France has deployed three units of surface-air missiles around a nuclear waste processing facility at La Hague, Normandy, as part of a plan to bolster air defenses in the western part of the country. A program to protect civilian populations against biological attack is also being put in place.
Despite the widespread security tensions generated by the war on terrorism, organizers of this year's Dubai air show in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are hoping for a large official turnout. In the days since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, Dubai officials have said they still expect defense missions from as many as 78 countries, the heads of 66 airlines (passenger and cargo) and 50+ civil aviation authorities at the biennial Persian Gulf venue. The show is scheduled for Nov. 4-8.
Maj. Gen. Robert F. Behler has assumed command of the Aerospace Command and Control, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center of the Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va., He was deputy commander, Headquarters Allied North Europe of NATO, Stavanger, Norway. Behler succeeds Maj. Gen. Gerald F. Perryman, Jr., who is now the assistant deputy Air Force chief of staff for communications and information at the Pentagon.
No one knows what new surprises the war against terrorism will bring. So far Al Qaeda and its network of terrorists have stayed ahead of the U.S. and its allies by attacking with truck-borne explosives in Saudi Arabia, a boat-delivered bomb in Yemen, suicide squads on airliners in the U.S. and, possibly, mail-delivered anthrax, say senior officials here. In contrast, the war against the Taliban has gone largely without a hitch so far, as a low-tech, land-bound Taliban army is pummeled by a high-tech, largely airborne force.
Buoyed by a spate of helicopter deals and prospects for major sales of military transports and missiles, EADS officials hope investors and analysts will take a more positive assessment of the company's outlook, despite dim projections for Airbus sales.
Michael Stellwag has become Los Angeles-based manager of e-marketing for the Americas for Singapore Airlines. He was manager of airline partnerships for Orbitz.
Eurockot has received an order to launch two satellites to replenish the Iridium mobile satphone constellation. The launch, scheduled for June 2002 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, is one of four maintenance missions under an option agreement with Iridium. The EADS-Khrunichev venture's Rockot booster was qualified during a demonstration flight last year. The first commercial mission, to orbit a pair of Grace scientific spacecraft developed by German aerospace center DLR and NASA, is set for November.
NASCAR TEAMS THAT OPERATE BUSINESS AIRCRAFT HAVE FORMED the Race Team Aviation Assn. (RTAA) to foster safety and cooperation with FAA facilities and airports used by teams during weekend races. There are more than 200 pilots flying 50 drivers and 55 teams to and from NASCAR events, according to RTAA President Wayne Cook. Team owners Richard Childress and Joe Gibbs said the RTAA could help standardize procedures used by teams and decrease expenses by working with air traffic control to obtain improved handling and routing.
Charlie Higgins has been named head of the Security and Safety Services division of Seattle-based Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He was vice president-safety and airworthiness.
The House defense appropriations subcommittee wants to kill the low-Earth orbit component of the Space-Based Infrared System, SBIRS-Low. The panel wants to take all the $385 million requested and instead fund satellite sensor technology at $250 million this year. The reason? Cost projections for the constellation have more than doubled to $23 billion from $10 billion, software requirements have increased and satellite weight has grown. Without SBIRS-Low, the Pentagon's national missile defense program won't be able to handle more advanced threats, Pentagon officials warn.
Darrell Frey has been appointed general manager of the General Dynamics Aviation Services'center in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was manager of service center operations for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga.
The FAA has cleared VFR flights to begin operating in an additional 12 enhanced Class B zones across the country, adding to the 15 Class Bs that had been opened for visual flights earlier in October.
Italian defense minister Antonio Martino has expressed ``deep doubts'' about the usefulness of Europe's planned A400M airlifter for Italy's force projection requirement, particularly when the country is already committed to purchasing 22 C-130Js. Martino's remarks increased the likelihood that Rome will not be among the countries expected to approve full-scale development of the new aircraft on Nov. 16 (AW&ST Oct. 22, p. 22).
Northwest Airlines Corp., which lost money during a normally prosperous second quarter, reported a $19-million third-quarter net profit on the strength of a $248.5-million rescue grant from the federal government.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and a subsequent chemical plant explosion here cast a pall over the 50th-anniversary International Astronautical Federation congress, keeping many U.S. attendees at home and blanketing the congress site in this picturesque medieval city with tight security.
The Northrop Grumman Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (Laircm), recently selected to outfit Air Mobility Command's C-5s and C-17s to protect against shoulder-fired infrared guided missiles, could find application on international commercial carrier aircraft to protect against terrorist attack (AW&ST Oct. 15, p. 23).
Pilots of an American Airlines MD-82 that crashed and burned after overrunning a rain-slicked runway in Little Rock, Ark., fell victim to a chain of events triggered by poor decision-making, fatigue and weather-induced stress, according to a finding by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Commercial aerospace suppliers already know demand for their products will be sharply reduced for months to come, although companies are still trying to figure out just how severe a downturn they're facing.
With so much attention focused in recent weeks on airlines' survival and the impact their struggle is having on commercial aviation suppliers, it's easy to forget that the weak U.S. economy is playing no small role in eroding some companies' performance.
The campaign against terrorism appears to be providing a much-needed boost for Europe's A400M airlifter. Top executives at EADS, whose Airbus unit would be prime contractor for the aircraft, said recently that a financing deal to cover a budget shortfall in Germany was close to being finalized. A French defense ministry official said a contract is expected to be signed on Nov. 16. The program may be started without Italy, if necessary.
Swiss regional carrier Crossair was struggling late last week to secure SF1 billion ($610 million) in additional funds to be able to proceed with the integration of Swissair's European network by the end of the month.
Itzhak Nissan, general manager of the MBT Div. of Israel Aircraft Industries, has received the Israel Industry Award for 2001. He was recognized for ``management excellence, combined with initiative and an innovative approach to development of new technologies and remarkable marketing capability.''
The 2,270-lb. QuickBird commercial imaging spacecraft built by Ball Aerospace for the DigitalGlobe company of Longmont, Colo., was launched Oct. 18 into a 250-mi. polar orbit from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., on board a Boeing Delta II 7320 version with three solid rocket boosters. The spacecraft is to have the highest resolution for any commercial spacecraft with 2-ft. resolution for black and white pictures and 8 ft. for color pictures.
