January 24, 1977

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Special Report: Sixth Fleet Modernization—7

Ussr Submarines Pose Heavy Threat

USS Albany at Sea—Introduction of the Navy’s Harpoon anti-ship missile, vertical/short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft and a more powerful strike cruiser will aid the Sixth Fleet in maintaining its edge against a burgeoning Soviet naval force in the Mediterranean Sea.

By Clarence A. Robinson19 min

Safety

Safety Board Investigates Blade Separation Incident

At 0431 AST, July 11, 1975, a propeller blade separated from the No. 2 propeller of Puerto Rico International Airlines, Inc., Flight 303, during takeoff at Puerto Rico International Airport. The takeoff was discontinued, and the airplane was stopped on the runway pavement.

Special Report: Fiscal 1978 Aerospace Budget

Few Shifts Expected in Nasa Request

Washington—President Jimmy Carter is not expected to make large-scale changes in the $4.02-billion National Aeronautics and Space Administration Fiscal 1978 budget submitted to Congress last week by the former Administration of Gerald R. Ford.

By Craig Covault12 min

Special Report: Fiscal 1978 Aerospace Budget

Navy Request Stresses Shift to V/stol

Washington—Navy’s Fiscal 1978 and 1979 budget requests will establish the framework to alter the structure of naval aviation by placing more reliance upon dispersible smaller aircraft carriers equipped with V/STOL combat and support aircraft.

By Edward H. Kolcum7 min

Space Technology

Viking Sampler Arm Activities Resume

Pasadena, Calif.—Pace of the Viking extended mission on Mars has increased with the resumption of surface sampler arm activity at the Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia landing sites. First sampler arm movement following conjunction—which marked the end of the Viking primary mission (AW&ST Dec. 6, 1976, p. 50)—occurred Jan. 16 when the No. 2 lander arm scooped up a soil sample and delivered it to the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer experiment.

By Jeffrey M. Lenorovitz7 min

Avionics

Chip Carrier Offers Microcircuit Gains

New family of microcircuit containers with many potential advantages for avionics applications, including greater packaging densities and higher-speed operation, is expected to emerge soon as an industrywide standard. The new standard chip carriers, as they are called, will permit two or three times as many microcircuit chips to be mounted on a printed circuit board, as do present dual in-line packages (Dips).

By Philip J. Klass6 min

Aeronautical Engineering

Vertol to Exploit New Rotor Technology

Washington—Boeing Vertol Co. plans to use technology developed for its YUH-61A utility tactical transport aircraft system (UTTAS) competitor, which lost to the Sikorsky entrant (AW&ST Jan. 3, p. 17), for future commercial and military helicopters.

By David M. North6 min

Management

F-16 Buyers Seek Offset Assurances

Brussels—Governments of the four European NATO nations buying the General Dynamics F-16 fighter are seeking further U. S. assurances on industrial offset work, prices and their partnership status with the U. S. on the F-16 program before they sign their final contracts with the U. S. Defense Department for the F-16s they are procuring.

By Robert R. Ropelewski5 min

January 171977

January 311977

January 24, 1977

January 24, 1977