August 31, 1998

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HEADLINE NEWS

Delta 3 Explosion Rocks PanAmSat's Schedule

CAPE CANAVERAL The Delta 3 failure came at the start of a planned satellite launch surge by PanAmSat Corp. during which nine spacecraft were to be placed in orbit in the next 18 months to bolster the company’s global communications network. Frederick A. Landman, president and chief executive officer of PanAmSat, said Galaxy 10, with 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders, was intended to provide U.S. communications services when in orbit at 123 deg. W. Long.

By BRUCE A. SMITH6 min

HEADLINE NEWS

New Tomahawks To Be Retargetable

LOS ANGELES WASHINGTON The next generation of Tomahawk missile will be more flexible with features such as inflight retargeting and a real-time “final frame” TV indication of whether it hit the target. The Block 3 Tomahawks probably used in the recent attacks are the latest version, but cannot be retargeted in flight and have no self-contained method of damage assessment.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM,DAVID A. FULGHUM4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

U.K. Aerospace Sales Continue To Climb

LONDON The Society of British Aerospace Companies, in data released last week, said the U.K. industry’s sales in 1997 were up 8% in real terms from the previous year, and employment levels have stabilized following a steady decline since the late 1980s.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Smallsat Builder Bids For SBIRS

WASHINGTON Spectrum Astro, a small Arizona-based company with 270 employees, is taking on the likes of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and TRW in a bid to become a finalist to build a U.S. Air Force satellite network that will track ballistic missiles from low-Earth orbit.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Premier 1 Readied For First Flight

WICHITA, KAN Raytheon Aircraft Co. is preparing its Premier 1 business jet for first flight in September or October, paving the way for an aggressive flight test program leading to FAA certification next summer. The company rolled out the first production airplane on Aug. 19 at its facilities here, and reports more than 120 orders have been received from U.S. and international customers.

By EDWARD H. PHILLIPS4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Sudan Alleged WMD User

Washington Allegations of Sudanese use of chemical weapons date as far back as the mid1980s, and allegations that Sudan was producing chemical weapons with Iranian or Iraqi assistance arose at least as early as 1995, according to Western, Arab and African sources.

By Paul Mann3 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Lockerbie Offer Sets Trial in the Netherlands

London The Libyan government has said it would respond positively to a U.S.-U.K. proposal to try two Libyan nationals suspected of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in a neutral country—but it could be a year before the case goes to trial.

August 241998

September 71998

August 31, 1998

August 31, 1998

Secrecy About Raids Hints More To Come

By DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

Boeing Delta 3 Explodes; Commercial Debut Ruined

By CRAIG COVAULT6 min