Luxembourg's Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) probably will try to take an equity stake in a Western Hemisphere satellite operator as it continues its push to offer global coverage to its customers, according to Romain Bausch, director general and management committee chair.
British Defense Secretary George Robertson revived the global nuclear debate with an appeal to the Russian parliament to ratify the long-stalled Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, START II. In a keynote policy speech at the official opening of Aberdeen University's new Scottish Center for International Security on Monday, Robertson said that START II ratification would create the conditions for further substantial U.S. and Russian reductions in nuclear weapons.
Turkey's first upgraded Phantom aircraft flew for the first time last month from Israel Aircraft Industries' facility at Ben-Gurion airport in Israel, IAI said yesterday. IAI, which is upgrading 54 of Turkey's Phantoms under a $632 million contract, said the supersonic flight took place Feb. 11 and lasted 55 minutes. IAI Test Pilot Adi Benaya was at the controls.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dismissed an appeal by Crane Co. seeking to block the proposed BFGoodrich-Coltec merger, BFGoodrich reported yesterday. Crane filed the lawsuit in December 1998, and it was dismissed by the Southern District Court of New York in January. The merger, which the companies hope to complete in April, still faces a lawsuit attempting to block the combination filed by AlliedSignal (DAILY, March 1).
Boeing delivered the second production model F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the U.S. Navy at Naval Air Station China Lake, Calif., in February, the company reported yesterday. Seven production models will enter Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) with Navy test squadron VX-9 in May. OPEVAL will consist of more than 800 flights in six months. Seven flight-test aircraft at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., have completed more than 2,825 flights and flown more than 4,185 hours.
The Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle will fly to Australia from California in 2001 to participate in a demonstration of interoperability with Australian surveillance systems. "Deploying from Edwards Air Force Base in the spring of 2001, Global Hawk from fly approximately 12,000 miles to Australia," said USAF Lt. Col. Steven Umbaugh. He said it will work with Australia's Joint Project (JP) 129, which concerns airborne surveillance of land operations. Range of the Global Hawk is 13,500 n.m.
Israel Aircraft Industries filed a lawsuit in Tel Aviv District Court requesting temporary and permanent injunctions against two former employees, BVR Technologies Ltd. IAI said the suit is designed to prevent BVR from improperly gaining access to intellectual property and trade secrets related to the Ehud system, which the two companies jointly developed. IAI said it filed the suit because of "severe infringement" of the obligations of the two employees to limit business dealings, and using confidential information for BVR's benefit.
AlliedSignal said its new 331-600 auxiliary power unit has been selected for two growth versions of the Airbus A340. The contract is expected to generate more than $1 billion in original equipment, aftermarket parts, repairs and overhaul services. The first 331-600 will be tested this May; entry into service is planned in 2002.
With U.S. government fears of vertical integration having scuttled its planned merger with Lockheed Martin last year, a Northrop Grumman executive said yesterday that "If we spot vertical integration, we're going to yell about it." James G. Roche, corporate vice president and president of the Electronic Sensors&Systems Sector (ES3), told reporters in Washington that consolidation in the aerospace/defense industry has changed the nature of competition, and that Northrop Grumman simply wants a fair shot in future competitions.
The U.S. Air Force has delivered to Congress a "Long Range-Bomber White Paper" calling for a new bomber that would enter production in 2034 and be operational in 2037. According to Air Force briefing charts, the program would start in 14 years. The White Paper laid out the following schedule: -- Mission Area Assessment: 2013 -- Mission Needs Statement: 2014 -- Concept Exploration: 2016 -- New Acquisition Program: 2019 -- Production: 2034
The ICAO Council has adopted more stringent limits on aircraft engine exhaust emissions based on a recommendation of its Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), Council President Assad Kotaite said. Kotaite reported that CAEP is acting on engine noise as well, resuming deliberations recently on certification standards more stringent than the current Chapter 3 rules.
FAA yesterday ordered inspections of float switch wiring in the center fuel tanks of Boeing 737s and the removal or deactivation of the switch prior to an aircraft accumulating 30,000 total flight hours or within 30 days. "Wire chafing caused by vibration could potentially provide an ignition source inside the fuel tank," the agency said. The switch prevents the fuel tank from being overfilled by automatically closing he fuel valve when the tank is nearly full.
NASA's Fastrac rocket engine, scheduled to power the X-34 reusable launch vehicle testbed next year, completed its first full-up hot-fire test Tuesday night, and another test is planned this week, according to Gary Payton, deputy associate administrator for aero-space technology.
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems has opened a laser manufacturing research facility on the floor of its Fort Worth, Tex., plant that promises to save cost and time in the creation of complex metal parts. The company said that the technology of the Laser Direct Manufacturing facility has been in development for the last six years, but that it has now been installed in a production environment.
U.S. airlift and sealift capabilities in the Pacific Rim are not adequate to respond to a "dangerous and bloody battle" that may be brewing in the region, said Gen. John Tilelli, commander-in-chief of U.S. Forces in Korea. Adm. Dennis C. Blair, commander-in-chief of U.S. Pacific Command, said tensions in the region are expected to increase in the coming year. His concerns range from ballistic missile use in Korea to political and economic instability in Indonesia.
FAA YESTERDAY ORDERED new inspections of the nacelle struts on certain Boeing 747s after finding new cracking at a "lower" threshold than is covered by a notice of proposed rulemaking the agency issued last Nov. 24.
Skynet 4E, Britain's latest military communications satellite, was launched Feb. 26 by an Ariane 44L rocket from the European Space Agency's launch site at Kourou in French Guiana.
Several pilot unions, countering statements of a Boeing vice president, denied Tuesday that they have endorsed increasing extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) by 15% to 207 minutes for the Boeing 777.
Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft 5 and 7, being refurbished by Northrop Grumman in Lake Charles, La., are ahead of schedule due to an added time cushion and limited workload, but financial pressures may be mounting. "I am aware that it costs more to meet the original standards" than anticipated, said a Northrop Grumman spokesman. He stopped short of saying more money is needed to complete the work, citing company policy not to reveal specific profit or loss margins.
Union workers at Lockheed Martin plants in Marietta, Ga., and Palmdale, Calif., have given the company a mandatory five-day notice of a strike, a Lockheed Martin spokesman said yesterday. Members of the Independent Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers rejected contract proposals from Lockheed Martin over the weekend (DAILY, March 2). Palmdale workers gave notice Monday, while Marietta workers gave notice yesterday.
MECHANICAL GLITCH on a Pegasus launch vehicle late Monday forced a delay in NASA's Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) mission to study the formation and evolution of starburst galaxies. The flight was scrubbed when a pin designed to lock the air-launched rocket's rudder in place before it was dropped from its L-1011 ferry aircraft failed to disengage as required. Pegasus-builder Orbital Sciences Corp. said it would take "a minimum of several days" to mount another launch attempt. The mission is staging out of Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
By 2029 U.S. military forces will face three major threats - renewed competition from a military adversary; traumatic attacks, and erosion of support from mainstream U.S. citizens, according Navy Secretary Richard Danzig. Danzig identified the threats in a paper entitled "The Big Three: Our Greatest Security Risks and How to Address Them," which was released Monday by the Center for International Political Economy.
