The U.S. Army has identified four potential competitors eligible to bid for the first round of contracts to develop a Common Missile, a program that could lead to a production run of 73,000 missiles. BAE Systems, a Boeing-Northrop Grumman team, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have been cleared as potential participants in the 30-month system definition and risk-reduction phase. The Army also plans to award multiple seeker, warhead and rocket motor technology development contracts.
President Bush, who never visited Houston's Johnson Space Center when he was Texas governor, has ``a passion for space,'' even if his spending policies don't necessarily show it, insists NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. He ran into sharp sniping from the Texas congressional delegation last week when he suggested to the House Science Committee that, based on his careful reading of candidate Bush's promises in the 2000 presidential campaign, there is no public mandate for extra funding to cover cost growth on the International Space Station.
Lufthansa is using novel marketing with a Web site in Italy. It is running mystery stories about a family in Milan on www.giallolufthansa.it, which has a few links to a more normal airline site. Surfers who can solve the mystery at the end of the month may win a free flight. . . . Thales Computers is ruggedizing commercial computer circuit boards by fitting a milled block of heat-conductive material over the components. The new version of the ``Ruggedizer'' has better heat transfer and a shorter manufacturing lead time, as well as less weight. . . .
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld may restructure the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, to boost its clout. The agency might report directly to the secretary, rather than the Pentagon acquisition chief. Or BMDO's boss, Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, might get a fourth star, with the post retaining senior rank. Real clout is money and one official says BMDO's budget will be doubled.
DHL Worldwide Express and its U.S. partner DHL Airways have filed a pleading with the Transportation Dept. to dismiss petitions by UPS and FedEx to revoke DHL's American operating licenses. Noting that the petitions were ``factually and legally groundless,'' the firms said UPS' contention that a decision against DHL parent company Deutsche Post by the European Commission supports its complaint ``is totally misplaced'' (AW&ST Mar. 26, p. 50).
To sequence incoming air traffic, Orthogon GmbH. of Germany (www.orthogon.de) has developed the Osyris computer program. It tries to make the aircraft land at the scheduled time, but also takes into account operational factors such as aircraft capability, runway capacity, weather and current airspace status. It proposes an optimal arrival sequence, which the controller can reject or modify, and can give early notice to pilots so they can reduce speed instead of having to hold.
Carl Best has been named president of DeCrane Aircraft subsidiary Precision Pattern Inc., Wichita, Kan. He was director of finance and succeeds Ed Markel, who has resigned.
A crash landing of an Antonov An-70 four-engine propfan transport on Jan. 27 appears to have been caused by equipment failure, according to unofficial reports. The aircraft, a prototype being used in the test flight program, crashed shortly after takeoff following an engine failure, further delaying the already troubled development program (AW&ST Feb. 5, p. 44).
Northrop Grumman CEO Kent Kresa hopes to move quickly on decisions to fully integrate Litton, as Wall Street tries to gauge what divestitures or other fallout will materialize in the coming months. Litton formally became part of Northrop Grumman last week, in a $5.1-billion deal that included the assumption of $1.3 billion in debt. The conclusion of regulatory reviews now opens the door for company officials to fully discuss how to structure the new organization and draft, in detail, the way forward for the $15-billion company.
Boeing's biggest 767 customer in Asia, All Nippon Airways, has ordered nine 767-300ER transports valued at more than $1 billion at list prices. The airline currently operates a total of 53 767s, including 11 767-200s, 34 767-300s and eight 767-300ERs. ANA took delivery of its first 767 from Boeing in 1983.
To counter the powerful draw from the private sector, the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) set salary raises of 7-33% for federal computer workers that went into effect Jan. 1. But 800 of the FAA's computer specialists missed out on the raise, and the issue is set to go into arbitration in June. The specialists are members of the Professional Airways System Specialists union, which says their salaries are lower than those of other agencies.
Spaceway has awarded Boeing two contracts for Model 702 spacecraft to serve North America on behalf of Hughes Network Systems. First launch is set for late 2002 via Sea Launch.
France hopes to exploit the uproar over President Bush's repudiation of the Kyoto global warming treaty to bolster opposition to the Administration's missile defense plans. French Assembly President Paul Quiles denounced the effort as a military program unworthy of the name, because the technology does not exist either to deploy or operate an effective system. Dismissing it as ``a virtual project,'' he ridiculed the fact that the U.S. has been at work for 40 years on strategic missile defense and has nothing to show for it in the field.
Rockwell Collins will supply avionics systems to Air France through December 2006. The agreement is an extension of an existing partnership between Collins Aviation Services and Air France Industries.
Star Alliance has set the goal of establishing itself as the alliance of choice at London Heathrow, the busiest international airport. Star plans to invest 50 million pounds in airport facilities and service innovations in order to provide its passengers more convenient connections. The Star Alliance carriers hold a combined 24% of the slots at Heathrow. While innovations will focus on getting passengers faster and more conveniently to their connecting flights, the most important goal is likely to remain unachievable in the foreseeable future.
US Airways says it can't survive without merging with United Airlines. But the Arlington, Va.-based major, which lost $269 million in FY 2000, found enough money to raise the compensation levels of its two top executives. US Airways tripled CEO Rakesh Gangwal's pay to more than $12 million last year, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Chairman Stephen Wolf's pay doubled to $11.6 million. The jump in salary was to offset tax obligations on restricted stock, according to the carrier.
Clifford Dickman has been appointed president of Bombardier Aerospace's Business Jet Solutions of Dallas. He was vice president/general manager for business aircraft. Michael McQuay, who was managing director/CEO of Air Pacific Ltd., was named vice president/general manager of Flexjet North America. Dennis Keith, a company founder, was named senior vice president-business development of Business Jet Solutions.
Canada's CAE is joining Team Cormorant in its bid for the Maritime Helicopter Program, the $2.9-billion project to replace the Canadian Navy's aging Sea King helicopters. Team Cormorant partners include Agusta, Westland and EHI, as well as Bell Helicopter Textron of Mirabel, Quebec and Boeing Co.
At the end of World War II, Boeing aerodynamicist George Schairer visited Germany to sift through the jewels of that country's aeronautical research. The result was the B-47 bomber, which brought a unique Boeing twist to the trophy data, and is ranked as one of the seminal designs of the last century.
Boeing and the Sea Launch Co. are studying whether a joint marketing arrangement for the Delta and Zenit launches they now sell separately will help both companies compete with the Atlas and Proton rockets marketed by International Launch Services (ILS), and with Europe's two Arianes, as the overstocked launch industry prepares to absorb commercial versions of the U.S. Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV).
Boeing's plan to shelve the 747X and develop a new Mach 0.95 commercial airliner has generated keen interest among major airlines, which recognize the potential long-term competitive advantage of speed over size. ``We obviously see a use for that airplane,'' said Donald J. Carty, CEO of American Airlines parent AMR Corp., Boeing's largest commercial customer.
The European transport ministers have approved a program to develop the Galileo satellite navigation system. The European Space Agency had already OK'd its portion of the joint 3.25 billion euro ($2.9 billion) development effort, but European Commission approval remained uncertain until the last minute because of dissatisfaction with private sector financing and program management provisions (AW&ST Apr. 2, p. 81). The EC agreed to release 100 million euros immediately, on the understanding that a request for proposals would be issued in short order.
