William O. Brackney has been appointed vice president-business operations and Wylie B. Smith, Jr., vice president-finance of the Electronic Sensors and Systems Div. of the Northrop Grumman Corp. in Baltimore. Brackney was vice president-business management of the B-2 program, and Smith was vice president-corporate contracts and pricing, both for the parent company.
Rolls-Royce and Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) have formed a joint venture to manufacture engine components which could eventually lead to building complete engines. The new venture is also seen more immediately as a stepping stone for Rolls-Royce and its regional jet engine manufacturing partner, BMW, in their bid to power the new 100-seat aircraft proposed by AVIC. BMW Rolls-Royce has been promoting an underwing version of the BR715 for the aircraft.
As it begins the final phase of a 29-aircraft fleet modernization program, Cathay Pacific is focusing on Boeing's 747-500X/600X program. ``We're not committed'' to Seattle's successor to the 747-400, Chairman Peter Sutch insists. But he acknowledges being ``very interested.'' His goal is an aircraft of more than 500 seats in three classes that can fly Hong Kong to Los Angeles with full loads in all weather cheaper than a 747-400 currently flies the route.
U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY William Perry is warning Russia it would be a ``significant mistake'' to transfer SS-18 ICBM technology to China. Perry said the Pentagon has learned China is seeking to acquire technology on the 6,800-mi.-range (10,950-km.) missile from Moscow. But he said such a transfer would be a violation of the START agreement and missile control regime ``with the exception of making boosters available for space launching, and even then under tight control.''
Space shuttle Mission 77 was well on its way to setting several records late last week, including the deployment of the most complex and precise inflatable space structure ever, and the largest since the Echo 2 balloon in 1964. The inflatable antenna experiment achieved its proper configuration and was a spectacular sight from the Endeavour. However, there were glitches in its deployment and further tests will be required before it can be considered operational.
Three years after Virgin Atlantic Airways set new standards for airport lounges with its ``Clubhouse'' at London Heathrow Airport, the airline is at it again. A redesigned lounge now includes a 200,000-sq. ft., four-hole putting green, a new hydrotherapy bath and the addition of a ski simulator to its game room. The business center has been upgraded, and the bar expanded by 20%. Former U.S. Masters golf champion Ian Woosnam even made the first stroke on the putting green.
The final seconds of an otherwise routine shakedown flight of the McDonnell Douglas DC-XA reusable launch vehicle brought some tense moments for program officials when an actuator bracket failed and a fire started in the area of one of the vehicle's body flaps. Program officials last week said they were continuing to study the incident while repair work began on the DC-XA, a follow-on to the company's DC-X vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. The DC-X completed a series of eight flight tests last year.
Crossair earlier this month ran a one-day flight test to evaluate the potential of a satellite-based precision approach to Lugano Airport's visual-only, noninstrumented Runway 21. If successful, Crossair can save flight time and avoid the air traffic control handoff and overflight charges required by the standard instrument approach to Runway 03 that passes over Italy. The trials involved a non-revenue Crossair Saab 2000 transport equipped with an Interstate Electronics Corp. Model 9001 GPS navigation and landing system coupled to the aircraft's autopilot.
U.S. Defense Secretary William J. Perry recently addressed the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington. Excerpts from his speech on arms proliferation and missile defense follow: The insidious nature of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is not unlike the threat we face from illegal drugs. In the past decade, both have spread like cancer, threatening our children and societies, and forcing governments to commit ever-increasing resources to fight these epidemics.
The U.S. Air Force Space Warfare Center is demonstrating a new satellite-linked logistics tracking system that enables real-time location monitoring of cargo, fuel and other materiel while en route.
NEXT MONTH, Aeroflot Russian International Airlines will take delivery of four additional 183-seat Airbus A310-300 twinjet transports. On May 22, the Russian carrier concluded a lease agreement with the European consortium and unspecified lessors for the four Pratt-powered aircraft. Last week, Lufthansa German Airlines concluded an order for one additional GE-equipped extended-range A300-600R scheduled to be delivered during the first quarter of 1997.
TESTS OF A JOINTLY DEVELOPED U.S.-Australian decoy called Nulka, intended to lure radar-guided anti-ship missiles away from their target, have been very encouraging, McCoy said. Nulka would be fired from a ship on a rocket that would then ``hover'' some distance away. A Milestone 3 production decision is scheduled for Fiscal 1997.
GEC-MARCONI IS HEDGING its bets on the U.K. Conventionally Armed Stand-Off Missile (CASOM) program, signing on last week as a member of the team led by Hughes (U.K.), which is offering the AirHawk. GEC-Marconi Radar and Defense Systems will be responsible for subassembly and test of the AirHawk, as well as providing some avionics systems. The U.K. missile company, which also is subcontractor on McDonnell Douglas' Grand Slam CASOM entry, will continue to offer its own entry--Pegasus--in the competition.
Commercial airlines appear to be doing a good job overall of handling hazardous material shipments, but dangerous items shipped without declaration continue to pose a serious problem, according to cargo specialists.
USAF'S ACQUISITION STRATEGY BOARD recently recommended that upgrade of B-1B defensive avionics be based on the ``smart'' towed-device to be developed under the Navy/USAF Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) program. However, this will require top-level approval, Col. Jack Booher said at the Old Crows meeting.
TWO OF THE ARMY'S NEW Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL) aircraft--de Havilland Dash-7s outfitted with Hughes radars designed to detect moving vehicles, as well as with elint sensors--are slated to be deployed in South Korea in June, to replace aging Mohawk aircraft. A third ARL is scheduled for deployment there in December. The Dash-7s, whose airframes have been renovated before being outfitted for the new mission, was characterized as an ``excellent platform'' by Brig. Gen. David R.
Dimitris C. Lagoudas, associate professor of aerospace engineering at Texas A&M University, has won the 1995 best paper award in the field of smart structures and materials from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Coauthors were Zhonghe Bo, a graduate assistant in the same department; and James G. Boyd of the University of Illinois.
Kevin Crystal (see photos) has been named engineering manager, Thom Boncher advertising manager and John DeWolf director of materials management, of MikroPrecision Instruments, Golden Valley, Minn.
French suppliers with insider access to Airbus are establishing a growing presence in the rest of the world's aerospace markets by carving out niches and teaming. Still, the goal for most is to establish themselves as suppliers to Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. Some are in better shape than others. Messier-Dowty already supplies the lion's share of the world's landing gears, and has a place on the new 777. Cinch, on a smaller scale, is a major supplier of electronic connectors to Boeing.
NEW INFRARED RADIATION SUPPRESSOR for Special Operations Command C-130 engines, developed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, cuts their IR signature by 80%, thereby reducing vulnerability to heat-seeking missiles. Installation of the new IR suppressors, which weigh 600 lb. less than current hardware, is slated to begin this summer, SOCOM's Col. Steven E. Fleming reported at the recent meeting of the Assn. of Old Crows in Washington.
Sextant Avionique has advanced from an avionics provider to a systems integrator, making it a member of an elite group of international suppliers who can offer total avionics packages. With that breakthrough comes an increasing appetite for the markets of the world, and a goal to double exports in five years. Exports now account for FF2.5 billion ($488 million) and 52% of total sales.
Dale Crane, an author on aircraft maintenance subjects produced by Aviation Supplies&Academics Inc., Newcastle, Wash., has won the FAA's 1996 Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for his contributions to aviation maintenance, aviation maintenance education and aviation safety.
