Turkey has solicited bids for a multibillion dollar attack helicopter project from a group of seven manufacturers, including three U.S. companies, despite a prior Washington freeze on arms transfers to Ankara. Bids are due Oct. 29 for 50 attack helicopters that would be part of a planned total of 145, valued at $3.5 billion. Over the long-term, Turkey hopes to garner a fleet of 750 assault and general purpose helicopters, with as many as possible produced in its own facilities with maximum domestic content.
MATRA BAE DYNAMICS selected France's Sextant Avionique to provide about 1,000 laser gyro inertial navigation systems and GPS receivers for the British Storm Shadow and French Scalp EG cruise missiles.
Illustration: Mir--photographed earlier from the shuttle--shows where the accident occurred. The Progress spacecraft was being remotely piloted back to the rear port. Control was lost and the Progress sailed along the longitudinal axis of the station until striking the Spektr solar array which lies parallel to Kristall module. That initial impact deflected the Progress into a direct impact with the radiators on Spektr's hull.
Philippe Debrun has become chairman of Socata Groupe Aerospatiale, Le Bourget, France. He succeeds Jean-Marc de Raffin Dourny and was general manager of the Sogerma-Socea subsidiary Revima.
David O. Stamey, Aaron S. Taylor and Rick A. Russell have all left Avitas Aviation for GKMG Consulting Services Inc., also in Washington. Stamey and Russell will be managing directors and Taylor a consultant. Stamey was vice president-aviation consulting, while Taylor was manager of market research and Russell director of strategic development.
Iran's surviving force of 10-12 operational F-4E Phantoms this month launched three Chinese-made C-801C Sardine cruise missiles and hit target barges with two from a range of 25-27 naut. mi. The Sardine is a derivative of the ground-launched, 65-naut.-mi.-range C-802 Silkworm. In the wake of Iran's successful, air-launched cruise missile tests, Central Command has reviewed its rules of engagement ``to ensure our commanders understand the increased threat and are able to react quickly to an 801 or 802 [missile],'' a member of Peay's staff said.
HOUSE LAWMAKERS enthusiastically passed a $268-billion defense bill that would continue funding for nine more B-2 bombers and demand a firm date for withdrawing U.S. troops from Bosnia. The 304-120 vote was the largest margin for a defense authorization bill in 13 years, and its top line was an acknowledgment by House Republicans that they couldn't continue to substantially boost defense spending to maintain modernization. However, it does add $2.6 billion to the budget requested by President Clinton.
David Pope has been named president of International Airspace Management Systems, a business area within Hughes Information Technology Systems, Richmond, British Columbia. He was vice president-command and control systems. Gene Turley has been promoted to vice president from director of marketing and sales for Hughes Data Systems.
James N. Zarvos has been promoted to vice president/general manager from manager of domestic sales and John C. Warren to director of technical services from maintenance sales manager, for Midcoast Aviation's maintenance center and fixed-base operation in Little Rock, Ark.
John Voce has become launch services director for Lockheed Martin Telecommunications, Sunnyvale, Calif. He was manager of launch vehicle integration for Lockheed Martin Astro Space.
BUSINESS NOTES: Lockheed Martin won a $54-million contract from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop solar imaging instruments for future U.S. weather satellites Hughes signed a contract to purchase at least five launches on China's Long March booster, one on the Long March 3 and four on the more powerful Long March 3B. The first launch could occur in late 1998 ICO Global Communications signed up Japan's Mitsubishi and NEC to develop and manufacture mobile phones for its upcoming satellite network
The Swedish government has approved procurement of a third production batch of 64 Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole aircraft and additional work to upgrade the computers and displays. An order has been placed for 50 single-seat and 14 twin-seat aircraft for delivery between 2003 and 2007. This is in addition to the 140 aircraft already on order, 40 of which have been delivered to the Swedish air force.
The slogan ``export planes, not jobs'' was the rallying cry of the Machinists' union in its long strike against the Boeing Co. two years ago. The Machinists' ire was raised by Boeing's offset arrangements--transfers of production and technology in return for aircraft purchases--with China.
James H. Aldrich, Jr., has been appointed director of engineering at the Little Rock (Ark.) Completion Center of the Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. He was a captain in the U.S. Navy before retiring.
THE U.S. AIR FORCE IS USING A COMMERCIAL superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) device to protect its Defense Megacenter's computers at Tinker AFB, Okla., against momentary voltage dips and power outages. Superconductivity Inc. developed a device it calls PQ DC using low-temperature superconductor (LTS) technology. PQ DC protects against sags and outages lasting only seconds--batteries still provide DC power for longer interruptions and the uninterruptible power supplies.
Edward C. (Pete) Aldridge, Jr., president/chief executive officer of the Aerospace Corp. of Los Angeles, will be president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics until May, 1998.
British Airways is bracing itself for massive service disruptions this summer following a vote by cabin crewmembers last week to take industrial action against the airline over a pay dispute. The crewmembers' union said 73% voted in favor of action, which could take the form of one-or two-day strikes starting in early July. The union expects a similar ``yes'' vote from ground staff in a separate dispute over selling off the airline's catering operations.
RAYTHEON AMBER IS DEVELOPING A HIGH-SPEED thermal imaging system operating at 3-5 microns, with defense applications for navigation, surveillance and targeting. Commercial use could include civilian Flirs and nondestructive testing. The new large-format Galileo camera uses a histogram video processor to achieve 512 X 512-pixel resolution--a 17% improvement over the 256 X 256 Galileo. The Goleta, Calif., company's AE187 indium antimonide focal-plane array with 262,144 sensing elements is designed as gimbaled payload. The camera draws 75 w. and has a 1-w.
Joseph J. Tedino has been named director of corporate communications for Mobile Communications Holdings Inc. of Washington. He was an international advertising manager for The Washington Post.
Photograph: Artist's concept shows a K-1 booster shortly after launch. The fully reusable launch vehicle is envisioned as a low-cost, reliable alternative to single-use boosters. Upstart Kistler Aerospace Corp. is completing detailed design and has begun construction of its two-stage, fully reusable K-1 commercial booster. If successful, the quick-turn, recycled booster system is to operate similar to a scheduled cargo carrier, such as United Parcel Service, according to Kistler officials.
REPLACEMENT COMPUTERS FOR THE J-STARS aircraft will be worth $132 million to Northrop Grumman. Under the first $74 million, the company is to integrate more powerful commercial off-the-shelf technology, swapping two central processors (one operating and one hot spare) for the current five (three operating and two hot spares). Under an additional $58-million contract, fiber optics and high capacity switching will supplant copper network wiring. Programmable signal processors will take over the functions of signal preprocessing and the pulse compression unit.
THE F-22 FIRST FLIGHT is now tentatively reset for the third week in July, but Lockheed Martin officials warn that the program will not be rushed. The preflight program must still complete engine runs and taxi tests. May and June first-flight dates were abandoned after the test program encountered fuel leak and auxiliary power unit problems. Meanwhile, Congress continues to snipe at the F-22 through a new GAO report that calls for restructuring the program.
AS PART OF ITS EFFORTS to provide F-16s to the Czech Republic, Lockheed Martin and the Czech CKD Praha Holding company have signed an agreement aimed at establishing a cooperative industrial partnership plan for the Czech aeronautics industry. Lockheed Martin is offering the Czech government several procurement options, including either leasing or purchasing arrangements. Lockheed Martin has agreed to fully offset acquisition costs of new fighters through the industrial cooperation program.
In a rare reversal, the House last week overturned a measure it passed just two days earlier that would have jeopardized the Nunn-Lugar program. Nunn-Lugar aid helps Russia dismantle and secure its nuclear weapons and keep scientists employed in peaceful pursuits. The House originally voted (215-206) a 1998 defense bill amendment by Reps. Gerald Solomon (R.-N.Y.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R.-Calif.) that would have withheld $210 million in Nunn-Lugar funding if Russia sold antiship cruise missiles to China.
