Navy and Air Force versions of Northrop Grumman's unmanned combat air vehicle design operating in their initial, specialized roles are depicted. The Navy aircraft are locating, identifying and determining coordinates of targets. The Air Force's strike variant is unloosing its missiles to destroy the designated threat. Some industry and Pentagon planners believe UCAVs will eventually carry interchangeable or mixed payloads of reconnaissance sensors and weapons. Kent Rump is a graphic illustrator for Northrop Grumman.
The "PropLock" is designed to help prevent theft of small aircraft. About the size of a clock radio, the unit clamps onto the propeller base close to the airplane spinner. Cranking the motor throws the propeller out of balance, which creates severe vibration and prevents takeoff. The Zshaped manganese device transforms into an elongated egg shape as the locking cylinder moves into the upper part of the mechanism, where it is protected from being drilled out. The arms are coated with a polyurethane epoxy to prevent scratches to the propeller.
ROCKETS INTERRUPTED Arianespace has rescheduled the Kourou launch of an Ariane 5 with three payloads for Sept. 3 after Indian space managers asked that the mission be delayed from its original Aug. 28-29 target. The Indians needed the extra time to verify that no problems exist with the Insat-3E satcom that will share the payload shroud with the Eutelsat E-Bird satcom and the European Space Agency Smart-1 lunar mission. Boeing and the U.S. Air Force have also settled on Aug.
The Pentagon office in charge of developing an unmanned combat air vehicle for the Air Force and Navy won't be established until Oct. 1, but military and aerospace industry officials are already worried about delays in building demonstrator aircraft and integrating an important new directed-energy weapon.
Ivor J. (Ike) Evans has been appointed to the board of directors of Textron Inc., Providence, R.I. He is president/chief operating officer of Union Pacific Railroad.
Robert Wall's Tanker Turbulence (AW&ST July 21, p. 29) sharpens the edges on financial issues surrounding the Air Force proposal for leasing Boeing 767s to begin to replace the KC-135 aerial refueling fleet, but misses totally the strategic rationale for this initiative. U.S. defense strategy and military force structure--land, sea and air--are built upon the rarely recognized foundation of the availability of a large, reliable fleet of aerial tanker aircraft.
Lawrence Preston has become controller and Elizabeth Lozada manager of corporate accounting for Miami-based Astar Air Cargo Inc. Preston has been managing director/regional controller for the Latin America and Caribbean for the Federal Express Corp. Lozada was controller of Miami-based Arrow Air Inc.
CALLING ALL PILOTS The airlines are hiring. America West hired 12 pilots in July and American Trans Air signed up 14, according to FLTops.com, an Atlanta-based job counseling service. Frontier Airlines has been hiring for a September class and Trans States is accepting resumes. Mesa Airlines plans to develop a pilot pool and begin hiring after 100 pilots at its CC Air division have been added to the seniority list. USA3000 is interviewing candidates this month and next for October and November training classes.
An eight-page capabilities brochure presents an overview of the lean transformation journey and benefits attained by pursuing lean processes. Services offered by the two organizations presenting the brochure are highlighted. The organizations are experienced in the principles and practices of lean manufacturing, organizational development, human resource development, lean curriculum and transformation services. Industries served include aerospace, manufacturing and technology. Lean Learning Center, 40028 Grand River, Suite 300, Novi, Mich. 48375.
THAT'S NOT FUNNY! Philippe Riviere, a first officer with Air France, faces felony charges in the U.S. for transgressing the no-comment rule and allegedly telling a Transportation Security Agency (TSA) agent security screener that he carried a hidden bomb in his shoe. Riviere was immediately arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and the 11 p.m. New York-Paris flight with 350 passengers was canceled. Riviere, who later returned to France, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted--a prospect that has shocked Europeans.
I read your article about the alarms expressed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. over a recent series of runway incursions by general aviation aircraft operating at Chicago O'Hare (AW&ST July 28, p. 44). It would seem to me the ideal solution to this problem would be to construct a small, general aviation airport on a man-made piece of land in Lake Michigan immediately abeam downtown Chicago. Oh wait! Never mind.
Patrick Ford (AW&ST June 16, p. 12) suggests that the F-15E should be upgraded and the F/A-22 dumped. He is probably correct that an Eagle upgrade would result in "a substantial cost savings" over the Raptor. With the Pratt &Whitney PW-119 engine, it might even "super cruise" like the -22. Also the avionics could be upgraded to 2003 standards, but one thing it will never have is "stealth." If the anti- F-22 crowd took the blinders off they would recognize that the Raptor is really a replacement for the F-117.
SEA LAUNCH LOFTS KA The first commercial platform carrying Ka-band spot beam technology for broadband applications has been placed into orbit by a Zenit-3SL launcher using a block DM-SL upper stage (see photo). The spacecraft, which also carries Ku- and C-band transponders, will jointly serve EchoStar Communications (as Echostar IX) and Intelsat Ltd. (as Telstar 13). The Aug. 7 launch was the 10th from Sea Launch's floating Odyssey platform and the second in less than two months.
Drawing on engineers with one foot in the model airplane world and the other in Silicon Valley, NASA Ames Research Center and Clark University have established the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Applications Center. Housed in the former Aeronautical Building that was built in 1933 to serve airships, the center is focused on developing sensor and nanotechnology for UAVs, but at its dedication last week, the talk was much more general: how to extend the use of UAVs for civilian applications.
Defense Dept. efforts to enhance software development are now moving into new territory as software and systems engineering processes are integrated into one method for improving productivity. It was in the mid-1980s, as software defects became all too common, that the Pentagon realized something had to be done to improve the development process. Defense agencies and contractors were going about software development in a haphazard fashion, relying on "software cowboys" to get the job done rather than engineers adhering to a structured process.
The HT-4100 tachometer is small, thin and weighs less than 4ounces. Ergonomically designed to fit into the hand, the unit can be carried in a shirt or pants pocket. Measurement set-up can be completed by applying a small piece of reflective tape marker or reflective paint to the surface of the object being measured. For operation, aim the unit's red light beam at the reflective marker; an on-target indicator light flashes when targeting is correct.
It's amazing how the "fly till you die" crowd suddenly gets religion as they hit their mid-fifties. Where were these whiny parasites 15 or 20 years ago when a change in retirement age would have had a dramatic impact on their careers? Most were silent. With seat stagnation at most of the major carriers, and thousands of pilots on the street via furloughs, now is not the time to tinker with a rule that has served this profession well, and kept the flying public out of harm's way.
STRATOFLOATER Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory launched an unmanned, helium-filled airship this month that soared to 16,400 meters (53,800 ft.) in a study of long-endurance use of such vehicles in the stratosphere. Built by Fuji Heavy Industries, the airship was launched from the Pacific Ocean city of Hitachi, about 100 km. (62 mi.) northeast of Tokyo, and was recovered 40 km. offshore about two hours later after venting its gas. Weighing 500 kg. (1,100 lb.), it measured 47 meters long by 12 meters in diameter.
LOOSE LIPS NASA is buying a secure voice teleconferencing system for its Washington headquarters, in part to ease the use of reconnaissance satellites, ground-based optical trackers and other highly classified military and intelligence hardware to inspect orbiting space shuttles to ensure they are safe for reentry. Pressed by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, the civilian space agency already has inked an agreement with the Pentagon's National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) for the work.
CAPT. WILLIAM R. TYMCZYSZYN I had hoped we'd fly together again someday, but I didn't know just when. Then a sense of something special came over me as I released the brakes on our venerable DC-10 to begin pushback from a gate in Toronto. I felt like someone had entered the cockpit, and his presence startled me.
Is aircraft air a health problem? We don't need arcane theories or difficult measurements to answer the question. Just look at the people who have the greatest exposure to cabin air--flight attendants and pilots. Do they have significantly more illness or respiratory problems than the rest of us?
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's human effectiveness directorate is asking for white papers and estimated costs of a creative program to enhance the ability of operators and decisionmakers engaged in information warfare, thereby allowing the U.S. to dominate such encounters. The directorate wants to look at hardware, software and training devices as well as tactics, techniques and procedures. These aids are to be used by information warfare units, air operations centers and the joint forces air component commander.
Aeroflot Russian Airlines has signed a 10-year agreement with Snecma Services covering the pay-by-hour maintenance of 36 CFM56-5B turbofans. The engines will power the Russian carrier's Airbus A319s and A320s, scheduled to enter service between October 2003 and December 2004.
