CUBAN CONNECTION Air Canada, which currently operates extensive charter services to Cuba, has won approval from Transport Canada to operate scheduled services to the island country. Under the terms of the agreement between Canada and Cuba, two air carriers from each country may provide scheduled services. Air Transat is Canada's other designated carrier; Cubana is currently the only designated Cuban air carrier.
CRACKING DOWN Iran for years has been able to keep a relatively large number of its F-14s flying, even though the U.S. stopped delivering parts once the shah of Iran was ousted in 1979. The country appears to have had help from U.S. and British firms in maintaining the 27-year-old aircraft. The U.S. military's Defense Criminal Investigative Service earlier this month executed search warrants on 18 U.S. companies as part of an investigation into Arms Export Control Act violations.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO. HAS SIGNED a three-year contract extension with All Nippon Airways to provide pilot training at the airline's International Flight Training Academy in Bakersfield, Calif. Raytheon will provide maintenance, inspection and repair of the academy's fleet of 19 Beechcraft Bonanzas and eight twin-engine Barons. The airplanes fly about 10,500 hr. annually and, since the program began in 1992, have accumulated 123,500 hr. and 290,000 landings with zero accidents due to maintenance.
FedEx and UPS will be able to set up frequent cargo service between Hong Kong and their respective hubs in the Philippines and Europe under fifth-freedom frequencies allocated tentatively to six airlines by the U.S. Transportation Dept.
USAF Brig. Gen. Robert Smolen's concern about overly broad definitions of "weapons of mass destruction" (AW&ST June 30, p. 23) is appropriate, but a bit late. U.S. law contains explicit and amazingly broad definitions of WMD. For example, any weapon qualifies that has more than 0.25 oz. of explosive as does any rocket with more than 4 oz. of propellant. So, almost any explosive weapon is a WMD. This is a legal peculiarity with practical significance; numerous indictments and convictions have been obtained.
Reporting a $227-million second-quarter net profit based entirely on one-time gains, Northwest Airlines will continue to press its unions and suppliers to reduce costs. Northwest recorded $209 million in federal security fee reimbursements and $199 million in proceeds from the sale of its stake in the Worldspan computer reservations system during the quarter, offset only slightly by $21 million in aircraft writedowns. Without these revenues, the carrier's net loss would have been $160 million, compared with $93 million a year earlier.
Alitalia managers are attempting to transform a proposed code-share agreement with Meridiana into a merger that would reinforce the flag carrier's position in the Italian domestic market and further dilute the government's holding in the airline.
The Single European Sky initiative intended to provide carriers with a unified airspace over Europe by the end of next year may miss its deadline following renewed squabbling in the European Parliament over proposed changes to military airspace requirements. Several nations, led by France, are hostile to the idea of allowing their no-fly zones to be shared with civil aircraft.
Industry is preparing to offer the Navy its ideas for a high-speed, turbine-powered missile that could bridge the gap between current-generation cruise missiles and next-generation ramjet-powered weapons that are still several years from realization.
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TEST SUPPORT The Pentagon has awarded Fort Worth- based EFW Inc. a contract to operate the Hermes 450 tactical unmanned aircraft in support of the Joint UAV Test and Evaluation program at NAS Fallon, Nev. EFW is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Elbit and for this contract is acting as a conduit for Israel's UAV. The flight services will be performed by EFW and Silver Arrow, another Elbit subsidiary.
HEADS UP Preliminary flight testing of the JAS 39 Gripen's integrated helmet should start next year, says Mats Thorbiornson, experimental test pilot for Saab. After several years of assessing various models and encountering weight and balance problems with some, developers have opted to equip Gripen with a derivative of the Eurofighter Typhoon's Strike helmet. The Gripen version, known as Cobra, is being developed by BAE Systems, Saab Aerospace and South Africa's Cumulus, the provider of the system that tracks head movements.
In an attempt to catapult themselves into a competitive position in the Pentagon's contest to design and build what could amount to hundreds of unmanned combat aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Air Force, Northrop Grumman has teamed with Lockheed Martin to re-create the team that won the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. "JSF set the tone for this," agreed Scott Winship, Northrop Grumman's joint unmanned combat air system (J-UCAS) program manager.
Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa has become superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He was deputy director for current operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 18 Recapitalization plan could bring new outlook for Piper 19 Washington summit to target global observing system 19 Contract awarded for un- manned combat rotorcraft 19 Midwest Airlines avoids bankruptcy protection filing WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 22 Asian carriers using deals, appeals to lure passengers 23 SARS blamed as Boeing to double intended layoffs 24 Pentagon's boost-phase- intercept plans questioned
LOW TOLERANCE FOR UNRULY Japan's parliament has amended the nation's aviation law to strengthen penalties against unruly passengers. In many cases, the new law is catching up with procedures common elsewhere. Passengers are subject to punishment for sexually harassing cabin attendants, moving life vests or other equipment without permission, using electronic devices on takeoff or landing, smoking in the lavatory, not wearing seatbelts and reclining seatbacks during takeoff and landings, leaving luggage in aisles and fiddling with the emergency exit doors.
Arturo Barahona has been promoted to chief executive from deputy chief executive of Aeromexico. He succeeds Alfonso Pasquel, who has resigned as chairman/chief executive but will remain as an adviser. Luis Gutierrez Ruvalcaba, who is chairman of Aeromexico and Mexicana parent Grupo Cintra, will become chairman of Aeromexico on Aug. 1.
Atlantic Coast Airlines is likely seeking ways to develop alternative business now that it is confronted with a double threat to survival as a United Express carrier. ACA faces a possible breakdown of contract renegotiations with United Airlines and heightened competition arising from United's memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Trans States Airlines to operate services from ACA's Washington Dulles International airport hub.
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The American Physical Society's critique of boost-phase-intercept (BPI) missile defense offers various scenarios, each highlighting how elements such as ICBM and interceptor performance or basing can alter the success of an attempted engagement.
The manufacturer of the Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display on the Eurocopter EC130 B4 was identified incorrectly (AW&ST June 30, p. 48). The VEMD is made by Thales.
Warren Qualley has become director of aviation services development for Weathernews Americas Inc. of San Francisco. He was manager of weather services for American Airlines.
As part of a counterterrorism strategy in Jammu and Kashmir, India has started blocking infiltration routes used by militants, reviewing troop deployment along the Line of Control and installing an electronic warfare system to cut communications among terrorists across the border. The defense ministry has shortlisted Thales of France and Elta of Israel to establish an EW network to cover the troubled area to counter the advanced communications that Pakistani-based terrorist groups reportedly are using.
Northrop Grumman is working aggressively to expand its capabilities in sensors for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with several teaming arrangements aimed at enhancing the company's capability to capture new projects such as the U.S. Navy's multimission maritime aircraft and broad-area maritime surveillance programs. Among the latest are agreements with Israel Aircraft Industries' Tamam division, for small and mid-sized UAV payloads; and U.S.-based Sonoma Design, for long-range sensors on manned aircraft.
