January 7, 2002

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

V-22 Tiltrotor Program Begins Recovery Trek

WASHINGTON V-22 officials have once again dodged a bullet by convincing top-level Pentagon skeptics to give the tiltrotor another chance to prove itself. Pentagon acquisition chief Edward C. Aldridge, Jr., late last month approved a V-22 recovery plan presented by managers at the Naval Air Systems Command.

By ROBERT WALL6 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Solar-Electric Power To Enable Double Planetoid Mission

WASHINGTON Xenon-fueled solar-electric thrusters will give a newly selected NASA spacecraft enough maneuverability to explore two large protoplanets in the Asteroid Belt. The probe could answer questions about the processes that formed Earth and the other inner planets and perhaps supply data that can be used in the search for planets around other stars.

By FRANK MORRING, JR.4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Global Hawk Crashes in Uae After Afghanistan Mission

WASHINGTON A Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, one of two being used by the U.S. Air Force in operations over Afghanistan, was destroyed while attempting to land in the United Arab Emirates near the end of a combat reconnaissance mission. The Dec. 30 crash was not a result of combat damage, say military officials.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Nasa Goes Planet-hunting

SAN FRANCISCO NASA has funded a mid-decade Earth-trailing satellite that will carry a unique telescope to employ “transit signature” photography in a search for planets capable of sustaining life. Named for Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer who described the motion of the planets in our solar system, the $299-million study is part of NASA’s Discovery mission series and is scheduled for launch on board a Delta II in 2006.

By MICHAEL MECHAM3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Euro’s Debut Signals New Start for Europe

PARIS Europe’s political leaders are hoping that the successful introduction of the euro and the deployment of a British-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan will provide renewed impetus to European unification. The switchover from local currencies to euro bills and coins, which began smoothly on Jan. 1, is not expected to have an immediate economic impact, because the euro has already been in use for currency transactions for three years (AW&ST Jan. 18, 1999, p. 54).

By MICHAEL A. TAVERNA3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Russia Chalks Up Record Defense Sales

MOSCOW Russia closed the year with a record volume of revenues from foreign arms sales, and expects to do even better in 2002. Alexander Denisov, first deputy head of the Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign Countries, said last month that arms sales would exceed $4 billion, noting that late payments on previous deliveries could add $1 billion to this figure.

By ALEXEY KOMAROV3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Stealthy Jassm Approved for Low-rate Production

WASHINGTON Despite a test failure following a B-2 launch last month, the stealthy joint air-to-surface standoff missile (Jassm) has been approved for low-rate production by the Pentagon, and is expected to be available for operational use in 2003.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Carriers Squabble on Bermuda as National’s Buildup Continues

Washington Washington Reagan National Airport, beginning the third phase of restoring flight operations curtailed for security improvements, will regain all of its pre-Sept. 11 nonstop destinations and more than three-quarters of its flight operations by spring.

By David Bond2 min

DECEMBER 24/312001

January 142002

January 7, 2002

January 7, 2002

Complex Telescope to Probe IR Universe

By WILLIAM B. SCOTT7 min

FAA Tweaks ATC Plan, Expects Traffic Rebound

By DAVID BOND6 min