Europe’s ExoMars lander/rover/orbiter combination moved a step closer to development last week when the European Space Agency’s Program Board for Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration passed current planning for the missions along to the ESA council meeting in December. David Southwood, ESA’s director of science and robotic exploration, says, “We’ve crossed one more bridge in preparing for the council meeting in about a month’s time, where we will finally get the subscription for the new funds.”
Workers are installing a mobile gantry for the Soyuz launcher at the new Soyuz launch pad being constructed at the Kourou, French Guiana, spaceport. The gantry will give Arianespace a medium-lift launch capability. Installation has been stalled for months because of manufacturing delays affecting Russian suppliers. This situation contributed to slipping the date of the first flight by more than a year and forcing some payloads—notably four sets of Globalstar 2 satellites—to be shifted to the Soyuz pad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Malev Hungarian Airlines is seeking urgently needed debt relief and a new shareholder base as it presses forward with a three-year plan to return to profitability.
Thales Alenia Space says it has completed the in-orbit acceptance review of the Indonesian Palapa D1 telecom satellite, which was left stranded by a Long March CZ-3B failure on Aug. 30, and is now ready for full operation. Thales Alenia says Palapa D1, positioned at 113 E. Long., is expected to remain in service at least 10.5 years.
First flight of the Sukhoi T-50 prototype to meet the air force’s PAK FA fighter requirement is slipping into 2010. The plan had been for a first flight this year, but industry sources now suggest it will occur in 2010. Three T-50 airframes have been completed, including a static test item, which has been delivered to Moscow. PAK FA is intended as a replacement for the Sukhoi Su-27. It could enter initial service in 2015.
Airlines believe a new liberalization commitment signed by seven countries and the European Commisson could play a major role in untangling the cross-border restrictions that are stifling the industry.
A lot of investors are kicking themselves for not having more faith in the ability of Ford Motor Co. CEO (and Boeing Co. alum) Alan Mulally to revive the auto giant. A year ago, a share of Ford stock could be had for as little as $1.01. Last week, it was approaching $9 a share. Buyers who have bet on a rebound in commercial aerospace stocks have also fared well, even though the industry’s tough times are certainly not over.
Growing demand for miniaturized inertial sensors for precision guidance, navigation and control is a key factor behind Goodrich’s decision to acquire U.K.-based Atlantic Inertial Systems in a deal worth $375 million. In addition to tiny inertial measurement units for use in precision-guided munitions and missiles, AIS produces digital terrain-reference navigation systems for aircraft. Both could prove to be key capabilities as military personnel strive to minimize collateral damage while operating safely in areas where GPS is denied by jamming or geography.
I take exception to Ed Stickel’s statement that “except for a few military aircraft and the dead-end Concorde, there has been no real innovation in aeronautics for 50 years . . .” (AW&ST Nov. 9, p. 11).
The Australian Defense Ministry has awarded Australian Aerospace and U.S. subcontractor Lockheed Martin $292 million to initiate a five-year life support program for the country’s 12 C-130J airlifters. Each C-130J will undergo a three-month maintenance period. Lockheed Martin is responsible for supply chain management, aircraft maintenance and engineering. StandardAero provides engine work.
NetJets had $531 million in pretax losses for the first three quarters of 2009, including $436 million in asset value write-downs and costs associated with downsizing, according to the latest filing by parent Berkshire Hathaway with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing says further downsizing will take place in the fourth quarter and more aircraft will be sold. However, when combined with recently announced layoffs of as many as 494 pilots, the company believes NetJets is “likely to operate at a modest profit in 2010,” assuming the U.S.
To complement big fleet orders placed in recent years, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is putting $750 million into improving cabin offerings and support for its fleet, as well as tools to help run the loss-generating carrier more efficiently. The package includes a contract with Lufthansa Technik to upgrade nine Airbus A340s and fit them with new first-class suites and inflight entertainment (IFE) hardware. The airline’s Boeing 777s will see their eco-class cabin upgraded under a contract with Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, which includes an IFE upgrade.
Manufacture of the first production-standard Sukhoi Su-35S fighters for the air force is now underway, with delivery to take place in 2010. The air force ordered 48 Su-35S fighters in August, with deliveries to be completed by 2015. Sukhoi will in 2010 also deliver the first four Su-34 strike aircraft as part of an order for 32. Five pre-series Su-34s have been provided to the air force. While eight each of the upgraded Su-27SM Flankers and Su-24M2 Fencers have been delivered this year, there are no Sukhoi upgrade contracts expected for 2010.
Michael Dill has been appointed director for continuous improvement for the Circor Aerospace Products Group , Corona, Calif. He was director of lubrication and heat management at Parker Hannifin.
The Air Transport Assn. (ATA) projects a 4% year-over-year decrease in passengers flying on U.S. airlines during this week’s Thanksgiving holiday, despite deep discounting during the past few months. ATA President and CEO James C. May says it is becoming increasingly important that the “economic headwinds facing the airlines and their customers are anything but behind us.” May cited the current unemployment rate that is hovering around 10% as a key factor affecting consumer buying decisions, including travel.
A commission created to recommend how to proceed with a special bond issue intended to stimulate the French economy says the issue should cover initiatives to develop greener and more fuel-efficient airplanes and helicopters. It also should include endeavors such as bridging the digital divide and smart-energy grids that could favor the space industry (AW&ST Nov. 9, p. 50). The panel recommends, however, against targeting traditional industries and infrastructure projects or undertaking initiatives of an operational nature.
General Electric’s bid to counter Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan is stepping up as it prepares for a second phase of tests of eCore 1, the company’s advanced technology core which will provide the basis for both the next-generation NG34 regional engine and, together with Snecma, the successor to the CFM56.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace has renamed six of its strategic business units to emphasize its “aerospace” presence and reinforce that enterprises it recently purchased in Texas and Panama are part of the ST Aero family. As a result, ST Aviation Services becomes ST Aerospace Services; other units are now ST Aerospace Training Academy, ST Aerospace Guangzhou Aero-Technologies and Engineering, ST Aerospace Mobile, ST Aerospace San Antonio and ST Aerospace Panama.
Glynn S. Lunney, who is retired from United Space Alliance, has received the 2009 Space Flight Award from the Springfield, Va.-based American Astronautical Society . Other honors are the Flight Achievement Award to the crew of STS-125; Industrial Leadership Award to James H. Crocker of Lockheed Martin Space Systems; Victor A. Prather Award to Joseph A. Ruseckas, who is retired from the David Clark Co.; Randolph Lovelace, 2nd, Award to former astronaut Buzz Aldrin; John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award to Roger D.
That military transport aircraft continue to have mid-air collisions shows gross negligence. The Oct. 29 mid-air off San Diego between a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 and U.S. Marine Corps AH-1 helicopter was a carbon copy of the 1991 mid-air between two U.S. Navy P-3s. Both could have been avoided had the military installed a basic Traffic-alert Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) that is standard even in new Cessnas.
AgustaWestland is aiming to fly the full prototype of its AW149 (top photo) in 2010, following the slightly delayed first flight of the risk-reduction demonstrator this month. The type could be ready for service by 2014.
Sixteen lawmakers from states pregnant with Boeing work are asking for the Pentagon to “level the playing field” for the Air Force’s KC-X tanker replacement program—level in the sense of changing the rules to favor Boeing. Citing the preliminary ruling from the World Trade Organization (WTO) that finds Airbus accepted illegal launch aid for its commercial product line, the lawmakers, led by Sen.
Australian defense officials have released their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Strategy, which was developed to address shortcomings in governance, planning and control frameworks of ICT.
EasyJet expects to deliver “substantial profit” in 2010, the low-fare carrier said in announcing full-year results for the prior fiscal year in which it posted a profit of £71.2 million ($119 million), down £12 million from the prior year. Capacity this year will grow around 10%. Cost cutting and lower fuel prices are underpinning the generally positive outlook for the ongoing year.
Governments and regulatory agencies need to work with the air travel industry to eliminate ineffective duplication of aviation security procedures, according to IATA. The high costs associated with meeting global security mandates, estimated to be nearly $6 billion annually, must be tempered by harmonization, efficiency and cost-effective measures, says Guenther Matschnigg, IATA’s senior vice president of safety operations.
