Aviation Week & Space Technology

The European Space Agency and NASA have issued joint announcements of opportunity for instruments to be carried on the orbiter planned under their two-part ExoMars mission. To be launched in 2016, the orbiter will be devoted to mapping trace gases present in the Martian atmosphere—in particular, methane, a telltale sign of life first discovered there in 2003 (AW&ST Aug. 24/31 2009, p. 18). The instrument will distinguish among individual chemical species down to concentrations of just a few parts per billion.

Dozens of prospective space tourists have undergone training in preparation for the day when commercial suborbital space travel becomes a reality. Now a training center is aiming to capitalize on a group of more serious travelers that could join them: scientists and educators.

SIA Engineering Co. (Siaec) signed with Pratt & Whitney to participate in the Purepower PW1000G engine risk-revenue sharing program (RRSP). The Singapore company will have a 3% stake in the Mitsubishi Regional Jet engine RRSP. Eagle Services Asia, a joint venture of Siaec and Pratt, will become the first engine center in the global RRSP maintenance, repair and overhaul network for the PW1500G, which is set to power Bombardier CSeries aircraft.

The White House has to start from scratch in its efforts to find a nominee for Transportation Security Administration chief, after California homeland security maven Erroll Southers decides he no longer wants the job. Southers had been attracting criticism from Republicans for not ruling out a unionized TSA workforce and about his candor regarding an ethical lapse when he was an FBI agent.

Use of composite structures in military airlifters lags that in commercial airliners, in part because of lingering concerns over affordability and durability. But with cost critical to development of the next generation of transports, advanced materials and manufacturing techniques are essential.

USAF is finalizing details of Lot 8 production of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (Jassm) with Lockheed Martin, according to a senior service official. This is progress for the stealthy cruise missile program; production was put on hold after errant tests. However, after a batch of positive test results, the service recently got the nod from Pentagon leadership to restart the manufacturing line after the stand-down.

China Eastern Airlines training subsidiary Shanghai Eastern Flight Training (SEFT) has purchased two CAE 7000 Series full-flight simulators—for an Airbus A320 and an A330—under a C$30-million ($28.5-million) contract announced last week. The simulators, which are to be Level-D certified, will be delivered in 2011, according to CAE.

Manufacturers of military transports are forecast to deliver more than 900 new aircraft worth $74 billion over the next decade.

Lockheed Martin, in striving to build up a cyber-security workforce, has implemented Cyber University, which encompasses university recruiting, cyber-career paths, mentoring and knowledge transfer. Also, new academic graduate scholarships have been awarded to students at the University of Maryland, Carnegie Melon and Purdue. The company has invested more than $1 million in recruitment, scholarships and training. Cyber University techniques include instructional-led training, professional study groups and lunch-time seminars.

Honeywell T-Hawk MAV

Hypersonics could take a leap forward this year with four planned flights of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s X-51A WaveRider scramjet engine demonstrator. Built by Boeing and powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hydrocarbon-fueled, fuel-cooled ramjet/scramjet, the Mach 6 vehicle could be the precursor to a long-range strike missile.

Production of expendable launch vehicles is set to rise during the next decade, although the landscape of the ELV market itself will remain unchanged. Europe will continue to grab the bulk of the market, and few new providers beyond Space Exploration Technologies are expected to emerge as global players.

Before the year is out, unmanned cargo helicopters could be resupplying U.S. Marine Corps units in remote locations in Afghanistan, cutting the risk to convoys. Two teams will conduct cargo demonstrations with autonomous helicopters early in the year: Boeing with its MQ-18 Hummingbird and Lockheed Martin/Kaman with an unmanned version of the K-Max external-lift helicopter.

Air Force chief Gen. Norton Schwartz says the initial operational capability (IOC) date of his service’s version of the multinational F-35 is not likely to slip as the Pentagon prepares to unveil the restructured effort. But, that assertion is questioned in light of the chief Pentagon’s tester’s 2009 annual report on the Joint Strike Fighter program’s efforts at operational test and evaluation—“op-eval,” to insiders. The test chief notes that only 10% of the 168 test sorties planned for Fiscal 2009 took place.

Economic conditions appear to be improving in fits and starts, and air travel demand is reviving somewhat, but the airline industry is still in rough shape after a collapse in passenger and cargo traffic brought on by the global economic crisis . Particularly worrisome to airlines has been that premium (first- and business-class) travel began declining at a faster rate than other types . The industry’s hard-won return to net profitability, which finally was achieved in 2007, proved to be short-lived.

The French defense ministry says U.S. Rover air-ground tactical data links will begin operational trials in Afghanistan in February on Rafale and Mirage 2000D fighters and Harfang medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs, and begin operation in March. France is acquiring 25 Rover units from L-3 Communications and Thales . U.S. officials reportedly have complained that the Harfangs, in particular, are of limited use without a data link.

In Fiscal 2009, congressional auditors received 1,764 protests of federal contract awards, an increase of about 20% from 2008. At first blush, that jump aligns well with the anecdotal observation in recent years that the aerospace and defense industry has become more disputatious in contracting competitions. But the latest Government Accountability Office report suggests a different take.

The Legacy 650 is a new version of the large-cabin business jet based on Brazilian manufacturer Embraer’s ERJ 135 regional jet. Compared with the Legacy 600, the 650 offers more than 500-nm. additional range as a result of adding fuel, uprating the Rolls-Royce AE3007 engines and using the beefed-up wing from the ERJ 145XL to increase maximum takeoff weight. Range with four passengers is increased to 3,900 nm. The aircraft first flew in September 2009, and certification is planned for the second half of this year.

Turboshaft engine production is in a slight decline, but the trend should reverse course in 2012. The global economic crisis that began in 2008 is being felt more prominently in the civil helicopter segment, as military procurement continues almost without regard to market conditions.

The Air Transport Assn. reports that although trends seem to be improving, 2009 saw the worst drop in U.S. airline revenue the industry has experienced. Passenger revenue for seven major carriers and affiliates fell by 18%, exceeding the previous record decline of 14% in 2001. Yields were down 13% in 2009, and passenger volume dropped 6%. ATA President James May says, “Anecdotal evidence suggests a positive revenue trajectory in 2010,” although higher fuel prices could “hinder recovery efforts.”

Militaries around the globe recognize that, in the future, the most critical regional battles will be fought in space. The nation that can most effectively leverage military space assets or counter th ose of another nation, while also managing the budgets for these systems, will ultimately be victorious. It is also safe to say victory will require doing all of these things well. As more and more nations become aware of the advantages offered by military space assets, the desire to counter these advantages will be too overwhelming to ignore.

Renamed the Avenger, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ jet-powered Predator C made its long-awaited first flight in April 2009. Developed as a private venture, the unmanned aircraft is aimed at the U.S. Air Force’s emerging MQ-X requirement for a Predator/Reaper replacement. The company also intends to offer the Avenger for carrier-based operation, with a folding wing. Powered by a 4,800-lb.-thrust Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545B turbofan, the first prototype has 66-ft.-span wing, gross weight of about 11,500 lb., and is designed to have a 20-hr.

The European Union and the U.S. last week agreed to pursue ways to strengthen international aviation security and are planning a high-level meeting in April to address ongoing efforts. Their security objectives were outlined in a Jan. 21 joint declaration issued shortly after a meeting in Toledo, Spain, of ministers of EU member states, the European Commission president and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

While the competition to power commercial wide-body transports continues to be a three-way fight, the long-standing duopoly in the narrow-body airliner power sector is under threat as new technology emerges.

Ahead of a recovery in the civil market and anticipating a downturn in defense, U.S. primes continue to adjust their businesses, looking for cost reductions and growth opportunities. Several defense programs were terminated in 2009 and more are under threat this year. Lockheed Martin, the largest U.S. defense contractor, was hit by decisions to end F-22 production and cancel the VH-71A presidential helicopter and TSAT communications satellite. The company is cutting jobs and combining units in its electronic systems business.