Development of the U.S. Air Force's proposed next-generation upper-stage engine is vital to inject new life into the industry, even though the operational requirement remains obscure, say supporters.
The two companies using NASA seed money to develop commercial cargo carriers for the International Space Station (ISS) are preparing for crucial launches before the end of the year, although both need some last-minute answers before they can fly.
If scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) get their way, in a few years' time there may be networked clusters of dozens or even hundreds of small, cheap, easily replaceable satellites working together to take the place of the large, expensive hardware currently floating around in orbit.
Ames Research Center, NASA's lead for small/low-cost satellite development, is tapping Swedish experts in space plug-and-play avionics (SPA) to further its design of cubesats. The 10-year partnership between NASA and the Swedish national space board will harness the miniaturization work of AAC Microtec of Uppsala, Sweden, which the board has funded. SPA technology includes interfaces, onboard computers and power subsystems that Ames will test in June 2012.
An anomaly on a satellite launched by Telesat Canada in May is having a ripple effect through the global satellite industry, delaying a mid-summer launch of the $400 million ViaSat-1 satellite to September and gumming up International Launch Services' (ILS) busy manifest.
The move to align AirAsia and national carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS), after years of fierce competition, will have huge implications and comes at an opportune time for AirAsia's Tony Fernandes.
With Airbus and Boeing's airliners sold-out in the near term and passenger traffic on the rise, the aircraft leasing sector is experiencing renewed momentum. Flagging demand and difficult access to capital had kept deals in the leasing sector relatively flat ever since the market downturn in late 2007. But that has gradually changed in recent months. Leasing companies that had depleted their orderbooks have begun placing large commitments with major manufacturers, and more recently the sector has seen a slew of activity to realign portfolios.
This year's surge in orders is causing Airbus to fill the bulk of its orderbook for its A320NEO (new engine option), but there is concern the aircraft maker may face a mid-decade dip that could undermine its financial performance. Airbus has been finalizing deals announced at the Paris air show in June that have already put the aircraft maker well ahead of its 1,000-order target for the full year and marking the first time in four years that it holds more than 1,000 orders.
While regulators are allowing Tiger Airways Australia to fly again after a five-week-long grounding, the long-term viability of the low-cost carrier is shakier than ever. The airline was already a financial drain on its parent, the Singapore-based Tiger Airways group, before safety problems led to its suspension. Now Tiger will gradually relaunch domestic routes, but airline analysts question how much more patience group management will have with the troubled carrier.
As it closes in on a first delivery of the 787-8 in late September, Boeing is seeing daylight in its aspirations to move on to the stretched 787-9 model in its new family of composite twin-engine jets. Introduction of the 787-9, with nominal seating of 250-290 and a top range about 4% farther than the -8's, remains on track for 2013, says Scott Fancher, 787 general manager.
Efforts to establish the first carbon dioxide certification standard for aircraft are proving difficult, and the recent failure to agree on a metric for CO2 emissions risks delaying completion of the standard. Any delay will empower environmental groups already putting pressure on governments to regulate aircraft CO2 emissions in the absence of a global standard.
Lufthansa's opportunities for long-term growth have greatly improved with the approval of a third runway at Munich Airport. However, the decision must be cleared in court and delays are likely.
Unmanned aerial system (UAS) use has soared since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, and new systems continue to debut in combat. But national deficits are placing severe pressure on defense spending, forcing users to look for more capability from existing UAS. The U.S. is putting new sensors on available platforms and connecting them to provide capabilities beyond those of individual systems (see p. 58). The services are also pushing hard for access to civil airspace for training once their UAS return from Afghanistan (see p. 56).
The General Atomics Reaper unmanned aerial system (UAS) may eventually go from hunting terrorists to hunting hostile ballistic missiles. The U.S. Air Force's Predator and Reaper UAS have been well-publicized workhorses providing intelligence and firepower on the front lines in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Arabian peninsula.
Less than a year after the first Rustom-1 unmanned aerial system (UAS) prototype crashed in its flight debut, a group of Indian scientists from the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) gathered last fall at a private airfield near Bengaluru to test-fly this little known aircraft.
While the German air force's Heron and Euro Hawk unmanned aerial system (UAS) projects may attract the spotlight, the German army has more quietly been clocking large numbers of operational flight hours with a far smaller category of systems.
The Italian air force is expanding its fleet of medium-altitude unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as well as adding to the platforms' capabilities, including the addition of a new sensor and, potentially, an attack function. Rome plans to increase its UAS force to six each of the General Atomics Predator A+s and Reaper UAS as well as three ground control stations, air force officials tell Aviation Week.
As the U.S. and its allies withdraw forces from Afghanistan over the coming years, hundreds of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and thousands of crews will return from the combat zone and face the issue of how to train in domestic airspace.
The next generation of unmanned aircraft could be today's systems, but linked in ways only now becoming possible, thereby enabling them to perform missions beyond their individual capabilities. Use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has grown during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but as the conflict draws down, services are seeking ways to make better use of their existing assets, recognizing that prospects for new systems are receding as budgets tighten.
Singapore is hardly a low-cost country, yet the city-state remains one of the most attractive outsourcing locations for western firms. A combination of favorable corporate rules and world-class infrastructure gives Singapore an edge over places that have cheaper labor. That point has been underscored by Rolls-Royce, which is expanding its footprint here.
During the 1990s, the end of the Cold War and a resulting downturn in Pentagon spending triggered an unprecedented wave of consolidation in the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry. By the time the dust settled a decade or so later, the number of A&D primes had shrunk to 12 from 30. Names such as McDonnell Douglas, AlliedSignal, Hughes Aircraft, United Defense and TRW vanished altogether.
United Launch Alliance and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) are developing short- and longer-term solutions to counter the recurring formation of a cloud of burning hydrogen that envelopes the base of the Delta IV Heavy during every liftoff.
The U.S. Army is enthusiastic about the potential for satellites, smartphones and tablet devices to bolster its combat communications network. But while it rushes to embrace the iPad era, newly infused testing by soldiers here shows old-fashioned integration remains one of the biggest challenges. Here and at Fort Bliss, Texas, 3,800 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Div. along with several hundred civilian contractors and industry representatives were camped out in a six-week field evaluation called the Network Integration Exercise (NIE).
Sept. 12—A&D Finance Europe. London. Sept. 14-15—Airlines/MRO/Aircraft and Engine Lessors: “The Tricky Triangle.” Dublin. Sept. 26—Aircraft Composite Repair Management Forum. Madrid. Sept. 27-29—MRO Europe 2011. Madrid. Sept. 28—MRO Military Europe. Madrid. Oct. 12-13—Fifth Edition of Lean Six Sigma for MRO Forum. San Francisco. Oct. 20-21—MRO IT Conference and Showcase. Chicago. Oct. 24-26—A&D Programs. Phoenix. Nov. 2-3—Engine MRO Forum. Istanbul.
Aug. 26-28—Tannkosh Fly-In 2011. Tannheim Airfield, Germany. See www.tannkosh.com Aug. 26-28—Maine Air Show and Business Aviation Expo. Brunswick Executive Airport. Call +1 (207) 798-6512 or see www.greatstateofmaineairshow.us Aug. 27-28—Roskilde Air Show. Roskilde Airport, Copenhagen. See www.airshow.dk/eng_index.html
