France's Ceramic Coating Center, a joint subsidiary of Snecma Services and MTU Aero Engines, has become exclusive supplier of CF6 high-pressure turbine blades for General Electric.
Inside North America, call Edith Roman Associates, Inc. at: (800) 223-2194; Fax (845) 620-9035. Outside North America call The Prospect Shop at: 020 8481 8730; Fax: 020 8783 1940
Jeppesen International Trip Planning is offering a variety of security services. Under a new contract with Air Security International, Jeppesen customers can obtain ASI's pre-trip intelligence reports, and arrange for executive transportation and protection, as well as mobile phone capability.
The Pentagon has awarded the National Forge Co. of Irvine, Pa., a contract to build casings for 790 BLU-109/B bunker buster bombs. Production of the casings for the 2,000-lb.-class weapon should be completed this year and would help the military replenish its inventory of penetrator munitions, depleted during combat operations in Afghanistan.
Andy Nativi (Genoa. Italy), Douglas Barrie (London)
Italian politicians this week will likely begin to debate the proposed defense electronics joint venture between Finmecannica and BAE Systems, while at the industrial level the two incipient partners continue to attempt to thrash out a deal over their respective stakes in the proposed company.
The Navigator NV2-2400x is a bolt-in replacement for standard compasses found on glareshields of many production and experimental aircraft. It is filled with silicone fluid to damp movement of the compass card, thus reducing inaccuracies found in usual liquid compasses. Metal bellows compensate for expansion and contraction of the fluid resulting from temperature and altitude changes. It provides a 140-deg. field of view, and is TSO'd to specification C7d. SIRS Product Services, 25422 Trabuco Road #105, Box 436, Lake Forest, Calif. 92630.
The European Space Agency is investigating fallback scenarios for its Rosetta comet-rendezvous mission in the event the grounding of the Ariane 5 booster forces the flight to miss its launch window. Rosetta, initially due to be sent aloft on Jan. 12, must be launched by Jan. 31 if it's to reach its intended target, the comet Wirtanen, on the calculated rendezvous date during the summer of 2012. Project leaders will know on Jan. 14 whether this will be possible.
The Defense Dept. is preparing to develop a new air-launched decoy to spoof enemy air defenses after concluding the final element of a multi-year demonstration that included supersonic flight. The Air Force last year terminated the core Northrop Grumman decoy advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD), but allowed the evaluation of the supersonic interceptor derivative to be completed. The decoy program was cut short to focus on a more capable, multi-mission system, which will also be much more expensive.
Brazil's new government has postponed a decision on the acquisition of new combat aircraft, to give priority to social needs. Defense minister Jose Viegas said the $750-million purchase, involving a dozen or more aircraft, will be postponed at least one year, and that other alternatives, including lease or purchase of second-hand aircraft, may also be considered. Observers consider the delay a boost to U.S.
Phantom Works, Boeing's advanced research and development unit, has demonstrated that pictures of targets and updated threat locations can be transferred within seconds from a 737 command and control (C2) testbed to an F-15E1 advanced technology demonstrator. The test was conducted as part of the Weapon System Open Architecture program that began in 1999. The goal is to quickly exchange data between strike and C2 aircraft to speed the attack of time-critical targets.
Jagson Airlines, which has operated charter flights for 10 years, is to become India's third independent domestic carrier. Chairman Jagdish Gupta says Jagson is a "supplemental" carrier trying to develop alternative tourism destinations and isn't a competitor to independents Jet Airways and Air Sahara. Jagson has been offering regional charter services in North India but intends to strengthen its niche by pursuing what it sees as underutilized feeder routes in West India (Rajkot), and central and East India (Raipur and Nagpur). Jagson flies three Dornier 328s.
Gen. James L. Jones steps down this week as Marine Corps commandant and heads to Europe to take over as supreme allied commander. He says infantry units are well prepared for urban combat, if it comes to that in Iraq. But he acknowledges that such fighting is "very stressful, very dangerous and very hard." It's important to plan, think and train for it. And that's exactly what the Marines have been doing since his predecessor, Gen. Charles C. Krulak, started to focus on it.
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Sean O'Keefe gets a chance to put his full imprimatur on NASA next month when the first budget drafted completely under his supervision goes to Capitol Hill. O'Keefe had only been administrator for a month when the Fiscal 2003 budget was submitted a year ago, and most of the work had already been done. But the Fiscal 2004 document will flesh out the approach he has taken since.
The Army is quickly fielding helicopter upgrades for use in a looming military confrontation with Iraq, but there are clear signs that long-term winners in the service's perennial budget battles are the Army's special operations forces and unmanned aircraft.
Hawaiian Airlines started nonstop service between Honolulu and Las Vegas last week with Boeing 767-300ER equipment. Between June 13 and Aug. 31, the carrier will operate daily flights between the city pairs, while the rest of the year will be serviced with three-day weekly flights. Previously, the flights were operated with stops in Ontario, California.
The company says this is the first aircraft cabin floor mat preheater. Utilized as a self-regulating heating element that can be laminated between two layers of silicon into a floor mat, the design gives two floor mats the ability to produce 600 watts of heat--enough to raise the temperature of a small plane 40 deg. above outside temperature. Tests conducted utilizing 110V power showed that the self-regulating heating element was able to produce sufficient heat while not offering a fire potential if maps or other combustible materials were left on the cabin floor.
A wireless hand-held remote load positioning control system was approved by NASA for use with the Hydra Set Precision Load Positioner. The system provides a remote means for controlling the mating or demating of loads up to 250 tons. The Hydra Set Load Positioner, placed between the load and the crane or hoist, can now be remotely operated to position critical loads to within 0.001 in. The hand-held control permits wireless operation with instant data feedback of load weight, linear travel, rate of travel, weight deviation, battery status and other conditions.
German state authorities are putting together proposals aimed at bolstering security at the country's hundreds of general aviation airfields, following the hijacking of a single-engine aircraft near Frankfurt.
L-3 Communications Space & Navigation Div. will retrofit electronics assembly for the Space Shuttle's solid rocket booster. Initially worth $22 million, the contract includes follow-on awards that could increase its value up to $27 million.
Boeing delivered 381 commercial aircraft--one more than forecast--in 2002, including 86 in the fourth quarter. The company's updated 737 family led the list with 223 deliveries, including two under operating lease, three for military C-40 transports and one for the Royal Australian Air Force's Wedgetail airborne early warning and control system contract. There were 20 717s, 27 747-400s, 29 757s, 35 767s and 47 777s. Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems military programs delivered 98 aircraft, with F/A-18E/Fs accounting for 40 of them.
UK aerospace engineering specialist Cobham plc last week announced three acquisitions: BAE Systems LPC business unit which specializes in communications for land platforms, the applied composites division of Saab, and Drager Aerospace. The last is subject to regulatory approval.
The Air Transport Assn. elected James C. May to succeed Carol B. Hallett as president and CEO. May takes over leadership of the association on Feb. 3, when Hallett retires. He comes to ATA from the National Assn. of Broadcasters, where he was executive vice president since 1988. Previously, he held other senior executive positions in public affairs and government relations at major corporations.
Performing well during the next couple of months of testing could do more than just save the V-22, it could speed the fielding of the special operations CV-22. "If we find that the airframes are what we wanted and they're going to be viable, then the question will be is there some way that we can begin to accelerate use of those aircraft," said a senior Pentagon official.
