October 27, 1997

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HEADLINE NEWS

Airborne Laser Tested, Weighed for New Missions

WASHINGTON Despite having to contend with the effects of jet streams, violent bad weather or exotic coatings on enemy missiles, the main weapon being developed for the YAL-1A aircraft— a long-range laser—is operating within specifications in tests, Air Force officials contend.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM7 min

HEADLINE NEWS

NASA Missions to Explore Origins of Earth and Sun

WASHINGTON A flyby of three near-Earth comets and a flight to collect samples of solar wind emitted by the Sun have been selected as the fifth and sixth missions in NASA’s Discovery program. The Genesis and Comet Nucleus Tour (Contour) missions are aimed at gaining a better understanding of the origins of the Sun and the planets.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO3 min

IPN International Product News

Mobile Beech 1900 Simulator Brings Training to Pilots

DALLAS Instead of traveling to a distant training center for a simulator check ride, Beech 1900 pilots could find a mobile facility complete with a full-motion simulator parked at their home base next year. TechniFlite America Inc. of Englewood, Colo., has developed a tractor trailer-based training facility with a Training Devices Inc.

By MICHAEL O. LAVITT16 min

ELECTRONIC WARFARE

Mobile SAM Threat Spurs New EW System Sales

WASHINGTON As defense budgets for new aircraft decline, the market for electronic warfare systems is growing to better protect existing assets, especially against mobile SAMs (surface-to-air missiles). EW sales for 1997 will be up at least 10% over last year for most suppliers, and the trend is expected to continue in 1998.

By PHILIP J. KLASS9 min

LIMA'97

LIMA'97: Focal Point of Growth in Southeast Asia

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)—which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, and now Burma and Laos—is a burgeoning economic powerhouse that sits astride one of the world’s most strategically important regions.

Navy Questions Towed Decoy Suitability for F/A-18C/D

PATUXENT RIVER, MD. The Pentagon has rejected a recent General Accounting Office recommendation that the Navy outfit its F/A-18C/D aircraft with ALE-50 towed decoys, developed by Raytheon E-Systems. The ALE-50 will be used on the Navy’s next-generation F/A-18E/Fs until the more versatile ALE-55 fiber-optic towed decoy (FOTD), now under development by Lockheed Martin Sanders, enters production (see p. 52).

By PHILIP J. KLASS7 min

New Decoys May Simulate Stealth Aircraft Targets

LOCAAS Sensor Tests Advance

CAPE CANAVERAL The U.S. Air Force and Army are preparing for a series of major new tests to demonstrate a more advanced laser radar sensor and other technologies involved with the new Low-Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCAAS) air-launched smart munition.

By CRAIG COVAULT6 min

ELECTRONIC WARFARE

Enemies Face Frustration As Aerial Decoys Improve

WASHINGTON The U.S. Air Force is finally going to buy a number of air-launched decoys, to give the service a capability that was found unavailable but desperately needed to confuse and expose Iraqi air defenses during the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Visually, the new Miniature AirLaunched Decoy (MALD) looks like a small cruise missile.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

ELECTRONIC WARFARE

Raytheon Leading Decoy Production

GOLETA, CALIF. The Goleta division of Raytheon E-Systems is leading the implementation of airborne towed decoys with the December go-ahead for fullrate production of the Navy-developed ALE-50 decoy for the U.S. Air Force. The company is also developing a more sophisticated fiber-optic towed decoy for the U.K.’s Nimrods under a contract received in June.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM6 min

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October 27, 1997

U.S.-China Summit: Milestone and Minefield

By PAUL MANN7 min