August 11, 1980

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Aeronautical Engineering

Navy F/A-18 Demonstrates Dual-Mission Performance

St. Louis —U. S. Navy’s McDonnell Douglas F/A-18, evaluated by this AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY pilot during a 1.3-hr. flight here, offers the service a high-performance aircraft platform with an advanced avionics package capable of performing the fighter and attack role with one pilot and is still an easy aircraft to fly.

By David M. North

Aeronautical Engineering

Air Force Will Upgrade Aerial Refueling Capabilities

Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio—USAF’s aerial refueling capabilities will undergo an important upgrading over the next several years with the introduction of McDonnell Douglas KC-10 advanced tanker/cargo aircraft and the incorporation of several improvements into the existing Boeing KC-135 tanker fleet.

Avionics

Clandestine Nuclear Test Doubted

Washington —Further investigation into two bright flashes observed by a Vela satellite on the night of Sept. 22, 1979, by a panel of scientists has increased their doubts that the incident was caused by a clandestine nuclear test near Antarctica, but their conclusion remains tentative (AW&ST July 21, p. 15).

By Philip J. Klass

Space Technology

NASA Tightens Shuttle Schedule Again

Washington—National Aeronautics and Space Administration reaffirmation of March as a first space shuttle launch goal will force the Kennedy Space Center into a 7-day/24-hr. work week without any schedule flexibility. Under this concept, delayed work will translate directly into further launch delay, but the workforce will be pushed to maximum output to achieve the earliest liftoff possible.

By Craig Covault

Aviation Week Pilot Report

Wing Modifications Will Stretch F/A-18 Tests By Several Months

St. Louis—Flight test program for the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 is on schedule in terms of projected hours, but the now-defined modifications to the fighter/attack aircraft’s wing to correct a less than specification roll rate will add a further four or five months to the test program and delay U. S. Navy initial operational capability until at least December, 1982 (AW&ST June 2, p. 22).

Space Technology

SR-71s to Play Role in Shuttle Reentry

Los Angeles—Altitude and high-speed performance capabilities of the USAF/ Lockheed SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft have been utilized in the first of a series of tests aimed at evaluating space shuttle tracking and communications systems that will operate during a key phase of shuttle reentry.

By Bruce A. Smith

Editorial

The Price of Free Entry

Selling off assets that earn revenue in order to pay debts is a drastic step for any business to take. It can be the start of a spiral that is difficult to arrest. That is the spot Braniff International is in as it explodes any illusion that freedom to enter new routes under U. S. deregulation is free.

By William H. Gregory

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August 11, 1980

August 11, 1980