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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 1905.PDF
Hackers penetrate JPL Hackers penetrated the computer network at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in May, says the laboratory's deputy director Peter Lyman. JPL delayed announcement of the intrusion until after the computer systems had been safeguarded. The JPL network connects thousands of com puters at US military installa- ,, defence contractors, consultants, and universities. The current break-in was the third at JPL in two years. JPL first blamed the intru sion on the Chaos Computer Club of Hamburg, West Ger many, which had penetrated Nasa computers in 1987. Later JPL said that the unknown hacker gained access via an unwitting laboratory employee who used his own name as a password, violating an estab lished security regulation. The hacker searched through the directory of users and found the employee's name, JPL revealed. The intruder gained access to the password files, which are ordinarily protected by encryption. "He was able to penetrate the coding and see the passwords in clear text—every body's password," Lyman explained. The current penetration on May 16 ranged over a 7hr period from midnight to 7.30 a.m. No classified material was removed from the computer memories, JPL said. The intruders left behind a "Trojan Horse" instruction which permitted future easy, untraceable access to the com puter system. That instruction was removed, as well as certain operating programs, in case the intruders had planted a com puter "virus"—a coding change that multiplies and damages programs. Lynn said the intruders had gained access to the JPL computer from the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, and exited by signing on to a US Navy computer at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland. NH-90 development scheduled Industry representatives from the NH-90 group are pushing to start the helicopter's devel opment by mid-1989. This scheduling emerged from the project definition report presented to the governments of the participating countries. However, the project's devel opment will now depend upon how long the governments take to agree on a development programme which could cost up to $2 billion. The Munich meeting of the NH-90 group still talked about an eight-to-nine-tonne design in both the naval version (NFH) and the tactical trans port variant (TTH). Providing development starts in mid- 1989, the group expects the first prototype to fly by the end of 1992, with production starting in 1997. In the definition phase, the industrial partners from Aerospatiale, Agusta, MBB, and Fokker have considered a French request to increase the size of the helicopter's cabin to accommodate the French Army's new Hades tactical nuclear missile. This proposal is currently undergoing technical appraisal. The NH-90 programme office will remain in Paris until the development phase starts. At that stage, a joint-venture company will be formed, and will probably be based in France. At present the four project companies are working on the following workshare assumption: France and Italy 35 per cent each; West Germany 25 per cent, and The Nether lands 5 per cent. While the naval version of the NH-90 is primarily designed to equip the future Nato frigate design (NFR-90), the NFH would be equally suitable for the new West German Type 122 frigates. Similarly, Italy plans to use the NFH on small frigates, and because of this is keen to keep the NH-90's weight down to a minimum. Lavi prototype stopped Israeli Defence Minister Yitz hak Rabin has decided to stop funding work on the third Lavi prototype, as a result of heavy Air Force pressure to redirect the money to other projects. The third prototype has been assembled as a testbed for the scrapped fighter's avionics. Rabin decided to allocate money to the B-3 prototype after he was convinced that only by test-flying the Lavi avionics on the prototype would Israel Aircraft Industries be able to export some of the systems and related technology. According to IAI, at least one country has expressed its intention to buy Lavi avionics. The Israeli Air Force has been against the project from its outset. The Air Force claimed that the money allocated for the B-3 prototype could be better spent on "more important projects". The Air Force pointed to the planned upgrading of its F-15s as one such effort. The MoD has allo cated $25 million to the project in this fiscal year. Total investment in the B-3 prototype would have come to $90 million and the aircraft was scheduled to begin flying in mid-1989. An IAI source told Flight that the company will try to fund the B-3 prototype from its own funds. "We'll do our best to keep this project alive," said the source. Top Likud ministers, includ ing Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, said recently that if the Likud forms the next govern ment after Israel's November elections it will consider reviv ing the Lavi. A source in the Defence Minister's office told Flight that IAI will get alterna tive projects to provide work for 400 engineers and technicians involved in the B-3 project. The Israeli Ministry of Defence had earlier agreed to allocate special funds to complete development of the scrapped Lavi fighter's radar and electronic-warfare systems, for possible use in future upgrades of Israeli Air Force aircraft or for new aircraft. Shorts will be sold The British Government's intention to sell Short Brothers as soon as possible was due to be announced earlier this week, in the face of continuing massive losses by the Belfast aircraft and missile maker. Authoritative sources say that Shorts' trading losses for 1987/88 will exceed £45 million and that Rodney Lund, the new chairman who took office on April 1, is also insist ing on the inclusion of a further £80 to £90 million to cover future losses, for an overall defi cit in the annual accounts of some £ 130 million. This follows losses of £37-5 million in 1985/86 and £20 million in 1986/87, and the company's accumulated borrowings now exceed £200 million. BAe is considered likely to take over Shorts' hitherto successful missile systems division, but nothing else. The missile division, like the company's two others, aircraft and aerostructures, is now showing heavy losses and disap pointing export sales with its current production weapon, the shoulder-fired Javelin. The division holds a £225 million development contract from the UK Ministry of Defence for its Mach 4 successor, Starstreak, which it won in competition with BAe. Last March Shorts announced the FJX twin-jet regional air liner project as a follow-on to their 360 twin-turboprop com muter airliner and are known to be holding talks with, among others, Dornier with a view to a possible joint venture. Much of Shorts' current losses, and the provision for future losses to be made, stem from long delays in delivering Tucano trainers to the RAF, the first of which reached sevice hands only on June 16, several months late. Shorts are pledged to deliver 130 to the RAF under an MoD fixed-price contract worth £120 million. The new chairman, Rodney Lund, is a chartered accountant who came to Shorts without any experience in aerospace, but with a proven record in White hall as a privatiser. He success fully broke up and sold into the private sector the heavily loss- making National Bus Com pany—a feat deemed impos sible by many financial commentators. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 23 July 1988 3
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