vice admiral and assignment as Washington-based chief of the Naval Reserve. He has been assistant deputy chief of naval operations for warfare requirements and programs in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
David Ivry has been named president of Boeing Israel. He was Israeli ambassador to Washington, commander of the Israel Air Force and director-general of the country's Defense Ministry.
James Crowley has become senior vice president/director of business aviation finance for Key Equipment Finance, Superior, Colo. He was Northeast U.S. direct sales manager.
Jason Cervenak has become director of intellectual property and industrial security for the Arlington, Va.-based Aerospace Industries Assn. He was staff counsel to the House Science Committee.
I'm not sure the cure to the aerospace workforce crisis lies in simply encouraging more math and science education, although that's certainly laudable (AW&ST Aug. 4, p. 54). It pains me to say it, as someone who has always looked up every time a plane flies over, but I wouldn't recommend an aerospace career to my own children.
OBITUARY: USAF Gen. (ret.) Wilbur L. (Bill) Creech, commander of Tactical Air Command from 1978-84, team member and patron of the Thunderbirds, and a long-time aerospace consultant, died Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. He was 76. The cause of death was not disclosed. A veteran of World War II, Creech graduated from flight school in 1949.
The Italian air force has unveiled an ambitious plan to create a 100-combat-aircraft-strong expeditionary air wing by 2007, similar in concept to the U.S. Air Force's Air Expeditionary Force. The Italian unit, to be called the Forza di Proiezione Aerotattica (FOPAER), or tactical air projection force, will be created at the division level. The unit will be able to deploy abroad and sustain up to 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel.
Despite an air of inevitability about the approval of the U.S. Air Force's lease of 100 KC-767s, an emerging Senate initiative to undertake a truncated, 25-tanker lease signals how explosive the deal remains.
RETIREMENT POSITION AND HOLD The Boeing 367-80 has taxied into position in history, alongside fellow retirees from two other aircraft generations, the Air France Concorde and Boeing 307 Stratoliner (aft of Concorde). The Dash-80 (off left wing of Concorde) was the original prototype for the Boeing 707 as well as the KC-135. The Dash-80 arrived late last month at Washington Dulles International Airport, where it will go on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Brett Benton (see photo) has been named vice president of World Aviation Associates Asia of Singapore, the international marketing and sales division of the Tulsa, Okla.-based Nordam Group. He was director of sales, marketing and customer service for Nordam's Manufacturing Divs.
