Europe's new Silex laser-optical intersatellite link has successfully transmitted initial images between the Artemis technology satellite and Spot 4 imaging spacecraft. The Silex terminals, developed by the European Space Agency, French space agency CNES and Astrium, can exchange high-definition imagery at 50 Mbps., with bit error rates in the range of 109-1010. The novel link offers significantly increased communications availability for low-Earth-orbit satellites, constellations and deep-space probes.
Skymark Airlines, one of Japan's discount domestic carriers, has revised its forecast for the fiscal year that ended Oct. 31 from a modest profit of 200 million yen ($1.6 million) to a pretax loss of 890 million yen. Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) already have forecast future losses because of the airline recession that began early this year and the plunge in international traffic that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. Both major carriers are looking to domestic travel as a balm for their international woes.
Bell Helicopter Textron delivered the first UH-1Y helicopter to the U.S. Marine Corps on Dec. 13. First flight is tentatively scheduled for late this month. Bell is converting 100 UH-1N aircraft to the UH-1Y configuration as part of the Marines' H-1 Upgrade Program.
Engineers will find the new 6.0 version of the Fluent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program has improved interactivity with other programs, as well as having more internal features. Fluid flow is calculated at a number of points that form a mesh. Some CFD programs attempt to ease computation by putting constraints on the geometry of the mesh. But this can cause high efforts in devising proper meshes that fit the parts being modeled. Several months can be spent building a complex structured mesh, said Gregory Stuckert, U.S. aerospace business manager for Fluent Inc.
The Transportation Dept. is late delivering safety upgrades deemed necessary by its task force only two months ago, according to the Coalition of Airline Pilots Assn. The union, which represents more than 27,000 pilots, issued a 60-day ``report card'' that says ``little progress'' has been made by the department since Sept. 11 on finalizing scores of recommendations to bolster commercial aircraft security.
It hasn't been the smoothest process, but the Royal Australian Air Force last week formally accepted the C-130J-30 into operational service. The Lockheed Martin transport has undergone two years of testing in Australia. The RAAF has already retired its C-130Es and was relying heavily on its 12 C-130Hs while the J-model was being prepared for operational use.
James J. Didion has been named a member of the board of directors of GenCorp, Sacramento, Calif. He is an independent investor and was chairman of CB Richard Ellis Inc.
Barry O'Dwyer has been named general manager of Omega Optical Inc., Brattleboro, Vt., He was director of sales and engineering for Janos Technology Inc.
Cathay Pacific pilots protested what they called a refusal of the airline's management to discuss the ``urgent need for improved flight safety and security measures.'' The pilots want bullet-proof cockpit doors and door locking mechanisms that are being adopted elsewhere.
In an interim assessment of counter-terrorist operations in Afghanistan, President Bush predicts that the U.S. military of the 21st century will rely increasingly on autonomous weapons, a forecast shared by outside experts. Preventing mass terror will be the responsibility of Presidents far into the future, and precision air power and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are rewriting the rules of combat with every day that passes in the Afghan conflict, Bush said in a speech last week at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.
Bob Watt has become vice president-government and community relations for Seattle-based Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He was president/CEO of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Dean Hoffmann has been appointed vice president-business operations for the Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co. of St. Louis. He was vice president-finance and operations for Systemax.
MD Helicopters has delivered a twin-engine MD Explorer to Mandarin Ltd. in the U.K., for use as a corporate aircraft. A majority of the 83 Explorers in service are operated by emergency medical services; corporations fly 15 of the helicopters. Two Pratt&Whitney Canada 207E turboshaft engines power Mandarin's Explorer. According to the Mesa, Ariz.-based company, its worldwide fleet of Notar-equipped aircraft has accumulated more than 343,000 flight hours.
SMA HAS CREATED NORTH AMERICAN SUBSIDIARY SMA Engines, based in Daytona Beach, Fla. The French company is developing and certifying a 230-hp. piston engine that burns jet fuel instead of aviation gasoline. U.S.-based Maule Air and Cirrus Design Corp. plan to introduce airplanes powered by the SR305-230 engine; SMA intends to establish modification facilities to conduct conversions of the Cessna 182 and other aircraft.
The Bush Administration is turning to a law enforcement and antiterrorism veteran--and a nemesis of the gun-rights community--to develop and run the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
By Benjamin S. Lambeth Rand 276 pp., Softcover, $20,00 Ben Lambeth provides insight into the birthing pains of flex targeting, before it enjoyed its current success chasing the Al Qaeda and Taliban leadership deep into their cave complexes, with a new study of air operations in Kosovo.
The Air Force Special Operation Command's AC-130U gunships, used almost daily in the air war in Afghanistan, are scheduled for a targeting system upgrade. The Air Force wants to replace the All-Light-Level TV subsystem, used to spot targets, with a multispectral, 360-deg. field-of-view sensor to meet more challenging requirements. The goal is to allow AC-130U operators to detect, recognize and identify hostile and friendly forces on the ground in a wide range of environmental conditions. Imagery enhancement is deemed necessary to meet target identification demands.
Alcatel Space has landed a $118-million award from APT Satellite Holdings of Hong Kong to build the APSTAR VB satellite, reinforcing its position in the Chinese satcom industry. The 50-transponder Ku/C-band spacecraft will act as a backup for APSTAR V, to be launched in 2003.
Dashing predictions of a compromise with Russia (see p. 100), President Bush pulled the U.S. out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, signed with the Soviet Union in 1972. The withdrawal takes effect in six months, and reverses the White House effort last summer to devise a new strategic architecture that would have interlinked each nation's offensive and defensive missile forces in a unitary framework (AW&ST July 30, p. 26).
Doug Shaw has been named president of Atlantic Aviation Flight Services, Teterboro, N.J. He was corporate senior vice president at Newark, Del. Randall Wood has become director of operations. He was director of flight standards.
European political leaders are scrambling to save two key strategic program proposals even as they prepare to lead a U.N.-sponsored international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. Prospects for the A400M airlifter, an essential element of Europe's new rapid reaction force, appeared to improve last week following what appeared to be a last-minute breakthrough in Germany, whose still-undecided 73-aircraft commitment is considered the key to the program.
In a second phase of the industry consolidation that began last May, China's policy makers are looking at the performance of local airlines with an eye to weeding out the unprofitable ones. This move is part of a broader strategy of making the nation's enterprises more competitive now that China is a member of the World Trade Organization.
Executives of ailing French carrier Air Lib are scheduled to complete a new rescue plan this week, in a desperate attempt to halt massive losses. President Jacques Chirac stressed that Air Lib plays a critical role operating routes between Paris and France's overseas territories.
THE LATVIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE has contracted with Lockheed Martin to buy a TPS-117 long-range transportable radar system, which will be used to expand the range of Baltnet, a cooperative air surveillance network covering the airspace around Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. Slated for delivery in 2003, the radar will be used by the Latvian air force for air surveillance and air traffic control, and will be linked to a TPS-117 that Estonia purchased in March. The system can be transported in two C-130 aircraft, and can be set up and operating in 30 min.
With the combat experiences of Afghanistan already being evaluated, currently favored projects involving unmanned aircraft, small weapons and precision sensors are proliferating and gaining visibility even though most are still waiting for promised federal funding to appear. Discussions at the UAV USA conference held Dec. 10-11, also reflected new momentum for projects and upgrades of technology deemed successful in the Afghanistan conflict.
