The competition to supply Singapore with a multirole fighter has begun in earnest, with six bidders vying for one of the jewels of planned combat aircraft acquisitions. Singapore initially plans to buy about 20 new aircraft to replace its highly upgraded A-4s. However, a follow-on order might be made to replace the country's F-5s, although that program could also result in another competition, industry officials said.
Some at the Pentagon are encouraged, others dispirited by news that Taiwan will decide by year's end whether or not to buy Lockheed Martin P-3s. Enthusiasts say the purchase would pay for restarting the long-range patrol aircraft's production line. That would make P-3X an attractive option for the Navy's new Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) that is to replace the current P-3C/EP-3E fleet. The latter has proven its effectiveness anew as a surveillance and intelligence-gathering aircraft over land and water (see p. 60).
NASA astronauts hope to leave the Hubble Space Telescope a much more powerful instrument for discovery at the end of their shuttle STS-109 mission to service the orbiting observatory, but there's a downside to on-orbit upgrades. Anne Kinney, director of the astronomy and physics division at NASA headquarters, notes that the Hubble ultimately is limited by the size of its light-gathering mirror, and there is no way to increase it on the existing telescope.
Singapore Airlines has deferred the phaseout of the A340-300s it planned for February so they can be used as interim replacements for its A310s. The airline has nine A340s remaining from an original fleet of 17, the others having been traded in to Boeing as part of a 777 purchase. SIA is evaluating plans to phase out the 13 A310s in its fleet before 2005.
Supervisory board members of Paris-based Eutelsat last week said that the company's initial public offering ``may occur before the end of this year.'' The provider of satellite communications, an international organization transformed in mid-2001 into a limited liability company, plans an offering of 30% of shares.
The Russian government has granted export approval for a podded laser-based infrared countermeasures system that was first designed to protect fighters and now is being promoted for possible civil application.
Global Hawks may resume military operations from their base in the United Arab Emirates and flight testing at Edwards AFB, Calif., this week. The UAV has been grounded after one crashed at the end of a mission over Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force officials are slated to sign off on the accident investigation in the coming days, clearing the way for flying to resume.
Asian strategists are convinced that military modernization post-Sept. 11 will be almost universal in the Pacific Rim, once the world recession is over. That forecast contradicts Western assertions that the war on terrorism is largely an intelligence and law enforcement challenge, not a warrant for a protracted military buildup.
Stephen Henderson has become CEO of Miami-based Avborne Inc. He has been president/CEO of FLS Aerospace Holdings of Copenhagen and was president of BFGoodrich Aerospace.
BAE SYSTEMS HAS RECEIVED a $58-million U.S. Navy contract for the second phase of low-rate initial production of the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) radio frequency countermeasures system. BAE Systems' Information&Electronic Warfare systems unit will provide 14 of the AN/ALQ-214 (V) 2s under the contract. The effort follows a $59-million contract a year ago for six onboard systems and 30 fiber-optic towed decoys. Opeval testing should be completed by July 2002, according to BAE.
Singapore Technologies' Pacific Flight Services and ExecuJet Australia have joined the Flexjet Asia-Pacific charter network of business jets unveiled in December by Bombardier Aerospace. Pacific Flight Services specializes in aircraft charters for private and air ambulance operations. ExecuJet Australia is a unit of the ExecuJet Aviation Group, another charter operation that is sales representative for Bombardier business aircraft in Scandinavia, South Africa and several other African nations.
These indexable and solid carbide thread milling tools are available in tapered and parallel forms, and feature 100% full thread forms on both styles. The tools are offered in DFZ grade for threading ferrous, nonferrous, stainless and aerospace alloys. Parallel threads have spiral flutes with a 20-deg. helix. The tapered form facilitates milling of pipe threads, and both forms are designed to mill threads in one pass. Thread milling diameters for indexable toolholders and inserts range from 0.35-4 in.
Excited about the pent-up demand of 1.3 billion Chinese consumers, Western companies are convinced that the business of contemporary China is business, not military adventurism.
The U.S. Air Force intends to put a high-power microwave weapon on an advanced version of its unmanned strike aircraft by 2012. This reflects a keen new interest by Congress and the Pentagon in the increasingly attractive combination of unmanned aircraft--which means fewer U.S. aircrew casualties in the most dangerous missions--and new weaponry pulled from long-classified programs.
The French government is planning to declassify images received from its Helios I optical imaging spacecraft, and substantially lower their price. According to a top military official, the move is intended to facilitate dissemination of imagery to field units. But it will also increase the amount of Helios imagery handled at the European Union's Torrejon, Spain, processing center, where Helios data have been elbowed aside by much cheaper Ikonos photos.
Negotiators for the machinists' union forged a tentative contract with United Airlines on Feb. 18 within days after 68% of the eligible membership rejected a contract drafted by the Presidential Emergency Board. The five-year pact improves retirement benefits and retroactive pay and allows members to vote on participation in a United economic recovery plan. ``This agreement shows that settlements can be reached without government interference,'' said General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr., of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Timothy J. Puckorius has returned to Dulles, Va.-based Orbimage as senior vice president-worldwide marketing and sales. He was senior vice president-global marketing and sales for the WorldSpace Corp. and had been vice president-international marketing and business development of Orbimage.
One hundred members of the St. Petersburg (Russia) Philharmonic became drunk and disorderly on United Flight 947 on Feb. 18 from Amsterdam to Los Angeles and were eventually ordered off the plane at Washington Dulles International Airport, according to The Washington Post. Musicians were drinking from their own bottles, talking loudly, throwing things and refusing to sit down. The orchestra leader apologized and the next day the subdued musicians were allowed to continue on to Los Angeles. Reuters reported that just 24 hr. earlier, a group from the St.
Michelle Robbins of the Lockheed Martin Corp. has been elected president of Washington-based Women in Aerospace. Other new officers are: Lynn Heninger of ATK/Thiokol Propulsion, vice president-membership; Linda Billings of Spacehab, vice president-programs; organizational consultant Becky Schergens, vice president-communications; Molly Macauley of Resources for the Future, secretary; Jeff Trauberman of Boeing, treasurer; Elvia Thompson of NASA, Web site manager; and Maureen Ryan O'Brien of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, past president.
An international code of conduct aimed at helping curtail the proliferation of ballistic missiles could be formally in place before the end of 2002, marking the culmination of three years of difficult negotiation and compromise. A draft International Code of Conduct (ICOC) Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation was discussed during a two-day meeting in Paris on Feb. 7-8. A critical follow-on meeting during the third quarter of this year, if successful, would pave the way for the ICOC being declared open for signature before year-end.
The discovery of Islamic cells with connections to the Al Qaeda terrorist network in Singapore prompted security questions throughout the island nation. But visitors to the Feb. 26-Mar. 3 Asian Aerospace exhibition are unlikely to notice much different. That's because security has always been a high priority for both on-site events and air show components, according to Jimmy Lau, president of Reed Exhibitions Singapore Ptd Ltd., the show's organizers.
The Balston zero air loss drain conserves compressed air energy by expelling only oil/water condensate from the compressed air system. As condensate collects in the internal sump, a diaphragm is held closed by the system pressure. When the liquid level sensor detects an accumulation of condensate an electromagnet is activated, relieving the pressure above the diaphragm. As the condensate level decreases, system pressure is reintroduced above the diaphragm, closing off the flow of condensate before compressed air can escape.
Aviation executives believe the Asia market will recoup in the second half of 2002, provided the U.S. economy turns up and alleviates Singapore's manufacturing fall-off and Japan's protracted stagnation. U.S. forecasters predict the states will post 2.5% real growth this year if the world recession is over by the end of March. U.S. growth might reach 4.3% in 2003.
Barton A. Drake has been appointed associate vice president of HNTB, Bellevue, Wash. He also will remain director of aviation facilities and architecture.
Ralph Norris has become managing director/CEO of Air New Zealand. He has been a director of Air New Zealand Ltd. and was managing director/CEO of the ASB Bank Ltd.
