Patricia A. Mahoney (see photos) has been appointed vice president-regulatory policy, William E. Vaughan vice president for value-added reseller development, Jan W. Friis, Jr. , director of government affairs and Alan B. Renshaw director of spectrum management for Final Analysis, Lanham, Md. Mahoney was assistant general counsel for regulatory and trade policy for Iridium. Vaughan was executive director for global marketing and distribution at Orbcomm. Friis was chief of staff for several congressmen and Renshaw was manager of regulatory affairs for GE Americom.
The aerospace/defense industry announced or completed mergers and acquisitions valued at nearly $85 billion in 2000, compared with a previous record of $64 billion in the prior year, according to Defense Mergers&Acquisitions newsletter. The purchase of U.S. operations by European companies accounted for four of the top 25 deals.
EADS earned nearly $115 billion in orders last year, equivalent to five years of production. In addition to Airbus transports, the list included 5 billion euros ($4.75 billion) worth of helicopters, 3 billion euros of space hardware, and 1.6 billion euros of missile equipment. Co-CEO Philippe Camus said with the consolidation of Airbus sales into company accounts EADS edged ahead of Lockheed Martin as the second largest aerospace manufacturer, based on current exchange rates. He expects a launch of the A400M airlifter program in midyear.
Despite decades of failed reform, the Bush Pentagon is determined to shorten the time it takes to get new weapons into the field. Introducing weapons swiftly is paramount in a world of high-speed technological change, and the Pentagon's elephantine procurement system creates national security risks of its own, protests Defense Secretary-designate Donald H. Rumsfeld.
Continental Airlines will increase nonstop service to Honolulu by 31% this spring as a result of favorable market conditions. Beginning in early May, the airline will add a second DC-10 flight between the two cities five days per week. In addition, the carrier plans to switch from a 242-seat to a 282-seat DC-10 on its Newark-Honolulu route, bringing the total number of seats for its Honolulu-U.S. mainland market to 7,332 per week.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), which has had a 40-year industrial relationship with Pratt&Whitney, is discussing participation with Rolls-Royce in the development and production of a Tay engine derivative. Rolls-Royce's strongest business ties in Japan have been with Kawasaki and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries. Japanese officials said the meetings indicate that the British company is seeking new sources of development capital to help fund major programs such as an engine to power the Airbus Industrie A380.
The STEL-9941 combines direct digital synthesis (DDS) with microwave mix/divide circuits to accomplish advanced performance specifications including a frequency resolution of 0.7 Hz., switching speed of 150 ns and high- spectral purity. Standard models operate from 1.6-2.8 GHz. Due to its modular design, several performance options are available up to 18 GHz. with limited effect on lead times. Generic modules are attached to a common base plate with blind mate connectors.
Loctite Corp. has introduced a surface insensitive liquid threadlocker, Loctite 2440, formulated to fixture rapidly on inactive or plated substrates and oily surfaces without use of a primer. The medium-strength adhesive is designed to prevent loosening and leakage of threaded fasteners. It is a rapidly curing threadlocker that develops bonds without use of a primer on ``inactive'' surfaces such as stainless steel, zinc and zinc phosphate. Loctite Americas, 1001 Trout Brook Crossing, Rocky Hill, Conn. 06067.
Big changes are underway in military training, made possible by improvements in simulation technology and motivated by a scarcity of funds for training with actual hardware.
PSLC03/PSLC03C are low capacitance TVS devices in the SOT 143 surface-mount package, designed to protect Ethernet data I/O ports against charged cables, ESD and EFT transient threats. The PSLC03 series are unidirectional devices used for common mode protection from line to ground. The PSLC03C series are bidirectional devices used for differential or common mode protection on balanced lines. SPICE parameters are provided on a data sheet for circuit design analysis. Insertion loss is less than -5 dB. at 1.0 GHz. Voltage rates from 3.3-24 volts. ProTek Devices, 2929 S.
Regardless of whether American Airlines' acquisition of TWA triggers further consolidation among major U.S. carriers, there's a growing body of evidence the U.S. sector isn't the model of health that recent record profits would suggest.
Navy Secretary Richard Danzig wants to impress on the service's troubled aviation community a bit of strategic guidance for its long-term modernization before leaving office in only a few days.
Rescue teams found the wreckage of an Indonesian navy turboprop CASA 212 transport that crashed in bad weather Jan. 8 shortly after takeoff from Timika, Indonesia, enroute to Jayapura. As of late last week 10 bodies had been recovered, and teams were searching for other victims. The accident site is at an elevation of 11,800 ft.
The ThermoLogR RTD is a rugged, 1-lb. thermometer for logging up to 1,000 readings, in real time, from -328 to 2,210F with an accuracy of 0.006F. It simultaneously monitors current, minimum and maximum readings. When in memory, the temperature readings can be recalled and displayed on the easy-to-read LCD, transferred to an available infrared printer to a PC. Barnant Co., 28W092 Commercial Ave., Barrington, Ill. 60010.
France's Aero Services Executive has ordered a 29-seat Airbus Corporate Jetliner powered by International Aero Engines V2527M-A5 turbofans. The twinjet is scheduled to be delivered in mid-2001.
In the past decade, the world rotorcraft market has been hit by the downturn in military spending. The military side makes up the overwhelming majority of this market, and like other military segments, procurement has fallen as new systems are delayed and armed forces coast on existing inventories.
A small, aggressive Air Force Space Command unit here has become a significant frontline player in USAF's campaign to integrate U.S. space capabilities with combat air forces.
The past year has witnessed continued progress throughout the world in efforts to regionalize air traffic control authorities and upgrade avionics to increase flight safety. There also has been a renewed emphasis on ground safety, where runway incursions by aircraft and ground vehicles are a growing problem. And if the pace on these efforts is slow in comparison to the rosy scenarios painted during the mid-1990s, it has remained steady.
Wilco Inc. has obtained an STC permitting installation of Concorde Valve Regulated Sealed Lead Acid (VRSLA) batteries in models of Raytheon (Beech) Aircraft King Air, Model 1900 and Model 99 aircraft. The STC covers installation of the Concorde RG-380E/K series--available in three capacities. The Concorde is a high-reliability maintenance-free battery that is non-spillable, emits no corrosive or explosive gasses, has no HAZMAT shipping restrictions and arrives fully charged ready to go, according to the company.
Demands for lower noise levels, as well as long-term goals of slashing next-generation commercial transports' direct operating costs, could lead to innovative aerodynamic concepts, according to French industry officials.
Schiffer Publishing has scored another direct hit in its excellent military history series with the publication of United States Naval Aviation 1910-1918. The author has provided a comprehensive study of the formation and initial deployment of naval aviation in a world war. Based on both primary and secondary reference sources, he lays out the history and then discusses the manner and role that the naval aviation service applied to the war effort in 1917-18. The book also describes the activities of the Navy in the field of lighter-than-aircraft.
The final chapter in the 15-year history of the Russian Mir space station is set to begin at the Baikonur Cosmodrome this week with the scheduled Jan. 18 launch of the Progress M1-5 unmanned tanker that will be used to push the station out of orbit. Some preliminary deorbit maneuvers could occur this week with a different Progress already on Mir before the new vehicle arrives.
