The ongoing review of the Pentagon's strategies and force structure is likely to result in the cancellation of a major weapons system, a fifth round of base closings and the realization that the goal of spending $60 billion a year for modernization may never be reached, says a top Pentagon official. Edward Warner, the assistant Defense secretary for strategy and requirements, said that the prognosis for buying the currently planned number of new tactical aircraft is not very promising.
Amer Hassan has been appointed technical director for the satellite network's user terminal and Jim Miller industrial alliance manager of the Teledesic Corp., Kirkland, Wash. Hassan was technical manager for emerging systems at Ericsson Mobile Communications Inc., Miller was a new technology group leader at the Intel Corp.
NTSB AND FBI INVESTIGATORS, responding to published reports last week, said they have no radar or other evidence that a U.S. missile downed TWA Flight 800. Radar data give no indication of a high-speed object intercepting Flight 800 on July 17, 1996, they said. However, prior to last week's reports claiming in part that such data exist, the FBI had hired a private consultant to analyze radar data from various sources, according to officials familiar with the investigation.
While NASA hopes the X-33 can drastically cut the cost of access to orbit, not everyone is impressed. Rene C. Collette, director of the European Space Agency's telecommunications programs, says NASA once promised their European counterparts the space shuttle would cut the cost of launches a hundredfold. ``When the Americans developed the shuttle they were lying through their teeth,'' he told Aviation Week. ``They already lied once viciously with the shuttle, so you can't believe them.''
Continental Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways will be asking the U.S. government to approve a new code-share partnership involving services between Newark/New York and London and eight other U.S.-U.K. routes. The arrangement, which would replace Virgin Atlantic's two-year-old alliance with Delta Air Lines set to expire this summer, envisions cooperation on eight daily round-trip flights from Newark/New York--a doubling of Continental's two daily flights from Newark, a second daily Virgin flight at Newark, and Virgin's existing two dailies from JFK.
The U.S. Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG) will help pay for annual training for owners and operators of smaller Bell Helicopter fleets under a new ``preferred policyholder'' insurance program. The plan, designed to improve safety while stabilizing helicopter insurance rates, requires in-depth pilot and mechanic training and the implementation of proven and reliable maintenance practices. Currently, 22 Bell Helicopter owner/operators have qualified for the program, which began on Feb. 1 and now represents 58 helicopters, according to USAIG Vice President Mike Kriebel.
Super Glaze is a glossy protective coating formulated with a resin that bonds two synthetic polymers to the surface to which it is applied. The material, which has a melting point of 300F, will not soften even when exposed to the tropical sun or salt. The maker claims that it also helps prevent ice from adhering to airfoils. It leaves a smooth finish without greasy films that attract dirt and dust. The material also provides UV protection. Wings West, 1407 Marilyn Way, Santa Maria, Calif. 93454.
UNITED AIRLINES HAS PLACED a $14.6-million order for AlliedSignal's Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. The contract is enough to equip United's entire digital transport fleet plus additional aircraft on order. The airline previously had equipped 12 of its Airbus A320s with EGPWS for evaluation. EGPWS expands upon FAA-mandated Ground Proximity Warning System functions with a worldwide terrain data base and automatic ``pop-up'' visual display of threatening terrain ahead of or near the host aircraft's flight path.
Thiokol Corp. earnings from commercial businesses are expected to increase substantially in the next few years, reaching 65% or more, up from 43% currently.
Senior Pentagon officials are eying the possibility of dropping Lockheed Martin as prime contractor for the Thaad anti-missile interceptor or adding a second contractor if the troubled program continues to fail tests.
The Model 51082 dual diode sensor can be used with Boonton Electronics Corp.'s power meters to perform highly accurate peak and continuous wave power measurements from 40-50 GHz., a range used in satellite, radar and other communications. A second sensor, the Model 51081, provides the same performance over a range of 1 MHz.-40 GHz. Boonton Electronics Corp., 25 Eastmans Road, P.O. Box 465, Parsippany, N.J. 07054-0465.
The Bose Aircraft Entertainment System was designed as an option for the Gulfstream 5 business jet but could be adapted for other aircraft. The system is designed to provide accurate sound throughout the cabin both on the ground and in the air. It is custom equalized for each listening zone to provide clear audio playback without distortion. The system uses Bose' Nd speaker technology. Bose Corp., The Mountain, Framingham, Mass. 01701-9168.
AWLGRIP 2 is a high solids, urethane coating system developed in response to environmental concerns about reducing solvent emissions. The new paint has a lower amount of volatile organic compounds but is more resistant to ice, fuel spills, deicing materials, hot hydraulic fluids and drastic temperature changes than the earlier coatings. It meets or exceeds EPA requirements for VOC emissions. It is available in 30 stock colors. U.S. Paint Corp., 831 S. 21st St., St. Louis, Mo. 63103.
The Wolfcub family of reduced instruction set computing portable ruggedized workstations can use Sparc, PA-RISC or Pentium technology. The outer case is air and water tight. The portable workstations are available with liquid crystal displays of up to 16 in. with 1,280 X 1,024 resolution. The processor boards feature up to 256 megabytes of RAM. Data storage options include removable hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROM or magneto-optical drives. Solaris Systems, 1620 S. Sunkist St., Anaheim, Calif. 92806.
Air Force chief Gen. Ronald Fogleman spent 40 min. extolling the virtues of the F-22 last week at the first meeting of the 45-member Congressional Air Power Caucus. He made the standard arguments that the service's F-15s and F-16s are aging and should be replaced by the F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter. Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R.-Ga.) formed the caucus earlier this year when congressional staffers were being told the Quadrennial Defense Review was going to be late.
Japan's NASDA space agency has selected Thiokol Corp. to supply solid-rocket motor strap-ons that will provide augmented power for the new H-2A booster. The selection widens Thiokol's involvement in development of the solid-motor strap ons for the H-2A, a commercially-oriented derivative of the Japanese H-2 booster that is being designed to provide better performance at lower cost.
Companies providing information technology applications for aerospace firms should enjoy steady growth over the next five years that will be fueled by an expanding base of customers who demand greater utility from their computer-based systems. Information technology is being used throughout the aerospace world to corral unwieldy manufacturing, military and marketing systems and meld them into efficient, flexible strategic and tactical tools.
Air France will boost capacity on its daily nonstop between Washington and Paris by 50% this summer by substituting a 381-seat Boeing 747 for the Airbus A340. The airline will continue to operate 747s on many transatlantic routes, while U.S. carriers use the smaller twin-engine 767s and 777s. The French flag carrier will operate the only 747s between Paris and New York, Newark, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington. It also serves Paris from Chicago, Houston and San Francisco.
The most serious challenge yet is mounting in Congress against the Pentagon's controversial system of allowing defense contractors to recoup post-merger restructuring costs. Broad-based, bipartisan support appears to be building rapidly in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and some of the U.S. defense industry's most stalwart officials privately believe the policy's days are numbered.
The Model 1725 Trim TEC is a multifunction dynamic component analyzer for measuring engine vibration levels and performing fan trim analysis. The software-driven instrument relies on four accelerometer/velocity inputs and two tachometer inputs, allowing it to perform two dual plane fan trim or propeller balance operations simultaneously. The unit can be used to monitor engine health and identify faulty components before they fail. TEC Aviation Group, 10737 Lexington Drive, P.O. Box 22996, Knoxville, Tenn. 37933-0996.
Richard Lesher, Graham Macmillan and Debbie Weinstein have been named to the board of directors of the AIT Corp. of Ottawa. Lesher is president/chief operating officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Macmillan vice president of RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and Weinstein a partner in the Ottawa law firm of LaBarge Weinstein.
