January 24, 2000

January 24, 2000

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

USAF Weighs C-17 Production Slowdown

By DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

USAF, AFA at Odds Over R&D Funding

By STANLEY W. KANDEBO,DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Cryo Cooler Suspect in NMD Test Failure

By ROBERT WALL5 min

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

USAF Weighs C-17 Production Slowdown

WASHINGTON Boeing’s C-17 program may have a rocky future following a Pentagon Fiscal 2001 budget study that is looking at cutting near-term production by 20% and a diminished prospect for a follow-on purchase of 60 additional airlifters that would have raised the fleet total to 180 aircraft.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

USAF, AFA at Odds Over R&D Funding

NEW YORK Senior U.S. Air Force officials are furious with the Washington-based Air Force Assn. for publishing a report that criticizes the service for cutting investments in science and technology. At the behest of the Air Force Assn. (AFA), an independent nonprofit organization that promotes Air Force interests, a panel including senior retired Air Force officers and former Defense Dept. officials reviewed the years-long decline in federal spending on military research and development.

By STANLEY W. KANDEBO,DAVID A. FULGHUM6 min

2425
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Cryo Cooler Suspect in NMD Test Failure

Critics urge delaying deployment decision, but waiting would slip national missile defense beyond 2005

By ROBERT WALL5 min

3435
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Racal Deal Advances Thomsons Global Strategy

LONDON PARIS Thomson-CSF’s purchase of Racal of the U.K. is the largest and latest move in the French company’s strategy of securing footholds in a number of markets around the globe through equity investments and acquisitions. The 1.3-billion-pound ($2.1-billion) deal solidifies Thomson’s position as the No. 2 defense contractor in the U.K. Combined sales in the U.K. will roughly double, to 2 billion euros.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO,MICHAEL A. TAVERNA5 min

3435
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Solid Financial Results Set Stage for 777x Launch, Future Growth

SEATTLE Boeing Co. turned around its finances and commercial jet production systems in 1999, posting solid operating earnings at its military and space divisions and reestablishing the profitability of its commercial transport group.

By PAUL PROCTOR4 min

3637
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Consolidation Clock May Be Ticking Faster at Snecma

PARIS State-owned Snecma does not anticipate privatizing anytime soon, although it might pursue any consolidation opportunities that cross its path, according to company executives. The French engine manufacturer just completed an in-depth, in-house restructuring in an effort to streamline operations, cut costs and facilitate additional cross-border alliances.

By PIERRE SPARACO4 min

3233
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Nasa Stops Listening for Mars Polar Lander

LOS ANGELES Jet Propulsion Laboratory officials have given up on Mars Polar Lander, and stopped listening for signals from the spacecraft last week. The last commands were sent on Jan. 6, telling Mars Polar Lander (MPL) to enter a “UHF safe mode” where it would transmit UHF radio signals every 3 hr. to be picked up by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), which is in a 2-hr. orbit about the planet.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM3 min

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Eurocopter Foresees Healthy Growth

PARIS Last year’s brisk sales, including a major multiyear order for Tigers, and the long-waited go-ahead for the European NH-90—scheduled for the next few months—are expected to reinforce Eurocopter’s growth and profitability, according to company officials.

By PIERRE SPARACO3 min

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

U.S. Navy to Bolster Unmanned Aircraft Fleet

WASHINGTON The Navy is launching a new unmanned aerial vehicle program designed to provide an aircraft with greater range and more capability than the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) system now being developed for shortrange missions.

By ROBERT WALL3 min

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HAI 2000

Helos Set to Thrive in Crowded Airspace

SEATTLE PARIS The helicopter industry is setting a new course in its decades-old struggle to develop the infrastructure and technology needed to promote the use of rotorcraft for civil and commercial transport. With rotary-wing aircraft treated almost as an afterthought in the current air traffic control system, helicopter operators, manufacturers and suppliers are lobbying intensely to be an integral part of future national airspace systems.

By PAUL PROCTOR,MICHAELA. TAVERNNA8 min

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