FOUR CONTRACTOR TEAMS have been selected to demonstrate the feasibility of unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs), and each will receive $4 million for a 10-month study and preliminary design as part of an advanced technology demonstration. The teams selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force are: Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, Fort Worth; Northrop Grumman, Pico Rivera, Calif.; Raytheon, Falls Church, Va.; and Boeing Phantom Works, Seattle.
Boeing is looking for air carrier maintenance departments interested in helping test a new Portable Document Query System (PDQS). While not as capable as computer systems using higher level formats, the digital-based PDQS would be economical and require minimal set-up time, and contain all documents and technical revisions necessary to maintain a Boeing transport, according to John J. Gibson, director of technical publications for the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group.
Linda Barker, Charles Johnson and John Willis have been elected to the board of directors of the Alexanderia, Va.-based National Air Transportation Assn. (NATA). Barker is vice president of Business Aviation, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Johnson president of Era Aviation, Anchorage, Alaska. Willis is president of Raytheon Aircraft Services, Wichita, Kan.
David S. Ledgerwood has been appointed general manager of aerial systems for Eastman Kodak Commercial and Government Systems, Rochester, N.Y. He was director of commercial and international markets.
United Airlines has ordered 23 Boeing wide-body aircraft, valued at an estimated $3 billion, in its second major aircraft buy in two months. The combined orders are part of the carrier's plan to add a net of 68 aircraft during the next four years, bringing its fleet to 639 by late 2001, up from 571 at the end of last year. ``These orders . . . are a step in our plan to grow our fleet size so that we can take advantage of profitable market opportunities,'' United Chairman and CEO Gerald Greenwald said.
NASA's next two Mars spacecraft are nearing completion at Lockheed Martin's Astronautics facilities in Denver. The Mars Climate Orbiter (see photo) is undergoing thermal vacuum tests and is on track for September delivery to Cape Canaveral for launch Dec. 10 on a Delta 2. The Mars Polar Lander is in acoustic testing and expected to arrive at the Cape in October for launch Jan. 3 on a Delta 2. Meanwhile, the company is developing new technologies for NASA's Mars 2001 orbiter and lander.
A ``flight safety buddy system'' is being promoted by the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA), under which one of its large, established airline members teams with a smaller, less-experienced carrier to share safety practices. Several major carriers have volunteered for the program, which includes 3-5-day visits by flight safety managers to the senior carrier for briefings on safety related procedures, policies, training and risk management. The plan initially is focused on airlines in the Caribbean and Latin America.
ALLEGATIONS OF KICKBACKS on space shuttle and space station contracts are being investigated by federal agents. A former Lockheed Martin Space Operations employee at the Kennedy Space Center, Vernon R. Baake, was arrested Apr. 14 by special agents of NASA's Inspector General Office and the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Div. He was charged with soliciting and accepting kickbacks. Investigators allege that Baake provided information to firms seeking NASA shuttle processing subcontracts at the Kennedy Space Center.
Michael Coughlin has been appointed president of ACRO Aerospace, Richmond, British Columbia. He was director of power management and generation systems for AlliedSignal Aerospace Canada.
The Dream Machine-SC is a pressure washing system designed for use on aircraft. The unit comes with two 125-ft. twin hose reels so cleaners can work without repositioning the unit. A 20-hp. motor operates separate triplex plunger cat pumps, one for water and the other for detergent. Water output pressure is 1,800-2,000 psi., while detergent output pressure is 1,200-1,600 psi. The impact pressure is below 6.8 lb. when using the proper spray tips. The unit weighs 2,200 lb. but has a fully loaded weight of 10,000 lb. ZEP Aviation Pure Corp., P.O.
Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., have developed software that finds local objects of interest in image databases. The system, called JARtool 2.0, is first ``trained'' by a human who locates and identifies several target objects in an image area using a graphical user interface. From the user-provided examples, the software learns an appearance model that can be used to detect similar objects.
There are complaints about U.S. government plans to sell remote sensing data at ``dirt cheap'' prices and distribute old spy satellite imagery to other government agencies for free. Ted Nanz, president of Spot Image of Reston, Va., says such distribution would impede development of the nascent commercial remote sensing industry. He told the Washington Space Business Roundtable that U.S.
A new presidential National Security Strategy report, due for release in the next few weeks, will reaffirm a U.S. commitment to space control. According to White House officials, the report will strengthen broadened responsibilities given to U.S. Space Command when President Bill Clinton signed the Unified Command Plan earlier this year.
THE EUROPEAN JAA AND FRENCH GOVERNMENT have given final type certification to Collins WXR-700 forward-looking wind shear radar for installation in Airbus A319/320/321/330/340s. The first U.S. delivery will be to United Airlines on an A-319, based on an earlier FAA certification.
There may be no live on-the-scene TV news during the opening hours of the next war. Twice recently, the U.S. had plans in place to jam broadcasters' equipment, lest their reports aid the enemy. Last year, U.S. airborne jammers were ready to try to black out live news coverage that might have aided terrorists during the hostage crisis in Japan's embassy in Lima, then the Peruvians decided they didn't want help. This year, jamming aircraft were ready to zap electronic journalists' gear when it looked like there would be air raids on Iraq.
The Russian/U.S. crew on board Mir are to conclude a series of five extravehicular activities this week to install a large new attitude control system on the exterior of the station. They earlier stabilized a solar array damaged nearly a year ago by a colliding Progress transport.
The Boeing Co. has won FAA approval to convert 747-200 ``combi'' transports with stretched upper decks into freighters. The modification restores the aircraft's cargo capability to 243,000 lb. and adds vertical main-floor cargo space, the same as a 747-200 freighter. The extra weight of the stretched upper deck conversion, although it fit more passengers, decreased aircraft cargo-carrying capability.
AlliedSignal Aerospace, the primary manufacturer of terrain avoidance warning systems, has promised the FAA it will have available at reasonable prices new versions of its enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) for virtually every type of aircraft by the end of next year.
LEDline, which uses strips of light emitting diodes to provide illuminated pavement markings, could eventually find much wider use, but not until existing lighting regulations are changed, according to Nick Hutchins, director of Hil-Tech International of Mississauga, Ontario.
Germany's Daimler-Benz Aerospace has agreed to provide technical assistance to a Boeing team competing for NASA's multibillion-dollar Consolidated Space Operations Contract. . . . The Intelsat 502 communications spacecraft was de-orbited last week after 17 years of service. The Alaska Aerospace Development Corp. awarded a $16-million contract for construction of a commercial launch pad, control center, and integration and processing facility at the polar Kodiak Launch Complex.
Siberia Airlines, faced with increased competition, has launched a modernization plan that would allow for fleet expansion and operations in both regional and international markets. The carrier has entered an agreement with Atlas Project Management, an aerospace management and financial consultant, to apply modern Western business methods to achieving its goal. It also last week named Vladislav Filev, a former board member, as general director.
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES has initiated a program to demonstrate a very small, inexpensive navigation system that could be used in shoulder-launched missiles and fire-and-forget self-guiding munitions.
After years of dreaming about about replacing attitude gyros with ``highways in the sky,'' researchers say such displays are now possible thanks to flat-panel technology and the power of computers. But cockpit designers and human factors researchers have raised some concerns that must be answered before implementing radical display concepts. Two of the big issues are how to certify hybrid displays as safe for flight and how to ensure the accuracy of digital terrain databases.
