Boeing engineers in Mesa, Ariz., and Philadelphia are studying the feasibility of several concepts that integrate so-called smart materials into helicopter rotor blades under a program sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Smart materials change shape when stimulated with thermal, electrical or magnetic energy and return to their original shape when the stimulus is removed. Boeing's Roger Hunthausen, technology development manager in Mesa, says smart materials could improve rotor aerodynamics and reduce vibration and noise.
The U.S. Air Force's decision to award the F-22 production contract for the first two planes in Lot I with only 4% of the development test program completed, a point of contention in a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, was raised yesterday at a House National Security Committee hearing. It may become an issue in the committee's markup of the fiscal 1999 defense authorization next month.
General Electric and Pratt&Whitney, deep in a marketing battle in the United Arab Emirates (AP, Dec. 5, 1997), won't have their answer until the end of this year, say UAE military officials. UAE's official news agency, WAM, quoted Col. Obaid Salem al-Kutbi as saying that officials are still considering best-and-final offers for Lockheed Martin F-16s, Dassault's Rafale and the Eurofighter 2000. SNECMA powers the Rafale, while the Eurojet EJ200 is the Eurofighter's power plant. GE F110s and P&W F100s power F-16s.
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Rolla are getting ready to test fiber-reinforced composite materials at jet engine operating conditions under NASA's Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) program. Boosted by $448,671 in funding from enginemaker Pratt&Whitney, two senior academics at the school will run tests on panels of materials under various conditions in the laboratory at UMR's Graduate Center for Materials Research, and then use data from these short-term tests to extrapolate long-term performance.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been cleared to begin design and development work on the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), an orbiting instrument to probe the Universe in infrared wavelengths that will round out the U.S. space agency's series of four planned "Great Observatories."
Europe's national space agencies will merge their astronaut programs with the multi-national program managed by the European Space Agency to create a single, 16-member astronaut corps by mid-2000, ESA announced.
LORAL SPACE&COMMUNICATIONS has completed its acquisition of Orion Network Systems Inc. in a stock swap valued at about $479 million. Orion shareholders received 0.71553 shares of Loral common stock in exchange for each Orion share, for a total of about 18.3 million newly issued Loral shares. Based in Rockville, Md., Orion has one satellite in orbit and two more under construction for high speed Internet connections and multimedia network communications services for businesses (DAILY, Oct. 16, 1997; March 6).
General Electric Aircraft Engines' first-ever CF34-8C1 turbofan exceeded its specification thrust rating during initial development testing at GE's Lynn, Mass., facilities, GE reports. Fired up for the first time on Feb. 20, after only 10 hours of initial performance calibration and facility checkout runs, engine power was advanced to 14,500 lbst. - 5% more than its 13,790 lbst. certification level.
GE Engine Services and LOT Polish Airlines agreed to form an aircraft maintenance and repair joint venture at the Warsaw airport, and hope to work out a final deal later this year. GE says the new venture will work on LOT's own CFM56 medium turbofans, later branching out to service the engines of other airline customers in the region and worldwide. "The record of CFM56 operations with LOT is outstanding," notes GE Engine Services President Bill Vareschi.
ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS CORP. reported revenues up more than 240% during the fourth quarter of 1997 as the subscriber base for its DISH Network grew and business picked up at its Technology and Satellite Services business units. But the cost of marketing drove up the Littleton, Colo.-based satellite services concern's loses for the quarter as well. Fourth quarter revenues were $170 million, compared to $52 million for the fourth quarter of 1996. EchoStar's net loss for the quarter, which ended Dec.
AF and Pratt&Whitney program managers have settled on an unusual high-frequency vibration as the cause of the ingestion incident on an F119 development engine earlier this month that temporarily halted engineering/manufacturing development testing on all F-22 engines. Moreover, says P&W's Tom Farmer, who heads the company's F119 effort for the F-22, the trouble was unique to the engine - No. 621 - which failed, so the four engines already delivered in the field to support flight testing shouldn't face any problems.
Mesa, Ariz.-based parts specialist Extex will permit exchange of any used Extex nozzle or Allison's MAR-M-247 nozzle on the Model 250 helicopter engine for $500 credit toward the purchase of a new Extex nozzle under a program launched this month. "The program offers A250 operators greatly reduced downtimes, better reliability, and will completely eliminate delays associated with traditional repair programs," says Extex's Scott Livingston, VP for A250 customer support.
A California startup company has joined with two venerable Russian firms to develop, build and market fuel cell power systems commercially. Power Technologies Corp. (PTC) of Fair Oaks, Calif., has joined RSC Energia and Urals Electrochemical Integrated Plant (UEIP) to produce a variety of fuel cell systems ranging in output from 2.5 kilowatts to 100 kw for such applications as submersibles, mining, seawater desalination and terrestrial transport.
Orbital Sciences Corp. filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a public offering of 2.75 million shares of common stock.
First demonstrations of an unmanned aerial vehicle at a major air show are underway at the FIDAE 98 show in Chile. Israel Aircraft Industries' Malat unit is demonstrating the Eye-View tactical UAV at the show near Santiago. An IAI spokesman said yesterday that the company has tried for some time to demonstrate UAVs at such shows, and that it scored a first at FIDAE.
The handful of Block 30 B-2 bombers in the U.S. Air Force's inventory have far fewer maintenance problems with their low observable materials than earlier model B-2s. The older Block 20s average about 40 write-ups per mission, while the newer Block 30s have between 10 and 15, an AF official told The DAILY here Wednesday. A write-up is a material anomaly that must be treated because it can increase the bomber's radar cross section.
The House Appropriations Committee approved a $2.29 billion fiscal 1998 defense and disaster supplemental, with the Republican majority putting it over by a vote of 29-21 but in a form that could make it difficult for the Administration to accept. Before passage Tuesday, the House voted for offsetting cuts in domestic discretionary funds with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposing the cuts. The Administration had proposed that there be no offsets.
Members of the Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee yesterday were clearly rattled by the U.S. Air Force's intention to award the contract for production of the first two F-22 fighters in December with only 4% of the development flight test program completed. The General Accounting Office says the award, for the two F-22s in Lot I and long-lead for the six in Lot II, should start almost a year later, in October 1999.
Australia's federal government has granted Kistler Aerospace Corp. "environmental approval" to launch its K-1 reusable launch vehicle from Woomera, South Australia, Kistler reported. Kistler plans to test fly the two-stage-to-orbit K-1, which is recovered by a combination of parachute and airbag, later this year. The Kirtland, Wash.-based company also may conduct launches from Woomera (DAILY, Feb. 23).
CHINA LAUNCHED two more Iridium low Earth orbit communications satellites yesterday, bringing to 51 the total number of operational Iridium satellites in orbit. Liftoff of the Long march 2C/SD vehicle carrying the satellites came 12:01 p.m. Wednesday EST, or 1:01 a.m. today local time at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. It was China's second Iridium launch.
Russia's Ministry of Economy announced a plan to reorganize a conglomerate of enterprises involved in development and production of Sukhoi combat aircraft The plan, unveiled last week, is geared towards ending a years-long dispute between the Moscow-based Sukhoi Design Bureau and remote production plants, as well as mollifying local authorities where the production plants are located.
Saab AB and Ericsson Saab Avionics AB have signed an agreement to develop and manufacture an advanced electronic warfare suite for the export version of the Saab British Aerospace Gripen multi-role fighter.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN'S Commercial Aircraft Div. signed an agreement with Boeing Commercial Aircraft Group extending through 2006 its contract for production of the center wing box section of the 767 jetliner at current production levels. The company has been producing the 16-by-24-foot center wing box since the program began in 1979.
