A flip of a switch (and $1.4 billion) launched S-band commercial radio service in the U.S. last week, ushering in what promoters hope will be an entertainment revolution comparable to the rise of cable television.
Airbus is teaming up with Tenzing Communications, Astrium and Arinc to develop a broadband onboard communications system to compete with Connexion by Boeing.
Parliamentary leaders from seven countries have urged European political and space leaders to reinforce cooperation in space following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. The countries called for closer links between civil and military space programs and quickly launching key dual-use projects like the Galileo satellite navigation system and the Global Monitoring, Environment and Security (GMES) network.
Dassault Aviation has delivered the company's 1,500th Falcon-series business jet. The Falcon 2000 was accepted by an official of Executive Jet Inc. for use in the company's Netjets fractional-ownership program. NetJets has more than 100 Falcons on order. According to Dassault, the worldwide Falcon fleet has flown more than 9 million hr. since 1963 when the first Falcon 20 entered service. The company delivered 70 new business jets last year.
Congress and the President moved so quickly in coming to the financial rescue of U.S. airlines, they left behind some of the people most directly affected--the workers already laid off following the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington with hijacked airliners. Labor groups were hammering home that message last week as carriers continued to cut their workforces. At least 100,000 employees across the U.S. airline industry had been laid off by week's end.
Textron Systems has signed a $20 million contract with Australia's Defense Material Organization to deliver seven terrain commander unattended ground sensor systems. Australian forces will use the systems for night combat and ground-based surveillance.
RECENT ACQUISITIONS HAVE CONVERTED FORMER partners into competitors. In the early 1990s, Litton Industries Advanced Technology Div. (San Jose, Calif.) teamed with Raytheon Electromagnetic Systems (Goleta, Calif.) and Tracor (Austin, Tex.) to offer an advanced self-protection integrated suite (Aspis), which was selected by the Greek air force for its F-16C/Ds (Block 30 and Block 50/52) aircraft. Litton supplied the radar warning receiver, Raytheon provided the (internally-mounted) radar jammer and Tracor supplied the IR-flare dispenser.
As the U.S. prepares to strike at trans-national terrorists based in Afghanistan, it first has to assess and judge a long list of people and organizations that may be involved. The international fight against drugs, religious persecution and terrorism, plus a long-running civil war, has drawn all of Afghanistan's neighbors into supporting one side or the other with money, supplies and occasionally with direct military action.
India's shift toward closer ties with Israel is expected to accelerate in the wake of the attacks on the U.S. The two nations are building extensive military cooperation involving weapons sales, equipment upgrades, technology transfer and joint weapons development programs. In the wake of terrorist attacks in the U.S., Indian defense officials fear the country is vulnerable to cross-border terrorism in the Jammu and Kashmir provinces, where about 10,000 people have been killed since 1989.
Don't expect massive bombing attacks on Afghanistan, say U.S. officials. Much of the movement to the region is a show of force. The current plan is for a few air strikes by small packages of aircraft, given the low state of Afghan air defenses. Targets are expected to be the poppy fields that have helped fund Taliban operations. ``The number of militarily significant targets you can count on your fingers and toes,'' a senior Air Force official said. U.S.
A pair of Sino-Russian aviation accords could renew exports of CIS civil aircraft to China, providing a vital lifeline to Russia's beleaguered aerospace industry and further cementing strategic ties between the two countries. Under a broad-ranging cooperation pact signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji on Sept. 6, China will acquire a fleet of medium-range transports from Russian manufacturers--its first purchase of new airliners from its giant northern neighbor in more than a decade.
The Russian government is close to completing formation of a vertically integrated holding company that would bring together all major enterprises dealing with development and production of Sukhoi military aircraft, including the Sukhoi design bureau and production facilities at Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAPO), Novosibirsk (NAPO) and Irkutsk (IAPO). According to sources, a plan to transform Sukhoi, KnAAPO and NAPO into joint stock is already on President Vladimir Putin's desk.
European nations have taken a major step forward in their effort to tie a growing web of national optical and radar satellite systems into a coherent Europe-wide reconnaissance network. Last month, the French and German military commands approved a set of common operational requirements for a system of observation satellites to be used for security and defense purposes. Italy and Spain are expected to do the same. The document is later to be submitted to other European Union members under an ongoing plan to establish a joint defense capability.
Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and SAS are poised to begin offering joint express services as the first step in harmonizing their individual freight networks and merging them into a global brand, called Wow (formerly New Global Cargo). The offerings are intended to give customers a single point of contact and common service/information technology standards and handling procedures (AW&ST Aug. 27, p. 58). The first joint services, to become available on Oct. 1, cover premium express delivery of packages up to 100 kg.
By BRUCE A. SMITHEDWARD H. PHILLIPSFRANCES FIORINO
The next several months will be a critical time for U.S. airlines, which in a period of about two weeks since the terrorist attacks have announced plans to lay off nearly 90,000 employees. The remainder of the year will be especially challenging for those carriers that were already in relatively weak financial positions prior to the Sept. 11 attacks, according to industry officials. Direct federal relief funds that U.S. airlines are to receive will provide them with more time to adjust to radically changed market conditions.
MiG Corp has reportedly signed a $300-million contract with Yemen for an undisclosed number of MiG-29 fighters. The award, which is said to include $100 million in options, follows the unconfirmed sale of eight MiG-29s and two MiG-29UB trainers to Myanmar for $150 million earlier this year.
Air Line Pilots Assn. President Duane Woerth, appearing before the House aviation subcommittee hearing on security, last week called for a complete overhaul of the U.S. air transportation security system and recommended measures that would transform the flight deck into a fortress against intruders.
I have a personal interest in the current discussion about airline security in the U.S. My daughter, Jean Roger, was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 when it crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, rendering her one of the first victims of the many deficiencies of our present system.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command continues to be the focal point for heightened military air protection over the U.S. and Canada, directing fighters sitting alert duty and those flying combat air patrol over both nations. Officials are understandably tight-lipped about the details of these air operations, but public details of the Norad response to terrorist hijacking of commercial air transports on Sept. 11 provide some insight into the command's capability to respond to air attacks (see p. 27).
Iridium Satellite LLC says the aeronautic version of its low-Earth orbit satellite cell phone network can back up flight data recorders on commercial jetliners, allowing investigators to read the same voice and flight data from permanent ground recorders that is now captured by hardened on-board recorders for post-crash analysis. The company, which took over the 66-satellite constellation after the original Iridium venture failed (AW&ST July 23, p.
Lufthansa subsidiary Thomas Cook confirms it is close to completing a deal to buy 100% of troubled Belgian charter airline CityBird, currently under creditor protection, for approximately 10 million euros ($9 million). CityBird has a fleet of five Boeing 737-300/400s, two 767-300ERs, two A300-600s and three MD-11s. However, it plans to end long-haul and noncharter services and to rationalize its fleet around the 737.
Industry-wide efforts are underway in Europe to cushion the economic impact of the terrorist attacks in the U.S., as the European Commission, national governments and trade groups try to formulate a unified position.
By MICHAEL MECHAMAnthony L. Velocci, Jr., in New York and Michael A. Taverna in Paris contributed to this report.
Airline manufacturers have reacted swiftly to the plunge in demand for air travel by issuing sweeping layoff notices. Aerospace Industries Assn. President and CEO John W. Douglass said losses could reach $5 billion over the next two years with layoffs of as many as 100,000 workers.
