Asked to define cybersecurity—or what the U.S. ought to do about it—the approximately 535 members of Congress would likely each provide different answers. The Pentagon, White House and other executive branch agencies have their own answers, too, and not even the country’s first cybersecurity czar, named by the president in late December, can evoke U.S. cybersecurity policy. Still, there is a growing consensus on one matter regarding cybersecurity: unified federal action is needed.
Regarding your Washington Outlook item “Lightning Strikes Again” (AW&ST March 15, p. 21), pull the plug on the Joint Strike Fighter program. We have proven the point that insanity can be defined by expecting different outcomes from the same behavior. The time is past due for a complete rework of the weapons system acquisition business. The repeated inability to deliver a system that works as anticipated at a predictable cost is amazing.
A sudden spike in the price of oil two years ago to nearly $150 a barrel highlighted the vulnerability of airlines to a cost over which they have little control. But they were not the only ones to feel the pinch. Every $10 rise in the cost of a barrel of crude oil adds $600 million to the U.S. Air Force’s fuel tab.
Asia-Pacific carriers saw a 16.9% increase in passenger traffic in February over 2009 and a 14% gain in revenues, according to the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines. The average passenger load factors was 79.2%. Airfreight demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers, saw growth of 29.8%. AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman noted that for the first two months of 2010, airfreight demand has increased 33.5% and reflects both exports and imports.
The European Space Agency has set an April 8 launch date for its Cryo-Sat-2 ice-monitoring mission, whose precise measurements of variations in marine and land ice sheets will contribute to scientists’ understanding of climate change. The launch, initially set for Feb. 25 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, had to be pushed back because of a problem with the second-stage steering engine on the Dnepr rocket that is due to orbit the spacecraft. Engineers worried that there would not be enough fuel reserve margin for the mission’s highly inclined 88-deg.
Michael Kaplan has been appointed general counsel of Standard-Aero , Tempe, Ariz., and Chris Bodine vice president/general manager of its Augusta, Ga., facility. Kaplan was a member of international law firm Greenberg Traurig, while Bodine was one of the company’s crew chiefs. Pat Conroy has been named sales manager for Southern California, while Joe Brady has become leader of StandardAero’s Business Aviation Mobile Services, Tempe, Ariz. He was director of customer and field support for Honeywell’s Process Solutions Div.
Aviation Week’s Laureates were conceived more than a half century ago not just to recognize extraordinary achievements of individuals and teams in aerospace, aviation and defense, but also to help foster the leaders of tomorrow, many of whom can be found right now in U.S. military academies.
Two airlines in Africa, Kenya Airways and TAAG Linhas Aereas de Angola, have signed on for the Boeing Maintenance Performance Toolbox—a compilation of six tools in one suite of software products that can be tailored to specific needs. Kenya Airways intends to equip its Next-Generation 737, 767 and 777 fleets—the 737s and 777s will use three modules (library, authoring and systems); the 767s will use the library module only. TAAG intends to employ the maintenance tool on its NextGen 737 and 777 fleets, utilizing four modules—library, authoring, systems and structures.
A U.S. Air Force A-10 conducted the first flight of an aircraft fueled solely with a 50:50 blend of bio-derived and conventional jet fuel on March 25, from Eglin AFB, Fla. Previous test flights, by airlines, have used a 50% biofuel blend only in one engine. The hydro-treated renewable jet (HRJ) fuel burned on the almost 90-min. flight was derived from camelina plant oil. The U.S. Navy plans to flight-test a 50% blend of algae-based HRJ fuel in its F/A-18 Green Hornet from NAS Patuxent River, Md., on April 22.
Hawker Beechcraft is continuing it strong push in the Asia-Pacific region for the Hawker 4000 business jet by appointing Hawker Pacific Singapore as its first authorized service center for Southeast Asia. The Wichita, Kan.-based manufacturer has delivered its first Hawker 4000 in China and initiated a sales campaign in India. The Singapore facility holds 15 regulatory approval ratings, including those from the FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency, Civil Aviation Authority of China and Director General of Civil Aviation in India.
A commercial Proton orbited the heaviest satellite ever to fly on the Russian launch vehicle March 21, placing the 6.3-metric-ton EchoStar XIV Ku-band satellite in its geosynchronous transfer orbit for the DISH Network direct-to-home operation. The launch vehicle’s Breeze M upper stage released the spacecraft after a 9-hr., 10‑min. mission. Liftoff from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan came at 2:27 p.m. EDT. The spacecraft will be positioned at 119 deg. W., where it will deliver Ku-band service over the U.S.
Graham Lake has been appointed director general of the Netherlands-based Civil Air Navigation Services Organization . He succeeds Alexander ter Kuile, who has resigned. Lake was chairman of Micronav and managing partner of U.K.-based Aviation Management Solutions and Services.
Honeywell Aerospace now has more than 3,000 engineers employed in India, China and the Czech Republic. The rapidly expanding team is helping supplement the Phoenix-based unit’s team of U.S. engineers, while bolstering Honeywell Aerospace’s strategy of bringing product support “close to the customer” in fast-growing global markets, says product management chief Carl Esposito.
It is a rare occurrence these days when the quarterly earnings call of a major aerospace and defense (A&D) contractor does not include a mention of “cyber.” Lockheed Martin created a cyber-defense business unit; Raytheon has spent nearly $250 million since 2007 on acquisitions to bolster its cyber-capable arsenal; L-3 Communications’ business development strategy calls for growing its share of that market; and last summer, Boeing staged an event near the Pentagon to showcase its expertise in the burgeoning field.
The government of recession-hit Romania has approved a defense ministry plan to buy 24 ex-USAF F-16s, citing the lack of financial resources to buy new aircraft. The U.S. had offered 24 new Block 50/52 F-16C/Ds or refurbished and upgraded Block 25 F-16C/Ds with F100-220 IPE engines and APG-68(V)1 radars, with the latter deal valued at $1.3 billion. If approved by parliament, the aircraft will be delivered beginning in 2013 to replace the air force’s MiG-21 Lancers.
The U.S. Defense Department has appointed new Defense Science Board members and DSB senior fellows. Board members include Edward A. Adler, former director of the Tactical Technology Office of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa); Wanda M. Austin, CEO of The Aerospace Corp.; Jack Bell, former deputy undersecretary of Defense for logistics and material readiness; David S.C. Chu, former undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness; Stephen E. Cross of the Georgia Institute of Technology; John W. Deutch, former deputy Defense secretary; John W.
Industry players have until early May to respond to a U.S. Navy request for information (RFI) for a carrier-based, stealthy, unmanned, strike and surveillance system capable of integrating with manned aircraft as part of a carrier air wing by 2018.
Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington), Michael Bruno (Washington)
The Obama administration’s effort to kill NASA’s Constellation Program has much of the agency’s workforce, except its attorneys, worried about their jobs.
In 2018, the U.S. Navy hopes to take a major step toward fielding a cyber-attack system on a tactically survivable, fighter-size aircraft. Although researchers are cautious about discussing their cyberwarfare and electronic attack projects, one company states that it is “developing a weapon system that can deliver cyber-effects through free space into an aperture.”
April 8-9—European Space Policy Institute Conference: “Current Legal Issues for Satellite Earth Observation.” Palais Fanto, Vienna. See www.espi.or.at April 8-10—Aerodrome India 2010: Fourth International Exhibition and Forum on Airport Infrastructure, Operations, Security and Connectivity. Mumbai Exhibition Center. Call +91 (80) 2554-7169, fax +91 (80) 2554-2258 or see www.aerodromeindia.com
A pair of upgraded Athena launch vehicles for small satellites should be ready for service in 2012 under a new teaming arrangement between Lockheed Martin and Alliant Techsystems (ATK).
The Concorde trial, which began on Feb. 2—nearly 10 years after the supersonic transport crashed near Paris—is progressing slowly and should end in late May. On Day 1, the courtroom was packed, but public interest waned quickly. Lots of patience is required to listen to endless discussions of technical issues in preparation for upcoming debates.
Luigi Pasquali, CEO of Thales Alenia Space’s Italian arm, says the U.S. decision to agree to prolong the life of the International Space Station at least through 2020 may open up more opportunities for international partners than initially thought. In early discussions, European space officials alluded to the prospect of two additional Automated Transfer Vehicle sales and a possible project to man-rate the Ariane 5 launch vehicle or activate manned space infrastructure provisions being designed into the new Soyuz launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana (AW&ST Feb.
