The story about dropping a bomb, inside a bomb hole, inside a bomb hole for the Saddam Hussein bunker attack is illustrative of doing things the hard way. Back in 1980, rocket-boosted penetrators of fairly good size (5-6-in. diameter, 200 lb., D6AC steel) were being fired against concrete slabs for testing at the Sandia National Laboratories. We could use some of them now. What became of the program? Apparently not much in the last 23 years.
The aerial hunt for Iraqi Scuds has resulted in a number being located and destroyed by U.S. Air Force strike aircraft. One was attacked near the start of the war by Capt. Mary (Ginger) Melfi, an F-15E weapon systems officer (WSO), who has flown almost nightly since the war started with the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Sqdrn. After the war, she is slated to retrain as a C-130 pilot.
The Air Force Research Laboratory will conduct captive-carriage flight tests of a quick-response, microsatellite launch vehicle (MSLV) to determine the feasibility of air-launching a three-stage booster from an F-15E fighter. There are no plans to actually launch an MSLV, but the program will validate the concept in preparation for a future flight demonstration. Four captive-carriage flight tests of a 22-ft.-long, 50-in.-dia. MSLV on an F-15E are scheduled to begin at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards AFB, Calif., late this spring.
DIGGING IN FOR A DOWNTURN SES is counting on a string of new long-term deals, including one with EchoStar concluded a week ago (AW&ST Mar. 31, p. 18), to help offset an income drop stemming in particular from renegotiation of a lease contract with KirchMedia's Premiere World channel last year. Nevertheless, Chairman/CEO Romain Bausch said the new business would not be enough to prevent a revenue decline this year, after a long period of continuous growth, due to the deteriorating economic outlook.
USAF Gen. (ret.) Joseph W. Ralston, who is former commander of the U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander for Europe and NATO, is expected to be named to the board of directors of the Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. He is vice chairman of the Cohen Group.
AMR Corp., parent company of American Airlines, dodged the proverbial bullet last week with a tentative agreement by unionized employees to accept $1.8 billion in permanent, annual contract concessions (see p. 56).
Japan's National Space Development Agency has reported the launch of the country's first two military reconnaissance satellites and a growing belief that it has found a successful configuration for the H-IIA launcher.
The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, 1945-2000 By Steven J. Zaloga Smithsonian Institution 296 pp., Hardcover, $45 Project Orion: The Atomic Spaceship 1957-65 By George Dyson Allen Lane The Penguin Press U.S. publisher: Henry Holt and Co. 345 pp., Hardcover, 12.99 pounds ($26)
Information about the heavy bomber war in Iraq is sparse beyond the fact that all three types--B-52, B-1 and B2--are flying daily. The B-1 (from Oman) and B-2 (from Diego Garcia) overfly Baghdad while the B-52 (from RAF Fairford, England) can fire cruise missiles into the city. Those in the B-1 program say the bomber is dropping JDAM weapons only. "The number is well in excess of 1,000 with a 99.99% release rate," said a B-1 specialist.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 18 Bombardier takes steps to restore financial stability 18 Carlyle, Finmeccanica sub- mitting joint bid for FiatAvio 19 New GPS satellite to under- go accelerated checkout WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 22 Boeing flies economy for 7E7 mid-market program 22 Company not sure what first 7E7 configuration should be 32 Pushed by N. Korea threat, Japan launches recce sats 34 Airbus attempts to wring sav- ings from A400M bidders
Michael A. Taverna (Saint-Cloud), Pierre Sparaco (Bordeaux)
With prospects for defense sales overshadowed by a softening business aircraft market, Dassault Aviation is digging in for tougher times, according to company executives.
HUBBLE EXTENSION Computer Sciences Corp. won a five-year, $43-million extension on its contract to support the Hubble Space Telescope, bringing the company's total time on the contract to 20 years. Under the extension, about 80 experts at three CSC facilities near NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will provide systems engineering, software development and maintenance, data processing and computer systems administration for the space telescope project. The Assns.
PIPER'S 'X'-PLANES The new Piper Aircraft Inc. introduced the Piper 6X and 6XT at the Sun 'n' Fun Fly-In near Lakeland, Fla., last week. Both airplanes are fixed-gear versions of the company's six-seat, retractable-gear Saratoga II. A naturally aspirated 300-hp. Textron Lycoming engine powers the 6X, while the 6XT features a turbocharger system. The 6X and 6XT will be priced at $336,000 and $356,000, respectively. Maximum speed of the 6X is 153 kt.; the 6XT's speed is 165 kt. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in August.
War brings many changes. Taiwan's China Airlines has received approval from China for overflight rights for the duration of conflict in Iraq. The alternate route is via a stop in Bangkok and takes the European-bound flights over China, Russia, Sweden and Germany to the airline's destinations in Frankfurt, Rome, Luxembourg, Manchester and the Netherlands. The earlier route flew over India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.
Mark Edwards has been named managing director/senior vice president for Europe for Orlando, Fla.-based ASIG. He was executive vice president of Skytanking Holding GmbH.
Timothy K. Pistell has been promoted to vice president-finance/chief financial officer from treasurer of the Parker Hannifin Corp. of Cleveland. He succeeds Michael J. Hiemstra, who is scheduled to retire May 1.
Curtiss-Wright's Penny & Giles Aerospace subsidiary has won an $18-million contract from Sikorsky to supply air data system computers for the U.S. Army's Black Hawk helicopter.
TAKING AIM AT COMETS ESA is seeking to interest NASA and other agencies in launching a mission to study NEOs--large near-Earth asteroids and comets that could pose a threat to Earth--and to devise possible ways to protect against them. In studies completed in January, ESA identified six missions it said would be feasible and affordable. One would send a pair of spacecraft to see whether it could deflect an asteroid heading toward Earth.
Despite purchasing combat identification systems under an urgent operational requirement, the recent loss of British personnel as the result of a U.S. A-10 attack on an armored vehicle patrol once again underscores the issue of blue-on-blue casualties.
ORLY SLOT MACHINE Although Brussels-based Virgin Express no longer plans to acquire business units of Air Lib, the bankrupt French independent carrier, it plans to base three Boeing 737s at Paris-Orly airport to operate domestic routes and services to Rome (AW&ST Mar. 24, p. 17). Virgin Express last week was assigned nearly 6,000 takeoff/landings at Orly in the wake of Air Lib's dissolution. British low-cost carrier EasyJet obtained 7,300 slots and is soon expected to begin operating between Paris and domestic points such as Toulouse.
A conceptual military aerospace vehicle illustrates an Air Force Space Command priority--a system capable of inserting critical payloads into orbit on short-notice. Studies in progress now or starting later this year will explore a spectrum of quick-response milspace alternatives ranging from on-demand spacelift to intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying conventional warheads (see p. 66). Model and graphic by Erik Simonsen.
STEADY STREAM CARGO MergeGlobal's 2003 outlook for the world air cargo sector projects continued industry consolidation and a "steady stream of new-entrant freighter airlines." The Arlington, Va.-consultant firm said established carriers, such as Lufthansa Cargo, will pursue deeper horizontal and vertical integration to gain revenue benefits from network scope, scale and quality. New entrants will focus on price leadership, enabled by low-cost air cargo operations that may concentrate on sales to one or few major customers (AW&ST Mar. 31, p. 46).
Russia and Uzbekistan have finally resolved a long-running dispute over marketing and sales of airborne early warning and tanker derivatives of the Ilyushin Il-76. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant the only production line for the aircraft was in Uzbekistan, at the Tashkent aviation plant (TAPO). The two countries recently agreed to market the aircraft exclusively through Russian arms agency Rosoboronexport.
