Pratt&Whitney has scored two international sales successes, winning competitions to provide additional F100 engines to both the South Korean and Greek air forces. The South Korean air force has selected the F100-229, assembled locally by Samsung Techwin, to power 20 F-16s aircraft it has bought. The Greek air force also has selected F100-229s to power 50 F-16s that they will procure.
This product promises easy accessibility to all items stored on the roll-out shelves. The units can eliminate two or three steps in material handling. Since the shelf can be rolled out, the item needed can be picked up by an overhead crane and moved directly to the work area. Units can be designed to individual needs. The capacities per shelf are 400-40,000 lb. Proper Storage Systems Inc., 2200 Highway. 90 East, Seguin, Tex. 78155.
Lawrence W. Clarkson, former senior vice president of Boeing, has been appointed chairman of the Interturbine Group of Companies of Boston and the Netherlands. He succeeds Bert W.M. Twaalfhoven, who has retired.
Almost 20,000 regional transports will be needed by world airlines in the next 20 years, according to a new forecast produced by Aviation Daily newsletter and Back Aviation Solutions. Most aircraft deliveries in the segment, which seat from 20-120 passengers, will be jet-powered, according to the report. The U.S. will account for nearly half of all new regional jet deliveries in the 20-year period. However, deliveries to European carriers will be substantial and grow faster.
On the eve of the Moscow summit, President Clinton affirmed Washington's willingness to share anti-ballistic missile technology with responsible nations, both nuclear and nonnuclear, apparently including Russia.
Rolls-Royce is introducing a procurement system in its German affiliate that could become a model for Rolls' world purchasing network. The system, dubbed the ``House of Procurement,'' was initiated before Rolls bought out BMW's share in the German operation at the end of last year, and thus benefits from the automaker's leading-edge experience in the acquisition area (AW&ST Nov. 1, 1999, p. 39). It recently won a German management award.
A simple and low-cost parasail-based launch system is being refined that could allow the reliable and efficient launch and recovery of unmanned aerial vehicles from moving platforms as small as 30-ft. boats.
Ian Diamond, group technical adviser to the managing director of Air New Zealand (ANZ), and Air Commo. Stuart McIntyre have received awards for Distinguished Service to New Zealand Aviation from the Royal Aeronautical Society (New Zealand Div.). Diamond was honored for a career in engineering for ANZ and his role in the merger of engineering activities of ANZ and Ansett Australia.
Michael D. Yakos, an engineer with Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been named a Rockwell International Engineer of the Year. He was honored for providing technical leadership in the development of advanced architecture, anti-jam GPS receivers and systems.
China's Civil Aviation Administration continues to adjust the country's fleet mix by shedding large transports in favor of medium- and small-cabin jets. In 1999, Beijing-based Air China sold four Boeing 747s, converted another into a freighter, and leased three Airbus A340s. A new Boeing 737 was added in April of this year, increasing the proportion of narrow-body aircraft in the airline's fleet to 43%. Air China plans to sell two more large transports and acquire 15 smaller jets in the next five years.
INDUSTRY OBSERVERS ARE CURIOUS TO LEARN whether Lockheed Martin plans to divest its one remaining major EW operation--its Federal Systems Div. in Owego, N.Y., which Loral acquired from IBM as the cornerstone of EW activities, before it merged with Lockheed Martin. The Owego operation has specialized in passive Electronic Support Measures-type systems, such as the APR-50 for the B-2, which accounts for nearly one-third of its sales.
FAA officials have ordered air traffic controllers nationwide to review procedures designed to expedite handling of aircraft asking for emergency assistance. The directive last week stemmed from a May 17 incident involving a dying woman passenger on a US Airways jet. Pilots declared an emergency and were vectored toward Baltimore-Washington International Airport, but later were instructed to circle until airspace was cleared. The woman, who was under the care of three nurses also on the flight, died before the airplane landed.
The European Commission has launched a four-month, full-scale investigation into the proposed acquisition of the Hughes Electronics satellite business by Boeing. The proposed acquisition, which is also being studied by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Defense Dept., would make Boeing the largest producer of commercial geostationary satellites, with more than 35-40% of the world market (AW&ST Jan. 17, p. 422).
Boeing has decreased the maximum gross takeoff and maximum landing weights of its 717-200 transport by 4,000 lb. and 2,000 lb, respectively, to 110,000 lb. and 100,000 lb., to increase operating economics. According to the company, the lower weight and reduced fuel consumption result in a 2-3.5% decrease in operating costs for airlines, while slightly increasing range of the 100-seat aircraft to 1,430 naut. mi.
United Airlines and US Airways think their merger proposal will pass antitrust scrutiny by the Justice Dept. Their pitch will be two-fold. First, the biggies will argue they don't overlap very much. Second, because of the planned divestiture of some US Airways' slots atWashington Reagan National Airport, leading to the creation of DC Air (see p. 61), new competition will blossom in what otherwise would be the new mega-carrier's most-dominated market. Whether that plays at Justice may be beside the point, though. The Transportation Dept.
Northrop Grumman and the U.S. government, which are battling in court over a contract for airport surveillance radars, have agreed on an expedited timetable to resolve the protest by Sept. 30. Northrop Grumman had protested a contract for FAA and Defense Dept. radars awarded to Raytheon four years ago, sought a new competition for the production lots and requested an injunction against further work until there was a court resolution (see p. 70).
Robert L. Johnson describes DC Air, his airline to-be as a tool to engage the broader commercial marketplace. The operational details of running an airline, at least for now, are best left to the experts, he says. Johnson last week named his first expert, US Airways executive N. Bruce Ashby, as DC Air president. After spending time ``getting names,'' the billionaire media mogul began talking with airline consultants, one of whom will be picked to advise him on critical aspects of the new airline.
Boeing has received a long-awaited contract from Israel for Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs. The $8.2-million deal represents the first international sale of the U.S. Air Force-developed GPS-guidance system that is employed on dumb bombs and was used operationally for the first time last year during the Kosovo air war. The initial contract is only to integrate the 2,000-lb. weapons on Israeli F-16s. Actual guidance kits will be bought later.
The Senate is advancing an initiative to make greater use of unmanned combat systems, to meet both pressing operational demands and long-range military needs.
Joint Strike Fighter managers are offering countries a means of getting involved in the program even if, for export control or financial reasons, they couldn't become full-fledged partners in the development of the multirole fighter. In recent months, the Pentagon's JSF program office has been negotiating with several countries to include them as partners in the upcoming engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase. But not every country will be able to make that commitment, and for those a foreign military sales (FMS) level is now being offered.
Greece has expressed interest in buying advanced U.S. munitions for its fighters. In response, the Pentagon has offered Athens the sale of 560 Amraam air-to-air missiles and 750 2,000-lb. bombs with BLU-109 penetrator warheads. The deal would cost about $305 million.
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Eugene J. Horak (see photo) has been promoted to director of mission success from manager of reusable launch systems for Lockheed Martin Space Systems' Michoud Operations in New Orleans.
