Thomas Kilcoyne has been appointed president/CEO of Veritect, Reston, Va., and senior vice president of parent company Veridian. He was CEO of RedCreek Communications.
French independent carrier Air Lib tentatively plans to begin Paris-Algiers operations Dec. 22. The airline intends to serve the politically sensitive destination twice a day in an initiative set to generate much-needed revenues. Air Lib's MD-80s flying to Algeria will rely on voluntary flight and cabin crews. Air France in the last few years repeatedly declined to restart operations to Algiers, reportedly in the absence of sufficiently tight security measures.
The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher has completed a test firing of a modified solid rocket motor under the European Space Agency's ARTA continuing technology improvement and validation program. The tests qualified an increased-load forward booster segment containing an extra 2.2 metric tons of propellant, capable of boosting GTO lift capability by 200 kg. (440 lb.), and a new nozzle designed to shave 10 months off manufacturing time and to cut production costs by 40%. Other objectives were to qualify Wecco of the U.S.
Dassault Aviation is planning to postpone a planned increase in the production rate of its Falcon Jet line, following the terrorist attacks in September, but has no plans to postpone or stretch out the introduction of new models.
The development program has been anything but smooth and engineering changes are still in the works, but U.S. Air Force acquisition officials nevertheless have decided that Raytheon's T-6A Texan II Joint Primary Aircraft Training System is ready for the assembly line.
Lufthansa German Airlines is scheduled to take delivery of its first Airbus A380 in the third quarter of 2007. The German flag carrier's Dec. 6 decision to order 15 of the 555-seat aircraft constitutes a vote of confidence for the mega-transport, particularly after the events of Sept. 11. Within hours of Lufthansa's announcement, the value of EADS shares listed in France, Germany and Spain rose a robust 10% to more than 15 euros, reflecting the importance of the order. EADS owns an 80% stake in Airbus.
The French Thales group has formed Thales Airborne Systems Canada, which will focus its business on the integration of aircraft maritime patrol systems.
New tanker aircraft for the U.S. Air Force came a step closer to reality last week with the inclusion of a lease for 100 Boeing 767s in the Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the $317.6-billion Fiscal 2002 Defense Appropriations Bill. The measure includes $60.9 billion for procurement ($500 million more than requested by the White House), a 10% increase in research and development over Fiscal 2001 and $7-8.3 billion for missile defense.
Just as the end of the Cold War a decade ago triggered the wave of consolidations that ultimately produced Boeing Space&Communications and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., today's emerging global security environment is shaping the U.S. space industry in ways that may send it back to its roots in the early days of guided missiles and reconnaissance satellites.
The AC45LP low-profile aircraft scale is designed for military and commercial aircraft ranging from F-16s to B747s. It is 30 percent lighter than traditional high-capacity scales, can be maneuvered by two men, and can accommodate the nose gear of a widebody aircraft, according to the company. Accuracy is plus/minus 0.1 percent. It includes keypad calibration and set-up, along with on-site altitude/altitude correction.
Boeing Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle managers believe their strong early manifest will provide an immediate chance to demonstrate the reliability and long-term marketability of the Delta IV.
Raytheon Technical Services Co. has been awarded a five-year, $11-million contract to provide follow-on test equipment repair and calibration services for the FAA Logistics Center Depot with support of the National Airspace System.
USAF Col. (ret.) Daniel J. Murawinski has become leader of the Ballistic Missile Defense Div. and general manager of the Arlington, Va., office of the Schafer Corp.
James F. Pitts has become vice president/general manager of the Aerospace Systems Div. of the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems Sector in Baltimore. He was vice president-engineering and manufacturing. Pitts has been succeeded by D. Wayne Snodgrass, who was vice president-Norden Systems, Norwalk, Conn.
An FAA advisory committee has told data link advocates that there will be sufficient spectrum to support ATC voice communications in the U.S. until 2009, contradicting the agency's statement a year ago that voice-frequency bandwidth would run out in 2005. That assessment is good news for the airline industry because it delays the need for a major avionics investment.
Alcatel has filed a claim against Space Systems/Loral for a reported $300 million in damages for termination of a long-term alliance concluded in 1991. The claim, filed in arbitration court, was permitted under a court ruling earlier this year in answer to an Alcatel complaint contesting the termination (AW&ST May 21, p. 45). The Loral move--due to become effective in February--will not affect operational ties between the two companies, neither of which would comment on the matter.
Compression, tight wound, torsion, varied shape and magazine springs all can be formed with the SH-8 CNC coiling machine with torsion attachment. The SH-8 is equipped with four axes (servomotors) to control wire feed, pitch and diameter, as well as the camshaft when combined with the cutting and torsion attachment. The control and setting of all servomotor movements can be performed with a pulse dialer. The pitch tool and coiling point have a resolution of 0.00004 in. (0.001 mm.).
C. Patrick DeWitt has been appointed president of Space Systems/Loral (SSL) and vice president of Loral Space&Communications, Palo Alto, Calif. He succeeds John M. Klineberg, who is retiring but will remain on the board of directors. DeWitt was executive vice president. Paul R. Davis, who was vice president of marketing and sales for SSL's satellite manufacturing business in Asia and Africa, has become president of Loral Asia-Pacific. He succeeds William H.
Two senior managers at the NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., have received Presidential Rank Awards. They are: William E. Berry, the deputy center director, who was named a distinguished executive; and Steven F. Zornetzer, chief of the Office of Information Sciences and Technology, who received the Meritorious Executive Award.
A tentative agreement reached last week between Air Canada and its 3,225-member pilot union is the latest carrier effort to employ worksharing as a means of saving jobs. Worksharing allows workers to share reduced work hours while collecting unemployment benefits to supplement lowered wages.
The second space tourist is likely to be Mark Shuttleworth, 28, a South African Internet tycoon. Shuttleworth signed an agreement last week with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency to secure a seat on a ``taxi'' flight next April to change out Soyuz crew rescue spacecraft on the International Space Station. No financial details were disclosed, but Shuttleworth's agent, Space Adventures of Arlington, Va., lists the cost of a mission at $20 million. He would become the first South African in orbit.
Those trying to keep statistics on the Afghanistan conflict estimate that there is a refueling mission flown for each tactical mission. This means the current air campaign is going to be much more expensive than those waged against Yugoslavia and Iraq where strike and bombing aircraft were based much closer to the battlefield.
In contrast with most major international airlines, Air France expects to make a profit--or achieve financial breakeven--by the end of the 2001-02 fiscal year, according to chairman/CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta. In the first half ending Sept. 30, the French flag carrier's revenues increased a healthy 7.3% to $7.5 billion, but net profit plummeted 34% to $249 million. The deterioration of transatlantic traffic heavily contributed to reduced profits, while the second quarter's final days were dramatically impacted by the shock of Sept. 11.
The U.S. has agreed to lift sanctions imposed in the wake of India's 1998 nuclear tests. This will help Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) develop the Light Combat Aircraft for the Indian air force. U.S. officials said they'll consider India's proposal to acquire a multimission maritime patrol aircraft, the F-404 engines and flight control systems for the LCA, components for HAL's Advanced Jet Trainer and engines for the HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer being developed by the company.
