With unmanned aerial vehicles only now becoming a staple in military operations after decades of false starts, it may be hard to envision another radical leap in their development. But a good indicator to watch is where aerospace companies are investing their research money.
Although current owners of the Pilatus PC-12 span the spectrum from executive pilots to physicians in the Australian Outback, many potential buyers are awaiting U.S. approval of single-engine commercial operations under instrument flight rules.
Thai Airways International recently concluded an order with Airbus Industrie for four 317-seat A330-300s and five 261-seat A300-600Rs equipped with Pratt&Whitney PW4000 turbofan engines. First delivery is scheduled for early 1998. SilkAir, Singapore Airlines' regional affiliate, concluded an order for three 124-seat A319s and five 150-seat A320s plus options for 10 additional unspecified A320-family aircraft.
Gert C. Reitsma has been appointed head of purchasing and Michael Corne head of marketing and sales for BMW Rolls-Royce, Oberursel, Germany. Reitsma was vice president-procurement for Fokker Aircraft. Corne succeeds Keith Redfern, who has returned to Rolls-Royce in England. Corne has been head of sales at Shannon (Ireland) Aerospace Ltd.
George Heyworth has been appointed vice president/chief technology officer of CADIS Inc., Boulder, Colo. He was director of software development for the Perot Systems Corp.
Laser Ablation Systems, a subsidiary of Plasmatronics, Albuquerque, N.M., is seeking strategic partners to help fund an advanced aircraft paint stripping facility. The new process uses a specialized CO2 laser firing a 50-megawatt pulse at up to a 200-sec. rate and with a 10-kw. average power. The system vaporizes 0.0002 in. of coating per pulse into mostly benign gasses, leaving a cold, undamaged substrate, according to Alan E. Hill, president and chief scientist. The broad area laser can strip 2,400 sq. ft.
Western Pacific Airlines reported a net loss of $17.8 million for the first quarter, reflecting higher fuel and maintenance costs, as well as the impacts of restructuring following a management change last December. However, load factors have increased steadily this year, reaching 63.3% in April. President Robert A.
Arms analysts say the rapprochement between Russia and China has the makings of a strategic alliance that might one day undercut U.S. security interests. A Kremlin ally would be useful to China as a hedge against the U.S.' immense military and economic influence in the Asia/Pacific region. Of equal strategic concern, however, is the possibility that Russian arms sales to Beijing will lead to a dangerous Kremlin dependence on Chinese cash that could harm Russia's own national security. Stephen Blank, of the U.S.
Preliminary results of an experiment by British and U.S. aviation security specialists validate new hardening concepts for civil aircraft to prevent catastrophic failure in the event of an internal explosion from a terrorist bomb.
Boeing officials are drafting plans for all 747 operators to inspect the center fuel tanks of those aircraft for clues that might help investigators unmask the cause of Trans World Airlines Flight 800's destruction last summer. The investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board have determined that Flight 800's center fuel tank exploded. Shortly thereafter, the 747-131 broke up and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island, N.Y. All 230 on board were killed.
Aerospace manufacturers are taking the likelihood of competition for a U.S. unmanned combat aircraft so seriously that most consider their ideas too sensitive to show or talk about them.
Pilot unions representing Air France and its regional subsidiary, Air France Europe (AFE), resumed labor contract talks with the management of the French flag carrier on May 23. Representatives of SNPL, the main pilot union at Air France, returned to the table following a four-day walkout that focused on a reduced pay plan for new hires. The union representing AFE returned following a month-long strike, which was called to protest the lowered pay scale and a change in work conditions that followed the carrier's merger with Air France.
IN AN UNUSUAL SETTLEMENT involving military procurement, the U.S. Justice Dept. recently awarded Latecoere International $1.9 million to compensate for preparing an unsuccessful bid for a Navy human centrifuge in 1990. The French company lost its bid to ETC, a U.S. company. The Justice Dept. settlement follows a decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1994 in favor of Latecoere.
Much to some scientists' chagrin, NASA's Daniel S. Goldin has long been loathe to extend missions beyond their planned termination dates--even when it means turning off satellites that are working beautifully. Some relief appears to be on the way, though. The agency's space science chief, Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., is challenging 13 programs to cut mission operations and data analysis costs by 50% or more. If squeezes are successful, missions may be extended by up to several years. Some $75 million has been earmarked over Fiscal 1999-2001 to extend such missions.
Japan's National Space Development Agency (NASDA) intends to scrap its 3-stage J-1 1-ton payload launcher, which debuted only last year, in favor of a new vehicle with lower launch costs and greater orbital insertion accuracy.
Great Lakes Airlines resumed service during the Memorial Day weekend following voluntary suspension of operations on May 17 at the urging of the FAA (AW&ST May 26, p. 41). The shutdown was a result of agency allegations that improperly trained personnel performed aircraft maintenance and that the airline was operating unairworthy aircraft. Great Lakes, based in Bloomington, Minn., serves as a United Airlines and Midwest Express feeder. Inspections of the regional airline's fleet of 41 Beech 1900s and 12 Embraer EMB-120s were continuing last week.
The U.S. Navy is working on its own unmanned combat aircraft. Under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research, specialists at China Lake, Calif., are investigating the concept of a Highly Maneuverable Lethal Vehicle (HMLV) that could be operated from an aircraft carrier. Unmanned combat aircraft are the natural product of three converging trends, said George Palfalvy, an operations research analyst at the Naval Air Warfare Center's weapons division:
Steven W. Straub (see photo) has been promoted to general manager from operations manager of Champion Aviation Products, Liberty, S.C. Richard Witowski is now manager of manufacturing.
Bearing failures in Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines have grounded 15 Cathay Pacific and Dragonair Airbus A330-300s, causing heavy cancellations and creating chaos at Kai Tak airport a month before the historic handover of Hong Kong to China.
McDONNELL DOUGLAS GROUNDED its Explorer fleet late last week after discovering that the adjustable collective drive link in the helicopter's rotor head needs to be redesigned. The company began investigating the drive link after a failure in early May. There have been no accidents of the Explorer since beginning operations in late 1994. Thirty-eight helicopters are affected by the grounding.
With the impending launch of the AE31X Euro-Asian regional twinjet, European component manufacturers are moving rapidly to win a spot as suppliers for the 95-125-seat aircraft family and other new Chinese aerospace programs.
TEXAS PILOT LINDA FINCH last week completed her 26,000-mi. flight around the world via the equator that retraced the ill-fated flight of Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan in 1937. Finch landed her Lockheed 10E at Oakland, Calif., on May 28, 73 days after departing from California (AW&ST Mar. 10, p. 41).
The new U.S. astronaut on board Mir, Michael Foale, has begun both science and systems repair work on the Russian station as his predecessor, Dr. Jerry Linenger, begins a detailed medical and physical therapy regime to readapt to Earth's gravity after 133 days in space.
The U.K.'s new Labour government launched its strategic defense review last week, pledging a bipartisan approach to reassessing priorities and requirements to meet the new challenges of the 21st century.
