BMW Rolls-Royce, targeting platforms ranging from 70-seat regional jets through the 130-seat Airbus A319 commercial transport, believes 13 launched or proposed platforms could serve as applications for its 13,500- to 23,000-lbst. BR700 engine family.
Electromagnets could supply two of the next great leaps forward for civil turbine engines, suggests Gordon Waddington, director of research and development for Rolls-Royce.
Rolls-Royce is planning to stick with the International Aero Engines V2500 powerplant for the long haul, regardless of what its IAE joint venture partner Pratt&Whitney chooses to do, says David Wicks, deputy managing director of civil aero engines for Rolls-Royce.
Engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland have demonstrated the feasibility of using advanced cryocooler technology to keep cryogenic fuel so cold it doesn't boil off, which could lead to significant mass and volume savings for both space launch and long-duration spaceflight applications.
Two B-2 bombers dropped 16 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) each during their combat debut as part of Operation Allied Force over Yugoslavia on Wednesday, U.S. Air Force sources confirmed yesterday. Allied pilots encountered anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) and fighter aircraft during the NATO operation. No surface-to-air missiles were fired against them, and officials were not sure why.
Boeing Co. has been chosen to proceed into the second phase of the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) program, the Pentagon said yesterday. Boeing was chosen over Northrop Grumman and Raytheon - Lockheed Martin dropped out late last year - to fabricate and flight test a UCAV demonstrator system in a 42-month program, $131 million program sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force.
The Senate Commerce Committee's panel on communications took the first steps yesterday to push legislation that calls for privatization of Intelsat, the international body that controls much of the satellite industry. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) last week introduced the Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications (ORBIT) bill, which could move to markup as early as the middle of next month.
BMW-Rolls Royce is about a year and a half away from certifying and releasing a new staged combustor for its BR700 engine series that BMW Rolls' Director of Engineering Gunter Kappler says will reduce the engine's emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 40% over the current core and cut carbon monoxide (CO) production at the same time.
Losses of 10 or more aircraft in the first two weeks of NATO airstrikes on Serbian targets in Yugoslavia would prompt interest in improved electronic warfare or intelligence systems capable of getting a better fix on surface-to-air missile launchers, according to Merrill Lynch aerospace analyst Byron Callan. Callan said in a study released yesterday that Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon stand to benefit the most from a call for improved electronics, a market estimated already to provide about $900 million to $1 billion in annual sales.
Long-awaited progress on the $11 billion tri-national Common New Generation Frigate (CNGF) program, or Project Horizon, was finally made at this week's meeting in Paris of the British, French and Italian Defense Ministers, who approved a go-ahead for the CNGF's Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) component.
Recent votes in the U.S. Congress in support of deploying a National Missile Defense have prompted Russia to revise its nuclear strategy, perhaps to the point of adopting a preemptive strike doctrine. Other measures could include outfitting the new Topol-M ICBMs with multiple warheads and consolidating all elements of Russia's strategic nuclear forces under an integrated command.
The U.S. Air Force is investing $122 million this year to modernize its space launch facilities and will spend $1.2 billion by 2006 to make its ranges "state of the art," said Lt. Gen. Lance W. Lord, vice commander of AF Space Command. The Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) program will lower range costs and increase throughput capacity, Lord said yesterday at a space industry conference in Arlington, Va.
Moody's Investors Service assigned a B3 rating to Fairchild Corp.'s proposed $300 million senior subordinated notes due 2009 and a Ba3, pending completion of documentation, to its new credit facilities consisting of a $125 million revolving line of credit maturing in 2005 and a $150 million term loan maturing in 2006. Moody's said the senior implied rating is B1 and the outlook is stable.
Coningsby will be the first and main Royal Air Force station to take delivery of the Eurofighter, with planned establishment there of an Operational Evaluation Unit, an Operational Conversion Unit, and two front-line squadrons beginning in 2002.
Calling for a more critical overall study of national security strategy, U.S. Army leaders yesterday told senators the Pentagon continues to fund big ticket procurement items like major aircraft programs at the expense of Army modernization initiatives.
FIREARMS TRAINING SYSTEMS INC., Suwanee, Ga., won a contract valued at more than $3 million from the Norwegian Army Materiel Command to provide small arms simulators. Options could add $1.8 million to the award. Deliveries are expected to be completed by January 2000, with follow-on maintenance and training requirements in future years. FATS also won a $2 million contract from the Egyptian Ministry of Defense for small arms trainers. The contract also includes options for more systems.
HKV, a partnership between Raytheon and Kongsberg Gruppen ASA of Norway, finalized a $152 million contract with the Hellenic Ministry of Defense for upgrades and modernization of Hawk missile equipment, Raytheon reported. The contract includes an option that could increase the value to just under $200 million.
Strike Force, a medium-sized, rapid response unit being constructed by the U.S. Army, will be in headquartered at Ft. Polk, La., by September, an Army spokesman said. Strike Force will be the first active duty unit to integrate Army After Next technologies into an early entry force. It will complement current light and heavy force capabilities and is scheduled for full scale implementation by 2003.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said yesterday that projected cost increases in the Joint Strike Fighter program are "a major problem" that he, as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's research and development subcommittee, hasn't decided how to handle. Weldon's subcommittee will have to make the first decision on the JSF when it marks up the R&D portion of the fiscal year 2000 defense budget, which could be as soon as late April. The FY '00 JSF request is $476.9 million.
HEROUX INC., Montreal, won $20 million in new contracts. The Landing Gear Div. won $8.8 million in new contracts from Certified, the U.S. Air Force and Messier-Dowty. Heroux said it will provide landing gear components for the C-130, KC-135 and the Global Express. In addition, Heroux's U.S. operations, consisting of McSwain Manufacturing and ABA Industries, won new contracts worth $10.7 million from GE, Boeing and the U.S. Navy for major aircraft components.
THOMSON-CSF'S OPTRONICS GROUP made a two-year distribution agreement under which Advanced Technical Products Inc.'s Intellitec division, Atlanta, will be its exclusive North American Sales and Marketing arm for cryogenic cooler products for infrared devices. Under terms of the agreement, Intellitec will share technology and marketing responsibilities with Thomson-CSF. The agreement is renewable.
ASEA BROWN BOVERI AB, Vasteras, Sweden will sell its ABB Pressure Systems AB to Flow International Corp., Kent, Wash. Pressure Systems makes isostatic pressure systems for the aerospace and automotive markets.
AVCORP INDUSTRIES, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, a component supplier, said Bombardier's success on the CRJ-200 and CRJ-700 programs has caused Avcorp to speed its production rates faster than anticipated, causing up-front costs which were not budgeted. It said costs related to the CRJ-700 are higher than anticipated and are under review. Avcorp also said it expects losses to continue for the next two quarters due to additional environmental costs associated with the closing of its Richmond facility.
