German aerospace companies are worried that a continued drop in military expenditures could threaten the long-term survival of the country's defense industry and undermine the ability of the German armed forces to operate effectively within NATO.
Engineers at Hughes Space and Communications Co. used television cameras to monitor the deployment of solar arrays and heat radiators on their first HS 702, the largest and most powerful commercial satellite yet launched.
The start of construction of a 2,200-meter (7,200-ft.) runway at Tokyo's Narita airport has prompted opponents to ask a district court to cancel the project on grounds that the runway will pose a hazard because aircraft might run off it onto their farms. Proponents note that millions of people live safely adjacent to railroads and highways.
ARINC Inc. has received a five-year $450-million contract to supply services for all U.S. Air Force Materiel Command platforms, weapon systems, components and equipment.
Regional carriers operating in the French Caribbean are considering the merits of a joint venture that would boost traffic in the region and pave the way for an expanded route system. French Guiana-based Air Guyane, which is promoting such an effort, plans to submit in the next three months a draft agreement to Air Martinique, Air Guadeloupe and Air France, Raymond Abchee, Air Guyane chief executive, said. Air France is expected to support such an agreement that would contribute to increased traffic between the Caribbean and Paris.
The Spanish air force has ordered 15 single-engine Eurocopter EC 120B helicopters. The aircraft, to be delivered from July 2000 to June 2001, will be used for ab-initio pilot training.
SairGroup and German charter carriers LTU, Hapag-Lloyd and Germania plan to establish a company to offer ground handling services at German airports. Swissport Deutschland GmbH will combine the assets of AHS, a ground handling firm owned by the carriers, and Aerogate, a unit of SairGroup affiliate Swissport International set up two years ago to serve German airports. The new entity will be the largest independent ground handling company in Germany, with 12 facilities, including Frankfurt and Munich.
After Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager circled the Earth in an airplane in 1986, and the Breitling Orbiter did the same thing in a balloon last year, there are not many significant records left to break. But the NASA-funded Helios promises to break endurance records by a factor of 10 or more.
A series of software problems with the FAA's Wide Area Augmentation System will delay initial operating capability that had been slated for September. WAAS will improve GPS position accuracy from 100 meters to less than 3 meters across the U.S., using differential-GPS techniques. Despite the schedule slip, the FAA, Raytheon and independent technical experts believe the problems can be resolved in a ``reasonable'' period of time.
Raytheon Aerospace has been awarded a multiple contract from the U.S. Navy and Air Force to provide life cycle contractor support for 109 C-12 aircraft. With the exercise of nine option periods through Fiscal 2010, the contract could be worth $695.5 million.
British Midland has placed a firm order with Airbus Industrie for four A330-200s with options for a further eight. Total value of the order is $1.9 billion. The first aircraft is set for delivery in April 2001. The order underlines British Midland's desire to start operating long-haul services next year.
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.
