Lockheed Martin Federal Systems has been awarded a $13.6-million contract from the U.S. Navy for an acoustic processor subsystem to be used in four prototype SH-60R Multimission Helicopters.
The U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Battlelab is literally bringing space-based resources down to the individual soldier, who eventually will be able to convert a wealth of information to ``steel-on-target.''
Many U.S. major and regional airlines are uncertain about how to use psychological testing as a tool to help determine the type of pilots they want to hire, according to Los Angeles-based Demos Research Associates, which specializes in development of the pilot selection process. Diane Demos, president, said the airline industry tends to have a short corporate memory about procedures because such tests have gone ``in and out of vogue'' since the 1960s. Most U.S.
Startup carrier Legend Airlines, which is scheduled to receive FAA certification this week to begin long-haul flights from Love Field, also plans to expand service in September to Chicago and New York if it can obtain landing slots at O'Hare and LaGuardia airports. T. Allan McArtor, Legend's president and CEO, said the carrier initially will use two DC-9s to serve Los Angeles and Washington Dulles International Airport. Another two airplanes are scheduled to be added early next month.
The European Space Agency is readying a new orbital X-ray observatory for operation that is designed to explore faint sources in the ``hidden universe''--gamma-ray bursts, black holes and pulsars--emitting only in X-ray wavelengths.
Ad hoc cargo operators show a disproportionately high accident rate--6.85 accidents per million flights--compared with other aviation sectors, according to researchers in the Netherlands. Ad hoc operators are characterized as those cargo carriers conducting a high percentage of unscheduled flights typically on routes not served by major cargo carriers. They usually have fewer and older aircraft in their fleets, according to the study, which was presented at the Flight Safety Foundation's European Aviation Safety Seminar in Amsterdam in March.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has selected Barringer Technologies Inc. in a $6.2-million work order. The contract includes purchasing IONSCAN detectors, program startup, training and a multi-year equipment support agreement.
The Italian Military Defense has chosen Raytheon's air-to-air Stinger for its A129 Mangusta combat variant, attack helicopter $10-million program. The integration phase is scheduled to begin later this year.
JMC Airlines, the third-largest U.K. holiday charter carrier formed with the integration of Flying Colours Airlines and Caledonian Airways, has placed a 100-million-pound ($158-million) order for two Boeing 757-300s to be delivered next spring. JMC, a joint venture of Thomas Cook and Carlson Group of the U.S., launched operations under the new integrated structure last week with its fleet of 28 aircraft. That will increase in May when JMC starts taking delivery of two new and two refurbished 757-200s as part of its fleet enhancement plans.
The Pentagon is sending U.S. Army Hunter and U.S. Air Force Predator unmanned aerial vehicles back to the Balkans. The reconnaissance assets are supposed to watch activities in Kosovo as tensions between Albanians and Serbs are escalating.
BFGoodrich is forecasting that deliveries for its newly acquired ACES II ejection seat line will exceed 400 units over the next five years. The outlook was bolstered by the recent order of 80 Lockheed Martin Block 60 F-16s by the United Arab Emirates. BFGoodrich acquired ACES II from Boeing in November. The seat is used in the F-16, F-15, B1-B, A-10 and B-2 and has been selected for the F-22. Aerospace is the largest business sector at BFGoodrich Co., which had total 1999 sales of $5.5 billion.
General Electric Aircraft Engines has created a customer-based Internet site aimed at boosting productivity, strengthening customer relationships and promoting e-business activities between the engine-maker and its clients.
The MLM Div. of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) has proposed to the Chilean government that, should it choose the Lockheed Martin F-16 or Dassault Mirage 2000-5 in the competition to supply a fighter, it use the company's Air Combat Maneuvering System when training pilots in the new aircraft. The system is designed to record inflight positions and attitudes of each aircraft in a group and then transmit that information via data link to all other aircraft participating in the training exercise.
Swisscontrol, Switzerland's air traffic management organization, will acquire a second Total Airspace&Airport Modeler system from the Boeing-owned Preston Group.
Mark Coleman has become president of the RPA Airline Automation Services subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Mercury Air Group Inc. He was senior vice president of marketing and sales of Midway Airlines.
Metric Systems Corp., a subsidiary of Tech-Sym Corp., has received a contract valued over $3.2 million from Raytheon Defense Systems Segment. The contract provides for engineering, electronic manufacturing and integration support for the Enhanced Guided Bomb Unit-15 Phase II Program.
New modeling and simulation tools running on high-speed computers at the Joint National Test Facility are allowing senior military and political leaders to explore National Missile Defense concepts of operation through realistic wargames. As the center for Ballistic Missile Defense Organization simulation, the JNTF conducts missile defense-related analysis, system-level engineering, integration and test and evaluation services. It also is a valuable development laboratory for exploring the complexities of missile defense command and control.
MirCorp, a plucky band of young Western space capitalists and graying Russian space apparachniks trying to save the Soviet-era Mir space station with a fresh shot of cash, got a lot of ink earlier this year with plans to send rich tourists into orbit.
With two missions in the last three months, the introduction of the new heavy-lift Ariane 5 onto the market is off to a promising start, after a longer than expected qualification period, and appears to be in a good position to meet its goal of five launches this year.
Thomas M. Clancy (see photos) has become vice president-engineering and Kristine T. Miller vice president-administration of Aurora Flight Sciences, Manassas, Va. Clancy was manager of the Environmental Research and Sensor Technology Program, while Miller was director of finance and administration.
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. at the Surrey Space Center has been awarded the $120,000-Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission Study contract from NASA to initiate concepts for a five-spacecraft mission.
IAI's Lahav Div. and the Kamov Design Bureau of Russia plan to be among the bidders to supply South Korea with up to 36 Ka-50-2 heavy attack helicopters. The two companies also have teamed to offer Turkey 50 of the rotorcraft in a similar configuration. A decision on the proposed sale to Turkey is due early this summer from among three proposals on a short list, while a decision on the sale to South Korea is expected in June 2001 on bids that are due in mid-July.
