Honeywell Defense Avionics Systems has selected Belgium's Barco Display Systems to install multipurpose control display units in upgraded Lockheed Martin C-5 military transports.
The restructuring of Canada's airlines has taken a new turn with last week's unveiling of an ambitious plan to acquire regional affiliates of the surviving major carrier and develop them into a strong second-tier traffic feed operation.
Relief could be on the way for U.S. satellite exporters complaining of overly cautious State Dept. regulators. A compromise between the White House and Congress on a dispute about abortion cleared the way last week for passage of State Dept. spending authorizations. That bill contains language by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) directing the secretary of State to expedite the export of satellite hardware and technologies to traditionally friendly nations.
The Russian government is planning to regroup the country's helicopter design bureaus and factories into a single company. Kamov general designer Sergei Mikheev has been angling to set up a unified helicopter corporation with full development, production and marketing capabilities. MiG-MAPO Deputy Director General Vladimir Vypryazhkin said Kamov would probably leave the group to form the new company.
Despite recent crashes involving suspected suicidal behavior, the existing system of checks and balances within the airline community argues against implementing special testing of airline pilots to detect mental or emotional abnormalities, according to industry experts.
Anthony Rubinich has been appointed vice president/program director of Electro-Radiation Inc., Fairfield, N.J. He was director of program management at Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems.
Former astronaut Michael J. McCulley has been appointed chief operating officer of NASA's space shuttle program prime contractor, United Space Alliance (USA) of Houston. He succeeds Jim Adamson, who has become president of the AlliedSignal Technical Services Corp. McCulley has been vice president/deputy program manager for the space flight operations contract at USA.
A University of California task force appointed to investigate alleged ultrawideband radar patent infringements by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory concluded that no regulations were violated, but was critical of the lab's technology transfer business practices.
Dassault Aviation Chairman/CEO Serge Dassault confirmed he has every intention of exercising a right of preemption that will allow him to withdraw from a shareholder pact with Aerospatiale Matra, which owns nearly 50% of Dassault shares, once the planned merger with DaimlerChrysler Aerospace merger is finalized. Dissolving the pact would allow Dassault to determine corporate strategy independently of Aerospatiale Matra, he said.
France has ordered $100 million worth of Paveway 2 and 3 laser-guided bomb kits, test equipment and spares from Raytheon. Deliveries are expected to begin early next year and continue through October 2001. The laser-guided bombs would be employed by French air force Mirage F1, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft, as well as navy Super Etendards.
An Ariane 44LP booster on Nov. 14 launched GE American Communications' GE-4 hybrid C/Ku-band direct television satellite built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems. Its final orbital location will be at 101 deg. W. Long.
Susan Stahl has been promoted to vice president-marketing for all programs from director of Boeing 727 Stage 3 market support of Raisbeck Engineering and Raisbeck Commercial Air Group of Seattle.
Alenia Marconi Systems has received a $26-million contract to modernize Algeria's air traffic control system. The contract includes the supply of an ATCR 33/S primary radar and five secondary SIR-M radars. The Anglo-Italian joint venture has also been awarded an $11-million contract from Saudi Arabia for an ATCR 33/S radar and two SIR-M radars for King Adbul Aziz airport in Jeddah and King Khalid airport in Riyadh.
Henny Essenberg, former executive vice president-networks at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has become managing director for the new passenger joint venture between KLM and Alitalia. He will be based in Rome. Paul Gregorowitsch has been appointed vice president-sales. Mario Pascucci, former executive vice president-cargo at Alitalia, has become managing director for the cargo joint venture between the two airlines. Pascucci will be based at Amsterdam Schiphol airport.
The failure of a Proton booster on Oct. 27 has thrown a monkey wrench into an ambitious plan to renew and expand Russia's overtaxed and aging satellite communications network.
Ontic Engineering&Manufacturing Inc. continues to add to its portfolio of license-manufacture aerospace components. The North Hollywood, Calif.-based company now builds, supports and pays royalties on more than 3,000 parts. It recently reached agreement with Eaton Corp. to license-build certain components for the Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante commuter, Challenger business jet, L-1011 transport and F-117 stealth fighter.
South Africa's Kentron, a division of the Denel Group, is seeking partners to develop its Torgos long-range, precision strike weapon. Torgos is an outgrowth of the firm's Multi-Purpose Stand-Off Weapon (MUPSOW), a munitions dispensing system designed for use against ``soft'' targets such as airfields and air defense radar sites. MUPSOW is currently funded by Kentron as an advanced technology demonstrator program. MUPSOW has undergone a number of flight tests, but the South African air force has not yet committed to an acquisition.
The United Nations' global environmental protocol, tentatively scheduled to take effect in 2002, could have a major impact on the airline industry's health and long-term growth prospects.
Prospects for two long-stalled former Eastern Bloc regional airliner projects are moving ahead on the strength of customer or partnership interest in the Middle East and Africa.
Red Flag 00-01, the first air combat exercise of Fiscal 2000 at Nellis AFB, Nev., included two units of German pilots flying the F-4F Phantom II and MiG-29 Fulcrum A, making it the first time that aircraft flown by U.S. foes were involved.
A New Jersey grand jury has indicted John C. Davis, Jr., of Fredericksburg, Va., the passenger accused of attacking a Continental Airlines gate attendant last summer, on charges of second-degree aggravated assault. Angelo Sottile of Kearny, N.J., suffered a broken neck in the altercation with Davis on July 22 at Gate 115 in Terminal C at Newark International Airport. He is recovering from injuries and has lost 60% mobility in his neck, a Continental spokesman said.
Col. John P. Stapp (USAF, Ret.), an aerospace medicine pioneer who studied the human limits of deceleration, windblast and tumbling, died on Nov. 13 in Alamogordo, N.M. He was 89. A military aerospace physician, Stapp volunteered for 29 rocket-powered sled deceleration and windblast experiments at Edwards AFB, Calif., in the 1950s. For one test, he was accelerated to 632 mph. in 5 sec., then sustained 40g when the sled stopped in 1.4 sec.
As U.S. officials prepare to host an international conference on open skies agreements, European airline executives are urging governments on both sides to work toward establishing a common market for transatlantic air services. Air France Chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta sounded that call here earlier this month at the International Aviation Club. Following the U.S. lead, he said, Europe has liberalized its collective domestic air markets. Global alliances, rare just a few years ago, are growing rapidly, he added.
This month's failure of a liquid hydrogen tank for the X-33 illustrates the fine line being walked in NASA's faster-better-cheaper projects between daring risk and foolhardiness. We think there were already lessons learned before the failure. And given that NASA and Lockheed Martin have already spent $1 billion on X-33, where should they go from here?
