INDUSTRY INSIDERS BELIEVE THEY'VE BEEN TIPPED OFF that the B-2 bomber will be the last of its kind. Air Force Chief of Staff Ron Fogleman told senior service officials gathered in Orlando, Fla., that instead of developing another penetrating, stealthy bomber, the Air Force will consider going ``with something radical--a whole new approach.'' He did not elaborate, but industry officials think he was hinting that penetrating bombers have had their day.
After more than a year of internal bureaucratic debate, the Clinton Administration has finally approved an export control policy that would bolster the level of government support for U.S. companies selling weapons abroad.
Victor D. Marone (see photos) has been appointed vice president-aerospace programs at Sundstrand Aerospace, Rockford, Ill. He was vice president-aerospace business development. Ronald F. McKenna, who was vice president/general manager of Sundstrand's Electric Power Systems Div., succeeds Marone. And, Kenneth G. Eitenmiller, who was vice president/ general manager of the Aerospace Mechanical Systems Div., has been appointed vice president-operations for Sundstrand Aerospace.
AMERICAN National Standards Institute, New York, is developing an ``electronic shopping mall'' that will allow rapid access to hundreds of regional, national and international product standards via the Internet. As envisioned, the National Standards Systems Network will benefit small- and medium-size companies developing high-technology products. Some standards will be available in digital, three-dimensional form for direct download into CATIA computer-assisted design software.
The importance and effectiveness of precision-guided weapons in modern warfare were dramatically illustrated four years ago during Operation Desert Storm. But the air-to-ground weapons employed in the gulf war were based on technologies developed 20 or 30 years ago. The U.S. and its allies are moving toward fielding a new generation of these ``smart'' weapons by the turn of the century. In the following special report, AVIATION WEEK&SPACE TECHNOLOGY examines the hurdles these technological developments face, as well as the near- and long-term consequences.
R. Paul Ryan has been elected chairman of NATO's Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development. He is deputy administrator of the Defense Technical Information Center, Alexandria, Va.
Stung by criticism of the limited weapons payloads of current and planned stealth aircraft--particularly the F-22 and JAST aircraft--senior U.S. Air Force officials have ordered research into a new family of small weapons. The resulting small smart bomb (SSB) would allow them to pack at least three high-explosive weapons into the space previously taken up by a single, 2,000-lb., deep-penetrating bomb.
U.K. securities analysts are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward Lucas Aerospace, Plc., in the wake of the U.S. Navy's decision last week to block the aerospace/defense supplier from winning new U.S. military contracts (see p. 19). In fact, they are far less concerned about the possible impact of the debarment on the company's stock price than they are with the outcome of a pending civil suit by the U.S. Justice Dept.
U.S. COAST GUARD ON-SCENE aircraft commanders and pilots have found yet another application for on-board traffic-alert collision-avoidance system (TCAS) avionics. Pilots of the HU-25 Dassault ``Guardian'' jets and other USCG aircraft use their TCAS displays to track low-flying search planes and helicopters during rescue operations. The safety backup is especially useful at night and during poor visibility. TCAS also helps pilots flying rescue operations detect low-flying ``local'' traffic, such as oilfield support helicopters in the Gulf of Mexico.
EUROPEAN MILITARY reconnaissance imagery will be captured on advanced Matra Helios 2 spacecraft by new solid-state recorders under design by Alcatel and IBM France. Each recorder will have a memory of about 100 gigabits--enough for 200 images. A similar recorder will also be placed on the Spot 5 civilian imaging spacecraft under a government contract worth about $40 million. Losers in the competition were Sextant Avionique and Dassault Electronique.
CROSSAIR OF SWITZERLAND THIS MONTH is awaiting delivery of the first Saab 2000 full flight simulator and expects to train its crews at its home base in Basel following a one-month installation and testing period and pending Swiss certification. The carrier, which is flying the Saab 2000 already, eventually plans to offer simulator training to prospective operators of the aircraft in Europe and the Far East.
FINAL ANALYSIS, Inc., the Greenbelt, Md., startup whose first satellite was launched on a Russian expendable vehicle, expects to begin testing the commercial waters for the ``little LEO'' spacecraft's services by May. The store-and-forward communications satellite, the octagonal spacecraft shown here being mated to a Tsikada navigation satellite, was on the first commercial launch from Plesetsk (AW&ST Jan. 30, p. 68). Faisat-1 was tumbling about 0.3 rpm. after launch, but the rate was slowed to 0.1 rpm. when the gravity gradient boom was deployed.
THE MIXED OPEN SYSTEMS CONSORTIUM (MOSC) is testing a multichip module for an advanced video processor that incorporates analog, digital and RF devices on a 40 X 40 mm., 304-lead ceramic quad flat pack. It is part of MOSC's efforts to accelerate the development of mixed-signal application electronic modules. The device was fabricated by nCHIP of San Jose, Calif. Other test vehicles include a high-speed modem, graphics driver, wireless LAN and wireless transceiver.
CHINA'S FIVE-YEAR space plan for 1996-2000 includes a satellite to orbit the Moon around 2000, according to Jiang Jingshan, director of the Space Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In an address to the Academy, Jiang said studies are underway to determine the scope of such a mission. ``China's space technology now has the capacity to probe the Moon,'' he said. Precursors to the Moon mission will be optical and microwave remote sensing satellites in Earth orbit.
A ``RED TEAM WHITE PAPER'' AT NASA has many at the space agency turning blue in the face; they are holding their breaths about their future. Prepared by a team led by acting deputy administrator John R. Daily at boss Daniel S. Goldin's request, the memo lays out one way NASA might be restructured in the wake of the Clinton Administration's $5-billion budget squeeze.
The U.S. Army's corps-level air defense weapon program has been reconfigured as a combined U.S./European project to offer small-area, point defense against stealthy cruise missiles and theater ballistic weapons by 2005. The anti-stealth capability will demand technological breakthroughs to ensure the air defense missile's guidance system is offered very pure radar return data in order to detect cruise missiles hidden in ground clutter.
European scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have made critical measurements of primordial helium in deep space, providing important new evidence for the Big Bang theory of the universe's creation. The new helium calculations also help boost the total amount of observable mass in the cosmos. The finding could aid in solving one of astronomy's biggest mysteries--where is 90% of the ``missing mass'' needed to make the universe function according to the laws of physics?
Astronauts, scientists and ground controllers will map rarely charted regions of the universe and test structural, communications and navigation techniques that could make spaceflight more efficient during NASA's next shuttle mission.
An S-3B aircraft modified with commercial-off-the-shelf equipment has shown the ability to help U.S. Navy battle group commanders see over the horizon.
THE U.S. NAVY DEBARRED British-based Lucas Industries and its U.S. subsidiaries from obtaining new government contracts last week as a result of ``fraudulent activity'' relating to Airframe Mounted Accessory Drives (AMADs) the company builds for the F/A-18 and azimuth drive units for the Army's multiple launch rocket system. The proposed ban comes less than two months after Lucas pleaded guilty to 37 counts of fraud involving false statements made about testing and inspection of the two systems and paid an $18.5-million fine (AW&ST Jan. 16, p. 25).
Denver International Airport's operators are counting on advanced technology to help them achieve efficiency levels that air carriers and passengers were promised in return for higher costs.
Space transportation is one of the marvels of our time. From Robert Goddard's first little liquid fueled rocket in 1926, the evolution to today's space capabilities has been amazing. Unfortunately, getting to and from space is also amazingly expensive.
Massachusetts lawmakers are leery of Raytheon's request for $42 million in tax relief and utility rate cuts, which Raytheon officials are insisting must be provided this year if defense manufacturing is to remain in place near Boston.
