Graham Warwick’s “Designs for Success” (AW&ST Nov. 1/8, p. 72) makes it clear that systems engineering, as it is implemented on many programs, has not significantly reduced program delays and cost overruns. Systems engineering has valuable tools for management of complex systems. These tools involve decomposing design requirements. However, the requirements and mechanization must be defined before decomposition begins.
Lenny Genna (see photo) has been tapped to be president of L-3 Link Simulation & Training . He was VP of the division’s rotary-wing, unmanned aerial and ground training systems.
Detlef Muller-Wiesner (see photo), chief operating officer-innovation at EADS, has been elected president of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences for a two-year term. Frank Miller, director of aviation for the city of San Antonio Aviation Department, has been elected chairman of Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA).
Europe is exploring near-term alternatives to a planned payload return capsule as it struggles to hash out a strategy for operating the International Space Station beyond 2015.
The European Space Agency has received more than 140 letters of intent to perform exploration research from the International Space Station. These LOIs are in addition to 40 to study climate change using the orbital facility. Simona di Pippo, ESA’s director of manned spaceflight, says the commitments show the high level of scientific interest in the ISS and underscore the agency’s attempt to enlist support for funding a five-year extension in station life (see p. 30).
Lynn Dugle, president of Raytheon’s Intelligence and Information Systems, has been appointed to the board of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance .
Fears that commercial companies will be unable to deliver cargo to the International Space Station are unfounded, says NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Both Orbital Sciences Corp. (OSC) and Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX) have the experience necessary to build viable space vehicles, regardless of what some in NASA may think. “I would ask them to reserve their judgment when they become critical of the people who used to sit next to them building rockets,” he says to internal critics. “Let’s be fair.
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have won NASA study contracts for advanced, environmentally friendly airliner concepts for service entry in 2025. The two teams will define a preferred system concept for an aircraft that can meet the agency’s aggressive environmental targets for commercial aircraft starting development after 2020. Compared to a current twin-engine widebody, the N+2 goals include designs that burn 50% less fuel, decrease harmful emissions by 50% and reduce areas affected by objectionable airport noise by 83%.
Simon Caldecott has been named VP-operations for Piper Aircraft . He was VP-assembly integration and testing at Raytheon Aircraft and VP-assembly operations at Hawker Beechcraft.
As British military planners transform the new Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) into a concrete plan, industry officials are keeping watch for new, if limited, opportunities. Some capability cuts may open the door for others to meet those needs. But there is little room to maneuver in the U.K.’s tight budget environment.
Sierra Nevada Corp. is studying the use of the former NASA X-34 reusable launch vehicle demonstrator as a flying testbed for its Dream Chaser orbital space vehicle. The two Orbital Sciences-built X-34s were moved to Mojave, Calif., on Nov. 16 from Edwards AFB, where they had been in storage since the program was canceled in 2001. Sierra Nevada Executive Vice President Mark Sirangelo confirms the company is studying the X-34 for a supporting role in the Dream Chaser development effort.
Lawmakers opposed to Pentagon budget cuts in their states are increasingly labeling their campaign as one of bringing transparency and rigor to Defense Department decisions on spending and operations. In turn, expect a slew of hearings and more announcements on bringing “a clear, analytical approach” to defense budget proposals, as well as efforts to peel back the “lack of transparency” from the Pentagon. The Virginia delegation, busy defending the Norfolk-based Joint Forces Command from Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s latest efficiency drive, has enlisted Rep.
The Indian government is finally pressing ahead with work on an indigenous stealth fighter after a funding crunch stalled the project for several years. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program is due to receive $2 billion in various increments over the next three years, with expectations the figure will grow. The money is being allocated to complete the design concept study and build a pair of technology demonstrators as well as seven prototypes. An official timeline suggests that the first AMCA prototype will fly in 2017.
Most defense contractors shudder at the prospect of more Pentagon program cuts. Eric DeMarco is not one of them. Where others see pain, he sees opportunity.
Numbers may not lie, but they can easily be manipulated to support an argument. As lawmakers in Washington try to figure out how to rein in an unsustainably large federal budget deficit, the outlines of a guns-versus-butter debate are taking shape. Sorting through the clutter of that debate will not be easy.
Detlef Muller-Wiesner (see photo), chief operating officer-innovation at EADS, has been elected president of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences for a two-year term. Frank Miller, director of aviation for the city of San Antonio Aviation Department, has been elected chairman of Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA).
France may be about to make an official request for General Atomics Predator unmanned aerial vehicles to complement its small fleet of EADS Harfang MALE UAVs. French press reports say outgoing Defense Minister Herve Morin approved the start of negotiations toward a Predator acquisition. However, the move remains subject to confirmation by the new defense minister, Alain Juppe.
Michael Frazier (see photo) has joined BBA Aviation Engine Repair and Overhaul company Dallas Airmotive as regional manager for Pratt & Whitney engines. James Huntoon has been named regional manager for Rolls-Royce Spey and Tay products.
There are those who bash politicians for passing laws, recommending and/or arm-twisting manufacturers to send jobs offshore. It’s the new global economy, and Americans have to play ball to compete. And what better example of this global cooperation than the Boeing 787. Detractors of this view believe our production capabilities, mechanics and engineers are still the best. So it’s nice to see a data point that makes us smile.
Johna Johnson has been promoted to director-sales for New York at American Airlines . In her previous role, she managed the airline’s portfolio of global corporate accounts.
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines reports October traffic showed 11.8% passenger growth year on year, and air cargo demand was 16.6% higher than last year.
Peter van Niekerk has been named group senior VP and president of Gategroup ’s Europe and Africa regions. He was director of restructuring company AlixPartners.
As U.S. forces are withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan and the operational tempo returns to more normal levels, a question being asked with increasing urgency is how they will train to maintain readiness as military budgets tighten.
Adrian Schofield’s article, “Funding Fix” (AW&ST Nov. 1, p. 32), on financing the massive NextGen avionics bill, rightly identified problem as the lack of benefits within a reasonable timespan. European regulators believe they can mandate equipage to overcome the operators’ reluctance to re-equip. So, the suggested fix—sharing the risk between the aerospace companies and the operators—sounds equitable, though presumably it doesn’t address foreign operators.
