The European Space Agency is preparing a new cost-cutting plan to prepare for possible budget cutbacks by member nations that have been particularly hard-hit by the current economic crisis. The plan is among preemptive moves revealed last spring by ESA Director General Jean-Jacqus Dordain to head off a cash crunch. Among them is a budget freeze for 2010 and 2011, to maintain 2009’s spending levels.
Bombardier Aerospace forecasts delivery demand of nearly 13,000 transport aircraft worth more than $600 billion in the 20-149-seat market segment over the next 20 years. In releasing its 2010-29 Commercial Aircraft Market Forecast on July 21 at the show, Bombardier said the greatest demand will be at the larger end of the segment, with 6,700 aircraft expected to be delivered in the 100-149-seat sector. The company expects 5,900 aircraft with 60-99 seats to be delivered between now and 2029 and just 200 aircraft with 20-59 seats.
Governments of nations, including Afghanistan—whose citizens are victimized by financial scams, bureaucratic corruption or spying via networked communications—can now fight back with some high-speed computer-based weapons.
Harold “Ed” Constantine has been appointed vice president of Qinetiq North America ’s Systems Engineering Group Software and IT Services Sector, Huntsville, Ala. He was U.S. Navy and Marine Corps account manager for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems for the Northrop Grumman Corp.
The Russian air force will take delivery of its first Sukhoi Su-35S fighter by the end of the year, with a Libyan deal for the aircraft also anticipated to be concluded in the same time frame. Sukhoi CEO Mikhail Pogosyan confirmed here that the air force would begin to receive the latest upgrade of the Su-27 Flanker before the year is out. The Su-35S, sometimes also known as the Su-27M2, matches the Flanker airframe with more powerful 117S engines, thrust vector control and new avionics and systems.
Qinetiq’s Zephyr solar-powered unmanned aircraft was set to land on July 23 after completing a two-week flight, setting a new duration record. The 160-lb. aircraft flew above Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., at altitudes up to 65,000 ft. after its launch on July 9. The flight was designed to demonstrate that the Zephyr can meet Qinetiq’s goal of three months’ endurance, with the two-week duration set by the number of times the experimental lithium-sulphur batteries can be recharged. Qinetiq plans to deliver production Zephyrs beginning in 2012.
Jikun Kim has been named interim CFO of AeroVironment Inc. , Monrovia, Calif. He succeeds Stephen C. Wright, who has resigned as senior vice president/CFO. Kim has been vice president/controller and was CFO of Raytheon Vision Systems.
Boeing plans to ferry its Phantom Ray unmanned combat aircraft demonstrator from St. Louis to Edwards AFB, Calif., atop NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The flight will take place “in the next few months” under an existing Boeing-funded Space Act Agreement with NASA. A special adapter will attach the 50-ft.-span Phantom Ray to the structure used to mount the space shuttle orbiter atop the converted Boeing 747, as seen in this concept.NASA operates two of the 747s. Phantom Ray flight-testing is to begin at Edwards in early 2011.
Scott T. Parker has become executive vice president/chief financial officer and Lisa D. Zonino executive vice president/global head of human resources of the New York-based CIT Group . Parker was chief operating officer/CFO of the Cerberus Operations and Advisory Co., while Zonino was head of the global risk practice for Egon Zehnder International. Nelson J. Chai has been named executive vice president/chief administrative officer/head of strategy and Robert C. Rowe executive vice president/chief credit officer.
The European Space Agency has issued EADS Astrium a €35-million ($45.3-million) contract to develop an atomic clock for the International Space Station that will provide an ultra-stable and accurate time base for use in space-to-ground and ground-to-ground clock comparisons.
U.S. export controls could harm America’s advantage in unmanned aircraft technologies by encouraging foreign competitors to develop their own systems, warns Northrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush. The warning comes as the European Defense Agency launches a study, led by Saab, which effectively is trying to assess how Europe can become self-sufficient in the sector. Bush worries that the U.S. government has constrained contractors from sharing technologies with allies through sales channels, even when they are being shared on the battlefield.
TAM Airlines is reinforcing its growth strategy with an expanded network and a bigger fleet, hoping to take advantage of its recent admission to the Star Alliance.
Viking Air has received Canadian certification for the new-production DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400. The first 19-seat utility aircraft has been delivered to launch customer Zimex Aviation of Switzerland. The updated Series 400 has been approved under an amendment to the DHC-6 type certificate, which Viking acquired from Bombardier along with rights to other out-of-production de Havilland Canada aircraft.
Prof. Farrukh S. Alvi of the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering has been elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers . He is known for his work in experimental gas dynamics and flow control, particularly in the use of microjet-based actuators, and holds a number of patents in those areas.
A malfunction of seals between the scramjet engine and its nozzle is believed to be responsible for the Boeing X-51A WaveRider experimental hypersonic vehicle failing to reach the planned Mach number on its May 25 first flight. Leakage of hot gases from the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne scramjet is thought to have generated unexpected side forces on the vehicle and resulted in a slower acceleration and shorter duration than planned.
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General Atomics plans to offer its Avenger/Predator C unmanned aircraft in two variants. The second, featuring radar-absorbent materials, a Joint Strike Fighter-type electro-optical sensor and other features for survival in heavily defended airspace (with a retractable electro-optical turret), would fly in early 2011. The Predator C shape has yet to undergo radar cross-section testing, though.
A recent aviation milestone has me pondering the future. Will our grandchildren be traveling onboard solar-powered commercial transports? Will Airbus, Boeing, Comac and their competitors start delivering zero-emission aircraft by the second half of this century? Though such conjectures might seem to be mere woolgathering, in the wake of Solar Impulse’s recent 26-hr. flight, we are now entitled to wonder if these scenarios could become realities in the not-so-distant future.
The British government is examining whether there is a need for a national electro-optical satellite system and if the capability could be acquired using an “anchor tenancy” model. Various government departments, including the Defense Ministry, are users of Earth observation data. According to the BBC, an initial report could be submitted by year-end.
Technological advancements and market demands are petulant bedfellows: At one extreme, a new product can create a market where none existed, while at the other, a seemingly logical idea can fail to gain traction, stymied by lack of interest, cost concerns or something as simple as a poor sales pitch.
The NTSB and FAA hold divergent views on whether pilots of light aircraft require enhanced training and testing to safely operate advanced avionics that since 2005 have become standard on new piston aircraft. In March, the NTSB published the results of its five-year (2002-06) study comparing the safety records of aircraft with glass panels in the cockpit versus those with conventional analog-dial instrumentation.
The Senate is aiming for a vote this week on a revised FAA reauthorization bill, but with their August recess looming, both houses of Congress are starting to consider a further temporary extension of the FAA’s operating authority. Disagreements within the Senate over two airport-related provisions have been resolved, at least to the extent that a bill can be brought to the Senate floor, industry sources say.
General Electric’s GEnx-2B and CF34-10A engines for the Boeing 747-8 and Comac ARJ21 have each received FAA certification. The GEnx-2B, a derivative of the -1B powering the 787, entered the certification program in 2008, and started flight-testing on the 747-8 Freighter in February. It has since accumulated more than 2,100 flight hours, 1,100 cycles and 3,800 combined flight and ground-run hours on the 747-8. Despite signs of delays to the aircraft program, GE says entry into service is still officially scheduled for later this year with Cargolux Airlines.
Charles Schuler has become San Francisco-based Northwest U.S. sales manager for Emirates . He was director of strategy, business development and planning for the Americas for Air New Zealand.
