Japan's Ministry of Transport (MOT) has accelerated launch of MTSAT-2 as a replacement for the air traffic control and meteorological satellite lost last November. MTSAT is to be Japan's first Wide Area Augmentation System spacecraft, and is intended for use in the North Pacific region. The North Pacific WAAS is one of the three wide-area augmentation systems for Europe's GNSS-1, in addition to the FAA's WAAS and Egnos. The MOT had scheduled MTSAT-2 for launch in 2004, but has rescheduled the satellite for a 2002 launch on Mitsubishi's improved H-2A booster.
Some of the Army's top aviators are ringing alarm bells about the state of aviation within the service, highlighting problems ranging from equipment to training that are affecting the entire force. ``We are in a crisis,'' said Lt. Gen. John M. Riggs, commanding general of the First U.S. Army and one of the most senior aviators in the service. Unless changes are made Army aviation may find itself unable to execute both its tactical and strategic missions, he told a symposium dedicated to Army aviation.
Japan's Defense Agency has made it official.The flight test program for the Mitsubishi/Lockheed Martin F-2 close air support fighter has to be extended once again. Cracks in the F-2's all-composite wings had forced earlier delays. The latest problem arose from a flight test in October when unexpectedly high loads were noted on the aircraft's vertical fin. Working that issue is expected to take until June, adding three additional months and $5.7 million to the development program.
The hard landing of the Perseus B drone on Highway 40, 3 mi. east of Barstow, Calif., was caused by the failure of a voltage regulator and the misrouting of the throttle control cable, according to a NASA Dryden Flight Research Center technical investigation committee (AW&ST Oct. 11, 1999, p. 94). The aircraft was built by Aurora Flight Sciences and was operating under Dryden's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program.
The White House has put together a two-year, $1.6-billion-plus aid package for Colombia's counter-drug operations, including 30 Black Hawk and 33 Huey helicopters. Defying critics who predict the U.S. effort in Colombia will prove as futile as the Reagan Administration's intervention in the leftist guerrilla war in El Salvador in the 1980s, President Clinton said his initiative was essential because Colombian traffickers supply about 80% of the cocaine used in the U.S.
Already nearly two years late, the critical Russian Service Module for the International Space Station may now be delayed further until August. This option, if adopted, would cause major schedule slips in the ISS project and space shuttle launch schedule for 2000. The module's schedule is tied to how long it will take to revalidate its Proton launcher in the wake of two accidents in 1999. NASA managers had hoped the vehicle could be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by this spring or early summer.
A recent string of good news for the C-130J production line has drastically improved the outlook for the troubled transport aircraft which is critical to Lockheed Martin improving its earnings. A dearth of international orders was threatening to result in a production gap and the possible temporary shutdown of C-130Js at Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Ga., facility. Reopening the line would have cost at least $500 million, U.S. Air Force officials say, and would have increased the unit cost of the aircraft.
The first B-2 bomber to undergo programmed depot maintenance arrived at the Northrop Grumman production facility here in December, giving the company a chance to demonstrate new ``lean'' processes that promise to cut costs dramatically.
Rockwell Collins will employ a multifaceted strategy--including aggressively expanding integrated information systems electronics--to blunt the increased clout of the new Honeywell Inc. while extending its own market presence.
Hong Kong International Airport will complete its Phase 2 construction on Jan. 20 with the opening of the northwest concourse for its passenger terminal. The 100,000-sq.-ft. extension will add 11 gates and airbridges to 38 already in operation. With the addition of a second 4,000-meter runway that was opened last August, the airport will be able to handle up to 80 aircraft movements an hour.
Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre's announcement that he will depart to head the Center for International and Strategic Studies is the clearest sign, yet, that the Pentagon is heading into its election-year hibernation. Hamre is being replaced by Rudy de Leon, the former Air Force undersecretary who, more recently, was in charge of Pentagon personnel matters. Army acquisition chief Paul Hoeper says any service initiatives have to be completed soon.
THE DIRECTOR OF THE GPS Joint Program Office does not believe the U.S. will get support at the upcoming World Radio Conference to protect the frequency for a third civil GPS signal, known as L5, he told Global Positioning&Navigation News. The second civil signal (L2) has already been incorporated on the Block 2F satellites. Two frequencies will improve the navigation accuracy of civil receivers by allowing them to determine atmospheric corrections by comparing the phases of the two signals.
Great Lakes Aviation Ltd. has secured $20 million in revolving credit to allow it to restructure and pay off other debt. An affiliate of United Airlines, the Iowa-based regional provides United Express scheduled service to 64 cities in 14 states with a fleet of eight Embraer EMB-120s and 40 Raytheon/Beech 1900Ds.
The proliferation of air defense artillery systems and an increased use of integrated sensors and processors in low-altitude air defenses are two of the main trends that the U.S. intelligence community believes could complicate future helicopter missions.
Front-ends for the HP 81200 data generator/analyzer that will expedite characterization and verification of high-speed devices that use new differential technologies, including LVDS (low voltage differential signaling), ECL (emitter coupled logic) and PECL (positive-biased emitter coupled logic) are available. Engineers can test integrated circuits at low voltages and at speeds up to 660MHz.
Charter operator LTU and Swisscargo have created a joint venture intended to develop freight potential in regions visited by tourists, where freight infrastructure has lagged behind that of major industrial and commercial centers. The venture would assume control of aircraft operated by the European Leisure Group, an alliance of LTU and four other charter airlines established last year by SAirGroup, which owns 49.9% of LTU shares.
Arianespace is predicting a sharp upturn in the launch market for geostationary-orbit satellites this year, particularly among U.S. customers, and a near doubling of launch activity. From early December through early January--typically a period of slack activity--the company received bid invitations for three or four projects, said Chairman/CEO Jean-Marie Luton.
Miami International Airport has performed the first of nine planned installations of a new passenger screening system developed by ADT Security Services' Federal Systems Div., Alexandria, Va. Called QControl, the system features include a sensitive closed-circuit TV system and time-lapsed VCR recorder that captures images of all passengers and their belongings before and after they use the X-ray machine when entering the gate or concourse area. This ensures that carry-ons remain in the hands of their proper owners, according to Charles Sander, regional director.
On Jan. 1, 2001, Stage 2 commercial transports will be banned from Brussels-Zaventem between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., and by mid-2003, the airport will be closed to all traffic between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. The Belgian government's surprise decision is expected to seriously disrupt the long-term growth plans of courier operators. For example, DHL Worldwide Express' main Western European hub is located at Brussels. Last week, local residents praised Belgian Vice Prime Minister and Transport Minister Isabelle Durant's initiative. She is a member of the Ecolo environmentalist party.
Furman Selz analyst Sam Pearlstein last week upgraded BFGoodrich Co. to ``strong buy'' from ``hold.'' The fact that the U.S. Air Force also selected the $6-billion aerospace supplier last week to upgrade more than 750 F-16 fighter aircraft with advanced wheels and carbon brakes was coincidental; that added piece of business, which is valued at about $30 million during the next several years, merely underscores the strength of the company's product line, he said.
Philippe Camus, CEO of Aerospatiale Matra, has been appointed chairman, succeeding Yves Michot, who has resigned. Chief Financial Officer Francois Auque and Senior Vice President-Aeronautics Jean-Francois Bigay have become board members.
The wing of the first X-34 research aircraft to be used for powered flights has been attached to the fuselage at Orbital Sciences Corp. facilities in Dulles, Va. The vehicle, called A-2, is scheduled to be shipped from Orbital Sciences to Holloman AFB, N.M., where its Fastrac engine will be installed for propulsion system testing. The vehicle, the second of three X-34s, will then be shipped to Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., where the wing will be reattached in preparation for initial powered flight later this year.
The Defense Dept. believes a healthy, flexible, commercially competitive defense industry is vital to U.S. security. After reading Aviation Week&Space Technology's Nov. 8 editorial on my address to the Fletcher Conference, at which I discussed these issues, I am concerned that my position may not have been fully understood.
William K. Lau, head of the Climate and Radiation Branch in the Laboratory for Atmospheres at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is the 1999 recipient of the William Nordberg Memorial Award for his Earth science research. Lau was recognized for his insight in explaining tropical atmosphere-ocean behavior and his leadership in world climate research projects and NASA Earth Observing System interdisciplinary investigations, involving collaboration with research organizations, universities in the U.S. and abroad.
