BFGOODRICH is the third aerospace company to join the MyAircraft.com B2B marketplace. The company signed a letter of intent at the Farnborough Air Show with MyAircraft.com partners Honeywell, United Technologies and i2 Technologies. Under the terms of the agreement, still pending definitive approval, BFGoodrich will become an equity participant in the venture and earn a seat on the board. "MyAircraft.com will be the centerpiece of our E-commerce strategy," said Marshall Larsen, president and COO of BFGoodrich.
The U.K. government intends to procure the Maverick missile system from Raytheon Co. for the Harrier GR7, following successful completion of tests, the company said yesterday.
The "Have Lite" missile co-marketed by Lockheed Martin and Rafael Industries has achieved its first successful safe separation during a test at Eglin AFB, Fla. The mass model was dispensed from an F-16 to determine if it would cleanly leave an aircraft configured in a typical tactical set-up, developers said. The mock missile separated cleanly from the aircraft and its release was found to impart no undue strains to the launch platform.
Turkey is seeking a possible buy of seven Hawk missiles and eight AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radars and related equipment at a total estimated cost of $250 million, the Pentagon announced. It said Turkey would use the Hawks to augment its inventory and maintain an air defense capability. The prime contractor would be Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass.
The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile program is 77% over budget and costs are likely to continue to increase despite reductions in numbers so drastic the U.S. Army may not be able to fight two simultaneous major theater wars, a new General Accounting Report states.
A photo showing a long plume of flame and smoke trailing Air France Concorde Flight 4590 just before the plane crashed near Paris Tuesday has focused attention on engine failure as the most likely scenario. Engine failure talk was fueled further by word from Air France yesterday that the plane's number two engine thrust reversers were reported inoperative on its previous flight from New York. Flight 4590's takeoff was delayed more than an hour while mechanics swapped out spare parts for the thrust reverser from another Concorde.
Pratt&Whitney F100-PW-229 engines will power the Republic of Singapore Air Force's new fleet of 20 F-16s. Deliveries are slated to begin in March 2003. The earlier -220 model of the same engine powers the RSAF's current force of F-16s. In the past nine months three other countries have made the same engine choice. The Israeli, South Korean and Greek air forces have ordered F100-PW-229s for a total of 130 new F-16s. The PW-229 has now logged some 500,000 flight hours. It serves with five air forces.
The CV-22, the special operations version of the V-22 Osprey, was rolled out yesterday in a ceremony at Bell Helicopter Textron's Fort Worth, Tex., plant. The aircraft, jointly produced by Bell-Boeing Textron, is designed to assist Special Operations Forces (SOF) in long range missions.
The four founding partners of a start-up aerospace and defense online trading exchange signed a definitive agreement here yesterday and are planning to launch the Web-based exchange by the end of September.
Italy has requested a possible buy of 50 SM-2 Block IIIA Standard missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $135 million. Italy would use the missiles to replace older missiles in the Self Defense Force. Italy already has Standards, and the new missiles would improve its military capabilities and further standardization and interoperability with U.S. forces, according to the Pentagon.
At least 113 people were killed yesterday when an Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport. British Airways, the only other Concorde operator, cancelled its Concorde service for last night. The crash of the charter flight of German tourists to New York is the first ever for the supersonic transport, which has been in operation for 25 years.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is set to begin flight tests of its Dragon Warrior rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicle, designed to provide reconnaissance for urban warfare and dispense a payload. Sikorsky signed a one-year contract with the U.S. Marine Corps last Sept. 15 to deliver two flying prototypes of the autonomous Dragon Warrior, a follow-on to its Cypher UAV.
PANAMSAT is seeking permission from the Australian government to locate a new satellite at 170 degrees East longitude. The new orbital slot would allow the U.S. satellite services provider to deliver expanded video, Internet and telecommunications services to Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. The company already has four satellites covering the region - PAS-2 and PAS-8 over the Pacific and PAS-4 and PAS-7 over the Indian Ocean.
Poland has expressed interest in purchasing four Kaman Aerospace International SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters for use aboard frigates the country is acquiring from the U.S. Navy, a company spokesman said yesterday. Poland got Seasprites when it got the frigates, and this week it requested two spare General Electric T700 engines for the helicopters for about $85 million. A spokesman for Kaman couldn't confirm the price, he did say Poland is interested in buying four Super Seasprites.
Portugal has requested 20 Mid-Life Update (MLU) modification kits for its F-16A/B aircraft at an estimated cost of $100 million, the Pentagon said. The MLU production phase continues a development program for which Congress received notification in August 1990. The effort has included Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and now Portugal, working with the U.S. Air Force. The prime contractors would be Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, Fort Worth, Tex., and Northrop-Grumman of Baltimore.
Denmark has requested a possible purchase of 400 GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits, 120 BLU-109 bombs, 400 Joint Programmable Fuzes, four Common Munitions Bit Reprogramming Equipment devices, three inert warheads, and other equipment for an estimated cost of $40 million. The Pentagon said Denmark will use the new munitions to upgrade and support existing systems. Boeing Co. would be the prime contractor.
JAPAN'S NATIONAL SPACE Development Agency (NASDA) has delivered its first piece of hardware for the International Space Station to NASA for delivery to the orbiting lab in February 2001. The Bonner Ball Neutron Detector (BBND) will measure neutron energy levels inside the U.S. Laboratory Module over a period of about six months once the lab is delivered to the Station.
Brazilian regional jet manufacturer Embraer launched the ERJ-145XR with a major order from Continental Express. Continental has converted 64 options and eleven firm orders for current ERJ-145 versions into XR-commitments and has placed 100 additional options for the new 50-seater. The ERJ-145 is an increased range-variant of the original aircraft, which was also kicked off by a launch order from Continental Express in 1996.
LOCKHEED MARTIN Space Systems - Missiles&Space Operations has shipped a new U.S. Air force Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) from Sunnyvale, Calif., to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., for a launch tentatively scheduled in October. The DSCS IIIB11 is the second of four super high-frequency satellites incorporating Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP) upgrades for secure voice and high data rate communications to U.S. Defense Dept. users. The satellite, number 12 of 14, will joint 11 other DSCS satellites already in orbit.
GLOBAL SOLAR ENERGY, of Tucson, Ariz., has signed a contract worth $3 million to $5 million in revenue over the next three years to supply technical assistance and proprietary thin-film photovoltaic "energy systems" for a $35 million U.S. Air Force demonstration project to develop formation flying microsatellites. The TechSat 21 satellites will use Global Solar's technology to cut the weight of their photovoltaic power systems by 50%.
International Lease Finance Corp. signed a letter of intent for five Airbus A3XX's for delivery beginning in 2006. The company also ordered 20 A330-200s and 62 A320-family aircraft and ten A330-500s, assuming they are launched. ILFC CEO Steve Hazy said he considers the A3XX order to be a "very measured addition to the fleet," taking into account that ILFC will have 250 widebodies in 2005. He said that ILFC is "gathering more information on the 747X." The Airbus backlog now covers production until 2005 when the A3XX will be delivered.
Recent developments in North Korea are a "positive sign" but don't remove that country as a threat to the United States, Defense Secretary William Cohen testified yesterday. Although North Korea has stopped missile flight tests, Cohen noted that it continues to develop missiles and export missile equipment and technology to other nations, and that Pyongyang could break its flight-test moratorium at any time. Cohen said he would need to see much more evidence that North Korea is changing its ways than last month's historic summit with South Korea.
Pratt&Whitney launched a demonstration program to bring a geared turbofan engine to the regional and business jet market that claims to offer improved economics while setting lower noise and emissions standards. A 12,000 pound thrust demonstrator is slated to run in the first quarter of 2001, with the first flight on a flying test bed planned for later in the year. The first phase of the effort will aim to validate the fan gear designs using an existing PW308 core, while the second phase will include the new core design.
STATE OF FLORIDA businesses are getting an exemption effective July 1 from the state's 6% sales tax on real estate rents if the property involved is used for "space flight businesses," which is broadly defined under new legislation to include everything from launch pads to administrative buildings. Beginning in January companies planning to establish or expand space manufacturing or research and development operations in Florida will get an exemption on 25% of the sales tax on machinery and equipment used for space technology products and research.
