India cut short a planned 30-sec. firing of its cryogenic upper stage engine at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Center at Mahendragiri during a test on Feb. 16. No reason was given why the operation was terminated after 15 sec., but it was the first time the liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen upper stage had been tested. The engine is designed for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, which is under development by the Indian Space Research Agency as a competitor in the Delta II class launcher.
Dennis Kovalsky, who has been global director of pretreatment and specialty products, has been appointed general manager for aerospace coatings and sealants for PPG Industries of Pittsburgh. He succeeds Theodore Clark, who is now CEO of Burke Industries.
Longbow Limited Liability Co., a Northrop Grumman/Lockheed Martin joint venture, has received a $25.9-million contract to supply the AN/APG-78 Longbow multi-role radar system for the AH-64D helicopters of the Singapore Air Force. Deliveries will begin in 2002.
ElectroOptics Industries' announcement that it will supply an imaging payload for a South Korean satellite is only one of several indications that the Israeli company is expanding its space operations. Under the contract from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Elop will supply an imaging sensor for the Kompsat-2 satellite. The multispectral camera will be the spacecraft's primary payload, although other scientific payloads also are being flown.
Rising demand has prompted the Hong Kong carrier that first put Airbus A320s into China service to order more of them. Dragonair said it will buy five A320 family aircraft and lease an A321, as well as acquire one A330-300 by purchase and another by lease. Deliveries of the eight aircraft are to begin in May and stretch to at least 2005. International Lease Finance Corp. will provide the leases.
Smiths Industries is acquiring the Actuation Systems subsidiary of BAE Systems North America Inc. for $100 million, further expanding its integrated sub-system capabilities. The company, formerly part of Marconi Electronic Systems which merged with BAE, had sales of $46.8 million last year and a pretax profit of $9.4 million.
Xetron Corp. has won a $2.1-million contract from ViaSat Inc. to provide radio frequency amplifiers for the low-volume terminals production program of the Defense Dept.'s multifunctional information distribution system .
Several serious F/A-18E/F performance issues had to be addressed before the U.S. Navy could declare the strike fighter ready for operations. Even so, the service did not resolve all concerns. One of the greatest hurdles was demonstrating that the aircraft would meet its range requirement. The E/F version is supposed to have 40% greater range than the C/D. However, analytical models were predicting that in some strike mission profiles, the two-seat F version would fall 2 mi. short of its 390-mi. mandate.
Boeing plans to demolish most of its 5 million sq. ft. of surplus production facilities in Long Beach, Calif., some of which date from World War II when Douglas Aircraft Co. occupied the facilities. Boeing Realty Corp. plans to convert the site into a business park for technology-based companies. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the second quarter of 2003. Boeing delivered the last MD-80 from Long Beach in December, and the last MD-90 and MD-11 will be delivered this year.
Turkey is expected to announce the winner of its attack helicopter competition on Mar. 3. Officials from several helicopter makers here said the award will give a large boost to the winner in competitions in Australia and South Korea. The Turkish contract could be for up to 140 aircraft. Overall, industry officials see a near-term market for 375 attack and reconnaissance helicopters, including opportunities in Poland, Spain and Slovenia.
The U.K. team responsible for developing Europe's Beagle 2 Mars lander has tapped the consulting firm of M&C Saatchi to canvas private firms and individuals willing to support the $40-million project. M&C Saatchi will be tasked with raising at least 10 million pounds ($16.1 million) in the next four years through a combination of sponsorship, merchandising and public participation. The balance of funding has already been committed by the U.K. government ($12 million) and companies and institutes participating in Beagle 2.
Raytheon has entered into a strategic alliance on missiles with Diehl's BGT and cited the company as a key potential partner if Germany opts to procure its ERAAM+ missile.
Canadian Marconi Co. has officially changed its name to BAE Systems Canada, or Systemes BAE Canada in the French form. The update parallels changes in the U.K. following last November's merger of British Aerospace with the Marconi Electronic Systems unit of the General Electric Co., forming BAE Systems.
Singapore's Asian Aerospace exhibition is one of the industry's most important, but the Changi Exhibition Center where it is held, on the backside of the country's international airport, is unlikely to win any industry accolades. The tarmac will not support large aircraft, so they must be kept off-site. Their parking place is near the Changi Prison, which prompts some decidedly unfriendly requirements for manufacturers wanting to show customers their planes.
Dassault Aviation is studying how the Rafale fighter could be used as a flight leader to direct and coordinate an attack by Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) and also to control unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
ATA (American Trans Air) scheduled passenger service is expanding. The Indianapolis-based subsidiary of Amtran Inc. claims to be the largest operator of commercial and military charters worldwide as well as the 11th largest U.S. passenger airline. Beginning Apr. 2, ATA will increase nonstop service between New York LaGuardia and Chicago Midway from three to five flights daily on Boeing 757s and 727s. On Apr. 3, ATA will begin offering thrice-daily, nonstop 757 service between Midway and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
In April, Japan's Maritime Safety Agency will become the ``Coast Guard'' because foreigners identify ``Maritime Safety Agency'' chiefly with rescue operations at sea. In fact, the organization's tasks also include traditional activities such as guarding against smugglers, stowaways and poaching, as well as cleaning up oil spills.
Vanessa Paris has been named corporate communications/public relations administrator of the Cleveland-based Ohio Aerospace Institute. Paris was market management and communications specialist for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Despite the turmoil in defense procurements caused by Australian budget pressures, the country's air force chief continues to articulate a need for a broad range of airlift, from small tactical transports to C-17-sized aircraft. Australia's peacekeeping experience in East Timor has caused military planners to realize they need an aircraft larger than the C-130. But RAAF chief Air Marshal Errol McCormack insists that the new requirement hasn't undermined the need for small transports for which the Alenia/Lockheed Martin C-27J and CASA-295 are competing.
British Airways said it will invest $160 million on a variety of e-business initiatives in the next two years, including a plan to launch an Internet travel agency portal in conjunction with other European airlines. Chief Executive Robert Ayling said the airline was in advanced discussions with several other carriers, including Air France and Swissair. BA also plans to expand the online activities of its Air Miles customer-loyalty program and launch a ``lifestyle'' portal this summer.
Matra Marconi Space's U.K. arm has acquired NRSC, a major commercial provider of aerial and satellite Earth-observation data and products. Takeover of NRSC, formerly the U.K. National Remote Sensing Center, will give MMS a vertically integrated Earth-observation capability and provide access to the fast-growing applications market. NRSC employs 130 people and generates annual sales of 6.5 million pounds ($10.4 million).
The FAA should set minimum safety and operational standards for fractional ownership aircraft and allow smaller airlines to fly under those rules if they meet specific requirements, an industry advisory panel has recommended. On Feb. 23, the rulemaking panel presented FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey with proposals for a new Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) aimed at resolving disputes over whether existing rules give fractional ownership operators an unfair advantage over small airlines in attracting high-yield passengers.
The location of the home base of Italian startup carrier Gandalf Airlines was incorrectly stated in a story on p. 60 of last week's issue. The airline is based at Orio al Serio airport, close to downtown Bergamo, Italy.
Boeing's board of directors is expected to give a go-ahead for the twin-engine 777X programs on Feb. 28, sparking a new wave of competition with Airbus' four-engine A340-500/600 family for the 300-360-seat long-range market.
