June 24, 1996

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HEADLINE NEWS

International Flight Charts Roadmap for Space Station

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Astronauts from the U.S., France and Canada, launched on board the space shuttle Columbia June 20, are beginning 17 days of materials processing research and life sciences investigations important to future space station operations.

By CRAIG COVAULT6 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Boeing Proposes Reengining B-52s

NEW YORK An unsolicited proposal made by Boeing to the U.S. Air Force could set a new standard for how the U.S. military buys and maintains its engines. Boeing has offered to reengine the B-52H bomber fleet with leased Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4-Bs.

By STANLEY W. KANDEBO5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Contractors Named for Jassm Finale

WASHINGTON Capitalizing on stealthy designs, good past performance and the two lowest development bids, Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas became the finalists in the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) competition, estimated to be worth $3-8 billion.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM5 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Jassm Result Tweaks Casom Competition

LONDON McDonnell Douglas’ selection as one of the two competing developers of the U.S. Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) has boosted its standing in the bidding war to build a similar missile for the U.K. But if the decision leaves the U.K. without a clearcut path to a cooperative program with the U.S., since the other finalist—Lockheed Martin—has not bid on the U.K. program.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

Evidence Points to Ariane 5’s Irs

PARIS The European accident investigation team formed to determine why the first Ariane 5 qualification flight failed is focusing on the booster’s inertial reference system. In the last few days, a “large part” of the booster’s equipment bay was recovered at Kourou, French Guiana, and flown to France for inspection which “revealed the existence of a malfunction relating to the inertial platforms in the Ariane 5 operating mode,” European Space Agency and CNES French space agency officials said.

By PIERRE SPARACO4 min

HEADLINE NEWS

U.S. Contractors Commit Early to Paris Air Show

WASHINGTON A year before the next Paris air show, all major U.S. aerospace companies have told organizers they plan to participate, generally with the same or larger exhibition and chalet space than they had in 1995. Jean-Luc Joly, the new director general of Salons Internationaux de l’Aeronautique et de l’Espace, said the show would retain the shorter duration—three public days and five trade days—instituted last year.

By CAROLE A. SHIFRIN3 min

NEW FRONTIERS IN RECONNAISSANCE

‘Green Flag Polishes Rapid Intelligence Use

NELLIS AFB, NEV. Information warfare is normally a murky concept. But on board an RC-135 Rivet Joint intelligence gathering aircraft flying in a large-scale exercise, the U.S. Air Force’s efforts to break down the wall between intelligence and operations takes on an unusual clarity.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM8 min

NEW FRONTIERS IN RECONNAISSANCE

F-16 Hts, Rivet Joint Take Aim at Air Defenses

NELLIS AFB, NEV. The RC-135 Rivet Joint, with some twists of electronic wizardry, is substantially improving the radar-killing ability of Lockheed Martin’s newest F-16s, according to U.S. Air Force officials. About 100 of the Block 50/52 F-16s have been fitted with the Harm Targeting System (HTS) and pressed into service as a lower-cost replacement for the technologically impressive but aging F-4G Wild Weasels.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM7 min

NEW FRONTIERS IN RECONNAISSANCE

Rivet Joint Carves Out New Combat Roles

As the tactical Air Force watches diversified new threats appear around the world, the need for sophisticated electronic reconnaissance grows

By DAVID A. FULGHUM5 min

June 171996

July 11996

June 24, 1996

June 24, 1996