Jan Narlinge will become president/ CEO of Netherlands-based Fokker Space upon its acquisition by Saab Ericsson Space. He has been managing director of Saab-BAE Systems Gripen.
Eternally tangled in partisan carping, missile defense has entered a new political and technological chapter that its advocates proclaim is long overdue, and opponents protest is irresponsibly premature.
The FAA turned down a request from the Air Transport Assn. and Regional Airline Assn. that the agency defer enforcement of its interpretation of 1985 pilot flight time and rest rules. The carriers want pilots to be able to begin a flight even if ground holds before takeoff would prevent them from completing the flight in time to satisfy the requirement for 8 hr. of rest in any 24-hr. period that includes flight time.
THE GLOBAL IMPLEMENTATION OF AERONAUTICAL data link--a crucial step in the shift from ATC to ATM (air traffic management)--will be the subject of a third international conference, to be held at the London-based Institution of Electrical Engineers Sept. 18-19. ATN2001 will focus on results of Preliminary Eurocontrol Test of Air/Ground Data Link, Phase II (Petal-II) (AW&ST Apr. 30, p. 68), and the necessary next steps in Europe and the U.S.
Kennedy Space Center security forces increased the surveillance and overall level of anti-terrorist protection around the space shuttle launch pads this week prior to the liftoff of Atlantis July 12. The impact on security by NASA's tight budgets and more specific issues involving the scheduled shuttle launch of an Israeli astronaut next year are also under discussion here.
The $18-billion increase in defense spending provided in the Fiscal 2002 budget amendment isn't enough to satisfy the services' appetites (see p. 27). The so-called plus-up list for unfunded military requirements that members of Congress now routinely request adds up to $32.4 billion. The largest request comes from the Navy, which has identified $12.4 billion in additional shortfalls. The Army figure is $9.5 billion; the Air Force's is $9.1 billion, and the Marine Corps could use another $1.4 billion.
Several billion dollars in new costs are emerging that are making it less likely the U.S. Air Force will be able to deliver the F-22 stealth fighter within congressionally imposed production cost limits. But service officials aren't ready to admit defeat yet, even as they try to get Congress to remove a similar limit for the on-going development program.
Senior U.S. Air Force officials bemoan the U.S. Navy's decision to defer, for several years at least, purchasing the Raytheon-built T-6 Joint Primary Aircraft Training System. ``We are not happy that our brothers did this to us,'' Air Force Secretary James Roche told senators. The impact for the Air Force will be higher aircraft costs. While USAF officials don't specify how big the increase will be, service chief Gen.
The executive committee of the Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) has sent a tentative agreement reached with American Airlines June 30 to union members for a vote. Balloting is scheduled to be completed early in September, said John Ward, APFA president. Under terms of the agreement, attendants receive a cumulative wage increase of 25.7% over six years, an 8% lump sum payment retroactive to 1998, guaranteed participation in the airline's profit-sharing plan, improved crew rest and reserve system scheduling, and full retirement benefits at age 60.
Lockheed Martin's series of successful Patriot PAC-3 hit-to-kill intercept successes has come to an end. In the ninth development test, the air-defense system intercepted an F-4 target drone, but failed to hit the incoming Hera ballistic missile in the July 9 test at the Army's White Sands Missile Range, N.M. It ended a streak in which PAC-3 was able to destroy each target it faced.
A Tokyo district court judge has sentenced former Fuji Heavy Industries Chairman Isamu Kawai, 78, to an 18-month prison term and former Managing Director Yasuyuki Kogure, 66, to 14 months for passing a $40,000 bribe in 1996 to former Deputy Defense Minister Yojiro Nakajima. Both are currently at liberty and expected to appeal. They were attempting to influence subcontracting for the ShinMaywa US-2 rescue amphibian program (AW&ST Dec. 7, 1998, p. 84). Nakajima, a former member of parliament, was earlier sentenced to a 30-month prison term and $100,000 fine.
Sagem has begun marketing a high-speed turbojet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle and upgraded version of its Sperwer piston-driven UAV to meet future deep-penetration and long-endurance reconnaissance requirements.
The Planetary Society plans to launch its ``Cosmos 1'' solar sail spacecraft this week, and test inflatable sail deployment during a suborbital flight. Cosmos 1 was to launch on Apr. 26 but was damaged on Apr. 9 during prelaunch checkout (AW&ST Apr. 16, p. 25). Engineers at the Russian Babakin Space and Research Center have repaired the spacecraft, and the Russian Navy, which is conducting the launch, recently fixed the date at July 19. The Planetary Society is managing the project, and Babakin is the prime contractor and will control the mission.
Military leaders say they need sizable and successive budget boosts to capitalize on the latest $18.4-billion defense add-on, but members of Congress warn that a lethargic economy and a diminished federal surplus cast a long shadow over future increases.
Japan's air force has concluded that the cause of an unintentional firing of a Vulcan 20-mm. cannon on an F-4EJ fighter can be traced to unused wiring harnesses for cannons that have been removed from the aircraft (AW&ST July 9, p. 17). Air force officials reported that when Mitsubishi built the former McDonnell Douglas fighters under license they were equipped with cannon in their nose and on each wing. Japanese specifications called for only the nose cannon, but it was less costly to leave wiring for the wing cannons in place than to remove it.
The mill integrating TWA into American Airlines grinds slowly but relentlessly. Its passengers began arriving at and departing from American's gates last week at Las Vegas, Nashville and Pittsburgh on July 9, and at Nashville and Pittsburgh their checked bags turned up in American's claim area. Ticket counters in the terminals were moved next to each other.
Srinivasan Rangarajan has been named senior vice president-broadcast networks implementation for the Washington-based WorldSpace Corp. He was director of a number of divisions of the Indian Space Research Organization.
Alitalia looks set to break out of its recent isolation after preliminary agreements with Delta Air Lines and Air France, which are likely to see the Italian carrier become a full-fledged member of the SkyTeam alliance. The initiative ultimately could lead to Air France and Alitalia exchanging equity stakes. And the two European carriers also did not exclude the possibility of a merger in the long term. An Alitalia/Air France alliance is expected to face tough regulatory scrutiny by the European Commission (EC), however.
ExpressJet Holdings Inc. is planning an initial public offering of Class A common stock to allow parent company Continental Airlines to recoup a $3-billion investment to buy new regional jets for Continental Express.
Adolf Thiel, who directed development of the Thor ICBM and oversaw TRW's space programs in the 1970s, died June 2 in Los Angeles. He was 86. Thiel helped Werner von Braun design the V-2 rocket and came to the U.S. at the close of World War 2. Thiel worked with the U.S. Army for nine years on design of the Redstone and other missiles and then was director of space projects at TRW when it built the Explorer VI and Pioneer V spacecraft.
A lawsuit charging Boeing Co., Parker Hannifin Corp., Honeywell International and others with supplying a ``defective'' and ``dangerous'' aircraft has been filed by Singapore Aviation and General Insurance in response to the Dec. 19, 1997, crash of a SilkAir 737 that killed all 104 people on board. SilkAir and SAGI are owned by Singapore Airlines. A Boeing official said the suits apparently were filed several months ago but came to light because SilkAir is battling charges in a Singapore court that it committed ``willful misconduct'' on the flight.
Philippe Camus has been elected president of the Gifas French aerospace industries association. He is co-CEO of EADS. Camus succeeds Jean-Paul Bechat, chairman/CEO of Snecma. Elected vice presidents were Charles Edelstenne of Dassault Aviation, Francois Lureau of Thales Avionics, Edmond Marchegay of Intertechnique and Yves Bonnet of Snecma.
South Africa has largely completed the ground work for building a high-speed, stealthy unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. The ultimate goal is to create inexpensive products that can reduce the radar signatures of manned aircraft, missiles and other platforms.
William Vantine has been named vice president/general manager of the Houston-based Aerospace and Technology Services Div. of the Ares Corp. He was vice president-business development of Ares Aerospace. Pete Cocolis has become vice president-Washington operations, Ken Smith manager of Huntsville (Ala.) operations and David Bacon manager of Florida operations.
Regional airlines are upgrading initial and recurrent training standards to reduce the chance for human error in the cockpit as seasoned pilots are increasingly replaced by those with lower levels of experience. The steady exodus of pilots from regionals to major carriers is forcing the smaller airlines to lower minimum standards. But whether this practice eventually will lead to lower levels of judgment in the cockpit remains unknown.
