Kazak Composites’s PADD (precision aerial delivery of dropsondes) is a means of delivering sensors that can improve the placement accuracy of the U.S. Navy’s Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW). The service’s system “delivers unguided sensors that follow a ballistic trajectory, resulting in errors in actual placement point of the sensors,” says Kazak President Jerry Fanucci. PADD is an air vehicle delivery device coupled with a dropsonde launcher to provide a precision, standoff delivery capability using existing ASW.
A decline of more than 20% in the value of the euro against the U.S. dollar is bolstering the competitiveness of Airbus and other European aerospace manufacturers while eroding a pricing advantage that a weak dollar has provided to Boeing Co. and U.S. suppliers for several years. Concerns about the financial health of Greece and other members of the 16-country euro zone pushed the currency below $1.20 last week—its lowest level in more than four years—down from $1.50 in late 2009. The stronger U.S.
NASA’s unmanned Global Hawk logged four science flights over the Pacific in April as part of the Global Hawk Pacific (GloPac) mission. The aircraft, fitted with 11 science instruments, acquired and transmitted previously inaccessible data. Flights reached up to 65,000 ft. Data, downloaded in real time to NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, were reviewed by scientists who were able to request that the Global Hawk pilot adjust the flight path to concentrate on specific areas. From the Arctic Circle to Hawaii, the mission logged 82.5 flight hours, including one 28.6-hr.
German space leaders are looking to reinforce their strong position in space radar and boost budding satellite communications and robotics know-how while forging new capabilities in optical imaging, environmental monitoring and space exploration.
Frank Morring, Jr. (Bengaluru), Neelam Mathews (Bengaluru)
India’s human spaceflight effort has been set back at least a year by the April 15 test-flight failure of a new indigenous cryogenic upper-stage rocket engine, but so far all indications are the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will continue working on its three-seat capsule and a way to launch it.
Italy’s Microtecnica is being tapped to develop the environmental control system for Turkey Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) Hurkus turboprop primary and basic trainer. Delivery of the first Hurkus is expected in 2011. The Microtecnica design will use bleed air from the engine for cabin pressurization, heating and ventilation. A vapor cycle compressor will be used for aircraft cooling. The Hurkus is being designed by TAI to meet a Turkish air force requirement.
Paul K. Russell (see photo) has been appointed vice president-space within the Northrop Grumman Corp. ’s Navigation Systems Div., Woodland Hills, Calif. He was director of the company’s Azusa, Calif., site and had been director of systems engineering for Space Systems/Loral.
Loral Space & Communications says its wholly owned affiliate Space Systems/Loral has filed for an initial public offering for up to 19.9% of SS/L’s common stock. Funds will be used to finance further growth and expansion, as well as to cover working capital and other general expenses.
Connie Whitton (see photo) has been named assistant vice president-strategic initiatives for the Syracuse (N.Y.) Research Corp. She was an executive coach and equity partner for Productivity Leadership Systems. Stephen Duning has been promoted to assistant vice president-electronic warfare from site director in Dayton, Ohio, and Jack LoSecco to assistant vice president-software engineering from product and service area director for defense and intelligence programs.
U.S. Air Force Materiel Command at Hansom AFB, Mass., awarded Raytheon a $21.8-million contract for modifications to the Joint Environmental Toolkit (JET) program for next-generation weather systems. JET provides environmental intelligence and tailored network-centric solutions supporting warfighters on base in deployed operations. The contract covers Increment 2 of the program, focused on integration, consolidation and potential replacement of meteorological operational capabilities. JET engineering development and integration is based at Raytheon’s Omaha, Neb., site.
Boeing subsidiary Insitu has provided the FAA with a Scan Eagle system for research to help develop recommendations for integrating unmanned aircraft into the U.S. airspace system. The system, including two Scan Eagle small unmanned aircraft, has been delivered to the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center near Atlantic City, N.J., under a cooperative research and development agreement. The FAA will fly the unmanned aircraft in restricted airspace over the Warren Grove Gunnery Range as it works to develop air traffic management procedures for UAVs.
Looking to initial at-sea trials in 2011, Lockheed Martin is assessing the handling qualities of the Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant following the June 6 first flight of the F-35C.
Loss of South Korea’s second KSLV-1 launch vehicle, apparently to an explosion 137 sec. after liftoff, bodes ill for Russia’s space launch plans as well. South Korean officials say the vehicle’s Russian-built first-stage engine was to blame for the June 10 failure. That engine—the Energomash RD-151—is a variant of the RD-191M engine planned for the first stage of Russia’s Angara 1.1 launch vehicle now in development.
Schiebel’s remotely operated video enhanced receiver (Rover) has been tested and integrated onto the company’s Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aircraft system. The integration enhances the flow of information to users on the ground. The integration “will greatly improve the field commander’s situational understanding and decision-making process,” says Neil Hunter, managing director of Schiebel. With a Rover system transmitter-equipped S-100, the UAV operator and ground units are seeing the same image.
Dassault Aviation and Thales say they would be open to cooperation on BAE’s Mantis medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle if it could ensure European independence in this rapidly growing segment. French armaments agency DGA recently indicated that it was entering discussions with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to acquire Predator vehicles to complement its fleet of EADS Harfangs in Afghanistan.
Mark Thibault (see photos) has been appointed Hong Kong-based director of product support programs and Pete Buresh sales director for Africa for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. , Savannah, Ga. Thibault was director of maintenance/director of flight operations/chief operating officer for Metrojet Ltd. of Hong Kong. Buresh was a senior sales engineer.
NetJets, Berkshire Hathaway’s problematic fractional aircraft ownership program, is consolidating NJI Inc., which operates the company’s Gulfstream large-cabin fleet, with NetJets Aviation in Columbus, Ohio. Most NJI functions will move from Savannah, Ga., and South Carolina to Columbus, according to NetJets Chairman and CEO David Sokol. Pending regulatory approvals, the consolidation is to be completed in October. NetJets posted a loss of $711 million in 2009, but hopes to be profitable this year.
Regional airline veteran Dick Fontaine, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Airways, is “testing the waters” for financial support of a proposed regional carrier based in Denver, using Bombardier Dash 8-Q200 and -Q300 airplanes. Initially, service would be confined to Colorado and Wyoming. From 1982-2002 Fontaine held senior management positions with a number of regional operators including Mississippi Valley Airlines, GP Express, Simmons Airlines, Great Lakes Aviation and Alliance Airlines.
EADS is exploring options for cooperating with Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, as the European company closes in on key decisions for its commercial aircraft strategy.
When Boeing opened a 42-acre factory here for its 747 in 1968, the Guinness Book of World Records ranked it as the planet’s biggest building by volume. As the company’s widebody jet stable expanded, the factory’s roofline spread across nearly 100 acres (9.9 hectares/4.3 million sq. ft./399,000 sq. meters). However measured, the building retains its top Guinness billing. And yet, inside its walls space can be at a premium.
USAF Col. (ret.) Michael Gallagher (Hillsboro, Ore.)
Insanity! The only other words that describe maintaining two engine designs for one military airframe are greed and arrogance. After an intense competition, the Lockheed Martin design for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was selected and is now in production, but corporate America and its allies in Congress, in defiance of the Defense Department and a deficit that threatens the republic, fight on to keep an unnecessary second engine design alive. Thoughtful people should be afraid when someone of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s stature can’t put an end to wasteful spending.
Finnair is becoming the launch customer for the A321 winglets after Air New Zealand in November launched the winglet upgrade on the A320. The Finnish carrier has decided to swap two A330-300 orders (due for delivery in 2012-13) for five A321ERs with the winglets to come off the line starting in 2013. Finnair plans to phase out its Boeing 757s. The winglet upgrade should yield a 4% fuel burn edge over standard A321s. The move is a shot in the arm for Airbus, which is promoting the A321 as a logical Boeing 757 replacement.
