The Australian Defense Science Technology agency will be joined by the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in tests early this month aimed at improving boost phase defense against theater ballistic missiles. The U.S.-built, ground-to-air Terriers will be fired without warheads about 60 mi. out to sea from a newly established defense practice area on the northwest Australian coast. Each of the Terriers has been modified to look like a ``Scud'' missile to radar.
In the wake of rising traffic demand, American Airlines' cargo division is pursuing new alliances in Europe and Central and South America. Mark Najarian, vice president of cargo sales, said American transports more than 4.5 million lb. of cargo each day, and in the first six months of this year posted record revenues of $333.4 million. He said the cargo division is targeting larger, multinational freight forwarders, consolidators and integrators who are interested in participating in global partnerships with the airline.
Has submitted to its 2,000 members a UPS contract proposal that the company said would increase a nine-year captain's annual pay by 35% from the current $152,000 to $202,000 in 2002. A five-year first officer's pay would rise from $85,000 a year to $132,000 in 2002 under the proposal. IPA President Robert Miller criticized UPS negotiators for a dictatorial attitude in issuing a ``last, best and final'' proposal during an Aug. 24 session in Louisville.
While U.S. negotiators seek `open skies,' the Japanese look for wider access to the U.S. and Latin America The latest round of talks in Washington on renewal of the 1952 U.S.-Japan bilateral air services agreement focuses attention on demands by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways for greater access to the U.S. domestic market and Latin America.
The U.S. Air Force Titan 4 program and its contractors are recovering rapidly from a serious generic problem discovered in the thrust vector control systems (TVC) of Chemical Systems Div. solid rocket motors used on Titan 4A launch vehicles. The problems delayed the launch of a Titan 4A at Vandenberg from mid July to late September or early October. They also delayed launch of a Titan 4A/Centaur here at the Cape from early August to late October or early November. Both missions will carry National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payloads (see p. 22).
The push for ``one level of safety'' in aviation must be an international program to adequately protect the flying public, industry and government officials told the Air Line Pilots Assn. annual air safety forum. Speakers agreed that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) must have expanded authority and more resources if a serious improvement is to be made in safety levels worldwide, particularly in developing nations.
NASA'S DRYDEN FLIGHT Research Center has started captive-carry tests of the X-38 lifting body, designed to demonstrate technologies for a future crew return vehicle (AW&ST Aug. 4, p. 16). The X-38 is shown suspended from NASA's B-52 carrier aircraft on the July 30 first flight. Another flight was made on Aug. 2, but operations are now halted to fix electrical problems. The first drop test could occur as soon as October, after the captive-carry tests have been completed.
The U.S. Defense Dept.'s growing dependency on space assets to enhance military operations has greatly increased emphasis on monitoring and predicting changes in the space ``weather'' environment. Consequently, forecasting space weather disturbances and warning operational forces have become a high priority for Air Force Space Command. These alerts allow spacecraft controllers to turn sensors away from the Sun, shut down vulnerable subsystems and avoid needless trouble-shooting.
First delivery of Denel Aviation's Rooivalk attack helicopter will go to the South African Air Force's 16th Sqdn. at Bloemspruit AFB in early 1999. Deliveries will continue at a rate of two helicopters per year until the unit's strength reaches 12 aircraft. The sale may be the breakthrough the South African manufacturer needed. Denel also has prospective helicopter customers in Malaysia and Australia.
Light Solutions of Mountain View, Calif., is demonstrating key technologies for an aircraft laser generating system that could adapt frequency, pulse and repetition rates to serve a variety of functions, including defeating heat-seeking missiles. As envisioned, only one of the 8-lb., briefcase-sized solid-state laser diode drive and cooling systems would be required per aircraft. It would route optical pump energy via optic fiber to remote laser heads optimized for a specific mission and located around the aircraft.
U.S. Air Force demonstrations of real-time information to the cockpit (RTIC) have underscored the growing importance of making high-data-rate satellite communication channels available to tactical forces targeting mobile weapon systems.
The Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle's successful second flight goes a long way to restore the rocket's reputation, tarnished by multiple failures on its first flight in August, 1995. The LMLV performed a nearly flawless job of placing the NASA/TRW Lewis satellite into its initial orbit, and does not appear to be involved with subsequent Lewis problems, which started three days later (see p. 31).
Continental Airlines, in an order valued at $75 million, has selected the 43,100-lb.-thrust Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4B engine to power five Boeing 757 aircraft it has on order. Two of the aircraft are scheduled for delivery in June and December, 1998, and the remaining three during the first quarter of 1999.
The Assn. of Asia Pacific Airlines has mounted a push to win approval of the last two nations necessary to ratify the Warsaw Convention that allows electronic documentation for cargo shipments to replace paper air waybills. Called Montreal Protocol No. 4, the amendment has been ratified by 28 countries but needs approval by 30 to become the international standard.
Formally submitted to the Justice Dept. documentation that will allow regulators to begin their review of the company's proposed acquisition of Northrop Grumman Corp. Under the Hart-Scott-Rodino law, the government will have 30 days for its initial review. The entire review process, however, is likely to take 4-6 months. While Justice is expected to approve the $8.26-billion transaction, many industry observers continue to believe Lockheed Martin will be required to divest some defense electronics assets that now reside within Northrop Grumman.
Austin, Texas', new airport, Austin-Bergstrom International, site of the former Bergstrom AFB, remains on schedule for startup of passenger service operations in May, 1999. Estimated total cost of the airport project is $630 million, to be funded by airport users and the national aviation system. During her visit there last week, new FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey announced Austin-Bergstrom will receive a $2-million grant, earmarked for airport parking facilities, from the agency's Military Airport Program.
Alan Sbarra and Ulf Weber have become vice presidents of Roberts, Roach and Associates, Hayward, Calif. Sbarra was a senior sales analyst for Latin America for United Airlines, and Weber was vice president-network development for Swiss airline Crossair.
Richard Bromberg has been appointed mid-Atlantic regional sales manager, succeeding Ariella Heller, who has become Midwest U.S. sales manager, for El Al Israel Airlines. Heller succeeds Arieh Abend, who has returned to Israel.
China Xinjiang Airlines is readying its new ATR 72 for initial operations. The European twin-turboprop is a key part of the carrier's plan to modernize its fleet with Western-built transports.
LA RUSSIAN INTERNATIONAL LAUNCH SERVICES (ILS) Proton heavy booster like the one shown above successfully launched the PanAmSat Corp. PAS 5 spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Aug. 28.
The 253-seat Airbus A330-200 twinjet transport, a shortened-fuselage A330 derivative that made its first flight on Aug. 13, already has explored the flight envelope after completing seven event-free tests. The first A330-200 is powered by 67,500-lb.-thrust General Electric CF6-E1 turbofan engines. FAA and European JAA certification is planned for March, 1998. The GE-equipped A330-200 will be followed by additional versions powered by Pratt&Whitney PW4000s and Rolls-Royce Trent 700s.
