Paul Martin (see photo) has been appointed executive vice president of the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, Calif. He succeeds Denny Thompson, who is retiring. Martin was vice president-tactical aircraft programs.
Paul E. (Ed) Adamek (see photo) has been named vice president/associate program manager for United States Alliance ground operations at the Kennedy Space Center. He was vice president/deputy associate program manager.
Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries and Nissan Motors are negotiating to build a replacement for the two-stage J-1 launcher for Japan's National Space Development Agency. Although a final agreement has not been reached, Lockheed Martin has proposed using a Kuznetsov NK-33 moon rocket engine for the J-1's first stage. The company is familiar with NK-33 technology because it had considered the engine for its upgraded Atlas 3A. GenCorp Aerojet owns marketing rights to the engine and is using them on the Kistler K-1 launch vehicle.
In a joint effort to reduce air traffic control-related flight delays, France's Defense and Transport ministries plan to restructure civil and military airways in the country's north and northeastern airspace. In addition, in February, two restricted military zones will be eliminated, and a nationwide joint civil-military ATC system will be implemented. The effort is expected to reduce delays that affect an average of one in six intra-European scheduled flights.
Brian O'Dell has been promoted to vice president-customer service from vice president-performance management for International Total Services of Cleveland.
Troubled Air Afrique is restructuring its international route system in an effort to maintain workable flight schedules with a significantly reduced aircraft fleet. Lessors last week seized the multinational African carrier's four Airbus A310 twinjets.
NASA and ERC Inc. of Huntsville, Ala., have successfully tested a pulse jet engine with a magnetohydrodynamic generator. While several advanced pulse jet engines are being developed and tested in the U.S., this one also generates its own electrical current to produce the power necessary for self-sustained operation similar to an automobile engine (AW&ST May 4, p. 48).
The House and Senate are in virtual lockstep on next year's defense budget, adhering closely to balanced budget caps enacted in 1997 to quell the federal deficit. Although lawmakers have been enjoying the novel experience of debating how to spend projected federal surpluses, they have shunned appeals from key defense legislators for a higher Pentagon budget, despite its nearly decade-and-a-half decline.
Tijs van Wershoven (see photo) has been named chief operating officer of the Technimet Corp., New Berlin, Wis. He succeeds Manfred Suess, who will be a consultant.
U.S. satellite manufacturers believe it is inevitable that Congress will impose new restrictions on the export of commercial spacecraft to China and are now focusing their efforts on convincing lawmakers to water down measures that could reverse reforms dating back to the Bush Administration. The House and Senate are preparing to begin their conference on the Fiscal 1999 defense authorization bill, where lawmakers will decide the fate of two satellite export amendments approved by the House in May.
High-ranking U.S. policymakers are apt to make serious mistakes handling a nuclear terrorism crisis because they lack the requisite knowledge and training, according to a new think tank report. A ``loose nuke'' war game conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) showed that raising the awareness of senior officials is the essential first step toward preparedness for terrorist nuclear attack.
The U.S. Air Force Systems Program Office will conduct detailed static tests of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System's Raytheon T-6A Texan 2 that will delay initial deliveries by as much as two months--but could result in extending the airplane's service life beyond 24 years.
The failure and total loss of a $100-million Hughes HS 601 spacecraft in May has been followed by serious malfunctions on three other HS 601 and HS 601HP satellites. Hughes is looking for a common thread in the incidents. The HS 601 primary spacecraft control processor was involved in three of these four incidents, including the write-off of PanAmSat Corp.'s Galaxy 4 on May 19. PanAmSat owns two of the other three spacecraft as well. Forty HS 601 and HS 601HP satellites have been launched, and there are 29 on order.
NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology program made several advances recently with two first flights and achievement of a 60,000-ft. altitude goal. But ERAST managers are now rescheduling the program as money becomes tight, and it was not clear last week what the outcome will be.
The first U.S. Air Force T-38A Talon jet trainer fitted with Boeing's digital avionic upgrade made its first flight July 8 at the company's facilities in Mesa, Ariz. The airplane is one of two being used in the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the program, which is part of the Air Force's Pacer Classic initiative aimed at keeping the 500-aircraft T-38 fleet flying until 2040. Israel Aircraft Industries' Lahav Div. is responsible for major avionics integration. The first modified T-38 is scheduled for delivery in January 2000.
Bowing to recommendations from the general aviation pilot community, the FAA, U.S. Coast Guard and Transportation Dept. plan to continue operating the Loran-C low-frequency navigation system beyond 2000 and possibly until 2008. The decision, however, requires final approval from Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater to continue funding the system. General aviation groups such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. want Loran-C kept operational until the FAA's GPS-based Wide Area Augmentation System can function as a stand-alone navigation system.
Venezuela's air force last week selected the Aermacchi MB-339FD advanced military trainer to replace aging T-2s. It plans to finalize negotiations with the Italian manufacturer by the end of the year and to procure 24 aircraft over a three-year period, according to Aermacchi officials.
Cosmic X-ray sources can yield tantalizing clues about formation of the universe, but capturing them can be a challenge. AXAF is a relatively large spacecraft to provide sufficient focal length for the X-ray telescope and carries a ton of glass for the complex grazing-incidence mirror assembly. But despite the spacecraft's bulk, the nested mirrors and optical bench must be precisely aligned and capable of maintaining that precision through the rigors of ground handling, launch and up to 10 years of operations in space.
Capt. K. Scott Griffith is the managing director of flight operations safety for American Airlines. David Marx is an aviation safety consultant specializing in risk management, systems engineering, human factors and the law.
In an effort to sustain momentum for industrial cooperation with China, Airbus Industrie and Alenia Aerospazio are working with Aviation Industries of China to identify new business opportunities following the collapse of the AE31X program. Although they repeatedly claimed the AE31X was a market-driven initiative, European industry executives were embarrassed by the program's deep political implications. For similar reasons, today, they are minimizing their defeat's impact.
Ruth David (see photo) will become president/CEO of Anser, Arlington, Va., in October. She will succeed John Fabian, who will retire. David has been director of advanced information technologies for the Sandia (N.M.) National Laboratories.
U.S. Marine Corps commandant Gen. Charles C. Krulak was incorrectly identified in an editorial (AW&ST June 29, p. 70) on the Administration's two-war policy and decreasing investments in technology.
Following a 1.5-year delay due to financial problems, Turkey has requested proposals from four competing firms for the planned acquisition of four airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. The contenders for the $800-million program are Boeing's E-767 AWACS, Northrop Grumman's E-2C Hawkeye, Lockheed Martin's C-130J AEW and Israel Aircraft Industries' Phalcon system mounted on an Airbus A310. IAI has teamed with Raytheon for the bid.
