U.S. merchant bank Carlyle Group has expressed an interest in buying the information technology services unit of defense electronics company Thales, in partnership with French IT company Transiciel. France's GFI is also a candidate, as is a third unnamed company, thought to be Quebec-based CGI. Thales is envisioning the sale of the business, which generated 485 million euros ($446 million) in sales last year, as part of an effort to streamline its Information Technology and Services (IT&S) group.
The FAA intends to develop an environmental impact statement (EIS) for two new runways at Washington Dulles International Airport. Unfortunately, one of the two was intended as recently as 18 months ago to be completed in 2004, increasing capacity by 46% in good weather and 54% in bad. The new target is 2007--still ambitious, considering that the EIS is just getting started and meetings to receive public comments haven't been held yet. They are scheduled late in June.
The location of NetJets' operations base was incorrectly identified in the article entitled ``NetJets' Bucks Simulator Trend'' (AW&ST May 27, p. 56). The correct location is the Port Columbus International Airport.
With key technology support from Russia, China is developing a new active radar-guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile that could be fielded in the latter half of this decade. The weapon should significantly improve the Chinese air force's air combat capability. The program, called Project 129 or R129, was previously associated with the purchase or possible license-production of the Russian R-77 (AA-12 Adder) medium-range radar-guided air-to-air missile.
Regional airlines will have more access to digital data link communications in early 2003, when Rockwell Collins intends to bring out a new generation of equipment. The suite will consist of the VHF-4000 VHF transceiver, which can operate with the existing CMU-900 communications management unit or with the new CMU-4000. The system is part of the Collins Pro Line 21 family. Its capabilities include VHF data link (VDL) Mode 2 air/ground communications and the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (Acars) for airline operations.
The heads of the space agencies that are partners in the International Space Station are scheduled to meet in Paris June 3, and late last week NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe was on the list to attend even though he didn't have much new information to give. Still pending at NASA are reports on station science priorities and an independent station cost assessment. Without those in hand, O'Keefe won't really be in a position to negotiate.
Airlines may have to begin modifying their transponders as early as next year to assure continuous transmission of a hijacking code even after cockpit switches and circuit breakers are turned off. The upgrade was requested by the Transportation Dept. to prevent a repeat of the confusion of Sept. 11, when hijackers turned off the transponders. Deprived of aircraft identification and altitude information from the secondary surveillance radar, controllers were forced to revert to primary radar returns, which showed only aircraft locations.
Preliminary design of the GP7200, the 81,500-lb.-thrust powerplant being developed for the Airbus A380 by an industrial team headed by General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, should be frozen by the end of June. If schedules hold, the first full engine should begin testing at Pratt's East Hartford, Conn., facilities in April 2004, clearing the way for initial 747 flying testbed activities aimed at assessing engine operability in September of the same year.
The U.S. Air Force plans to spend $18.5 million to upgrade 94 B-52H and B-52G trainers with Rockwell Collins ARC-210 multimode radios, so they can communicate more easily with Navy ships. DynCorp Technical Services of Fort Worth will install the radios and upgrade them to a Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) capability for satellite communication, which the original ARC-210 in the B-52s did not have. With DAMA, a computer controls network operations for some 200-250 satellite transponder channels and 14,000 satcom users.
AAR Composites has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin for fabrication and subassembly of advanced composite and carbon fiber structures for the Electro-Optical Sensor System on the U.S. Army Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche helicopter. The EOSS is part of the helicopter's target-acquisition and night adverse weather pilotage systems.
Michael Johns has been appointed Melville, N.Y.-based general manager of marketing for North and South America for Swiss International Air Lines. He was vice president of Gentiva Health Services.
Comdev Europe will supply TRW Inc. with the beam select switch subsystem for the first two satellites of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite Project. The three-year contract is valued up to $9.5 million.
BBA/Signature Flight Support will build an FBO facility at Toulon-Hyeres airport, halfway between Nice and Marseilles, to serve the booming demand for business aviation services in the south of France. The facility will open in mid-2003 and is expected to handle 2,500 arrivals a year by the time a new $2-million, 20,000-sq.-ft. hangar and administration building complex is completed in 2-3 years.
Airbus has received certification from the Joint Aviation Authorities for its new cockpit doors that meet newly defined safety and security regulations. The first conversion kits will be available for in-service aircraft this week, while all aircraft from the production line will have the doors fitted starting in August. Airbus expects FAA certification of the modifications in June.
Even when the right people with the right credentials are allowed to go through the right airport doors, the wrong things can happen. That's because friend and foe alike are too often able to slip through supposedly secure portals by ``piggybacking'' or ``tailgating'' through the door behind the credentialed employee. Such a low-tech loophole can outsmart high-tech smart cards designed to boost security by authenticating via biometric signature that the cardholder has access to the secure area. Sept. 11 aside, there's been pressure to solve the problem for years.
Four teams will work on initial designs for an Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft for the U.S. Army. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has picked Boeing, Northrop Grumman and two teams--Lockheed Martin/Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky/Raytheon--to undertake 12-month design efforts, each costing about $3 million. The participants are to develop a system design for an armed reconnaissance and attack mission rotorcraft. A nine-month follow-on phase is being planned with up to two participants to complete preliminary design work on a demonstration system.
Two Raytheon Canada ATC simulators in Europe have just begun formal training operations using Raytheon Canada's new FIRSTplus system. The Belgocontrol ATC simulator in Brussels can accommodate four control tower operators, and has 32 positions that can be used for any mix of radar controllers or pseudo-pilots, depending on the desired level of traffic. Tower controllers have a 3D perspective with a 270-deg. field of view of the airport. Denmark's new ATC simulator also completed site acceptance late last month.
United Airlines has implemented the IBM/Dassault Systemes Catia V5 computer-aided design and manufacturing system for its maintenance operations. Catia will be used to help engine overhaul, part design and interior reconfiguration, create tooling, and make illustrations. One of its first uses was to redesign cockpit doors for greater strength, including the stress analysis and manufacturing instructions--in half the normal time, officials assert.
Brad Patrick has become vice president-human resources for operations of Delta Air Lines. He was managing director of human resources for marketing and international.
Although only in its second year, the European Business Aviation Assn. Convention and Exhibit appears here to stay. The Geneva event had drawn nearly 4,200 professional visitors by the end of the last week. EBACE also welcomed 219 exhibitors--15% more than a year ago--and 35 aircraft versus 31 in 2001. Typical of the reception for the show was this comment from a Lufthansa Techik official, who was present for the second time: ''Attendance could be a little higher, but we'll be back.''
The American Airlines Flight 587 accident investigation to date has not yielded information that ``would warrant grounding of the A300-600 fleet,'' said the FAA in response to a group of A300-600 pilots who had come to believe otherwise following the Nov. 12, 2001, crash. In that accident, the vertical stabilizer, made of composite material, fell from the A300-600 shortly after its departure from New York JFK International Airport. The FAA's Apr. 26 letter addresses the pilots' Mar.
The airline recession, repercussions from the terrorist attacks in the U.S. and poor overseas investments all contributed to a 61% drop in net profits to S$631.7 million (US$341 million) for Singapore Airlines (SIA) for the year that ended Mar. 31. Still, the fiscal 2001-02 results posted last week beat the highest forecasted results by more than 60%. Group revenues were off 5.1% to S$9.95 billion, with the decline attributed to weak passenger and cargo markets--airline-only revenues fell S$426 million while cargo was off S$82 million.
Some industry observers anticipate Northrop Grumman Corp. will increase its proposed purchase price of TRW Inc. to $55-56 a share, although it remained unclear whether TRW would accept that price. Northrop, which was examining non-public TRW data late last week, has offered $53. In a related development, TRW was closing in on the sale of its aeronautics business, which could fetch up to $1.4 billion, according to some industry officials.
EIICHIRO SEKIGAWAMICHAEL MECHAM ( TOKYO SAN FRANCISCO)
The captain of a Japan Airlines MD-11 that experienced severe air turbulence leading to the death of a cabin attendant has been indicted on a charge of ``professional negligence resulting in death.'' Capt. Koichi Takamoto, 52, was indicted by the Nagoya District Prosecutor's Office on May 14 for making manual flight control inputs while the autopilot system was engaged. The incident occurred on June 8, 1997, as JAL Flight 706, was on a too-fast approach to Nagoya International Airport on a flight out of Hong Kong.
Arianespace has reported higher-than-expected losses for 2001, underscoring warnings that the Ariane launch system must be propped up if it is to successfully weather the deepening satellite launch market slump. The European launch company posted a net loss of 193 million euros ($178 million) for 2001, much greater than the 50-million-euro loss predicted earlier this year by Chairman/CEO Jean-Marie Luton (AW&ST Jan. 14, p. 411).
