EMCORE CORP. HAS DEVELOPED triple-junction solar cells for satellites with 26% efficiency. The new cells will only experience an 8% power loss over the 15-year geostationary orbit typical for communication satellites, according to company tests, which should let satellite manufacturers increase payload for the same size solar array. Production versions are now being shipped to customers for space qualifications.
The Virtual Product Development Initiative (VPDI) at Lockheed Martin Fort Worth has chosen Mechanical Dynamics' Adams software for virtual development of landing gears. The dynamic motion simulation software will be used to design and assemble virtual models and perform some tests. It will also be applied to stores separation, carrier landings and other mechanical operations on fighters. VPDI officials chose Adams for its clarity of graphics, because it works well with Catia, it is easy to customize and they have had good experience with Mechanical Dynamics' products.
Todd Bottorff has been named president/chief operating officer and Darrell C. Hatton senior vice president for business-to-business sales of flightserv.com of Atlanta. Bottorff was cofounder of HeliosHealth.com, while Hatton held a similar position in sales for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.
When the U.S. Air Force last week unveiled its latest vision, ``Global Vigilance, Reach and Power,'' it was notable more for what was excluded than what it contained. At a time when the service is under attack for not paying enough attention to space, the new document removes the expectation the Air Force will deploy space-based weapons by 2020.
Maury Mechanick of the U.S. has been elected chairman and Robin Turner of the U.K. vice chairman of the board of governors of Washington-based Intelsat. Mechanick is vice president-satellite systems investment management services for Comsat Satellite Services, Bethesda, Md. Turner is head of satellite investment for London-based Cable and Wireless Global Operations.
Bombardier Aerospace has received an order for five additional 70-seat CRJ700 regional jets from Seattle-based Horizon Air. The order is valued at up to $130 million and will give Horizon 30 CRJ700s.
``One size doesn't fit all,'' the U.S. Air Force discovered when it tried transforming its legacy Standard Base Supply System to Web applications. SBSS is a series of inventory, accounting and order management systems whose core was buried in a Unisys 2200 Clearpath mainframe with data trapped in a proprietary DMS-100 database (a large digital multiplex switching system). The first attempt involved a packaged solution, but after three years only 27% of the functionality had been transferred.
Passengers are filling U.S. commercial airplanes at record-breaking levels of 80% or more, far in excess of the 71% system load factor achieved for 1999. Two of five major carriers reporting June traffic last week, Northwest and Continental, broke all-time load factor records. Northwest's airplanes were 82.8% full, Continental's 80%, both on a system wide basis. Trans World Airlines achieved an 80.5% load factor, followed by United at 79.9% and American at 79.6%.
Hainan Airlines, a privatized regional carrier featuring a fleet of executive aircraft for business flights, has teamed with Et-china.com, a pioneer travel Web site in China, to provide an online charter service catering to Western businesses. Hainan's subsidiary Deer Jet Co. Ltd. will provide a Learjet 60, Beechjet 400A and a Hawker 800XP, while Et-china.com provides the Web access. Deer Jet operates its airplanes from Beijing Capital International Airport and a Bell 206 JetRanger from Hainan.
Honeywell Aviation Information Services has turned to TeleKnowledge Inc. of Framingham, Mass., to help manage its billing for audio, video and information systems services for executive aircraft applications.
This past year has been among the most turbulent in recent aviation history--churned by a tripling of fuel prices, higher interest rates, volatile currency fluctuations, merger overtures among major U.S. and European-based carriers, and further competitive pressure in North America, Europe and Asia. It has proven to be a dynamic but challenging period for most airlines.
SkyTeam, an airline alliance formed by Air France, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Korean Air, expects to attract more partners and become a stronger global player. In mid-1999, after signing a far-reaching bilateral partnership, Air France's and Delta's top executives stressed that the accord marked the first move toward a multicarrier, global network. However, such a late start left the long-unnamed alliance lagging behind leading groupings such as Oneworld, Star Alliance and the Qualiflyer group.
Boeing, Hexcel and China Aviation Industry Corp. are establishing a $100-million joint venture in Tianjin, near Beijing. Construction of the factory, called the Bohai Aeronautical Composite Material Components Co., is scheduled to start this month on a 1,184,000-sq.-ft. site in Tianjin's Tanggu high-tech development zone. Production will begin in about a year. The joint venture will produce interior decorative material and composite secondary structure for Boeing transports.
Qantas Airways is evaluating Airbus Industrie's A3XX long-range transport and plans to buy up to 10 of the aircraft, which would be delivered in 2006-10. However, the Australian carrier will commit to the A3XX on the condition that the 555-seat aircraft can provide ``a clear business case,'' Chief Executive James Strong stressed. He added that the A3XX would be operated on the carrier's high-density, long-haul routes between Australia, Los Angeles and London. Qantas also evaluated the merits of Boeing 747-400 increased-capacity derivatives.
ARINC, the Annapolis, Md.-based aerospace communications and information processing specialist, is turning to AeroV to provide it a Web-based procurement platform to complement the Spec2000, ANSI X.12 and Edifact electronic data interchange (EDI) systems it has had in place for years. In fact, ARINC, which is owned by the major carriers, has reached preliminary agreement to take a 25% stake in AeroV. Known best for operating ACARS, the air-to-ground communications network, ARINC also provides carriers with data processing and infotech on a shared basis.
Northrop Grumman is expanding offerings derived from its Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (Mald), which will put the small cruise missile-like system in direct competition with several Raytheon and Lockheed Martin products in its bid for market share.
THE U.S. NAVY PLANS TO USE Rockwell Collins High Frequency (HF) Messenger software to give its battle force long-distance communication with e-mail operability. The Collins software is intended as an upgrade to the Navy's HF communications and to replace current teletype networks for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore messages.
The U.S. Navy has granted Engineered Support Systems Inc. a $11.4-million work order to manufacture aircraft avionics testing subsystems for its consolidated automated support systems program.
A hijacker was shot dead as he tried to enter the cockpit of a Royal Jordanian Airlines passenger jet shortly after takeoff from Amman, Jordan, to Damascus, Syria, on July 5. According to the BBC, the man, Mahmoud Rizk Deeb, threw a grenade that injured 15 passengers. Security guards on the plane then shot and killed the assailant and detained another adult and two children traveling with him. The explosion cut a hole in the cabin floor of the Airbus A320, but the plane landed safely in Amman.
American Airlines has ceased all legal action related to blocking long-haul flights from Dallas' Love Field. The carrier had filed a motion with the Fort Worth Court of Appeals to reconsider its earlier decision to allow flights from the airport. Donald Carty, American's chairman and CEO, said last week the airline will withdraw its motion and will not appeal the case to the Texas Supreme Court. American is operating 56-seat Fokker 100 jets from Love Field to Chicago and Los Angeles, and plans to inaugurate service to New York's LaGuardia Airport on Aug. 31.
The recent price strength of many U.S. aerospace/defense stocks, while undoubtedly heartening to investors, has left some Wall Street analysts a little uneasy and inclined to adopt a more cautious stance on the sector's intermediate-term outlook. ``Investors who have bid up stock prices may not appreciate some of the risks and issues that could emerge in coming months,'' according to Merrill Lynch analyst Byron Callan. Some stocks should clear possible hurdles that could stand in the way of sustained or even higher valuations.
Boeing for the first time this year will build more freighter versions of the 747-400 than passenger versions. Nearly 1,250 747s have been built and more than 500 747-400s are in service.
