BAE Systems, EADS and Finmeccanica were set to sign a final agreement last week on the merger of their missile businesses into a new group dubbed MBDA, creating the world's second largest missile-maker after Raytheon of the U.S.
The Transportation Dept. has honored five Seattle-based air traffic controllers for performing their duties despite a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the city Feb. 28. After evacuating the 108-ft.-high control tower, the controllers established temporary ATC service in a nearby hangar using backup radio equipment. FAA officials said a new tower, built to be resistant to earthquakes, is scheduled to open in 2004.
Stephen Gorman has been promoted to executive vice president-technical operations and flight operations from senior vice president-technical operations, Suzanne Boda to vice president-ground operations in Memphis, Tenn., and Peter Kenney and Michael Miller to vice presidents-law from associate general counsels, all at Northwest Airlines.
Raytheon Co. has been awarded two contracts totaling $60.5 million to provide the Israeli Air Force F-16I New Fighter Aircraft fleet with equipment for the airplanes' electronic warfare suite. The awards were received from Elisra Electronics Systems Ltd., the prime contractor for the F-16I electronic warfare suite.
TRW Aeronautical Systems and Continental Express have signed a 10-year, $80-million contract under which TRW will provide flight hour maintenance and asset management for the airline's fleet of Embraer ERJ-135/145 regional jets. Continental has placed orders for 275 of the twin-engine aircraft.
Lockheed Martin posted earnings of $105 million, or 25 cents a diluted share, compared with $54 million, or 14 cents a share, a year ago. However, net sales for the first quarter declined about 10%. Free cash flow and operating margins exceeded some analysts' expectations, despite revenue shortfalls. ``Cost reductions in key segments are beginning to pay off,'' observed Deutsche Banc Alex Brown analyst Christopher Mecray. Also contributing to LM's strong earnings was the sale of surplus real estate.
Alcatel Space has contracted to build three follow-on satellites for GE Americom, part of a multi-satellite deal announced last summer. Two of the 6-8-kw. units will be used to develop GE's budding European network, development of which had been thought to be in question following the U.S. operator's acquisition last month by SES Astra. The first spacecraft, GE-2E, will be deployed to 24 deg. W. Long. in late 2003, complementing the existing GE-1E at 5 deg. E. Long. It will be equipped with 40 BSS Ku-band tranponders.
Boeing's formal site evaluation team last week was two-thirds of the way through its fast-paced tour of three possible locations for the company's new corporate headquarters. The list of sites evaluated were in part based on the tight deadline the company has imposed on itself for moving and being operational within about four months. Some locations that would take longer to prepare for occupancy had to be removed from the list.
EADS also expects to expand its own R&D activities. Company-wide, Camus said, EADS spent 1.3 billion euros ($1.16 billion) in 2000 and foresees internal R&D reaching 1.8 billion euros in 2001. Finally, the EADS chief said his company should pull ahead of Lockheed Martin this year to become the world's second-largest aerospace company, behind Boeing.
Boeing posted a strong first quarter for the year with net earnings of $762 million on $13.3 billion in revenue, excluding a $475-million nonrecurring earnings tax benefit. Highlights for the quarter included a total company operating margin of 9.2%, and a free cash flow of $850 million.
United Airlines has decided to launch a wholly owned business jet subsidiary this summer, offering corporate clients hassle-free travel via fractional ownership programs, charter flights and corporate shuttle services, according to Aviation Week&Space Technology affiliate Aviation Daily. Initial plans call for the airline to buy 200 business jets by 2006, each seating as many as 14 passengers. United expects to begin flying passengers early next year through a fractional program.
Michael Brown has been named vice president/chief information officer for the Eclipse Aviation Corp., Albuquerque, N.M. He was CIO of Maintenance Warehouse. John Wright has become chief operating officer of Atlantis Systems International, Brampton, Ontario. He was vice president-operations.
Several inquiries are underway in Washington and Peru to try to determine what happened on Apr. 20 when a Peruvian air force A-37 working with a surveillance aircraft manned by Americans under contract to the CIA intercepted a Cessna 182 carrying American missionaries in Peru. The A-37 pilot, believing the aircraft he was tracking was involved in drug running, fired on the float plane, which crash landed in the Amazon River, killing two of the four passengers. The pilot survived.
British Airways Chief Executive Rod Eddington told the Aviation Club of Great Britain last week the U.K. must start ``planning for success instead of managing decline.'' The demand for air travel has nearly tripled in the U.K. since 1975, but Heathrow airport is operating with the same runway capacity as then. He said Heathrow, once the preeminent airport in Europe, has dropped to fourth behind more modern facilities in Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, while Zurich and Munich are closing the gap.
David F. Pierce has become head of cargo marketing and business development for Emirates SkyCargo, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was a regional director of cargo marketing for Boeing.
The Delta IV will launch a Loral-built Brazilian communications spacecraft, ``Estrela do Sol,'' during the second half of 2002. The flight will use the Medium Plus version and be the third mission out of four planned for the Delta IV in 2002. The Boeing EELV currently has 40 launch service contracts.
The five-year-old squabble between Canada and Brazil over alleged illegal subsidies involving the sale of regional jets by Bombardier Aerospace of Canada and Embraer of Brazil may finally be coming to a head. The Brazilian government plans to submit documents to the World Trade Organization (WTO) detailing its current use of Proex--Brazil's export incentive program which has been roundly criticized by Canada for being illegal. The brief is intended to explain to WTO arbiters how Proex is used.
Strong lobbying by business aviation leaders has led to a radical overhaul of new European rules that had threatened to unduly hamper executive aircraft operations and raise costs.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has blasted Qantas Airways for deficient training procedures and other inadequacies in a final report on the Sept. 23, 1999, landing incident in Bangkok. Qantas One, a Boeing 747-438, was substantially damaged after sliding more than 700 ft. off the end of Bangkok International's Runway 21L, but there were no serious injuries to the 410 occupants.
The Swissair Group plans to dispose of its stakes in loss-making French affiliates AOM and Air Liberte, although it pledged to provide funding for another two months to allow time for further restructuring efforts and a search for new investors.
U.S. satellite manufacturers are still suffering from restrictive export licensing rules, according to industry officials. In a panel discussion at the 17th National Space Symposium, Clayton Mowry, executive director of the Satellite Industry Assn., noted that U.S. companies' orders dropped to 45% in 2000, down from a 68% average over the last five years. He pointed out that the State Dept. regulates the export of 21 product categories, but only satellites are proscribed by law to be on that list. Fighter aircraft and nuclear components are covered by regulation, not law.
G. Scott Hubbard, summoned to NASA headquarters in March 2000 to restructure the agency's Mars exploration program in the wake of back-to-back mission failures, is returning to Ames Research Center after sending the first Mars probe under his revised plan safely on its way. With the launch of Mars Odyssey (AW&ST Apr. 16, p. 30), Hubbard will turn over management of the Mars program to Orlando Figueroa, previously deputy chief engineer for systems engineering at headquarters. Figueroa will take over as acting Mars program director on May 6.
Royal Australian Air Force officials hope to gain insight into the utility of unmanned aerial vehicles during Global Hawk's six-week deployment here, but government officials indicate a procurement decision is unlikely in the near future.
