James Maucere has been promoted to vice president-aircraft base maintenance from managing director and Valerie Henry has been named director of customer care, for Delta Air Lines. Henry was district manager for reservation sales in Los Angeles. Richard W. Cordell has become director of Delta's station at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. He was its general manager.
The U.S. Air Force has selected teams led by TRW and Lockheed Martin to compete for a $1.5-billion, 15-year Integrated Space Command and Control (ISC) contract. A Raytheon-headed team was dropped. ISC2 would integrate approximately 40 air, space and missile defense command and control systems into one that will allow commanders to share real-time data ( AW&ST Nov. 15, 1999, p. 101). Each team received a $2.5-million contract to cover the next competitive stage, which ends with a contract award in September.
After taking the lead in establishing customer-friendly, reliable service, India's private airlines are now laying the groundwork for the country's first true regional airline service, and are seeking new lines of air transport activity.
Year after year, Washington has debated whether national security or economic interest should take precedence in its prickly relations with China. That security and commercial interests often collide has been evident all along in Washington's hand-wringing over how to handle trade with an ancient civilization that, paradoxically, can be as peevish, infantile and pride-filled as a mutinous teenager.
The F-22 Combined Test Force is adding more than 200 people to its ranks during the next five months, quickly ramping up in preparation for almost 2,000 hr. of avionics flight testing. The test force currently comprises about 500 military and contractor personnel.
Boeing Phantom Works in St. Louis has flight tested a ``wrapping'' method of combining legacy and new software in a modern processor. The technique, developed under the U.S. Air Force's Incremental Upgrade of Legacy Systems (IULS) program, consists of software that ``wraps'' around both the legacy avionics code and new code, allowing both to operate in an upgraded system. The Boeing F-15E fighter's legacy Overload Warning System (OWS), written in Ada and formerly running on a Mil-Std-1750A processor, was combined with new C++ software and run on a PowerPC/VME processor.
The U.S. Defense Dept. is finding that one of its newest initiatives to support small business is paying off. Under the Fast Track program, small businesses working on a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract stand a much better chance to get funding for follow-on work.
Dan R. Garner and Thomas J. Smith have been named to the board of directors of Kitty Hawk Inc. of Dallas. Garner, a consultant on technology manufacturing, was director of Ernst&Young's Entrepreneurial Services practice and founder of the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Smith owns the Omega Management Corp. and is a trustee of the Southwest Research Institute. He was president/CEO of the Fairchild Aircraft Corp. and a senior executive of Fokker.
Indigo Systems Corp. has introduced the UL3 Alpha, billed as the world's smallest, lightest, infrared camera. It was jointly developed with the U.S. Army's Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate and operates in the long wavelength IR range (8-12 microns). The camera weighs 6 oz., is about 1.5 times the size of a D cell battery and provides analog video in monochrome RS-170A format with optional CCIR, as well as real-time 12-bit corrected digital video. Images are displayed at 30 frames per sec.
South Korea is stepping out to become one of Asia's largest purchasers of military equipment in the next several years, even though it is unlikely to match Japan's long-term record as a buyer of foreign hardware.
Congress appears ready to grant China normal trade relations on a permanent basis, barring Chinese saber rattling or worse in the run-up to Taiwan's presidential election Mar. 18. Congressional leaders hope to complete action on permanent NTR (formerly MFN, Most Favored Nation) this summer, before the U.S. presidential campaign shifts into high gear.
Ever the trend setters, Asian airlines are again a center of focus as manufacturers try to give birth to larger and longer range aircraft. The gestation period was suspended partly because the region was suffering through a two-year recession. Other factors--corporate reorganization, technical challenges--also delayed the introduction of these aircraft. But if Airbus' 550-seat-plus A3XX and its longer range A340-500/600 family, or Boeing's ultralong-range 777X and possible stretch of the 747-400 are to succeed, they need a healthy Asian market.
Ansett Australia is considering a merger of its regional subsidiaries to cut costs and streamline operations as the management of Kendell Airlines, its key southeast Australia regional, has fallen behind in its introduction of the 50-seat Bombardier CRJ-200. A decision to restructure would see Ansett Western Australian-based Skywest Airlines integrated with New South Wales-based Aero Pelican plus Kendell Airlines. An Ansett spokesperson said Ansett executive Ron Rosalky will become Kendell's CEO in the management shakeup.
Frank L. Powell, 3rd, (see photo) has been named vice president-naval munitions of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control of Dallas. He was director of Navy Theater-Wide for Raytheon.
Vishay has released three new series of inductors/transformers in surface-mount toroidal packages. In a choice of Kool-Mu, powdered iron or MPP cores, the Dale LPT series minimizes EMI radiation in DC-to-DC converter, common mode coke and isolation transformer circuits in a broad range of electronic systems, according to the company. With a diameter of 8.93 mm. and a height profile of 6.35 mm., designers have a choice of 14 inductance values. Inductance tolerance is specified at 15% for all devices.
Large and small components are easily part marked using the Imaje handgun or table. The handgun permits walking right up to parts, making parts of large components such as skins and stringers easily accessible. The parts marker is mounted on a trolley allowing for movement around the factory. The ink's quick drying time means operators are freed up for other tasks and the part-marking time for each component is significantly shorter.
President Clinton wins praise from Congress for bolstering his $2-billion cyber-security initiative, and speeding government/industry cooperation in the wake of recent Internet attacks. At a White House meeting of executives from companies such as AT&T, Intel, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett Packard, Clinton called for an extra $9 million to jump-start the draft plan he announced Feb. 1 (see p. 111). Clinton also lauded the private sector's decision to create a mechanism to share network security information.
Delta Air Lines is making it very cheap for its employees to be wired to the Internet. In conjunction with PeoplePC, the carrier will offer a computer and secure Internet access for $12/month for 36 months. Employees who already have a computer will get free net access via ATT. . . . The Civil Aviation Administration of Finland is studying Helsinki's Vantaa airport using The Preston Group's Total Airspace&Airport Modeller. The work includes placement of a new aircraft parking area, usage of a new third runway, and possible airspace procedure studies.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, coming off of a disappointing December quarter, plans to implement a new round of cost cutting that is likely to include a decrease in routes and sizable reduction (perhaps up to 10%) of its workforce.
The new model FH 6370-1 is a 3 dB. quadrature hybrid that handles 200 CW power. Operating over 800-2,400 MHz., it offers typical insertion loss of VSWR of 1.22:1 maximum and isolation of 20 dB. minimum. Type N female connectors are standard, but alternate connector requirements can be met. Package size is 5.6 X 1.5 X 1 in. Typical applications include antenna feeds and amplifier combing in telecommunication base stations. Sage Laboratories Inc., 11 Huron Drive, Natick, Mass. 01760.
The European Union has temporarily lifted its ban on flights to Serbia. The six-month suspension of the ban, which had been requested of opposition leaders in Serbia, came as EU foreign ministers tightened financial sanctions imposed on the country. The move will presumably mean JAT Yugoslav Airlines will also be able to resume flights to EU countries.
Jean Fournet has been elected president of OCCAR European armaments procurement agency for 2000. He heads DGA French armaments agency's department of international affairs.
Arming the Eagle: A History of U.S. Weapons Acquisition Since 1775 by military historian Wilbur D. Jones, Jr., is the only book the Defense Dept. has commissioned on this subject. It recounts how U.S. weapons were developed and produced from the American Revolution to present day acquisition programs, what notable managers and organizations were involved and which weapons had a major impact on national conflicts. Space is given to each branch of the services.
LOCKHEED MARTIN WILL DEVELOP the New Scottish Center air traffic control system at Prestwick, on the southwest coast of Scotland. The U.K.'s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) awarded the company a 50-million pound ($80-million) contract for a two-year initial system development effort to rehost the computers and develop the architecture. Follow-on efforts will be required to develop additional software, buy hardware, integrate and test the system and train controllers.
