The European Space Agency's ministerial council is set to make a final decision in June on whether to proceed with the proposed Euromoon 2000 project. The mission, recently selected by the agency's long-term space policy committee as a candidate for a ``Millennium Celebration,'' would combine a small, 100-kg. (220-lb.) orbiter, to be launched in 2000, with a 40-kg. lander designed to touch down on the Moon the following year.
Philip Griffith, head of the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority's aerodrome and air traffic standards division, has been appointed U.K. representative to Eurocontrol's Safety Regulation Commission.
Thorsten G. Hisam has become director of international relations for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla. He was director of its flight simulation center.
Singapore Airlines CEO Cheong Choong Kong--a man reportedly so busy he can only find time to watch movies while flying on his own airline--may get the chance to see an on-board replay of one of his own roles. The 56-year-old former stage actor turned airline exec will appear as a virility guru in ``Tiger's Whip,'' a Singapore-produced English-language comedy shooting this May in Singapore and Los Angeles. Cheong told a local newspaper, aside from ``getting to see their CEO make a fool of himself,'' there should be negligible effect on employee morale.
THE FRENCH LAGARDERE GROUP'S revenues in 1997 increased 16.8% to $11 billion, including $4.41 billion for defense and space businesses. The group's net profit increased 32.9% to $230 million, company executives said last week. The ``high-technology'' division's backlog on Dec. 31 was $7.6 billion, they added.
Over the next decade, budget pressures and a growing dependence on modeling and simulation will alter the philosophy and methods of flight testing military aircraft and weapons. Commanders of key U.S. military test centers will struggle to maintain a critical core of test professionals and the infrastructure necessary to ensure new systems are thoroughly evaluated before they are turned over to warfighters. In parallel, contractor flight test organizations will change significantly as the effects of company mergers ripple through to the working levels.
The Aviation Week&Space Technology Forecast Issue begins with reports on the commercial airframe manufacturing, airline and commercial space segments of the industry due to their relative strength in an otherwise tight and highly-competitive business environment. But even the defense segment of the industry is showing signs of encouragement--with stabilizing budgets and major contractors stronger on a competitive basis as a result of consolidation moves made to date.
Alenia is seeking to parlay a $350-million investment in an ultramodern aerostructures facility into heightened involvement in Airbus programs and eventually into membership in Airbus Industrie itself.
With Lockheed Martin's proposed acquisition of Northrop Grumman hanging in the balance--and the Justice Dept. poised to block the merger--the company is determined to retain ownership of its Sanders business unit. There were widespread reports last week that Lockheed Martin might be willing to sell off Sanders. While anything is possible, such an event is highly improbable. Sanders is one of the world's premier electronic warfare operations, the EW subsystem integrator for Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter candidate.
JAPAN AIRLINES Chairman Susumu Yamaji and President Akira Kondo resigned last week after the carrier indicated it will post a $752-million loss for fiscal 1997, which ends on Mar. 31. The airline will write off $1.2 billion, largely from bad investments in U.S. hotels and Southeast Asian resorts.
Carl R. Wolf, Jr., has become director of aftermarket sales and marketing for the Avidyne Corp., Lexington, Mass. He was director of worldwide aftermarket sales and marketing.
A Russian delegation arrived in Seoul last week to negotiate a contract with Samsung Electronics to cooperatively develop a high-resolution satellite imaging system for South Korea. The contract involves three sets of Russian-built satellite optical-electronic equipment for remote sensing of Earth. The spacecraft would be capable of 3-ft. resolution with a coverage swath of 10-20 mi. and will draw on technology being developed for the latest generation of Russian reconnaissance satellites.
The Defense Dept. is reexamining concepts for testing an antimissile laser in space, and has given contracts to Lockheed Martin and a Boeing/TRW team to propose several plans for on-orbit tests in 2005-08. A single industry team could be selected this summer for work toward a space demonstration.
Aging transports are on the minds of Air Force officials. The U.S. Transportation Command is seeking studies of upgrades to two venerable aircraft--the C-5 and the C-130--as an alternative to buying additional C-17s. The C-5M would have a more reliable new engine and modern avionics, particularly the flight control systems, says Lt. Gen. George K. Muellner, the Air Force's top acquisition official. The service's C-130Es and Hs would be given a common new engine and cockpit avionics, making them the C-130X. These would supplement the new C-130Js.
ANSETT AUSTRALIA IS EXPECTED TO LAY OFF up to 3,000 staff members after a review of its operations and rationalization efforts since Air New Zealand took a 50% stake in the airline, according to industry analysts. Ansett would not say how many of its 17,500 employees are expected to lose their jobs, but last week it began seeking volunteers for buyouts, in advance of a compensation review. The Australian airline wants to increase its profit margin to 10%.
The U.K.'s TI Group is on the lookout for acquisitions to bolster its aerospace business, which is set to shrink with the sale of its 50% share in the Messier-Dowty landing gear joint venture to Messier-Bugatti, a Snecma company. The $345-million sale is expected to be completed by May. TI Group wants to expand its remaining aerospace businesses under its TI Dowty Aerospace subsidiary, which has been the most profitable part of the group. TI, which has nearly $1 billion to spend on acquisitions, says it is primarily looking in the U.S.
Scott C. Gibson, a former Trans World Airlines senior executive, is a visiting fellow at the Economic Strategy Institute in Washington. This article was adapted from a presentation he made at the institute. During the past decade, the international, bilateral aviation regime of bygone days began to collapse, undermined by a new system of cost-and-revenue economics driven by U.S. hub carriers. The Europeans reacted to this change by sharply restricting American aviation services, in order to provide themselves time for realignment.
CHC Helicopter Corp. of St. John's, Newfoundland, is buying Hunting Airmotive, a subsidiary of London-based Hunting Plc.'s Aviation Div. Already one of the world's largest commercial helicopter operators, CHC said the acquisition will increase its $108-million (U.S.) annual MRO business by about 45%. CHC paid a reported 24.7 million pounds ($41.2 million) for the service. CHC operates more than 200 helicopters worldwide and has two MRO centers in Canada.
Representatives from Inmarsat's 81 member countries are set to vote next month on a plan to restructure the intergovernmental organization into a private company by January 1999.
Rapid development of spacecraft for interplanetary, Earth observation and science missions is paying dividends for NASA and prompting a positive response from the industry. Costs are falling, and industry managers say they should fall further as these programs mature. The competition is pitting industry giants against much smaller, but perhaps more nimble, spacecraft makers. So far, the Davids are more than holding their own against the Goliaths.
