One of the last surviving elements of the Russian air force's once-grand plans for its future combat aircraft fleet is running into further difficulty--the cause being the perennial problem of inadequate funding. Sukhoi is working to complete development of the Su-27IB, a heavily modified bomber derivative of its Su-27 Flanker fighter aircraft. When the Su-27IB program was conceived in the early 1980s, it was expected to become the mainstay of the air force's tactical-strike capability from around 1995 onward.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a series of recommendations on the dangers of opening emergency exit doors when the aircraft is on the ground and the cabin remains pressurized. The action stems from the NTSB's ongoing investigation of an accident on Nov. 20, 2000, that killed an American Airlines flight attendant/purser at Miami International Airport. Another flight attendant died in October 2001 in Tunisia. Both aircraft involved were Airbus A300s.
The next bomber the Pentagon builds should probably be able to fly supersonic, be smaller than the B-2, and certainly cost less, Aldridge believes. Although there are no near-term plans for a new bomber, Aldridge says when it is conceived it should probably carry 16-20 250-lb.-class Small-Diameter Bombs, not more. The problem with carrying too many bombs is that when a stealthy bomber opens its bays, it is easily detectable by radar, so dispensing hundreds of bombs makes little sense.
Europe's EADS has hired Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., as the chairman and CEO of its North American operation headquartered in Washington, effective Sept. 1. He will report directly to EADS Co-CEOs Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich, who said Crosby's appointment was intended to send ``a strong signal of our commitment to the U.S. market.'' Crosby, who most recently was president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems Sector, will oversee EADS' efforts to expand its business, develop industrial partnerships and strengthen customer relationships in the U.S.
The Adelok is designed to aid in the assembly of clamped components by holding itself closed and in place during installation. The ``self-restraining'' or heel lock technology permits technicians to install several clamps at one time on a single attach point, and allows for single-handed accessibility and clamping in hard-to-reach places. Designed for drop-in and replacement of all loop clamp requirements, the Adelok replaces and is interchangeable with M85052, MS21919 and similar clamp designs.
By NEELAM MATHEWSBy DOUGLAS BARRIE ( NEW DELHI LONDON)
BAE Systems is close to signing off on two key deals for its Hawk jet trainer--one would bring to an end India's epic procurement saga; the other would see a new model of Hawk for the British Royal Air Force. After dragging on for the better part of 18 years, India has effectively concluded negotiations with BAE Systems to purchase 66 Hawk trainers for an estimated $1.5 billion to replace its trainer fleet of Kirans and Iskras. Delivery is to begin within the next three years. One reason for the delay is that BAE sources components from U.S.
Some Wall Street professionals are applauding a recent decision by EDO Corp. management to certify the company's financial results, even though they weren't obligated to do so under a new Securities and Exchange Commission edict that applies only to much larger corporations. (EDO's 2001 revenues were $260 million.) ``Their willingness to voluntarily do this sends a strong positive signal to investors,'' said Stephen Levenson, an analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison, whose stock research is intended mainly for institutional investors.
An engine turbine that overheated and literally melted led to the crash of a 1978 Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama helicopter that was dropping water on a northern Colorado forest fire, according to investigators. The July 30 accident killed Gordon Knight, a pilot for Geo-Seis Helicopters Inc. (AW&ST Aug. 5, p. 49). NTSB officials have yet to determine why the engine failed, but an industry expert said the Lama's Turbomeca Artouste engine has been known to overheat under certain operating conditions, causing the turbine blades to melt.
Designed to guard against electromagnetic interference in electronic products, the company's products include magnetic shielding lab kits, photomultiplier shields, ImageGuard II CRT monitor shields, magnetic field evaluator probes, gaussmeter, Helmholtz coil assemblies, cryogenic and vacuum shields and wall shields. Over the years, high-profile applications for these products include the shields for the Explorer IV satellites that discovered the Van Allen belts and shielded containers for the Apollo Moon missions. Also used on board U.S.
A listing of production overrun optics includes more than 2,500 parts in a variety of sizes, made from sapphire and other materials, which can save users up to 20% over custom fabrication for prototype development. The catalog features more than 1,000 sapphire parts and 1,500 others made from CaF2, fused and crystalline quartz, laser glasses, silicon and germanium. The list includes lenses, mirrors and various substrates ranging from 1/4-2-in. in diameter, and from 0.5-4 mm. thick. Parts usually have 10-5 to 80-50 scratch-dig surface finishes.
The Transportation Security Administration has adopted procedures for enforcing its rules that for the most part simply mimic those of the FAA. A notable exception: because so much of what the TSA deals with, the agency says, is ``sensitive security information,'' public access to enforcement dockets will be limited to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. And in a provision that doesn't have an FAA counterpart, the TSA also will require everyone but accused violators and their representatives to submit FOIA requests for enforcement investigation reports.
WavCut is a set of two different multi-flute end mills, each utilizing a sinusoidal wave on the cutting edges to provide performance when semi-rough machining titanium and other hard materials. WavCut I is a tool for use on older machines with slower spindles and too little horsepower. It is also for jobs where improved productivity is hard to measure. WavCut II can improve productivity and tool life, and is designed to run at higher speeds and feeds.
In an initiative aimed at boosting commercial revenues, Snecma Moteurs is developing the SM146 turbofan, which could enter service in less than three years. Next-generation regional twinjets are targeted as the primary application for the 13,500-17,500-lb.-thrust SM146, according to Jean-Pierre Cojan, Snecma Moteurs' executive vice president for commercial engines. He cited China's ARJ21, developed by Avic 1, and the Russian Regional Jet (RRJ), jointly planned by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, Ilyushin Aviation Complex and Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
A real estate transaction is expected to help troubled Alitalia obtain much-needed cash. The Italian flag carrier plans to sell its corporate headquarters, located at Magliana near Rome's Fiumicino airport, to the Peabody Group for 152 million euros ($151 million) but retain office space through a long-term lease agreement. Alitalia officials are mulling sale of up to 80% of its charter subsidiary Eurofly to Volare, an independent group owned by entrepreneur Gino Zoccai.
An early separation signal from a processor on an Mu-3S2 caused the premature separation of an 11.5-meter (38-ft.) 1/10-scale supersonic transport prototype July 14, causing its destruction at Australia's Woomera test range (AW&ST July 22, p. 48). In a preliminary report, an investigation committee of Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) said it's unclear why the processor failed. But the errant signal was sent almost simultaneously with the Mu-3S2's ignition, prompting a launch pad explosion. Possibilities include software or mechanical failure.
General Electric expects to begin tests this week of the first CF34-10E powerplant, an 18,820-lb.-thrust engine planned for the 90-105-passenger Embraer 190/195 regional jet. The test program kicks off more than a year of trials and evaluations that should result in FAA certification of the powerplant in October 2003, GE officials said. This should be followed by service entry on a Swiss Embraer 195 in December 2004.
Honeywell has teamed with West Star Aviation to develop equipment to enable the Learjet 30 series aircraft to meet the Reduced Vertical Separation Minima mandate, which is scheduled to take effect by November 2004. The order will require jets flying from 29,000-41,000-ft. altitude to have equipment capable of measuring altitude more accurately so air traffic controllers can space aircraft at 1,000-ft. increments rather than the traditional 2,000-ft. spacing without increasing the risk of midair collision.
The ICP9000 radio dispatch console can control up to 12 conventional base radios, and can support multiple dispatcher locations. The unit is available in 4-, 8- or 12-channel configurations and is expandable. The console is field programmable. The operator can choose single or multiple channels over which to transmit and receive audio. The audio is routed to volume-controlled select and unselect speakers on the console.
To improve security and shipper profits in the ocean cargo world, Savi Technology of Sunnyvale, Calif., has formed an alliance with Greybox Logistic Services, one of the main providers of shipping containers. Savi makes a ``SmartSeal'' electronic security system for containers, including air freight containers, that monitors security and can issue an alert through a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on the box. The RFID tag can be monitored at various points in the cargo flow.
A U.S. Air Force Special Operations Forces MC-130H Combat Talon II crashed on Aug. 8 a few miles south of San Juan, Puerto Rico, killing all 10 crew and passengers. It is the eighth aircraft that Air Force special forces have lost this year, driving up the mishap rate to more than 18 Class A incidents per 100,000 flight hours. The MC-130H was flying in poor weather on a training mission from Naval Station Roosevelt Roads to Borinquen Air National Guard Base on the island's west coast.
Delta Air Lines named John Selvaggio, its senior vice president for airport customer service and a former CEO of Midway Airlines, to lead the development of a new low-price product to ``compete more aggressively with low-cost carriers.'' Drawing on Delta's market position in Florida and on the East Coast, its experience with Delta Express and ``the power of our fleet and technology investments,'' Selvaggio will ``begin work immediately on network, operations, marketing and human resource plans for the low-cost product.'' $end US Airways' Air Line Pilots Assn.
Frederick D. Gregory has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be deputy NASA administrator. He was associate administrator for spaceflight and had been a space shuttle commander.
Powerful search engines that find great deals. Unheard of suppliers suddenly appearing. Quick-as-a-click mouse connections that put contractors in touch with their suppliers. Goodbye telephone, fax and snail mail. All were part of the Internet revolution that swept across the aerospace and defense industry in early 2000. So were visions of ``independent'' dot.comers transforming the industry's buying habits by freeing airlines, governments and suppliers from the icy grip of major manufacturers. But the winning strategy doesn't include the Lone Ranger.
The proposed A400M will finally have an engine if Airbus sticks to its plan to make a decision next month. The European airlifter is slated to be powered by four 10,000-13,000-shp. turboprops driving eight-blade composite propellers. The manufacturer is evaluating two rival proposals, and its choice will be ``based on best value for the money, driven by commercial considerations,'' Airbus Chief Executive Noel Forgeard asserted.
