The Greek Defense ministry has given LMATTS, the 50/50 joint venture of Alenia Aeronautica/Finmeccanica and Lockheed Martin, a contract worth 297 million euros ($312 million) to deliver 12 C-27J Spartans tactical transport aircraft. The award includes ground support equipment, initial spares and a training program. The C-27J fulfills the Medium-Range Tactical Aircraft requirement and has been chosen over the EADS C-295.
I have just read your article "FAA Breakthrough: Onboard Inerting" (AW&ST Jan. 6, p. 37). Has the FAA made a meal of solving this problem, or what. This federal organization will have taken twice as long to develop an inert fuel tank as two bicycle makers took to develop the world's first successful airplane. Ozzie Parfitt Dursley, England
In line with William B. Scott's excellent article suggesting the need for a national aerial firefighting corps (AW&ST Dec. 16, 2002, p. 60), the dismal state of airborne infrared firemapping in the U.S. should be pointed out as well.
A small U.S. Joint Forces Command team is setting up shop this month at U.S. Forces Korea headquarters to develop an Operational Net Assessment system designed to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of North Korea in political, economic, social, infrastructure and information areas as well as in the military. Operational Net Assessment (ONA) is one of five initiatives in joint operations and network-centric warfare to emerge from the $250-million, three-week-long Millennium Challenge 2002 exercise last year.
Richard A. Meserve, who has been chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has been named president of the Washington-based Carnegie Institution. He succeeds Maxine Frank Singer, who has retired.
Angelo Pusateri has been named to the board of directors of the Los Angeles-based Mercury Air Group. He is president of Virgin Aviation Services Ltd. and president for cargo in the Americas, for Virgin Atlantic Airways.
In an unusual move, the U.S. Navy has decided to forego competition and award Raytheon a contract to develop the service's future ship-launched, long-range air defense missile.
As a broadening of a four-decade-old industrial cooperation, Italy's Finmeccanica and Boeing said last week they are working on a number of joint programs in aircraft manufacturing and conversion as well as missile defense. The "content" of their memoranda of understanding (MOU) is expected to be developed over the next several months.
Mordechai (Moti) Boness, who has been corporate vice president/general manager of Israel Aircraft Industries' Commercial Aircraft Group, has been appointed president of New York-based Israel Aircraft Industries International. He has been succeeded by Gadi Cohen, who was manager of the group's manufacturing plant. Boness succeeds David Onn, who will retire and return to Israel.
A blue-ribbon panel investigating operations at French space agency CNES has recommended the agency "use all the means at its disposal" to promote the creation of a single European satellite supplier combining Alcatel Space, Astrium and perhaps Alenia Spazio, and to prevent the takeover of telecom satellite operator Eutelsat by non-European buyers, particularly from the U.S. (AW&ST Nov. 25, 2002, p. 26).
Pentagon tech honcho Ronald Sega says a stealthy, long-endurance unmanned aircraft will evolve from the unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) program over a period of years. The first UCAV won't be operational until about 2008, but at least one contractor says he will have a prototype aircraft flying by 2004. The Air Force has a long-standing requirement for such an aircraft and is pursuing black programs. In the unclassified realm, Thomas Cassidy, CEO of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, plans to demonstrate a penetrating, long-endurance design in less than two years.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP Eurocopter move could mean end for Texas facility Eyes Missouri site for aircraft completion, product support center 22 First USAF Delta IV EELV delivered to Vandenberg Will be initial large vehicle to lift off from Space Launch Complex 6 23 Boeing, Finmeccanica working on new joint ventures For aircraft manufacturing and conversion as well as missile defense 23 WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS Japan preps for its first milsat launch
Parametric Technology Corp., maker of design and business software, has delayed filing its annual 10-K statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission, saying it needs more time to analyze revenues from service contracts. The current estimate is that $33 million of previously reported revenue should actually be recognized in 2003 and beyond, and the company expects to revise its 2000, 2001 and 2002 statements.
Ake Svensson, who has been head of Saab Aerospace, Linkoping, Sweden, has been named president/chief executive of the Saab Group of Stockholm, effective July14. He will succeed Bengt Halse, who will remain as chairman of Saab's Strategic Advisory Board. Irene Svensson has been appointed group information director. She was information manager of Saab Ericsson Space.
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Magellan Aerospace Corp. has received engine assembly contracts valued at up to $26.1 million. One of the contracts is for high-pressure cylinder assemblies for the AGT1500 engine for the U.S. Army's M1 Abrams Tank. The second contract calls for inner combustion liners for the F110 engine for USAF F-16 aircraft at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. Work under both contracts will be performed over the next five years at Magellan's Middleton, Mass., facility.
The first U.S. Air Force Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle has been delivered by Boeing to Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The Delta IV, which is set to launch a National Reconnaissance Office mission in late 2003 or early 2004, will be the first large vehicle to lift off from SLC-6 since it was built for heavy booster operations nearly 40 years ago. Only small Athena vehicles have used the site.
Thailand plans to turn a popular resort destination on the country's isthmus into an international hub with a 30-billion baht ($750-million) upgrade as part of a broader plan to turn three regional airports into gateways.
The Titan Corp. has won a contract worth up to $54.8 million through December 2006 to support information technology services program needs for the Airborne Warning and Control System program office of the USAF Electronic Systems Center.
Paris police have determined that a baggage handler recently arrested at Paris CDG airport, for allegedly stashing arms in his car's trunk, was framed (AW&ST Jan. 6, p. 36). The incident nevertheless indicated the need to further tighten the airport's security measures.
Delta CEO Leo Mullin thinks the airlines' $4.2-billion package of security-cost relief has better prospects in Congress this spring than their bid for $4.6 billion in air-travel tax cuts (AW&ST Dec. 16, 2002, p. 21). "I can't handicap the specifics," Mullin said, "but I do think that anything related to security has a better chance, perhaps, than the others." Mullin sees "general acceptance" in Congress that security is a national responsibility.
Arthur Torwirt has become vice president of the Products Div. of the Denver-based Air Methods Corp. He has been a manager of engineering, program management and marketing projects. Torwirt succeeds Michael G. Prieto, who is now president/CEO of the Simplex Co.
In the current regulatory and investment climate--cautious, skittish, punitive--it's easy to understand why large publicly traded companies would opt to err on the side of caution when it comes to accounting-related matters. Such was the case with Raytheon Co. last Monday, when management decided to reveal that the corporation is under informal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
