The European Space Agency has awarded Matra Marconi Space a $790-million contract to design and build three weather satellites for the Eumetsat Polar System. The 4.5-metric-ton spacecraft, to be injected into low polar orbit from 2003 onward, will complement the MSG network to be deployed in geostationary Earth orbit over the equator starting in 2001 (AW&ST Dec. 6, p. 35).
South Africa has signed a contract for delivery of 28 Gripen multirole fighters and 24 Hawk 100 lead-in fighter trainers with Saab and BAE Systems. The total price tag for all 52 aircraft is 15.7 billion Rand ($2.55 billion). Hawk deliveries will run from 2005-06, while Gripens will be delivered from 2007-12.
The long and protracted process of consolidating South Korea's manufacturing into Korean Aerospace Industry (KAI) is under threat because one of its partners, Hyundai Space and Aircraft, has entered into talks to sell out to BAE Systems. BAE wants a 51% share of Hyundai, prompting cries of foul play by KAI's other partners, Samsung and Daewoo. Samsung officials interpret BAE's move as a backdoor attempt to become a foreign investor in KAI.
LMS International has integrated its Sysnoise acoustic prediction program with the Catia CAD/CAM tool in a product called CAT/SYSNOISE. It allows users to predict acoustic performance directly from the CAD model at an early concept stage. Acoustic modeling procedures have been simplified for nonexperts, and acoustic engineers will benefit from the quicker model construction, the company says. LMS has already integrated its DADS dynamic motion and FALANCS durability engineering programs with Catia.
The Microgage 1000 interface kit combines geometric measuring and alignment precision of 0.00002 in. with the convenience of a computer for measuring solutions on the factory floor. It can be connected directly to a PC or laptop for data recording, analyses and presentation of versatile spreadsheets. The Microgage itself projects a precise line of laser light to a portable digital receiver.
Northrop Grumman Corp. is transferring engineering software development, maintenance, and fully integrated test capabilities for the B-2 bomber from its facilities in Pico Rivera, Calif., to the new Weapons Systems Support Center (WSSC) at Tinker AFB, Okla. Plans call for the move to be completed early in 2000.
Randy D. Rademacher has become president of Comair Holdings Inc. and Comair. He has been senior vice president-finance/chief financial officer. Rademacher succeeds David Siebenburgen, who will lead the Delta Connection network, of which Comair is a member.
The Russian helicopter manufacturer, Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, has signed an industrial cooperation agreement with Malaysia's SME Aviation to work on the Mil Mi-17 helicopter program, which the Russians want to sell to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. SME's experience in assembly, flight test and certification were favored over Malaysia's largest aerospace manufacturer, Airod, which many expected to win the contract. The contract was signed during the LIMA exhibition here.
Following the two lost Mars missions this year, key NASA and congressional officials agree that exploration of the planet and the faster-better-cheaper management approach must survive. However, they are still wrestling with what changes need to be made to ensure success.
Kistler Aerospace Corp. is closing in on new investment funding needed to restart its fully reusable booster program and the company hopes to conduct its first launch late next year.
Robert Maskrey has become executive vice president/chief operating officer of Moog Inc., East Aurora, N.Y. He was vice president/general manager of the company's Aircraft Group.
Cessna delivered the 2,000th single-engine aircraft from its Independence, Kan., factory last month. The facility opened in 1996, and deliveries began in January of the following year. It builds versions of Cessna's C-172, C-182 and C-206 piston-powered general aviation aircraft. The production rate at Independence this year is expected to exceed 900 aircraft.
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems is nearing completion of a one-year development project to evaluate the capabilities of a unique system to measure parts and parts assemblies in the manufacturing process on the Joint Strike Fighter assembly line.
The U.K. and India are set to begin negotiations on a new aviation agreement at the end of January, something the British government has been seeking since the last series of talks in 1996 failed to make any progress. The move was welcomed by Virgin Atlantic, which has long sought to begin services between the U.K. and India. The current agreement limits U.K. carriers to 16 flights per week of which only 11 may terminate in India. British Airways, which operates all of the 16 allowed U.K. flights, has also sought to add service to meet growing demand.
Shanghai experienced air traffic growth of almost 6% in the first 10 months of 1999, logging slightly more than 12 million passengers. Air freight was up 33%, to 620,000 tons, compared to the same period last year. Much of the increase was attributed to 10 new international air routes inaugurated during the year, including service by KLM, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Cargolux. More growth is expected as carriers take advantage of capacity offered by Shanghai's new Pudong Airport.
European space officials are implementing a broad range of measures intended to ensure that the new Ariane 5 launcher remains competitive with other new heavy-lift boosters that will appear in the next decade.
Custom laser-etched stainless steel identification markers can be supplied within a week for permanent application in hostile environments. They are made from 316 stainless steel and etched to withstand corrosives, chemicals, weather extremes, fire and abrasion. They feature a high-contrast message and can be attached using stainless steel cable ties, steel bands or screws. Available in several sizes, they can be etched with various type styles and heights and packaged in kits or bagged for ease of installation. Free samples are available upon request.
Designed to provide a useful, easily understood testing data for hydraulic and lubricating oils, the ``Kleentest'' method checks products of oil oxidation at the molecular level, as well as particulates. It also checks for gravimetric weight, colorimetric value, total water content in parts per millions, total acid numbers, kinematic viscosity in centistokes and specific gravity. The Colorimetric Analysis is a new method for analyzing insoluble oil contamination.
Some carriers are canceling New Year's Eve services because of a lack of business; however, few say they fear the Year 2000 bug itself. But Korean Air does. The carrier said last week that the International Air Transport Assn.'s Y2K assessment that some Southeast Asian, European and South American regions could not be certified as Y2K-compliant had convinced it to cancel or reschedule at least 37 flights. The carrier said its 28 international services to compliant regions such as North America and Oceania remain as scheduled.
Alcatel has awarded Boeing a contract to launch half of the planned SkyBridge satellite constellation, a low-Earth-orbit system intended to provide worldwide high-speed multimedia services. The contract calls for Boeing, which has become an equity investor in SkyBridge, to launch 40 satellites during a series of Delta III and Delta IV missions carrying multiple payloads beginning in 2002.
China's first non-state-run international heliport is being built at Suifenhe, a trading center east of Harbin on the Russian border. The $136-million facility, called the Funing Airport, will be managed by the Suifenhe Falida Trade and Economic Co. The company and its major investor, the Beijing Santongda, Scientific and Trade Group, signed the construction contract in October. Initial site preparation has been completed and the project is government-approved. The heliport should be ready to start accepting cargo helicopter flights from Russia in September.
Brian T. Wright has become vice president-integrated architectures for Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was vice president-engineering and technology.
Raytheon has put its flight simulator business up for sale, according to industry observers, while Hexcel Corp. is exploring the possible sale of its Engineered Products business. The latter produces composite structural and interior components for new commercial and military aircraft. CAE of Canada, British Aerospace and Thomson-CSF in France are interested in the Raytheon operation.
Yuri P. Semenov is one of five Russians who have won the 1999 Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Aerospace Prize, which is administered at the University of Michigan, for their contributions to the design and development of the Mir space station and its transportation system. The other winners are: Anatoly I. Kiselev, Gai I. Severin, Anatoly I. Grigoriev and Petr I. Klimuk.
