Given the dismal showing in 1999 of some of the most highly touted names in the satellite services business, it's understandable why some investors may have retired to the sidelines earlier this year because of the sector's relatively high risk.
The Model ST1 battery operated portable solder tip cleaner has two rotating ``fybRglass'' wheels that quickly clean oxidation and hardened flux residue from solder tips. Tip configurations including chisel, cone, spade and bevel may be cleaned. The wheels are fully adjustable to accommodate solder tips in a variety of sizes and shapes and wheel pressure is adjustable using the spring tension screw. The ST1 is powered by a rechargeable Ni-Cad battery and can clean tips while attached to the soldering iron at the workstation. It weighs 2 lb.
MICHAEL MECHAMEiichiro Sekigawa contributed to this story from Tokyo.
Japan's National Space Development Agency has decided to take its losses by killing the H-2 launch program in favor of a newer design it hopes will prove less costly and risky. As a practical matter, NASDA's decision will have little effect on its launch programs because there was only one H-2 launch still scheduled. It was for a pair of experimental satellites that were behind schedule.
Beal Aerospace Technologies Inc. plans the first flight of its BA-2 heavy-lift booster from Cape Canaveral in 24 months and has entered preliminary negotiations with a potential customer.
A decision on a new airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft by Turkey, expected in August but delayed because of financial problems, could be coming shortly. The Turkish Defense Undersecretariat is awaiting final cost approval for the four-aircraft program from Treasury Administration officials. Defense and industry officials in Ankara say Boeing--whose proposal involves Northrop Grumman's multirole, electronically scanned array radar mounted in a 737 transport--is the odds-on favorite after winning a similar competition in Australia in July.
Juan D. Morales has become senior vice president-cargo, Pamela L. Rollins senior vice president-business development and Mark Stewart senior vice president-airline, all of Amerijet International Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A senior Russian government official backed the new management at MiG-MAPO which was stung by the highly public resignations of several top officials late last month, including the directors of the MiG-29 and MiG-31 programs. They blamed management, which has instituted a major restructuring program, for effectively closing down the MiG-29SMT upgrade program and shifting focus to civil aircraft. Vice Prime Minister Iliya Klebanov pledged the government's support for MiG-MAPO in ``all future activities.'' He said the company is to be renamed the Russian Aircraft Corp.
Timothy J. Perrott has been appointed vice president-investor relations of the Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va. He was director of investor relations for the Southern Co.
John Silk has been named product manager for aircraft tubing and Brian Dell marketing specialist for tubular products at Tiernay Metals, Redondo Beach, Calif.
NASA is working with Veridian Trident Data Systems to build a prototype firewall for space use, so that Earth-bound experimenters can securely control their projects on the space shuttle, satellites or the International Space Station. It is the virtual private network (VPN) part of NASA's Space Internet project to make spacecraft look like a node on the Internet.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, long a co-producer of the BK117 helicopter, is to develop a longer version of the utility rotorcraft in cooperation with Eurocopter. The new machine is to have 13 seats and a range of 700 km. (435 mi.), compared with 11 passengers and 500 km. for the current BK117 C1. Development costs have not been released, but they are to be shared equally. Current planning would have Eurocopter produce the rotor system and dynamic components, with Kawasaki assembling the fuselage. Flyaway costs are put at $4.9 million. More than 450 BK117s have been sold.
Peter Niemy has been named London Gatwick Airport-based vice president-marketing and business development for Europe, Asia and the Middle East for GE Capital Aviation Training.
Craig Saddler has been appointed vice president-investor relations of the Boeing Co. in Seattle. He was chief financial officer of the Boeing Shared Services Group.
Bombardier Aerospace has received certification by Europe's Joint Airworthiness Authorities (JAA) for its new high-speed, 66-78-seat Q400 turboprop aircraft, which was launched in June 1995. The JAA has recommended that Europe's national aviation authorities grant the aircraft their type certificate or equivalent document.
The ADVCRtm is the first production-ready airborne digital videocassette recorder and is qualified to Mil-Std-810E. Some of the technological advances associated with the ADVCR include: integrity of image quality when digitally copying or importing images to a computer, firewire interface for video I/O, compatibility with existing cameras and video sources, both NTSC and PAL availability, discrete or RS-42 remote control and event-mark-with-search-function capability with several types of distinguishable events.
DotLine Lasertm combines V-belt pulley precision alignment with laser leveling in a single hand-held permanently calibrated tool. Tight space is no limitation as this lightweight, waterproof tool can be attached magnetically to either outside or inside of pulley. Three AAA batteries project a bright fanned laser onto three magnetic targets on the opposite pulley allowing the user to view the alignment condition. The tool's laser can be switched to a bright red dot for distance leveling. Better alignment of pulley reduces belt wear, noise, vibration and downtime.
Bombardier Aerospace has sold a Global Express business jet to the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. It will be operated as a flight inspection aircraft. Delivery is scheduled for December 2001. In related news, Global Express competitor Gulfstream early this month provided technical briefings on its Gulfstream V and Gulfstream IV-SP ultra-long-haul business jet aircraft for Polish officials.
This product is designed for precision electric field and voltage measurement and RF signal transmission. It used advanced, proprietary optical chip technology to achieve precise, interference-free measurement. Because the sensor and optical fibers are made of dielectric materials, there is a high degree of isolation between electric field or high voltage test point and instrumentation system. Remote measurement of at least 100 meters is possible. It may be used for a variety of EMC, EMI, ESD or voltage measurement needs.
Racal Instruments introduced three high-voltage switch plug-ins for its Adapt-a-Switch platform. These permit end users and system integrators to easily integrate hipot and cable breakdown testing into VXI-bus based test systems. Capable of switching up to 500 volts and 10 watts, the first is a reed relay plug-in; another reed relay plug-in is designed for switching voltages up to 1,000 volts and 25 watts. A mercury-wetted plug-in card can switch voltages up to 500 volts and 50 watts.
The two competitors in the U.S. Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program have developed boosters aimed at achieving a delicate balance among cost, performance and system reliability that will be required to meet future government and commercial launch requirements. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V and Boeing Delta IV launchers appear similar with their first-stage, common-core modular designs, but the two companies have taken distinctly different paths in the design and development of their next-generation boosters.
El Al has signed a $400-million order with Boeing for three 777-200ER aircraft to be delivered starting in February 2001 but has postponed a decision on acquiring 3-4 A330-200s from Airbus Industrie. The delay came at the request of Israeli Transport Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, who asked that the state-owned airlines' board of directors postpone a meeting scheduled last week to decide on the Airbus order. Mordechai wants more time to study the financial implications and obtain Treasury Ministry input on the proposed Airbus deal.
Air Canada has agreed to purchase AMR Corp.'s preferred shares in Canadian Airlines for C$55-60 million, and allow American Airlines to retain its code-share with Canadian for 10 years. The accord, however, is contingent upon Air Canada acquiring Canadian.
Lease of 28 F-16s to New Zealand became a political issue after new Prime Minister Helen Clark announced a review of the deal. Russia's Sukhoi has offered the government a 10-year lease on an unspecified number of Su-30s for the same lease cost of $63.8 million for the F-16s. President Clinton phoned Clark to try to secure the F-16 deal, which will be the subject of negotiations in New Zealand later this month. In addition to the lease cost is a $182-million reactivation cost for the aircraft, which were sold--but not delivered--to Pakistan due to their nuclear policy.
