Qantas is considering a swap of aircraft with 25% equity partner British Airways (BA) to increase capacity and retire older aircraft. The plan is to transfer 16 110-seat Boeing 737-300s to British Airways' low-cost subsidiary Go and retire seven older 205-seat 767-200s, while BA would transfer 25 229-seat 767-300s to Qantas. BA recently agreed to lease seven -300s to Qantas, two of which are now being readied for domestic routes. The additional 25 767s would boost Qantas' fleet of 767s to 62.
Volga-Dnepr reported a 32% increase in freight volume last year. Total freight volume carried by the airline's nine Antonov An-124 jumbo freighters was 254 million metric ton-kilometers. Cargo carried rose to 33,000 tons (+44%), while revenue jumped to $104 million (+25%). More than 85% of traffic was generated by Volga-Dnepr's joint venture with Heavy Lift of the U.K.
COM DEV International Ltd. has received work orders totaling $40 million from Telesat Canada, Hughes Space&Communications and the Canadian Space Agency. COM DEV will develop and manufacture the on-board communications processor system for the Ka-band multimedia payload on Telesat Canada's Anik F2 satellite.
The efforts to modernize the global air traffic control system are raising a host of new technical issues, which are opening opportunities for smaller companies with specialized skills. Dealing with the burgeoning air traffic density is a problem that is being attacked on many fronts. Two of these are to reduce altitude separation for aircraft, and to give controllers tools to warn them in advance of potential aircraft conflicts.
Randal E. Morger (see photo) has been named director of communications and administrative services for Lockheed Martin's Sanders, Nashua, N.H. He succeeds Marvin L. Braman, who has retired. Morger was public information manager.
Wayne Evans has been appointed director of lean manufacturing for Tripoint Global Communications, Gastonia, N.C. He was director of lean manufacturing for Pyramid Mouldings, Jacksonville, Fla.
The U.S. Air Force has finally declassified a handful of images that show sample resolution of the U-2's ASARS-2 ground surveillance radar and revealed some of the reconnaissance system's other current and future capabilities.
With congressional defense committees having largely gone through their initial budget adjustments, some early winners and losers are emerging. Among the winners: F-22, which wasn't cut by House defense appropriators; and the V-22, of which the subcommittee wants to buy 20, rather than just 16. Also, House authorizers want to buy two F-15Es, although the USAF didn't ask for any. And the Navy Theater-Wide missile defense program is tagged to get more money from the House and Senate.
California Microwave Systems, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector, will provide civilian and defense-related modifications for 15 HU-25A/C Falcon Aircraft for the U.S. Coast Guard under a $33-million work order.
Recent developments in cockpit technology will offer significant improvements--side-stick controllers that allow pilots to ``feel'' the aircraft's response, infrared sensors that can provide near-photo-quality imagery, and helmet-mounted displays that would guide a fighter pilot's eyes onto a target.
Belgium-based Eurocontrol has chosen the Aerodata GmbH./ARINC team to collect and analyze aircraft height-keeping performance data. The information will be used in supporting the implementation of reduced vertical separation minimums.
Russia's premier aerodynamics research organization is completing new accords with Japan to study supersonic transport technology. The Russian Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), the world's largest aeronautical research establishment, will conduct the SST research with Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), according to Sergei L. Chernyshev, TsAGI deputy director for international business development. NAL is Japan's aeronautics research agency.
A MiG-29 ``Sniper'' demonstrator, developed jointly by Aerostar, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace and Israel's Elbit Systems, made its first flight at Aerostar's facility in Bacau, Romania.
Pratt&Whitney's Small Military Engine organization and Teledyne Continental Motors have signed a memorandum of agreement to discuss teaming arrangements covering the development, manufacture and support of small gas turbines. Under terms of the agreement, talks now underway will continue for up to one year with participation in all collaborative efforts to be decided on a case-by-case basis. The first concrete results from the talks could be announced by this fall.
Steven G. Rothmeier, chairman/chief executive of Great Northern Capital, has been appointed to the board of directors of GenCorp Inc., Sacramento, Calif.
A new U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin Space Systems GPS IIR global positioning spacecraft is en route to its 11,000-naut.-mi. operational orbit following launch May 10 on a USAF/Boeing Delta II.
Boeing and Alenia Spazio have signed a teaming agreement that will allow the companies to bid jointly for logistics and other support work on the International Space Station. The agreement, which reinforces an existing cooperation accord, will initially be aimed at processing and integration of cargo on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules, which are being built by Alenia. Both NASA and the European Space Agency are looking to farm out a large portion of ISS support and utilization activities (AW&ST Apr. 10, p. 52).
The U.K. government late last week was considering extending its occupation of Lungi International Airport at Freetown, Sierra Leone, until the U.N. could reinforce its under-strength peacekeeping contingent in the war-torn African nation.
Rene G. Copeland has been appointed vice president-sales and marketing of the Tera Computer Co. of Seattle. Richard M. Russell, who was vice president-marketing, is now vice president-international. Copeland was manager of the World-Wide Manufacturing Segment for the RS6000 SP supercomputer for IBM.
Eleven European airlines have now signed up to create a new Internet-based travel portal that will be launched toward the end of the year. Aer Lingus, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, British Midland, Finnair, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa and SAS will all sell tickets, as well as other travel services, through the yet-to-be-named portal first announced by BA earlier this year.
Ralph Richardi, who has been senior vice president-field services at American Eagle, has become vice president-operations, planning and performance at American Airlines. He succeeds Tim Ahern, who is now vice president-safety, security and environmental. Carol Wright, who has been vice president-reservations for American, succeeds Richardi. Lauri Curtis succeeds Wright. Dave Kennedy, who has been senior vice president-operations at American Eagle, is now vice president-Love Field operations.
