Litton's new MobileVu display with bright sunlight readable display was demonstrated recently at the Airborne Law Enforcement Assn. conference in Ontario, Calif. It is shown installed in a Schweizer 330SP helicopter (see inset) flown by the San Antonio, Tex., police. The 10.4-in.-diagonal, color-active matrix liquid crystal display is designed for law enforcement and public safety roles, according to Litton Data Systems in San Diego. It has an optional video capability to display real-time Flir, color video camera or moving map imagery.
Asian carriers face a grim outlook for autumn as they leave the northern summer period--usually a time of peak revenues--weakened by ticket discounting and excess capacity, according to a leading industry analyst. ``The outlook for October and November is extremely grim,'' Peter Harbison, managing director of the Sydney-based Center of Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), said. ``Current loads mask a gloomy outlook for not only Asian carriers but U.S. and European airlines forced to slash fares to compete.''
The Alaskan Aerospace Development Corp. will automate range safety and other functions at its new Kodiak Launch Complex using software technology developed initially by NASA, then licensed for commercial use. The ``spaceport control system'' software will be developed by Command and Control Technologies Corp. of Titusville, Fla., for $1.18 million. The software will be designed to support the launch of several different types of small launch vehicles envisioned to operate eventually from the southwest Alaskan site.
China is discussing the acquisition of 50 Sukhoi Su-30s based on the Su-30MKI standard sold to India. The Chinese have already agreed to take up to 200 Su-27s, some of them to be produced under license. Meanwhile, the Indian air force is looking to purchase 10 more Su-30MKIs, in addition to the 40 units now on order. Eight aircraft have already been handed over, but delivery of a second batch of 12 aircraft, due early next year, is said to be on hold while the two sides hammer out the details of the equipment package.
The U.S. Air Force is installing series 40T5 software upgrades to its fleet of more than 400 Block 40/42 F-16C/D fighters to improve their capabilities in the close air support role. Chief upgrades include a digital terrain navigation/ground proximity warning system, improvements to the low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night-targeting pod for air-to-air operations, and the APG-68 fire control radar.
Michael Saville has been named vice president-sales and marketing and Alan Potter vice president-operations of Harvey Titanium Ltd., Santa Monica, Calif. Ron Flower has been appointed vice president/managing director of Harvey Titanium Ltd. International, Winchester, England. Saville was director of strategic planning of AlliedSignal's MS&S HPG Group. Potter was vice president of the Perryman Co.
Oman Air concluded an order for two 44-seat ATR 42-500 regional twin turboprops, scheduled to be delivered in December, and holds an option for four additional aircraft. They will replace Fokker F27s.
TRW and Lockheed Martin have been selected by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as industry team members for the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM). Total value of the two contracts, which still must be finalized, is estimated to be in excess of $200 million. The mission, scheduled for launch in 2005, is intended to measure star locations and search for planets orbiting nearby stars.
The U.S. government has taken legal action to restore air services to small communities affected by the Northwest Airlines pilots' strike and the shutdown of its affiliate Mesaba Airlines. At least 17 cities in 10 states have lost all air service since the Aug. 29 walkout, and both domestic and international flight schedules have deteriorated at Northwest hubs and in scores of other communities, largely in the Midwest.
France's Hurel-Dubois and Italy's Aermacchi will form a joint subsidiary in an effort to secure additional business in the nacelle/thrust reverser market. Last month, they were selected by General Electric to develop and produce the CF34-8D turbofan's nacelle and thrust reverser. Fairchild-Dornier's proposed 70-seat 728JET, which is expected to be launched soon, would be the first application of the specifically tailored engine nacelle.
Charles Franklin has been named manager of corporate public relations of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Warrendale, Pa. He was a senior public affairs consultant in the U.S. State Dept.
After a long and steep summer slide, airline stocks rebounded in the Sept. 8 market rally. UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, led the way with a 5 7/8 gain, leaving impressive increases of 4 9/16by AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, and 4 1/4 for Delta Air Lines in the dust. United's outstanding market comeback may have reflected the benefits it is accruing from the pilots' strike at rival Northwest Airlines.
Alcatel has delivered W2, the first of a new generation of telecom/TV satellites ordered by Eutelsat. W2 is to be launched on Oct. 5. Eutelsat also took delivery of Hot Bird 5 from Matra Marconi Space.
Geoff Bing (see photo) has become director of North American marketing and sales for the Vaisala Inc. Artais Div., Plain City, Ohio. He was a program manager for Arinc.
The Eurofighter consortium, which has renamed its aircraft the Eurofighter Typhoon to better appeal to potential export customers, expects to sign a fixed-price contract for production of the first 148 aircraft in the next few weeks. There was hope that the signing of the contract could be announced at the air show here this week. But several details remain to be ironed out. A U.K. Royal Air Force official said there were no ``showstoppers,'' however. A deal is expected to be concluded before the Sept. 27 federal elections in Germany.
This voice communicator features both 243 MHz. and 121.5 MHz. emergency beacon frequencies and selectable/programmable nonemergency frequencies. Its Sarsat/Caspas beacon provides position location from an optional integrated GPS receiver. It also can produce a synthesized voice transmission of latitude and longitude data from the GPS to guide rescuers. The unit's firmware can be upgraded via a serial interface. The unit uses field-replaceable D-cell batteries and is compatible with next-generation lithium batteries. Tadiran Spectralink Ltd., 29 Ham-erkava St., P.O.
Belgium's supreme court expects to determine by the end of the year whether Agusta and Dassault Electronique executives in the 1980s bribed Belgian government officials and political leaders to secure major defense orders. Bribery allegations are tied to the Belgian army's order for 46 Agusta A109 attack helicopters and the selection of Dassault Electronique's Carapace electronic countermeasures to equip the air force's Lockheed Martin F-16s.
Jim Thorsen, aviation director for Idaho Falls, Idaho, has won the AAAE Distinguished Service Award for contributions to aviation and airport management.
The VRS-5910 Remote Airborne Voice Relay System is designed to provide operators of unmanned aerial vehicles with a turnkey solution for maintaining a frequency agile, two-way voice link with air traffic controllers. The repeater system features remote frequency control through a ground-based computer, full VHF commercial band coverage and 20 watts of transmission power. UHF coverage is optional. It is compatible with Mil-Std 1553 and Arinc 429 data buses. Aero Telemetry, 7471 Talbert Ave., P.O. Box 2047, Huntington Beach, Calif. 92648.
Tiny Macau International Airport is another Asian flu trend fighter. It recorded its highest ever passenger and cargo traffic in July and August, with growth particularly strong on routes from Taiwan and China. The marred debut of the nearby Hong Kong International Airport helped the three-year-old Macau's performance in cargo. Macau's total air freight tonnage soared by 124% to 16,000 metric tons over 1997 levels. Overall, in the first eight months of this year, the airport has seen aircraft movements up by 27%, passenger growth up 11% and cargo up 57%.
The Equomatic hardness tester can determine the hardness of metallic workpieces within 0.5% in seconds. The measuring head also can be integrated in a processing or assembly line. Complying with Equotip standard ASTM A 956-96, the hardness value L is derived from the impact velocity and rebound velocity of an impact device striking the workpiece. Results are displayed numerically and in graphical form. Proceq SA, Riesbachstrasse 57, CH-8034, Zurich, Switzerland.
Stephen Orth has become international sales manager and Fred Haas national sales manager of Burleigh Instruments, Fishers, N.Y. They were Western and Eastern U.S. sales managers, respectively.
The second F-22A Raptor prototype has been flown to Edwards AFB, Calif., to accelerate the pace of flight testing and meet schedule demands made by the Air Force chief of staff. F-22 program officials are being pushed to complete about 120 flight test hours in the next three months to clear the way for the purchase of the first of a projected 339 stealth fighters. That number of additional hours is needed to complete 4% of the flight test program.
