Alitalia has ordered five Boeing 747 transports, plus three options, for delivery beginning in 2001. The aircraft will be powered by GE CF6-80C2 engines.
A group of French lawmakers, military leaders and political scientists is recommending a reappraisal of France's nuclear doctrine. Such an assessment, which might form the basis for a European nuclear policy, could touch on nuclear arms testing, limitations to the use of nuclear weapons and anti-ballistic missile systems.
With new slots available at Tokyo's Haneda airport beginning this July, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air System have agreed to launch a joint shuttle to Osaka's two airports, Itami and Kansai. Thirty-five million passengers shuttle between the two cities yearly, 80% by ``Bullet Trains,'' and the airlines want to tap into that market.
L-3 Communications Telemetry&Instrumentation Division has received a contract from Swedish Space Corp. for satellite test systems to support testing and integration of the European Space Agency's Smart-1 spacecraft.
Strengthening Latin American economies and the region's increasing shift to democratic governments and free markets will make Latin America one of the world's most vibrant civil aviation markets in the next two decades, albeit with the occasional economic or political hiccup.
DRS Technologies Inc. has delivered the first AN/SPS-67(V)3 Radar System to the U.S. Navy's USS Howard under a contract worth up to $1.9 million with options to manufacture 19 more systems.
The process of launching several aerial target drones and a half-dozen fighters ready to fire live missiles, acquiring data from those shots, and ensuring the safety of all players through range control is orchestrated several times a week here by the 81st Test Support Sqdn.
Peter Iskandar (ses photo) has been appointed director of airline sales for Rolls-Royce North America Inc., Reston, Va. He was regional sales manager for Canada and the U.S. for Sextant Avionique.
Skybridge's bid to become the world's first global multimedia satellite network moved a step forward last week with the signing of an operating license that will allow the 80-satellite LEO system and its associated ground segment to be deployed. The license, for which the Alcatel-led system applied in July 1999, was granted by France on Feb. 9 on the recommendation of the ART, the French body that regulates telecommunications.
The Israeli air force took over operational control of initial elements of the first Arrow missile battery last week at Palmachim AFB, south of Tel Aviv, where most of the testing of the system has been conducted.
Computer Sciences Corp. has won a five- year, $5-million contract from the USAF Material Command to provide engineering and high-level technical services in support of all AFMC weapon systems.
Boeing has selected Dassault Systemes' Catia design software and Enovia product and process management software as standards for all Boeing Co. sites. They will be used on all future product development programs and on current programs where their use makes business sense. ``As a global company, Boeing must be able to flow work seamlessly between different locations and different business units without impacting our customers,'' said David Swain, Boeing corporate senior vice president of engineering and technology.
John Ferrie (see photo) has been named to succeed Norman Barber as head of London-based Smiths Industries Aerospace. Ferrie will become executive director on Apr. 10 and assume responsibility for Aerospace activities July 31, following Barber's retirement. Ferrie has been executive vice president-business operations for Rolls-Royce Allison in Indianapolis.
Dallas-based Legend Airlines tentatively plans to begin service from Love Field next week following a decision to temporarily install conventional galleys in the airline's DC-9 aircraft. T. Allan McArtor, president and CEO, said the first airplane so equipped was scheduled to begin route-proving flights last weekend. Certi- fication of more sophisticated ovens and closets will continue.
Randall A. Tassin (see photo) has been named vice president-program management and technical operations and Ronald W. Wetmore (see photo) vice president-external tank project for the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.'s Michoud Operations in New Orleans. Tassin was vice president-reusable launch systems and Wetmore director of operations for Lockheed Martin at the Kennedy Space Center. Other recent appointments were: Brad P. Cartwright, director of contracts and estimating; Wanda A. Sigur, director of engineering and technical laboratories; and M.
The International Telecommunications Union will meet next month to examine a set of recommendations aimed at reforming the organization and making it more responsive to the needs of the telecom industry.
General Electric has established a moving line, similar in concept to the classic automobile assembly line, to reduce the time it takes to manufacture CFM International powerplants.
John Welch has been named senior vice president of General Dynamics and president of Marine Systems Group in Falls Church, Va. He succeeds James Turner, Jr., who has retired. Welch was corporate vice president and president of Electric Boat. Brice Allen has been named service manager for flight support of Atlantic Aviation's Northeast Philadelphia FBO. Allen was operations manager for Atlantic Aviation's Chicago Midway Airport facility.
The FAA's program to set workplace standards for the safety and health of airline employees will be put under a microscope by the Transportation Dept.'s Inspector General. Rep. Peter De Fazio (D-Ore.), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure aviation subcommittee, asked the IG to concentrate on five categories of potential on-the-job hazards, including contact with blood-borne pathogens, repetitive motion injuries, equipment injuries, cabin air quality and carry-on baggage. A coalition of flight attendant groups, headed by the Assn.
The BEI Sensors&Systems Co. has added the new KX21 Series modular kit encoder to its line of brushless DC motors, linear and rotary actuators and controllers. The encoder is suited for use with 2-in. servo and stepper motors and other high-volume OEM applications. The series uses simple set screw mounting and an installation tool (included) for concurrent air gap and electronics alignment. It's available in 1.5-in. and 2.1-in. diameters, and provides jitter-free outputs and resolution to 1,024 pulses per rev. with index.
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace and DaimlerChrysler Research have selected a custom 3D software module that entered beta testing last November for designing aircraft cabin interiors. Developed by PACE Aerospace Engineering and Information Technology GmbH. of Berlin, the software is designed for aircraft manufacturers, airlines and maintenance and overhaul operators who design or modify cabin interiors. It allows designers to monitor compliance with structural limitations and certification regulations as they lay out a cabin design.
We applaud the U.S. Congress' passage of three-year reauthorization of the FAA. The House of Representatives approved it last week, the Senate earlier in the month. This bill, which will now be sent to President Clinton, has many of the features of the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21).
Japan Airlines is continuing to tighten its belt, driving down group-wide employment from 36,000 in 1998 to an expected 31,800 by Mar. 31, 2003. Last year, the airline said it would reduce 3,500 jobs by 2002, mostly on the ground. On Mar. 14, President Isao Kaneko said another 700 jobs are to be cut by Mar. 31, 2003. Further cost-cutting is to be achieved by accelerating JAL's use of subsidiary carriers with lower labor costs.
The Airborne Systems unit of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace will supply the Tiger attack helicopter's electronic warfare suite in cooperation with LFK and Thomson-CSF's Detexis Div. The initial contract covers 160 suites valued up to $48 million.
