More than $700 million in upgrades to the U.S. Air Force Eastern Range are underway to enable more efficient operations and a 24-hr. turnaround capability between launches by mid-2000. The effort involves a $225-million Phase I contract that has already been completed by the Harris Corp, and a $290-million Phase IIA program underway by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. This contract is also helping upgrade the Western Range and includes an option for an additional $200 million in work. The upgrades include:
Sabena Belgian World Airlines grows at a robust pace, despite its limited home market, but is suffering heavily from decreasing yields and a weak load factor. After briefly restoring profitability in 1998, last year the Belgian carrier reported $14-million losses on $2.2 billion in revenues. Delta Air Transport (DAT), its regional subsidiary operating short-haul routes, and Sobelair, a charter affiliate, also had substantial losses.
Gordon J. Comerford has been appointed to the board of directors of Exigent International Inc, Melbourne, Fla. He recently retired as senior vice president of Motorola. Comerford also is a director of the Iridium South America Corp. and Iridium Canada Inc.
John A. Martin has become president of the BFGoodrich Aerospace Aviation Services Div., Everett, Wash. He was president of the Airframe Services Div. James A. Hodgson has become vice president/general manager for airframe maintenance and paint, William B. Ashworth vice president/general manager of aircraft modification services and James Russell vice president/general manager of component services.
Boeing Airplane Services is studying an upgrade for existing 747-200 ``classic'' models that would convert the cockpit to two-pilot configuration and install a modern panel. The new avionics would include FANS capability, or the ability to operate in future air navigation systems that employ satellite-based communications, navigation and air traffic control surveillance. FANS is in use on certain transpacific routes where there is limited radar coverage, allowing airlines to fly more economical, direct routes and at the most fuel efficient altitudes.
Praising the FAA's civil aviation forecast as ``dynamic, integrated and sensitive,'' Herbert J. Kelleher, chairman of Southwest Airlines, a keynote speaker at last week's forecast conference, placed the onus for achieving the optimistic projections squarely back on the U.S. government. The validity of the forecast, Kelleher said, ``fundamentally depends, to a great degree, on the actions, or inactions, of our very own government.''
TIACA has added the following to its Roll of Honor: Jacques Ancher, former head of KLM; Max Morehouse, a shipper who was cited for his leadership in the first promotional use of air cargo as a sales tool; Maggie and Terry Oldham, co-owners of Anglo Cargo Airlines, who were called instrumental in establishing rights for supplemental air cargo carriers; David Pierce, a TIACA trustee who is retiring from Boeing and is considered an authority on cargo trends and forecasts; and Joseph Sutter, a Boeing engineer who is considered the instigator and designer of the Boeing 747 a
Predictably, top management at Globalstar Communications continues to express utmost confidence that a large market opportunity exists for the company's satellite-based, global telephone system. But investors apparently harbor doubts, as reflected in Globalstar's faltering stock price--which also has been a drag on the share price of major stakeholder Loral Space&Communications. Moreover, it would appear their concerns have some validity, based on red flags being hoisted by some industry analysts.
William R. Craven has been named president/chief operating officer of Paravant Inc., Melbourne, Fla. He was executive vice president-corporate development. Chairman/CEO Krish Joshi had been serving as president.
Problems with a secret Hughes/National Reconnaissance Office data relay spacecraft have forced a major postponement in its launch and removal of its Atlas Centaur booster from the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft is not designed to gather imagery or signal intelligence, but rather to link such data from reconnaissance platforms that are out of range from U.S. ground stations. It is being returned to the Hughes plant for modification.
Beal Aerospace completed benchmark tests of its 810,000-lb., vacuum-thrust BA-810 rocket engine near Waco, Tex., paving the way for firing of the more powerful first-stage engine in 2001 and initial flight of the BA-2 launch vehicle in mid-2002.
The European Space Agency has down-selected six proposals for its next round of science missions, to be approved in September. Among the leading candidates is a proposal to participate in NASA's New Generation Space Telescope, which will replace the Hubble orbital observatory. Also short-listed were an asteroid flyby, a solar orbiter, solar ring current and extra solar planet detection missions and a fundamental physics project.
Following an insider tiff over House appropriations prerogatives, the Senate voted 82-17 to adopt the conference report to the three-year, $40-billion FAA reauthorization bill. The House was expected to follow suit shortly. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater promptly lauded senators for a bill that ``embodies 95% of what the Administration proposed'' (AW&ST Mar. 6, p. 36). The White House indicated President Clinton will probably sign it into law.
Susan Opp has been appointed director of strategic planning for the Salt Lake City division of L-3 Communications. She was engineering manager of marketing support.
The Eurofighter consortium hopes the Greek government's approval of the acquisition of 60 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft with options for another 30 will bolster its case in other fighter competitions such as Norway's.
John Brasch has been promoted to president of the Triumph Group Aftermarket Services Group from president of Triumph Air Repair of Phoenix. Richard Wisniewski has been promoted to vice president/general manager from vice president-finance and materials and Andrew Graham to director from manager of engineering and quality assurance.
Five Japanese airframe manufacturers will play a risk-sharing role in development of long-range versions of Boeing's 777-200/300s. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was the largest risk-taker in the initial 777 program and was joined by Kawasaki and Fuji in producing fuselage panels, doors, the wing center section and other wing components representing about 20% of airframe structure value. For the new aircraft, workshares are expected to be split about evenly between the original three partners as well as ShinMaywa and Japan Aircraft Manufacturing.
A trio of initiatives is in play for the next steps in the U.S. missile defense effort. Senior Pentagon officials are pressing the services to pare the costs of key ballistic missile defense (BMD) technologies, put more focus on systems integration and concert joint-service approaches to battlespace management.
Loren Thompson, the chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Va., think tank, has represented the aerospace industry in Pentagon deliberations on industrial-base policy.
NASA will stop downsizing its space shuttle workforce and add 809 government employees in 2000-01 in the wake of an independent assessment team's sharply worded, 144-page report released last week. The NASA head count at Kennedy Space Center, now 1,700, had been pegged to drop to 1,300-1,400. Now, it will be boosted to 1,850, says Associate Administrator Joseph H. Rothenberg. Money will be added to the budget to improve ``maintainability''--improvements like better work stands and handholds to keep technicians from stepping on shuttle wiring.
Continental Express has signed a long-term services contract with Rolls-Royce covering some 400 AE3007 engines which power the carrier's Embraer ERJ-145 and -135 aircraft. The combined service and spare engine sales contracts are expected to be worth $715.5 million to Rolls-Royce over the next 10 years.
Thomas Momchilov has been appointed senior vice president-human resources of Northwest Airlines. He was corporate vice president-human resources for Reynolds and Reynolds, Dayton, Ohio.
While USAF and NASA are leading formation of a new Cape strategic plan that includes the Florida Spaceport Authority, the authority itself is forming a state plan for the Cape in connection with the Florida Transportation Dept. The aim is to have space infrastructure development viewed much like airport buildup. Spaceport Florida hopes this will enable the flow of federal transportation dollars to the Cape, much like they are funneled through state airport authorities to spur airport development.
Boeing's orderbook took a quiet jump over the Mar. 4-5 weekend when another five 747-400 passenger versions were added to its total. The sale, to a purchaser or purchasers wishing to remain unidentified, will help keep 747 production lines rolling at economic rates. It is worth approximately $900 million at list prices. Airlines placing orders with airframe manufacturers sometimes wish to remain unnamed for competitive reasons or while they line up financing, Boeing said.
The strike by Boeing's engineers and technical workers wore into its 29th day here last week with both sides digging in for a protracted struggle. A planned meeting between the company and union representatives of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace's (SPEEA's) Wichita, Kan., chapter this week holds some promise for breaking the stalemate. The strike has taken on national prominence as it is viewed as a test for organizing ``white collar'' workers, a key growth area for unions.
