December 23, 1996

December 23, 1996

View Full Issue Table of Contents
HEADLINE NEWS

Hughes Captures Aim-9x Competition

By DAVID A. FULGHUM,MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Synergies Could Bolster Joint Product Line

By PAUL PROCTOR3 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Flying Observatory Contract Awarded

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO2 min

View Full Issue
More Features
8283
HEADLINE NEWS

Hughes Captures Aim-9x Competition

WASHINGTON and LOS ANGELES A lower life-cycle cost was the main factor in Hughes winning the much-coveted, hard-fought AIM-9X competition, say Pentagon officials. Raytheon’s ploy to win the competition by surpassing Pentagon requirements—an increased field-of-regard, over-the-shoulder seeker being of particular note—was attractive, they said.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM,MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM5 min

1213
HEADLINE NEWS

Synergies Could Bolster Joint Product Line

SEATTLE The cross-seeding of technology, design and program expertise could provide a newly merged Boeing and McDonnell Douglas entity with stronger new products and a host of upgrades to existing aircraft and missile lines. If the $13.3-billion merger is successfully consummated, one of the earliest Boeing programs to benefit will be Boeing’s Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) candidate.

By PAUL PROCTOR3 min

8485
HEADLINE NEWS

Flying Observatory Contract Awarded

WASHINGTON A team led by Universities Space Research Assn. has won a $484-million contract from NASA to convert a Boeing 747 aircraft into an astronomical observatory. The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (Sofia) will be designed to fly at 41,000-45,000 ft. to study radiant heat patterns from stars, planets and other celestial sources.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO2 min

1011
BOEING-McDONNELL DOUGLAS MERGER: IMPACT

U.S. Industry Poised for Further Realignment

Virtually no combination of companies is inconceivable as the defense industry hurtles toward an endgame

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI9 min

8485
AIR TRANSPORT

Sabretech Repairs Focus of New Probes

Officials are investigating reports that supervisors, workers in Orlando falsified paperwork on 737 repairs

By JAMES T. McKENNA,WILLIAM B. SCOTT8 min

8687
AIR TRANSPORT

NTSB's 747 Proposals Focus on Fuel Volatility

WASHINGTON The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is urgently recommending that the FAA require monitoring of fuel temperature in the center wing tank of Boeing 747 aircraft to reduce the potential for explosive fuel/air mixtures.

By EDWARD H. PHILLIPS7 min

5455

Winners of the 1996 Photo Contest

GENERAL/FIRST PLACE Philip Handleman Birmingham, Mich. Handleman has been a licensed pilot for more than 25 years. He owns and flies two restored aircraft of military lineage, including an open-cockpit Stearman biplane. Handleman has written 10 books and dozens of articles on aviation.
8283
BOEING-McDONNELL DOUGLAS MERGER: IMPACT

Europeans Expect Merger's Market Impact to Be Nil

PARIS Airbus Industrie expects little market impact from the Boeing/McDonnell Douglas merger, given Douglas Aircraft’s heavy loss of market share in recent years. Consequently, the merger is unlikely to help reconcile the strong differences within the European consortium about how to speed up its own consolidation and forge a single corporate entity.

By PIERRE SPARACO3 min

1415
BOEING-McDONNELL DOUGLAS MERGER: IMPACT

Acquisition Would Fuel Boeing Space Resurgence

WASHINGTON The Boeing Co., which went into a virtual slumber in the space business after the Apollo program, has reemerged in recent years, winning the prime contract to build the international space station and in the process becoming NASA’s top supplier.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO3 min

1213
BOEING-McDONNELL DOUGLAS MERGER: IMPACT

Collaborative Pact Sets Stage for Merger

LOS ANGELES Douglas Aircraft Co. officials say the earlier collaborative agreement between Boeing and Douglas provides insight into how the combined commercial transport businesses will operate under the recently announced merger plans.

By BRUCE A. SMITH3 min

December 161996 January 61997