Russia has agreed to supply 30 new, advanced MiG-29 fighters worth $1.25 billion to India in late 1995 to modernize its force of Soviet-designed fighters and attack aircraft.
A BEARINGLESS JET ENGINE is closer to reality following a test in which a gas turbine shaft was magnetically suspended and then spun at 36,000 rpm. SatCon Technology Corp. of Cambridge, Mass., said the noncontact magnetic bearings eliminate the engine's lubrication system, allowing the turbine to run faster, cooler and more efficiently. The test, conducted under contract to the U.S. Army's Power Systems Div. as part of the Small Business Research Innovation program, involved a 30.2-lb. rotor.
John Sauers has been named assistant director of standards for regulatory compliance, Bonnie Hendrix director of maintenance training and Jack Young director of training, all at FlightSafety International's Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington Center.
Sam Galeotos has been named vice president-operations and customer service for Worldspan of Atlanta. Sue Powers has been named vice president-product marketing and John Such vice president-sales.
MICHAEL ARMSTRONG, chairman of Hughes Electronics Corp., said he believes his company's proposed joint venture with Raytheon on further development of the Navy's Standard Missile offers a ``creative new alternative'' to consolidation in the U.S. defense industry. The proposed Standard Missile Co. would have a separate board of directors, although production contracts could ultimately be competed between the two companies. He said the Pentagon supports the collaborative effort which is now being reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Dept.
Egypt is softening its opposition to the indefinite extension of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but the global pact's fate remains uncertain as a 171-nation vote looms within five weeks. Officially, Egypt continues to reserve its position on whether it will sign in order to maintain pressure on Israel, a non-signatory long suspected of having a nuclear capability (AW&ST Mar. 20, p. 21). But following a White House meeting last week with President Clinton, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak declared, ``We will never withdraw from the NPT.''
David H. Mobley has been appointed chief engineer at NASA headquarters in Washington. He was technical assistant to the director for space station activities at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
The flight crew's failure to recognize wind shear and initiate a prompt escape maneuver caused a USAir Douglas DC-9-31 to crash at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in July, 1994, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
Lars Kirchhoff has been appointed regional marketing manager for Pemco World Air Services Unit in Copenhagen, a division of Precision Standard, Inc., Birmingham Ala.
The SVME/DMV-163 is a 68040-based single board computer with better performance, increased memory and enhanced input/output capabilities, compared with earlier members of the DY 4 family. It incorporates the MAXPack mezzanine module system to augment the functionality of the base board with additional I/O, memory or custom data acquisition functions. Air-cooled and conduction-cooled versions are available. The card is available with up to 60 megabytes of parity-protected dynamic random access memory. DY 4 Systems, Inc., 1475 S. Bascom Ave., Suite 202, Campbell, Calif.
European and Asian space markets will approach a combined value of $70-80 billion through 2005 as major new commercial, military and science initiatives mature. The number of geosynchronous communications satellites serving the Asia/ Pacific region is expected to increase substantially in just the next three years.
Photograph: New first-class seats on American's Boeing 767-300 aircraft recline and have a four-way electronic lumbar support system. Seats in other sections are being upgraded. American Airlines is upgrading its 41 Boeing 767-300 aircraft, used mostly on transatlantic routes, as part of a concerted effort to expand its profitable international services.
The DataSYS 940 is a four-channel, digital storage oscilloscope that combines low noise inputs with a bandwidth of 350 MHz. An application specific integrated circuit amplifier keeps noise levels low. The 350-MHz. bandwidth is guaranteed on all input sensitivity ranges from 5 v. per division to 2 millivolts per division. Applications include digital system development and analog circuit noise debugging. Display modes include refresh, persistence, roll, X/Y and live zoom. The 940 allows waveform analysis, automatic measurements and long-term archiving.
This lithium thionyl battery can produce 10 times the energy of carbon-zinc batteries and triple the output of alkaline cells. The active components are metallic lithium, an electrolyte that serves as a liquid cathode and carbon that acts as a catalyst. A DD-size battery will produce 30 amp-hr. of electricity at rates of up to 750 milliamps constant current in ambient temperatures of -40-150C (-40-302F). Open circuit voltage is 3.6 v., and shock resistance is 1,000g.
BOTH ENDS OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE ARE WORRIED about cracks in the international space station coalition. Now that Canada appears certain to stay involved, attention has shifted to Europe. France seems more interested in upgrading the Ariane 5 launcher than continuing to invest in the station. ``I think it may be a big problem,'' Presidential Science Advisor John H. Gibbons predicted last week. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and House Science Committee Chairman Robert S.
The Kobe earthquake has prompted new studies of the seismic safety standards of offshore airports that use reclaimed land and navigation aid facilities in Japan. It also has forced Japan Airlines to postpone new domestic services because of a shortage of aircraft. In the first two months after the quake, JAL flew 822 emergency flights.
Henri A. Jarrat has been appointed to the board of directors of Paradigm Technology, Inc., San Jose, Calif. He is president of Jarrat Global Enterprises.
The recent decline in the value of the U.S. dollar--and expectations among many currency analysts that it will continue sliding in the weeks ahead--could lead to enhanced market share for U.S. airframe and engine manufacturers as well as for domestic suppliers of aerospace components and subsystems.
The NVR 200 is a real-time, nonvolatile residue monitor for measuring airborne contamination in clean rooms and on critical surfaces. It uses surface acoustic wave technology to help users identify contaminants. The sensing element's temperature is actively controlled. The instrument can store 38 days worth of samples taken at 1 min. intervals. Software allows the user to customize setpoints of the NVR 200. It also can be programmed to interface with other environmental monitoring equipment and automatically issue alerts. Femtometrics, 1001 W.
Very large, fused-silica shapes can be manufactured using the Isomolded forming process. Blocks with a 24 in. X 24 in. cross section made with the process have a density variation of less than 1%. Isomolded components weighing 2,200 lb. (1,000 kg.) with areas of more than 35 sq. ft. (3.25 sq. meters) have been manufactured. The slip cast fused silica is immune to mineral acids with the exception of hydrofluoric acid and can withstand a continuous temperature of 1,000C (1,832F) in air, chlorine, sulfurous and carbonaceous atmospheres.
R. Keith Elliot has been named executive vice president of Hercules, Inc., Wilmington, Del., and will continue as chief financial officer. He was treasurer of the Carborundum Co. Vincent J. Corbo has been named senior vice president-technology. He was group vice president/president of the Hercules Materials Co. Robert J. A. Fraser has been appointed group vice president/president of the Hercules Food&Functional Products Co. He was senior vice president-international and science and technology in 1993.
World Transport Policy and Practice Journal is a quarterly journal that will take an interdisciplinary approach. Subjects that it will consider include public policy, the environment, behavior, infrastructure, sustainability and performance. It will address all modes of transport, both for people and cargo. John Whitelegg, managing director of Eco-Logica, Ltd., will serve as editor. MCB University Press, 60/62 Toller Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England BD8 9BY.
