September 6, 1993

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HEADLINE NEWS

SAVING INDUSTRIAL BASE KEY IN BOTTOM-UP REVIEW

New F-16 production will end after 1994, but the Pentagon proposes keeping Lockheed's assembly line in business with extensive upgrade work

By JOHN D. MORROCCO,DAVID A. FULGHUM7 min

HEADLINE NEWS

U. S., RUSSIA DRAFT HISTORIC SPACE PACT

Proposal melds Mir and Freedom elements into 'unified' station design that apparently preserves options of U. S.' international partners

By PAUL MANN6 min

COVER STORY

NEW ROLES, SYSTEMS EXPAND U. S. CARRIER FLEXIBILITY

ON BOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT New on-board command and control systems and the use of commercial satellites are providing U. S. Navy carriers more flexibility to shift air operations rapidly between different military theaters. The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) demonstrated this capability during the summer when, within two days, it shifted from Adriatic missions supporting U. N. forces in Bosnia to operations in the Red Sea to launch aircraft over Iraq.

By CRAIG COVAULT6 min

HEADLINE NEWS

BOTTOM-UP REVIEW URGES MODULAR AIR APPROACH

WASHINGTON The Pentagon's Bottom-Up review has recommended an Air Force/Navy Joint Advance Strike Technology Program that could result in a variety of similar aircraft with varying stealth, speed, agility and weapons carrying capabilities.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM,JOHN D. MORROCCO5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

LITTON WINS $1.2 BILLION IN LASER GYRO PATENT SUIT

NEW YORK Litton Industries, Inc., emboldened by a $1.2-billion jury verdict in its favor, will continue to press its patent infringement suit against rival Honeywell, Inc., in hopes of exacting even larger penalties. Litton charged that Honeywell's ring laser gyroscope—an inertial navigation system widely used by commercial and military aircraft—violates a Litton patent on the manufacturing process to coat the gyroscope's high-precision mirrors.

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

MUTE OBSERVER SPURS RETURN MISSION STUDY

LOS ANGELES NASA has established a study team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory to explore possibilities for a return mission to Mars if communications with the Mars Observer spacecraft cannot be restored. The new Mars mission would be undertaken with the intent of recovering some, if not all, of the scientific objectives of the Mars Observer spacecraft, which fell silent Aug. 21 just three days prior to the scheduled Mars orbit insertion (MOI) (AW&ST Aug. 30, p. 20).

By BRUCE A. SMITH4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

FOKKER POISED FOR F60 LAUNCH

AMSTERDAM Fokker will launch by the end of the year the F60 twin turboprop transport, a stretched derivative of the 50-seat F50. Development of F60 civil and military versions soon will be completed, and production go-ahead is expected before the end of the year.

By PIERRE SPARACO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

TECH TRANSFER LEADERSHIP FALLS TO INDUSTRY, NOT LABS

ALBUQUERQUE The private sector must take the lead in deciding which U. S. federal laboratory technologies have the most commercial potential, or the promise of "technology transfer" will not be realized as improved national competitiveness, according to a panel of government and industry experts.

By WILLIAM B. SCOTT3 min

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September 131993

September 6, 1993

September 6, 1993