The explosion of a Russian/Ukrainian Zenit 2 booster shortly after liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome May 20 is a major setback for the Russian military space program. The accident could also be a setback to the Boeing-led partnership that plans to use upgraded Zenit versions for its Sea Launch commercial venture, with missions starting in late 1998.
Richard L. Dunn, general counsel for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service. He was cited for his management and professional leadership skills in obtaining and implementing legal authorities for the conduct of research, development and systems prototypes for the Defense Dept.
Max Villar has been named Miami-based regional vice president-sales and support for Discover The World Marketing. He was Eastern regional manager for the America Central Corp. of Miami.
The recent reorganization of Lockheed Martin's Electronics Sector reflects the company's effort to integrate operations resulting from its acquisition of Loral, which had earlier acquired divisions from IBM and Unisys, among others. The move follows in the wake of a decision to spin off 10 business units, primarily suppliers of components and subsystems, into an independent company called L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. The new company is headed by Frank C. Lanza, who was formerly president and chief operating officer of Loral.
Russian science, research and development suffer from the same problems that afflict military reform--a lack of priorities, hit-and-miss downsizing and scarce, sporadic funds, Western analysts say.
David P. Silva (see photo) has been promoted to vice president-sales and marketing from sales manager for Aluminum Precision Products Inc., Santa Ana, Calif.
S. Alan Stern (see photo) has been named assistant director of space science in the Instrumentation and Space Research Div. of the Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Tex. He was leader of the institute's Boulder, Colo.-based Geophysical, Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Group.
Dassault Aviation's Mirage 2000-5 multirole combat aircraft is scheduled to enter service soon. The French manufacturer, Thomson-CSF, and additional suppliers funded the program that is expected to boost export sales. In 1992, Taiwan concluded an order for 60 2000-5s powered by 21,355-lb.-thrust Snecma M53-P2 engines and equipped with Matra BAe Dynamics Mica missiles. Recently, about 10 aircraft were delivered to Taiwan. However, French officials declined to comment on the politically sensitive contract. Qatar also procured 12 2000-5s.
John N. Selvaggio has been named vice president of US Airways Express. He was president/chief executive officer/chief operating officer of the Midway Airlines Corp. Selvaggio succeeds Keith F. Houk, who will be vice president-special projects.
Greg Wedding has become assistant manager of FlightSafety International's Gulfstream Learning Center, Savannah, Ga. He was assistant manager at the Teterboro (N.J.) Learning Center.
Building on its up to $100-million, 10% share in low-Earth orbit satellite telecommunications constellation Teledesic, Boeing is considering entering the aviation information services business. As envisioned, the company would use a version of its phased array antenna to provide two-way, broadband data flow to and from airborne transports, according to Michael T. Boyce, vice president of market development for Boeing Defense&Space.
When NASA's Mars Pathfinder spacecraft makes its scheduled landing on the red planet around 1 p.m. EDT on July 4, it may find surroundings very different from those encountered 21 years ago by its predecessors, the Viking landers. The Viking visits to Mars yielded images of massive dust storms underneath an orange, featureless sky. Such views were ``considered to be essentially the climate of Mars,'' said R. Todd Clancy, an atmospheric and space scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.
The National Defense Panel, an independent group mandated by Congress to examine the Quadrennial Defense Review's findings, has produced a long list of what it considers shortcomings in the Pentagon's study. They range from oversized reserve forces to unexamined future threats.
Just back from a visit to China, Army Gen. John Shalikashvili says commanders there do not yet think that famine-driven instability in North Korea's government is bad enough to ``spill over into a conflict'' with South Korea. The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman added of the Chinese, ``They are less concerned about it than I would be.'' Unofficially, senior U.S. military officials are predicting the collapse of North Korea's government within two years.
All Nippon Airways, which dominates Japan's domestic market, is counting on expanded flights into China, Southeast Asia and the U.S. to help boost its international traffic to 50% of its total revenues by 2001. While ANA expects its domestic revenues to rise 2-3% over the next four years, those modest growth rates will not help it meet its income goal of 1.15 trillion yen ($9.34 billion) in 2001, up from 880 billion yen ($7.15 billion) in fiscal 1996.
Ever since the Boeing Co. and McDonnell Douglas Corp. announced last December their intent to merge, it has been widely recognized that European regulatory authorities represented a possible sticking point in consummating the deal but certainly no ``showstopper.'' Now that the European Union is formally raising more vigorous objections than anyone seemed to have anticipated, some Wall Street analysts are becoming increasingly concerned.
Delays in production of the new Mitsubishi F-2 close air support fighter have caused Japan's air force to rearrange its fighter squadron lineup. It has formed an eighth squadron, the 306th, which is part of the 6th Wing at Komatsu air base in central Japan. It will fly McDonnell Douglas/Mitsubishi F-15J fighters. The 8th Air Sqdn. of the 3rd Air Wing at Misawa air base will shift from flying Mitsubishi F-1s to McDonnell Douglas/Mitsubishi F-4EJs.
