Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd. has split into two separate business units to facilitate management of its growing satellite operation. One unit, under John Paffett, will be responsible for telecom and navigation business; the other, run by Paul Brooks, will handle Earth observation and science activities. SSTL is undergoing a step change since being acquired last year by EADS Astrium .
Airbus engineers are working on minor A400M airframe modifications and fixes to the engine control software as the manufacturer digests the broadly positive results of initial flight testing.
Saudi Arabia faces deferring in-country Eurofighter Typhoon final assembly or having to delay in-service targets for the fighter. The Saudi regime, the British government and BAE Systems are discussing alternatives to the original plan as a result of the effect of repeated hold-ups by Saudi Arabia regarding the choice of a build site. These options include reassigning back to the U.K. some of the aircraft originally slated for final assembly in Saudi Arabia .
Members of the nascent U.S. vertical-lift consortium, being set up at the request of the Defense Dept. to smooth the path for future rotorcraft, want more decision-making and funding specifics before committing to the initiative.
While Italian airports saw declines, Singapore Changi Airport closed 2009 with record passenger traffic in December. The airport faced a challenging first half of the year, then experienced a strong rebound in the last quarter that resulted in a record 3.83 million passengers for December. This reflects a 9.7% increase compared to the same month in 2008 and is 9.1% higher than the airport’s previous record of 3.51 million in December 2007.
Lockheed Martin has mated the first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite’s ultra-high-frequency communications systems module with the spacecraft’s propulsion core at its Sunnyvale, Calif., facility. Mating of the Boeing-built UHF system sets up environmental testing of the fully integrated satellite for the first quarter. MUOS is a U.S. Navy program.
Ameco Beijing has signed engine maintenance contracts with Air Astana and Air Finland. It will provide overhaul services for the Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engines that power the carriers’ Boeing 757s. Two Air Finland engines are at Ameco facilities . Air Astana engines are expected to begin arriving in February.
John S. Edwards/Forecast International/www.forecastinternational.com
While most sectors of the aerospace industry either are experiencing a sharp decline in business or are anticipating one , commercial satellite operators represent an exception. The landscape of the satellite manufacturing market is shifting somewhat. The hierarchy of the major contractors continues to evolve, as do their customer bases. While some manufacturers are courting the commercial side, others are looking almost exclusively to military customers. But all the major industry players have found their niches in this market.
AeroVironment plans to fly the Global Observer hydrogen-fueled long-endurance unmanned aircraft by the end of April at Edwards AFB, Calif. The company is building three GO-1 air vehicles for a U.S. Defense Dept. joint capability technology demonstration. The 175-ft.-span GO-1 is designed to stay aloft for up to a week at 55,000-65,000 ft., carrying a 400-lb. payload. Two vehicles would provide year-round coverage, the company states. An internal-combustion engine burns liquid-hydrogen fuel and generates electricity to drive four propellers.
As they continue to make inroads in the global market, major European space contractors are focusing increasingly on services, where profits and growth prospects are higher and they already enjoy a head start. Both Astrium and the Thales/Finmeccanica Space Alliance—which includes satellite maker Alenia Space and service provider Telespazio—are coming off strong years. Each bagged seven telecom satellite orders last year, equaling the haul of U.S. leader Space Systems/Loral. Thales Alenia also picked up awards for three telecom payloads.
Even as ATR and Bombardier try to ride out the current downturn in regional aircraft activity, they remain committed to repositioning their business prospects for long-term with new development efforts .
Prospects for a supersonic business jet look slim after the steepest decline in corporate aircraft sales in history, but research continues and when the market recovers, provided demand is sufficient, at least one aircraft could enter development this decade.
Buoyed by a surprisingly strong showing last year, EADS affiliate Eurocopter is poised to launch more new programs, beginning with a new model to replace the venerable Dauphin.
Larry Dickerson/Forecast International/www.forecastinternational.com
The unmanned aerial vehicle market has seen a remarkable transformation during the last eight years, with more changes taking place than in previous decades. The 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the subsequent global war on terrorism launched by the U.S. and its allies, catapulted UAV programs into the spotlight, where they remain. Prior to these events, demand for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) remained relatively flat.
The U.S. Defense Dept. plans to deploy a long-endurance surveillance airship to Afghanistan as part of a five-year technology demonstration program to be awarded this year. The Long-Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is required to operate unmanned and untethered for three weeks at 20,000 ft. carrying a 2,500-lb. payload. Flight testing is to begin within 18 months of contract award, followed by deployment.
Today’s helicopter engine families have held sway over the market for decades, but new powerplants could emerge within a few years to meet demands for higher performance at lower cost.
The spike in oil prices of 2008 may have rekindled interest in open-rotor engines, but it will be several years before the renewed research effort determines whether they are viable candidates to power the next generation of single-aisle airliner.
Distributed-aperture electro-optical systems that combine with helmet-mounted displays to allow a pilot to “look through” the airframe, in any direction, to enhance situational awareness when maneuvering in air combat or navigating at low altitude will advance this year.
Larry Dickerson/Forecast International/www.forecastinternational.com
Sales of all types of missiles will reach $107 billion in the next 10 years, dominated by defense manufacturers from the U.S. and Europe. Although these companies may lose an insignificant market share to competitors from India, Israel, South Africa and elsewhere, it will be years before the dominant players have to confront their rivals on an equal basis. U.S. and European companies may encounter competition in niche areas.
The idea of building and launching small satellites quickly and cheaply as an adjunct, or alternative, to spending billions and waiting years for large and highly capable spacecraft continues to meet with resistance from customers.
Now designated the MQ-18, the A160T Hummingbird unmanned helicopter continues to be used for demonstrations while Boeing seeks a customer to launch production. The turbine-powered A160T has flown with the Forester foliage-penetration radar and an operational deployment to two Latin American countries is planned to demonstrate its use in counter-narcotics operations. An unmanned cargo demonstration for the U.S. Marine Corps is slated for February or March, and could lead to an operational deployment to Afghanistan by the end of the year.
BAE Systems partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and conducted its first successful test flight of the unmanned aircraft system dubbed Coyote. The electric-powered UAS was deployed in midair from a 3-ft.-long sonobuoy jettisoned from a WP-3D Orion aircraft during a 49-min. flight. In freefall, the system is designed to emerge from the sonobuoy, unfold its wings, and follow a directed flight path. NOAA funded the test to explore the system’s potential for weather research, and supplied the P-3.
While Bombardier has cut back production of current Learjets because of the steep decline in business aircraft sales, it has continued to invest in development of the all-new, mid-size Learjet 85 to achieve the planned 2013 entry into service. The aircraft will be the first all-composite business jet certificated by the FAA under Part 25 rules. Carbon-fiber airframes will be manufactured at Bombardier’s plant in Queretaro, Mexico, for final assembly and completion at the Learjet facility in Wichita, Kan.
