February 19, 2001

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WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Heli-Expo 2001 Sees Introduction Of New Models, New Technology

ANAHEIM, CALIF. The Helicopter Assn. International's Heli-Expo 2001 saw the first flight of Bell/Agusta's AB139, the introduction of a new quiet, enlarged member of Eurocopter's Ecureuil family that should appeal to tour operators, and the first installation of enhanced ground proximity warning systems for terrain avoidance. The show ran here from Feb. 10-13.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM7 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Destiny Laboratory Sails Through Complex Checkout

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER The International Space Station is ready for its second long-duration crew and increasingly advanced science and subsystem operations following the integration of the Boeing Destiny module by the Atlantis crew and the station and shuttle control centers at the Johnson Space Center.

By CRAIG COVAULT6 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

V-22 Problems Strain Military’s Force Plans

WASHINGTON Problems with the V-22 tiltrotor and the ensuing delays from multiple reviews are threatening to disrupt the Pentagon's force structure plans as gaps in military capability emerge. The grounding of all V-22s in the wake of the Dec. 11 crash that killed four Marines and the claims of falsified maintenance records have caused the program to largely grind to a stop.

By ROBERT WALL5 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Safety Panel to Goldin: Gear Shuttle Toward 2020

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER The independent Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel that oversees NASA has effectively blown the lid off the space shuttle replacement debate by finding that shuttle flight safety could be compromised over the long term because NASA has been focusing too heavily on commercial or other optimistic shuttle replacement options, as opposed to longer term shuttle upgrades.

By CRAIG COVAULT4 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

X-35C Begins Pax River Testing

LOS ANGELES The Lockheed Martin X-35C Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft has completed a transcontinental trip from Edwards AFB, Calif., to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., to continue testing during its flight demonstration program.

By BRUCE A. SMITH3 min

WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS

Air Show Reflects Australia's Anticipated Military Buildup

Geelong, Australia Military equipment manufacturers took advantage of last week’s Australian International Airshow 2001 at Avalon Airport, here, to promote their combat and support aircraft in anticipation of Australia’s defense buildup beginning in 2012.

By William Dennis2 min

UNMANNED AIR COMBAT

New Demonstrator Spurs Navy UCAV Development

Northrop Grumman hopes its UCAV will give the company renewed relevance as a prime aircraft contractor

By ROBERT WALL,DAVID A. FULGHUM9 min

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

Navy’s Hairy Buffalo Aims for Quick Kill

NAS PATUXENT RIVER, MD. A three-aircraft unit here is the Navy's first full-fledged attempt at building "smart planes" capable of sophisticated fusion of sensor data. the goal of the program, part of which has been dubbed Hairy Buffalo, is to create a system that can quickly find moving targets on land, water or under the sea.

By DAVID A. FULGHUM,ROBERT WALL8 min

AEROSPACE BUSINESS

Textron Systems Picking Up Pace Of Broad Commercial Initiative

WILMINGTON, MASS. Textron Systems, perhaps best known for development of air-delivered sensor-fuzed weapons, is stepping up its efforts to commercialize military technologies. Telecommunications is of special interest. Management is convinced the company’s core competencies—especially sensors, solid-state lasers, electro-optics, imbedded computers and pattern recognition software—can be applied directly to that rapidly growing business.

By ANTHONY L. VELOCCI6 min

February 122001

February 262001

February 19, 2001

February 19, 2001