January 31, 2000

January 31, 2000

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Runway Incursions Top U.S. Air Safety Risks

By JAMES T. McKENNA

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

HAI Show Upbeat, But Operators Wary

By EDWARD H. PHILLIPS

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Shuttle Radar Goal: Information Superiority

By CRAIG COVAULT

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Runway Incursions Top U.S. Air Safety Risks

Controllers, pilots rely on 'Flintstones' technology to avert ground collisions, while high-tech solutions remain elusive

By JAMES T. McKENNA

4445
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

HAI Show Upbeat, But Operators Wary

LAS VEGAS Despite new reports predicting little or no market growth in the next 5-10 years, attendees at the HeliExpo 2000 convention remained generally optimistic about the commercial helicopter industry’s prospects in the nearterm while keeping a watchful eye on the global economy.

By EDWARD H. PHILLIPS

3839
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Shuttle Radar Goal: Information Superiority

By CRAIG COVAULT

2829
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

LockMart Launches Overhaul; Raytheon Earnings Plummet

NEW YORK Lockheed Martin Corp. will restructure its aeronautical and space businesses, effectively immediately. Annual savings are expected to total $200 million—partly at the expense of about 2,800 employees. Aeronautical Systems will bear the brunt of the overhaul, with the loss of 2,500 jobs.

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI

3233
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

U.S. Surveillance Aircraft To Get Budget Boost

WASHINGTON The Pentagon is planning a modest increase in funding for some of its airborne surveillance assets, with the main beneficiaries being the Air Forces fleet of E-3 AWACS and E-8 Joint-STARS. The Air Forces budget proposal, scheduled to be released Feb. 7, will include funding for a 15th Joint-STARS, a Pentagon official said.

By ROBERT WALL

3233
HEADLINE NEWS

French ‘GAO' Attacks Military Plan Again

PARIS France’s military procurement spending is not adequately monitored, while major contracts are being awarded without sufficient long-term funding. In addition, recurring delays are driving up the cost of weapon systems, according to a French oversight agency.

By PIERRE SPARACO

4243
HEADLINE NEWS

Eutelsat Plans Further Fleet Growth

PARIS The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization, which this month ordered its 22nd satellite, plans to add seven Ku-band spacecraft to its fleet in the next two years to sustain the demand’s robust growth. Eutelsat’s New Bird, which will be manufactured by Alcatel Space, will be equipped with 26 Ku-band transponders switchable in three coverages—a wide-beam over Europe, a beam covering the Americas and a steerable beam.

By PIERRE SPARACO

4041
HEADLINE NEWS

Soyuz To Test Revolutionary Inflatable Reentry System

PARIS European and Russian scientists plan to flight test an inflatable reentry system concept that could revolutionize the transportation of goods between orbital stations and the Earth. The concept provides an inexpensive means to recover orbital payloads or booster upper stages for return to Earth without need for bulky, rigid reentry capsules and parachute systems.

By MICHAEL A. TAVERNA

4243
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Faint Signals Give Hope for MPL

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM

4041
WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Large X-38 Parafoil Passes First Flight Test

LOS ANGELES NASA has successfully completed the first test flight of a large parafoil with a span of 143 ft. which will be part of the recovery system for a lifting body vehicle being developed for space station crew emergencies. The parafoil is a full-scale, man-rated design for use on NASA’s planned X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) program managed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC).

By BRUCE A. SMITH

January 242000 February 72000