BOEING'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS has authorized the sale of an increased gross weight version of the 747-400. It would have a maximum gross weight of 910,000 lb., about 35,000 lb. more than the existing 747-400. The new version will be able to fly an estimated 7,700 naut. mi.
Newly declassified pictures from White Sands Missile Range, N.M., show an Army Tactical Missile System projectile dispensing 13 brilliant anti-armor technology (BAT) submunitions during the second test of the Block 2 ATACMS. One live and 12 simulated BATs were dispensed in the November test after the missile flew 75 mi. down range and conducted a terminal maneuver to reach the correct velocity for release of the submunitions. The active submunition struck one armored combat vehicle in a line of nine.
The Pneumatic Hose Quick Disconnect Safety is designed to eliminate the danger of pneumatic hoses whirling dangerously after an accidental disconnect. Two clamps held on by thumb screws are connected with a stranded metal cable. The device also eases the task of locating a quick-disconnect coupling among several hoses. The safety device also can be easily removed to separate the hoses. National Invention Services Inc., 313 Commerce Drive, Pawleys Island, S.C. 29585.
Label Twist Locks are designed to simplify routing of wires and cables. Bundles of wires and cables can be loaded and unloaded with a simple twist of the fingers. The twist locks, molded from Nylon 6/6 in its natural color, are available for bundle diameters of 1/4 and 3/8 in. A label area can be marked with ink, felt tip pens, adhesive labels or even Post-It Notes. Micro Plastics Inc., Highway 178 North, Flippin, Ark. 72634.
NASA's chief evangelist for cheaper, smaller missions isn't bashful about thinking big. Administrator Daniel S. Goldin told a meeting of the American Astronomical Society the agency is working on developing propulsion and power technologies that would allow it to launch interstellar spacecraft. He wants to look for extraterrestrial life with robotic probes. Goldin doesn't expect anything to be sent beyond the solar system for decades, though.
The FAA plans to consolidate four air traffic facilities in the Washington area into a single new control center to be built at a yet-to-be-determined location. The new terminal radar approach control facility (TRACON) will merge the activities of facilities at Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Andrews AFB, and involve an accompanying redesign of airspace patterns and environmental assessment of any changes.
This microwave fiber-optic link functions over a range of 100 MHz.-18 GHz. Its high immunity to electrical noise allows for better radio frequency signal transmission than can be attained through coaxial cable. Applications include measurement of aircraft shielding effectiveness, antenna remoting and phased-array radar. Srico Inc., 2724 Sawburg Blvd., Columbus, Ohio 43235.
Until 1997, rotorcraft makers defied the broader aerospace industrial trend toward consolidation. Aside from Eurocopter, which in many ways was consolidation in name only, all five major U.S. manufacturers, plus Agusta, Westland, Kawasaki and numerous others, survived as independent players. The recent absorption of McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems into the Boeing entity has changed this defiance. The merged entity will probably be the world's predominant military helicopter maker.
TURKEY, IN A MOVE that further deepens its defense ties to Israel, has chosen a consortium led by Israel Aircraft Industries to upgrade 48 F-5s. The consortium includes Elbit Systems Ltd. of Israel and Singapore Technologies Aerospace. Turkish officials will visit Israel in the next few weeks to discuss details of the contract which is expected to be worth $75 million.
Scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., have developed a simple capillary pumped loop device for equalizing temperatures in spacecraft equipment. A spinoff of the technology could be used in protective clothing applications. The lightweight, passive system works as a closed heat transfer circuit that includes a capillary evaporator with interior wick and a condenser, all connected by flexible tubing. The working fluid can be water or other nontoxic, nonenvironmentally dangerous liquid.
Software, systems and motion equations pioneered for aircraft thrust-vector control are being adapted to enhance the safety of land and marine vehicles. Researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology, known as the Technion, have developed lightweight anti-skid, -spin and -roll systems for trucks, buses, cars, boats--even motorcycles--using low-cost yaw, pitch and roll gyros combined with simple accelerometers and microswitch sensors.
In response to the current and anticipated growth in the satellite market, established space launch services companies have been busy developing launch vehicles during the last few years. Other companies or governments which have traditionally not competed in the launch services market have also been trying to come up with new launch vehicles, primarily small vehicles configured to launch small satellites to low-Earth orbit.
GRD Gelled Remover/Degreaser is a water rinsable, nonhazardous cleaner for removing hard-film corrosion-inhibiting compounds, heavy greases and grime, as well as resin. The thickened cleaner is designed to increase the dwell time on vertical surfaces. GRD, which meets Boeing's D6-17487 corrosion requirement, will not damage primers or sealants. The royal blue cleaner contains no chlorinated solvents, ozone-depleting chemicals or hazardous air pollutants and has a mild odor. LPS Laboratories Inc., P.O. Box 105025, 4647 Hugh Howell Road, Tucker, Ga. 30085-5052.
Iranian dissidents here say Iran's Revolutionary Guard is building a small number of 870-mi.-range Shahab 3 ballistic missiles and has successfully launched one after overcoming engine valve problems. However, U.S. officials say a satellite saw only the heat signature of the missile's engine being tested (for at least the sixth time). They don't expect a first flight until 1999. Iran is initially trying to build 15 of the 1-ton-payload weapons, said to be capable of reaching Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Dissidents say the project has cost $1.2 billion so far.
Boeing should be able to continue ramping up commercial jet production this year, industry analysts think, based on the company's considerable progress easing supply-chain bottlenecks and the number of aircraft delivered in 1997, especially the fourth quarter. In 1998, the company expects to deliver 550 jets--up sharply from last year when it delivered or tendered for delivery 333 Boeing aircraft plus delivered 54 Douglas Aircraft jets. In the fourth quarter, the company delivered 80 aircraft.
Accident investigators have raised questions about the adequacy of Garuda Indonesia's pilot training and maintenance procedures as a result of the 1996 crash of a DC-10-30 at Fukuoka's Itazuke Airport that killed three persons and injured 97.
Nontraditional Methods of Sensing Stress, Strain and Damage in Materials and Structures, edited by George F. Lucas and David A. Stubbs, is a collection of papers that explore innovative ways to evaluate material and structural fatigue and damage behavior. The 16 peer-reviewed papers cover point-to-point deformation and strain, crack measurement techniques, optical, non-contact strain measurement devices, and ultrasonic and infrared techniques. ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, Pa. 19428-2959.
This new, 1,500-cu.-ft. thermal vacuum chamber was recently used to test an 8 X 10-ft. satellite solar panel. Temperature ranged from -170-85C while a vacuum of 10-5 Torr or better was maintained throughout the testing cycle. The chamber has a range of -190-350C and can maintain a vacuum level of 10-6 at temperatures above 125C. Its internal diameter is 132 in. The distance from the end of the front dome to the end of the rear dome is 187 in., while the distance from the front shroud to the rear one is 142.5 in. National Technical Systems Saugus, 20988 W.
United Airlines has retired the Boeing 747-100 involved in a Dec. 28 turbulence accident that killed one passenger. The decision was based on the assumption that repairs to damage from the turbulence and examinations of the aircraft by accident investigators and litigants seeking reparations for injuries will keep the aircraft out of service for months. Airline managers had planned to retire the 27-year-old aircraft during the next several months.
Photograph: GALAXY AEROSPACE CORP.'S intercontinental Galaxy business jet landed at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport after flying for the first time on Dec. 25. During the 2-hr. flight, Israel Aircraft Industries' test pilots Adi Benaya and Hagai Koren climbed the aircraft to 9,000 ft. where it attained a maximum speed of 185 kt. Minimum speed was 130 kt. Landing gear, wing flaps and slats remained extended throughout the flight, according to a Galaxy Aerospace official. A second, 1.5-hr. flight was made later that day.
A report on the number of air traffic-control related safety incidents in Latin America in 1997 is on the agenda for the next meeting of the Latin America and Caribbean Air Traffic Advisory Group, slated for Jan. 28 in Washington. The report will only be a sampling of ATC problems in the region, according to one group member, since less than a quarter of airlines operating there regularly file reports to the International Air Transport Assn. on ATC incidents.
