Gaining little pull with voters from the defense readiness issue, the Bush campaign is dusting off the theme of military ``transformation'' and modernization that the Texas governor trumpeted during his primary run. The Bush-Cheney team is calling again for a truly post-Cold War strategic vision and force structure, with less emphasis on the services' individual strategies. The Republican presidential ticket pledges to commit at least 20% of the annual $60-billion weapons procurement budget to technologies that will skip ``generations'' ahead of today's capabilities.
Frustration is beginning to boil over within the Navy because of a feeling that the service's activities aren't being fully appreciated. ``The fact is that we have reached such a low level of funding it will soon be impossible to meet the expectations of this nation in executing our operational tasks and completing the mission,'' laments Vice Adm. John Nathman, the commander of naval air forces in the Pacific. Navy leaders have been among the most vocal in complaining about a lack of money.
The captain of a United Airlines Boeing 757 at 10,800 ft. responded to a TCAS warning near a U.S. Air Force F-117 stealth fighter on Sept. 7. The incident occurred at about 8:43 a.m. local time shortly after the 757 departed Los Angeles International Airport for Boston. According to the FAA, Flight 174, with 166 passengers on board, came within 500 ft. vertically and 0.6 mi. horizontally of the fighter. The United captain initiated a rapid climb. Flight 174 proceeded and landed safely in Boston. The F-117 is based at Edwards AFB, Calif.
NASA has picked Ball Aerospace&Technologies, Lockheed Martin and Beltsville, Md.-based Swales Aerospace to compete for space technology research and development work. During the next five years, the three companies will vie for yet-undetermined projects totaling a maximum of $45 million. The minimum value of each contract is $10,000. Losing bidders were ASRC Aerospace Corp., Boeing, Dynamic Engineering Inc. and Science and Technology Corp.
RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT CO.'S ORDER BOOK for the new Premier I light business jet continues to grow. Customers have placed orders for more than 250 airplanes, and the production backlog extends into 2005, according to the company. The airplane should receive FAA certification this month, followed by initial customer deliveries. London-based Aviation Leasing Group recently signed for three airplanes. Two will be used to train pilots at the Civil Aviation Training Center in Thailand for Thai International Airways and other Pacific Rim airlines, according to Raytheon.
In yet another sign of burgeoning demand for space-based broadband capacity, France Telecom has awarded Alcatel Space a contract to build a large multimedia telecommunications satellite.
Vaughan Dow has been named European training director of GE Capital Aviation Training. He was a senior captain and fleet manager for Dan Air and British Airways.
Sharp criticism is emerging from the safety offices at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg AFB, Calif., as well as the State of Florida, over changes proposed by a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) review of launch safety operations at the East and West Coast ranges. Space Command is considering adoption of the recommendations.
An investigation team will be formed by France's ministry of interior affairs to determine why a leased Lockheed Martin C-130 water bomber crashed near Privas on Sept. 6. Two members of the four-man Franco-American flight crew were killed, and two sustained serious injuries.
Recent imagery from the U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon spacecraft mission indicate the global climate system is finally beginning to recover from several years of El Nino and La Nina conditions (see image). The data were taken during a 10-day cycle last month by Topex/Poseidon, which was launched eight years ago. Recent images show that tropical Pacific sea levels have returned to near-normal (green areas) after three years of dramatic fluctuation. Sea levels indicate how much heat is stored in the ocean.
The U.S. Air Force's Air Education and Training Command has imposed an operational stand-down of all T-6A Texan IIs after one of the primary trainers crashed Aug. 31 near San Antonio during a local flight. An official at Randolph AFB said the two pilots ejected from the T-6A, which crashed in a cornfield about 4:50 p.m. and was destroyed. One of the pilots sustained minor injuries. Weather at the time of the accident was clear.
Guhring has introduced a new line of high-performance carbide drills that deliver 2-3 times the tool life of standard TiN-coated carbide tooling, much higher speeds and feeds and near-burnished hole finish, according to the company. The line comprises nine new product series that combine the latest K40 ultra-fine grain carbide substrate--50-60% tougher than common carbide grades--with a special multilayer hard coating.
Ulysses is beginning an investigation of the Sun's south polar region. The spacecraft was able to study the Sun during a relatively quiet solar minimum between 1994 and 1996, but this time the observations will be made during a period of heightened solar activity. Launched in 1990, Ulysses has gone as far as 80 deg. north and south solar latitudes, comparable on Earth to ranging between Greenland to Antarctica. Ulysses is a joint venture of NASA and the European Space Agency.
Airsafe, a team comprising Thomson-CSF, Airservices Australia, and Innisfree, has been forced out of the bidding for acquisition of a 46% stake in the U.K.'s National Air Traffic Services because of a tendering irregularity. Six teams remain in the competition, two of which are scheduled for downselect by December. The winning team will be named in March.
Robert Sutton has been appointed vice president/director of enterprise development for the ITT Industries Systems Div. in Colorado Springs. He was director of air defense systems for the ITT Gilfillan Div. Raymond W. LeBoeuf, chairman/ CEO of PPG Industries Inc. of Pittsburgh, has been named to the board of directors of ITT Industries Inc., White Plains, N.Y.
Pablo Prieto has been appointed president and Jay Palmer vice president-sales of AAS Landing Gear Services Inc. of Miami. Prieto was president/general manager of the Menasco Aerospace Div. of Coltec Industries and Palmer vice president-marketing for the Menasco Overhaul Div.
Australia's immigration and customs departments are using a software package developed by Sydney-based CPS systems to analyze passenger and flight information via the SITA global network before flights land. Called Advance Passenger Processing, the system is intended to speed processing of tourists as the Olympic Games get underway while alerting border agents to ``people traffickers who organize the entry of non-bona fide travelers,'' according to Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock.
The world spent just over $30 billion on arms transfers last year, bringing the total to $115 billion for 1996-99. Once again, last year, the U.S. led the way in agreements--close to $12 billion--and deliveries, $18.4 billion. It marks the eighth year running the U.S. has been first in global weapons deliveries. According to the latest annual report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the U.S., Russia and Germany collectively ranked highest in 1999 in agreements, valued at $20.6 billion.
Photographs of a June 14, 1979, tire burst, engine damage and fuel tank penetration incident on an Air France Concorde show that that event may have been a close precursor to this July's fatal crash in Paris. The 1979 case also occurred during takeoff at maximum takeoff weight, but at Dulles International Airport. Both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and French BEA accident investigation bureau produced reports on the serious incident (AW&ST Aug. 28, p. 33).
A KLM Boeing 747-300 dropped large engine and aircraft parts on a Los Angeles beach immediately after takeoff on Aug. 27, but no one was hurt. Air traffic control informed the crew that parts had fallen off after the 4:35 p.m. PDT takeoff. The crew shut the engine down, dumped about 166,000 lb. of fuel over the ocean and made a three-engine landing back at Los Angeles International airport (LAX) Runway 25L at 6:01 p.m. The aircraft was operating as Flight 602 from LAX to Amsterdam with 436 passengers and 13 crew on board.
Meanwhile, American plans to enter the highly competitive but lucrative route between Boston and Washington beginning Nov. 1. The airline, which has slowly expanded its presence at Boston Logan International Airport, will offer six daily round-trip flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport using 87-seat Fokker 100s configured for two passenger classes.
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has completed its first year of operation, providing astronomers with unprecedented detail that may help to unravel mysteries surrounding powerful X-ray sources such as colliding galaxies and supernova remnants. Chandra has recorded some noteworthy findings early in its baseline five-year mission, such as images of pulsars with bow-like structures and remnants of supernova explosions with tilted rings and high-energy jets.
Delta Air Lines' ambitious fleet renewal plan has the Atlanta-based carrier scheduled to receive a new transport a week for the next 100 weeks. Most of these will be new Boeing 737-800s, according to Mac Armstrong, executive vice president of operations. The carrier also plans to keep its regional jet fleet, now representing about one-third of the entire U.S. RJ fleet, at a similar level in the future. Addressing pilot union concerns that RJs will cut into mainline flying, Armstrong said RJs provide added traffic feed.
France's Alcatel has been selected to supply reconnaissance satellites to Turkey, a contract that Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) thought it had won a few months ago. Turkey subsequently backed out of the deal with IAI, reportedly worth $270 million, when Alcatel reduced its offer price. Turkish defense officials said that a new memorandum of understanding was signed last week with Alcatel, which reportedly lowered its bid to $204 million, and contract negotiations are to begin shortly.
