India’s ambitions to grow its commercial aerospace process through a regional aircraft program seem to be headed down an unusual dual turboprop/jet-powered aircraft path. But the Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), which is close to completing a design study of the so-called Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA), is focused on baseline 70-seat and stretched 90-seat versions that could accommodate either turbofan or turboprop engines. The developers seek a platform that can support both approaches simply through an engine and nacelle change.
Japan Airlines has applied to the Japanese government for antitrust immunity for its proposed deepening of cooperation with American Airlines on transpacific routes. A similar application was filed with the U.S. Transportation Department in February. JAL is in worse financial shape than disclosed when it entered bankruptcy protection in January, with debts now estimated to exceed assets by about ¥1 trillion ($11.2 billion), up from ¥868 billion.
Debbie James, who is SAIC senior vice president and business unit general manager, has been appointed to the U.S. Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (Dacowits) . The committee is an independent panel composed of civilians who are appointed by the Defense secretary to provide advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to the recruitment and retention, treatment, employment, integration and well-being of professional women in the armed forces.
David Bronczek, who is president/CEO of FedEx Express, has begun a one-year term as chairman of the board of governors of the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association . He succeeds Tony Tyler, CEO of Cathay Pacific Airways. Bronczek will be followed by Peter Hartman, CEO of KLM.
Bill Nye has been appointed executive director of the Pasadena, Calif.-based Planetary Society , succeeding Louis Friedman, who also was a co-founder. He will continue to direct the society’s solar sail project, Lightsail-1, and other initiatives. Nye has been vice president and a member of the board of directors. He will be succeeded by Heidi Hammel, who has been a board member and senior research scientist/co-director of research at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
The Indian navy is trying to move ahead with an effort to buy four carrier-based fixed airborne early warning and control aircraft, and a request for information is now on the streets. The request for information (RFI) calls for aircraft capable of providing “airborne surveillance, detection and tracking of airborne and surface contacts and control.”
Neelam Mathews (Hyderabad, India), Frank Morring, Jr. (Hyderabad, India)
In India, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) can be a lucrative associate for large, medium and small enterprises, as more than 500 companies now contribute to the Indian civil space program. As India’s space program grows, more business—currently not in high volumes—is expected as exports rise. ISRO’s budget for outsourcing work to industry exceeds $1 billion this year.
James Larwood, who was president of the Bloomfield, Conn.-based Kaman Aerospace Group ’s Precision Products Div. has become president of Kaman Composites. He has been succeeded by John Kornegay, who was president of the Specialty Bearings Div. Following Kornegay is Robert Paterson, who was the division’s vice president-marketing and sales. Richard Thorley, former chief executive of subsidiary Brookhouse Holdings, has been appointed strategy and development director of the Kaman Aerospace Group. Guy Thomas has been named group managing director of Brookhouse.
A one-time rotary wing reject keeps setting popularity records. Bell Helicopter slated June 15 for delivery of its 1,000th Model 407 light, single-engine helicopter. Launched in 1995, the 407, according to Bell, became the fastest-selling helicopter worldwide and remains among the most popular, employed on missions ranging from law enforcement and medevac to executive transport. Last year the 407 was selected as Iraqi air force’s armed scout helicopter. The four-blade machine is a descendant of the 1960s-vintage OH-4A, which lost the U.S.
EADS hopes biofuel derived from algae will get a boost in the next few years, driven in part by the first flight of a Diamond Aircraft DA42 using 100% of such a fuel. Jean Botti, EADS chief technology officer, wants to generate enough interest so airlines run small trials with 100% biofuel-powered aircraft on routes such as Paris-Toulouse and Hamburg-Frankfurt.
Cathay Pacific Airways will sell its 15% stake in Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co. to parent Swire Pacific and use the proceeds to develop its core aviation business. The transaction is valued at HK$2.62 billion ($335 million) and Cathay Pacific will earn a profit of HK$1.83 billion. The money will be used to support investments in aircraft, products and services, as well as a new HK$5.5-billion cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport.
The Indian maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry is expanding rapidly to meet the demands of its home airlines, raising the question of when it will begin moving seriously into the international market. And the question is when, not if.
The European Commission has initiated negotiations for 108 space and security research projects. The projects, worth €324 million ($389 million), include two space efforts—African deforestation monitoring and spacecraft landing system accuracy and robustness for exploration missions—and a maritime border security initiative. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be involved in the space projects.
Europe’s key military aerospace manufacturers are calling on their respective governments to begin to consider their long-term aerospace defense requirements as a basis for collaboration.
The first of three C-130J Super Hercules for India are in final positions on Lockheed Martin’s Marietta, Ga.-based assembly line. India is due to receive six aircraft plus support, with the first C-130J set to arrive in February 2011. The aircraft will provide India’s army and air force with special ops capabilities.
The FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center, located near Atlantic City, N.J., has begun operating its NextGen (Next Generation) Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) research platform. NIEC will facilitate exploration, simulation, integration and evaluation of concepts for NextGen, which is intended to transform the existing air traffic control network into a satellite-based system for the future.
Lockheed Martin has won a $50-million U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract to develop an infrared surveillance sensor capable of providing at least 65 steerable video streams from an unmanned aircraft. The Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance-Infrared (Argus-IR) system is a follow-on to the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s Argus-IS program under which BAE Systems has built and flown a 1.8-gigapixel electro-optical sensor pod able to downlink up to 65 “Predator-like” video streams.
June 28-July 1—American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 40th Fluid Dynamics Conference and Exhibit; 27th AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement and Ground Testing Conference; 28th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference; 41st Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference. Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago. Call +1 (703) 264-7500 or see www.aiaa.org
German transport and economics/technology ministry heads met during ILA to try and iron out differences that are holding up approval of the Meteosat Third-Generation weather satellite system. Transport ministry dissatisfaction with selection of a Thales Alenia Space-led team to negotiate a contract for the space segment of the €3.3-billion ($4-billion) system threatens to delay the start of development. The transport ministry represents Germany at Eumetsat, which will own and operate MTG.
The German aerospace and airline industries face a major headwind as Berlin slashes its spending plan and introduces new fees to reduce the country’s budget deficit.
What worries me about retiring the space shuttle is that it is the only vehicle capable of maintaining the International Space Station (ISS). We have many vehicles capable of resupplying the station, but only the shuttle can lift large parts.
In the fight against roadside bombs, a “hover-and-stare” unmanned aircraft that has proved valuable in Iraq is being fielded in Afghanistan as manufacturer Honeywell works quickly to expand capabilities, overcome limitations and avoid exposing operators to insurgent attacks. Deliveries of the latest Block 3 version of the RQ-16 T-Hawk vertical-takeoff-and-landing micro air vehicle (MAV) begin in July. One hundred earlier systems have been delivered to Iraq and 50 to Afghanistan, for explosive ordnance disposal missions.
Space Exploration Technologies, the poster child of commercial space advocates and the whipping boy of its foes, is girding for a second major hurdle this summer in its quest to deliver cargo and crew to the International Space Station, following a successful debut flight of the Falcon 9 rocket on June 4.
