NASA is modifying heat rejection radiator panels on five sets of space shuttle orbiter payload bay doors to protect against increased particle strikes anticipated during future flights. According to NASA's analysis, the number and frequency of multiple impacts in orbit are projected to increase during the next several years. Protecting the radiator heat rejection panels is critical, because they reduce the temperature of coolant circulating through the orbiter's avionic and ancillary systems, according to a Kennedy Space Center official.
European Union competition czar Karel Van Miert said the European Commission expects to issue a long-awaited ruling on transatlantic alliances involving British Airways and American Airlines and Lufthansa, SAS and United Airlines, on July 18. It is expected that the alliance partners will have to abandon up to 350 takeoff and landing slots, in the first case, and more than 100 slots, in the second, to obtain approval. Van Miert did not specify figures.
A white paper on strategic export controls by the U.K. Dept. of Trade and Industry has recommended new legislation to update the government's strategic export control powers and allow for greater scrutiny by Parliament. It also calls for introducing controls on the transfer of technology by electronic means, such as e-mail. The move follows a decision by the European Union in late May to create a common code of conduct regulating arms exports to third countries and begin exchanging information on rejected export licenses between member states.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. rolled out the first production T-6A Texan II trainer last week at its Trainer Systems Div. facilities in Wichita, Kan. The airplane is the first of up to 700 that will be used in Joint Primary Aircraft Training System program for the U.S. Air Force and Navy. The airplane will undergo ground-based tests before making its first flight later this summer.
Japan's defense agency expects to cut more than $1.5 billion from its high-cost weapon procurement programs during the five-year period through fiscal 2003. The agency now spends about $7.7 billion a year on weapon purchases. Costs per unit, however, are unusually high, reflecting a predilection to buy license-built equipment from high-overhead Japanese manufacturers with low production runs. The agency is studying whether about half of the 18,000 items it buys annually can be purchased from commercial suppliers.
THE PERUVIAN CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY has inaugurated a new ATC communication system developed by Harris Corp. Under a February contract, the company will provide 22 air-ground communications systems to Peru. The 44 Series 2000 multimode radios will replace current equipment at 11 airports administered by the Corporacion Peruana de Aeropuertos y Aviacion Comercial, SA. The new system will give a digital communication capability between the Peruvian CAA and cockpit.
Air France within the next few years expects to hire a substantial number of French navy pilots as soon as they reach the end of their service period. Under an agreement reached last week, the navy is to provide training for its pilots to aid in the transition to the civil sector. The contract also covers ground technicians. The navy has established similar links with independent carriers and the GIFAS French aerospace industries association in an effort to provide jobs for military personnel returning to civilian life.
Photograph: The new MIT ``envelope'' tracker correctly predicts 60-min. movement of line storm near DFW (right), while conventional tracker erroneously shows northeast movement. Air traffic controllers' ability to predict exactly when a thunderstorm will move over a runway may increase significantly with a technique now being demonstrated at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Ralph Fisch has become vice president-avionics sales for the Cincinnati Avionics division of Sporty's Pilot Shop, Batavia, Ohio. He was aviation products sales and marketing manager for Magellan Systems.
Some lawmakers are taking issue with Bernard L. Schwartz's characterization of a Loral-led report on the February 1996 failure of a Long March booster carrying the Intelsat 708 satellite. Both the Justice Dept. and Congress are investigating whether any sensitive technology was passed to China (see p. 34). ``All we did was look at [China's failure] report and say that the report, with respect to what went wrong, was accurate,'' the Loral chief told ABC News in late May.
Several major Asian airlines are undergoing vast restructuring as the burden of overambitious fleet renewal programs, currency devaluation and the continuing downturn in traffic continue to attack their bottom line. But after a weak start for the year, the Assn. of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reports some respite in April traffic figures. Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Cathay Pacific are planning Asian expansions. And analysts say they are spotting positive signs for some of the ``sicker'' airlines.
United Airlines could be forced to end service on its direct Hong Kong to Delhi routes if Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department (CAD) does not grant it permanent rights to use Boeing 747-400s.
A military judge, assigned to investigate the flight of a U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B that caused the death of 20 people at a ski resort in Italy, has recommended courts-martial for the pilot and navigator. Lt. Col. Ronald Rodgers also recommended dropping charges against two other crewmembers.
Sino-American summitry was long on symbolism, short on substance. White House officials insisted that China's renewed expression of interest in becoming a full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime was ``highly significant.'' But there were no milestone agreements, either on MTCR or verifiable pacts on curbing China's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Photograph: Air France last week concluded an order for 20 additional A319/A321s and optioned 20 more aircraft. They will replace Stage 2 737-200s. The European Commission is expected to adopt a more stringent policy on state aid after the European Court of Justice annulled an authorization to inject massive bailout funding in Air France. The EC is considering whether to appeal the court's decision or to ``revalidate'' its agreement.
Orbcomm Corp. will postpone its proposed initial public offering indefinitely because of the soft market for new issues. The valuation placed on shares was below what the Orbcomm partners considered to be the true worth of the business.
Bob Cordes has been appointed London-based managing director of European services for American Airlines. He succeeds Bob Taylor who has returned to Dallas/Fort Worth to become managing director for Canada and the Northwest U.S.
The U.S. Air Force's Airborne Laser program was given an ``authority to proceed'' by USAF acting acquisition executive Darleen A. Druyun on June 26, clearing the way for release of remaining Fiscal 1998 development funds. The go-ahead follows TRW's recent successful firing of a laser module and demonstration that the system could accurately track a missile (AW&ST June 15, p. 23; May 4, p. 32).
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems is developing a series of avionic upgrades for 700 Block 40/50 F-16s operated by the U.S. Air Force, and plans to begin flight tests in 2001.
Spacehab Inc. has acquired Johnson Engineering, a Houston contractor that supports NASA's human space flight program. Johnson Engineering manages all training, operations and facility engineering at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab at the Johnson Space Center, where astronauts train for space walks and International Space Station assembly. The company also is developing hardware for the station habitation module. Spacehab said the acquisition will broaden its capabilities while doubling revenues to about $80 million.
The honeymoon period for FAA Administrator Jane Garvey is over, and so far she is receiving better than average grades from industry and association officials doing business. But if there is one area where her grades fall below average, it is in the lack of speed in nominating and appointing people for high-level positions within her operating team.
With this issue, Aviation Week&Space Technology introduces new features to better reflect our international editorial content and make the magazine's staff more accessible to our readers.
Photograph: Engineers added a short segment between the middle and outboard controls to actively damp wing bending. This allows the flight controls to be more aggressive. CARLA THOMAS Lockheed Martin's redesigned, stealthy unmanned aerial vehicle flew successfully last week, two years after a stall and crash at takeoff destroyed the first DarkStar airframe. The radar-deflecting UAV took off at 6:14 a.m., June 29 from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., for what was ultimately a 44-min. flight.
