Intelsat 15, a high-power Ku-band spacecraft built by Orbital Sciences Corp., is well into several weeks of in-orbit checkout after launch Nov. 30 on a Land Launch Zenit-3SLB from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Based on Orbital’s Star spacecraft bus, the 2,484-kg. (5,477-lb.) satellite will relay video and data to Intelsat users in Russia, the Middle East and Indian Ocean regions. Liftoff came at 4 p.m. EST, and the mission lasted about 6.5 hr. before spacecraft separation.
Britain’s top-ranking military procurement official admits London’s long-term defense equipment shopping list is “unaffordable.” The ministry has a multibillion-pound hole in its coffers. The ministry began its latest planning round (PR10) with a £6-billion ($10-billion) gap between what it wants to buy and what it can afford. Army Gen. Kevin O’Donoghue, the chief of defense materiel at the ministry’s defense equipment and support organization, says “The (equipment) program is overheated.”
Boeing has passed the 90% design release point for the 747-8 Intercontinental model, clearing the way to start building parts, assemblies and tools. Assembly is due to start in mid-2010, with initial deliveries to launch customer Lufthansa in the second quarter of 2011. Meanwhile, Boeing is believed to be in detailed talks with Korean Air over the 747-8I, according to sources close to the negotiations. Korean would be only the second carrier after Lufthansa to consider operating the 747-8I alongside the Airbus A380.
Rohan Garnett (see photo) has been named Los Angeles-based vice president-leisure sales in North America for Qantas Airways . He was group general manager for people for Jetstar Airways.
Jean-Luc Establie (see photo) has been appointed president of ATR India Customer Support Private Ltd. He succeeds Marc Bourret, who is now director of project and planning for ATR Customer Services. Establie was sales director for India and the region.
Both Boeing and Lockheed Martin project significant boosts in military sales in the coming years owing to international purchases. Lockheed Martin CFO Bruce Tanner says about 15% of the company’s sales are now to international customers. Those are expected to increase to 20%, due in part to robust interest abroad in the C-130J transport, he says. Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, says he anticipates similar results. Military sales abroad for the company now stand at 16%, and he expects they could go as high as 25%.
Mary Ellen Jones has been named to head the Engine Alliance , the 50/50 joint venture between Pratt & Whitney and General Electric. Jones was head of marketing for Pratt Commercial Engines & Global Services. She succeeds Jim Moravecek, who will return to Pratt.
The German air force has carried out carriage and release trials of the GBU-54/B Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) from a Tornado aircraft. The trial involved EADS and the Defense Ministry’s WTD 61 test unit, with the integration of the Boeing Laser JDAM as part of wider upgrade for the air force’s Tornados. The weapon is also slated for integration on the air force’s Eurofighter Typhoons.
Roger Rose has become chief executive of New Delhi-based Lockheed Martin India . He succeeds Douglas Hartwick, who is now special adviser to the corporation’s International Business Development Team. Rose was head of the corporation’s Electronic Systems.
The European Space Agency is expected this week to sign off on a €900-million contract, kicking off development of Europe’s next-generation geostatonary weather satellite system, MTG, according to Eumetsat, which will help pay for and operate the €2.4-billion system. Astrium and a Thales Alenia Space/OHB System are vying for the award. The first element of the system is to be launched in 2016.
On Dec. 1, Continental Airlines began allowing passengers at Frankfurt Airport to obtain boarding passes electronically on cell phones or PDAs. The carrier now offers mobile boarding passes at 35 airports and plans to add the service at more U.S. and international facilities.
Mervyn G. Fernando, a former manager of airspace policy and planning for Singapore’s Changi airport, has been named president of the Air Navigation Commission of the International Civil Aviation Organization as of Jan. 1.
Eumetsat has given member states until Jan. 31 to commit funding for the Jason-3 ocean altimetry satellite, to be launched in 2013. Eumetsat is prepared to contribute €63.6 million to the €252-million undertaking to ensure continuity of data with Jason 2, which was launched last year. Six of the 13 countries that have pledged to support the project have yet to commit, Eumetsat says.
Marv Vander Weg has been appointed vice president of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Customer Office of Space Exploration Technologies , Hawthorne, Calif. He was vice president for the Customer Program Office of the United Launch Alliance and director of the Atlas Government Program Office for the Lockheed Martin Corp.
MTU Aero Engines plans to spend up to $1.5 billion for acquisitions as it seeks to broaden its product portfolio so the company can participate in future international programs.
A slate of new medium-sized science missions being evaluated by the European Space Agency could reignite debate on the agency’s ability to keep within cost and schedule envelopes mandated by its member states.
Two industrial cooperation agreements were signed in the wake of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Paris last week. Safran and Rostechnologies agreed on a cooperation framework for several Russian light helicopter projects, notably reengining of the Ka-226, Ka-62 and Mi-34. Thales and Rostechnologies inked a pact to develop advanced technologies for military and civil aircraft. Thales already supplies hardware for the SuperJet 100 regional jet and Russian-built fighters sold abroad.
Airbus Military this week hopes to finally fly the A400M military airlifter, kicking off a three-year effort to get the transport into the first customer’s hands. Barring poor weather or technical issues, Airbus Military officials late this week expect to complete a roughly 3-hr. flight from the company’s facility here to demonstrate the aircraft’s basic handling characteristics.
Roger Bathurst has been named CEO of the Willis Inspace Div. of London-based Willis Group Holdings. As CEO, he succeeds Bill Lloyd, who will remain chairman. Bathurst was CEO of International Space Brokers.
U.S. and Japanese negotiators are poised to achieve a long-awaited breakthrough in aviation talks this week, further opening one of the most restricted airline markets and setting the stage for a major competitive shake-up.
Paul B. Gaines, former director of the Houston Airport System, has received the 2009 William E. Downes, Jr., Memorial Award from ACI-NA , for leadership in promoting the cause of airports and aviation in his community and 43 years of public and private airport management and consulting experience.
The Aerospace Industries Assn. (AIA) is ramping up its efforts in support of overhauling the export controls system. President Barack Obama has declared his administration will review the entire system, including economic and security issues. That comes after former President George W. Bush’s team managed to cut the backlog of State Dept. license applications while striking ground-breaking treaties with Britain and Australia. Hooray for all that, the AIA says.
San Antonio-based VMAG Technology’s operating system that closes airport perimeter security gates at 6 fps. operated flawlessly more than 200,000 times in tests at San Antonio International Airport. “You put your identification card in, the gate opens, [you drive through] and it closes right behind you,” says Rich Johnson, the airport’s communications director. The system virtually eliminates the opportunity for intruders to piggyback their way into an airport operating area.
No sooner had Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved to cancel the F-22, then we found out the F-35 is at least $16 billion over budget, and meeting the flight-test schedule is unlikely.
Gen. (ret.) Ronald R. Fogleman, a former U.S. Air Force chief of staff, has been appointed chairman of Minneapolis-based Alliant Techsystems . He has been a member of the board of directors and succeeds Daniel J. Murphy, who has also been CEO and will retire in March. John L. Shroyer, who is chief financial officer, also will be interim CEO.
