Boeing’s Long Beach, Calif., C-17 manufacturing line is still going strong, and there are no indications of a reduction in the annual production rate, says Dennis Muilenburg, president of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. Despite lackluster support from the primary customer, the U.S. Air Force, Muilenburg predicts more foreign and domestic orders for the C-17 Globemaster. Last year, the company explored halving the 12-15 annual production rate, but found price would be affected too much.
The Pentagon has provided $344.3 million for portions of 15 more low-rate initial production aircraft in the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP). Early production began, but approval was pending for this bunch of airlifters. Through this program, Lockheed Martin is replacing old engines with new GE CF6-80C2s, each of which provides 22% more thrust than their predecessors. The funding covers installation on three aircraft, fabrication of five kits and long-lead funding for seven aircraft.
NASA’s first use of a low-cost, modular spacecraft design will be put into an unusually low orbit of the Moon to sample its atmosphere and dust and create a profile that will be useful for studies throughout the Solar System.
Israel’s Urban Aeronautics has completed initial tethered hover tests of its AirMule vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned cargo/medevac aircraft. The company says the tests demonstrated the fly-by-wire control system’s ability to automatically stabilize the vehicle in roll, pitch and yaw. Control is via vanes on the fore and aft ducted rotors, which are driven by a 730-shp. Turbomeca Arriel 1 turboshaft engine. So far, the AirMule has hovered at a height of about 2 ft., just out of ground effect.
Scott Donnelly, who is president/CEO of Textron Inc., has been elected chairman of the Arlington, Va.-based Aerospace Industries Assn. for 2010. He succeeds Robert J. Stevens, president/chairman/CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corp. James F. Albaugh was elected vice chairman. He is executive vice president of the Boeing Co. and president/CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Marion C. Blakey was reelected AIA president/CEO and Ginette C. Colot secretary-treasurer. Additional members of the 2010 Board of Governors Executive Committee are: Wes D.
Frank Ayers has been named executive vice president of the Prescott, Ariz., campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University . He was chairman of the Flight Training Dept. at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus. Ayers succeeds Dan Carrell, who is retiring.
Former NASA Chief of Staff and White House liaison Courtney Stadd, already on probation for an ethics law conviction, faces new charges. A federal grand jury in Mississippi returned a nine-count indictment against Stadd, alleging conspiracy, fraud and obstruction in connection with a $600,000 sole-source NASA contract to Mississippi State University, a Stadd client, for a remote-sensing study. Stadd, who served at NASA in the administration of President George W. Bush, pleaded innocent. He is scheduled to go on trial on Mar. 1.
With radar-cross-section (RCS) trials for Boeing’s Silent Eagle semi-stealthy F-15 prototype complete, company officials are now focusing on South Korea as a possible first customer.
A new poll by Morgan Stanley finds investors deeply divided about whether defense stocks will track, beat or lag the S&P 500 index in 2010. Respondents were bullish on General Dynamics Corp., bearish on Northrop Grumman Corp. and split down the middle on Lockheed Martin Corp. But a thoughtful new analysis by Boenning & Scattergood analyst Michael F. Ciarmoli suggests that investors’ best prospects for success lie down the industry’s food chain.
An Su-27SM performing advanced aerobatic maneuvers at Dzengi air base in the Far Eastern Command crashed on Jan. 14 with a senior pilot on board. The base is home to the GAZ-126 Sukhoi plant and the 23rd Interceptor Aviation Regiment, which flies the Su-27. A search for the wreckage and pilot continued after dark with temperatures expected to reach -42F. The aircraft disappeared off the base radar with no communications from the pilot, Lt. Col. Vladimir Sobolev, a 1,300-flight-hour veteran, say U.S. analysts.
All three finalists for NASA’s 2018 New Frontiers space science mission aim to reach out and touch a nearby heavenly body. NASA will spend about $3.3 million on each of the finalists this year for mission-concept studies that will help in the final selection of the agency’s third New Frontiers spacecraft by mid-2011. That mission will be capped at $650 million, plus launch costs. “These three proposals provide the best science value among eight submitted to NASA this year,” says Ed Weiler, associate administrator for science.
Pentagon officials apparently took to heart President Barack Obama’s message of friendship with allies when he came into office last year. Maybe too much so. An early draft of the Pentagon’s long-awaited “space posture review,” due to Congress with Obama’s Fiscal 2011 budget request expected Feb. 1, went so far as to suggest splitting responsibility for buying its key constellations in the distant future.
Boeing’s second 747-8—the RC521—(rear) has joined the first aircraft—RC501—on the flight line at Everett, Wash., where preparations for the start of flight tests are underway. A long list of system checks, or engineering work authorizations (EWAs), on RC501 (center) are being run before starting a final series of rigorous ‘flight-line gauntlet’ trials. Boeing says EWA tests are conducted “anytime there are changes, improvements or new components and/or functionality.
SES Astra will host a second payload for Europe’s Egnos GPS augmentation service under a contract from the European Commission. The L-band payload will be carried by Astra 5B, one of four new spacecraft ordered from EADS Astrium late last year (AW&ST Dec. 7, 2009, p. 22). Astra 5B is to be launched to a slot at 31.5 deg. E. Long. in the third quarter of 2013. Astra had previously been awarded a contract to host an Egnos payload on Sirius 5, a Space Systems/Loral satellite to be orbited to 5 deg. E. Long. in the second half of 2011.
Stephen D. Hogan (see photo) has been promoted to vice president-information operations/Electronic Attack and Integrated Product Team leader for the Northrop Grumman Corp. ’s Aerospace Systems Sector, Bethpage, N.Y. Hogan was program director for the Next-Generation Jammer.
All Nippon Airways’ late-December decision to switch its remaining Boeing 787-3 orders to the longer range -8 model is forcing Boeing to rethink the future of its proposed short- to mid-range variant. Boeing says it continues to “assess the market viability of the -3,” and added that no timeline for this assessment has been determined.
Sukhoi is planning to manufacture four production-standard Su-35 fighter aircraft by year-end to be used for air force acceptance trials. Two prototypes are being test flown. The air force ordered 48 Su-35S fighters last year, with deliveries to be completed by 2015.
Irrespective of continuing rumors surrounding long-term security in the equipment program, the U.K. Defense Ministry continues to spend significantly on its next-generation aircraft carrier program. The government has agreed to contracts worth £333 million ($544 million) bringing the amount allocated to £1.1 billion; the overall program for the two ships is now £5 billion.
A British Conservative government would revisit Royal Air Force transport and fighter aircraft basing plans—and intended closures—including a move to consolidate all U.K. fixed-wing airlift at one hub. Gerald Howarth, the shadow defense minister, says reconsideration of the present government’s decision to ax Lyneham—one of the RAF’s two main transport bases—would “absolutely” be part of a strategic defense review, were the party to be returned to power. A national election in the U.K. has to be held no later than June.
Madhu Unnikrishnan (New York), Robert Wall (Paris)
A passenger on a flight notices his reading lamp is broken, so, using his mobile device, he complains on Twitter. Within minutes, the airline’s ground staff has dispatched a flight attendant to fix the problem and has alerted maintenance at the destination airport. Corporate communications has passed the Tweet onto the customer service department, which contacts the passenger to apologize for the inconvenience.
The space shuttle Endeavour arrived Jan. 6 at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A from the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for next month’s STS-130 mission to the International Space Station after a 6-hr. trip. Endeavour is scheduled to lift off at 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7 for a 13-day orbital sortie to the ISS. Its six-member crew will deliver the third and final pressurized node to the orbital outpost. Designated “Tranquility,” it will carry the long-awaited station cupola, which will give crews a 360-deg.
The U.K. is considering modifying surplus AgustaWestland Merlin Mk1 helicopters as the basis for a replacement airborne search and control (ASAC) platform for the navy’s current Sea King Mk7, which is due to be withdrawn from service in 2016. A decision on whether to pursue converting spare Merlin Mk1s for the ASAC role is “subject to the [Strategic] Defense Review and investment approval,” Bill Rammell, the minister for the armed forces, told Parliament last week.
U.S. Strategic Command has officially assumed oversight of the Commercial and Foreign Entities (CFE) program, which is designed to improve sharing of space situational awareness data with satellite owners and operators. Though CFE, the U.S. government shares some data on the whereabouts and activities of its satellites, although commercial operators hope for more specific information despite government worries about security.
A recent engine acquisition and maintenance deal with Air Berlin worth several hundred million dollars marks Mubadala Development Co.’s first foray into financing in line with its maintenance, repair and overhaul subsidiary SR Technics, which is the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala’s European maintenance arm. This 10-year deal with Air Berlin is the first SR Technics has announced in conjunction with Mubadala that includes a financing aspect. The company will fund 12 spare engines, themselves worth $100 million, in a sale and lease-back agreement with Air Berlin.
In regard to the article “Street Smart” (AW&ST Nov. 23, 2009, p. 44), I have some misgivings about the levels of technology we engineers are offering as “improvements” to our aircrew friends. Do we really need to get rid of most buttons and knobs? Engineers are designing these things and offering them as improvements merely because we are able. The article refers to the car industry and satellite navigation systems that are growing in popularity. Most are touchscreen, so is it wise to make adjustments or ask questions on the move?
