David Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London), Robert Wall (Paris)
The White House plan for Afghanistan involves a faster-than-expected increase of at least 30,000 U.S. troops to be carried out by August, a surge in airborne intelligence gathering, more demanding training—but for fewer Afghan troops and police—and a call for additional sacrifices by allies. Factors that complicate its prospects of success include inter-service budget rivalry, the anticipated loss of some coalition forces and unresolved questions about whether the strategy to be pursued is counterterrorism or counterinsurgency.
SES has ordered four multi-mission satellites from EADS Astrium in a move that will expand its broadband and broadcasting capacity while underscoring spacecraft operators’ increasing reliance on bulk orders.
The Naval Research Laboratory’s Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell UAV, flew 26 hr., 1 min. with a 5-lb. payload. The unofficial flight endurance record for fuel-cell-powered flight was set during a Nov. 16-17 testing session. The UAV’s 550-watt fuel cell provides nearly four times the efficiency of a comparable internal combustion engine, and the system boasts seven times the energy in the equivalent weight of batteries. The recent flight improves on the 37-lb. UAV’s previous unofficial record of 23 hr., 17 min., set during testing sesions on Oct. 9-10.
Dec. 8-10—MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition. Hong Kong. Feb. 17-18—Defense Technology & Requirements. Washington. Feb. 28-Mar. 1—MRO Middle East 2010. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Mar. 17—Aviation Week Laureates Awards. Washington. You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only)
Dec. 7-8—Technology Training Corp.’s Space Security & Defense Conference. Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. Call +1 (310) 563-1223, fax +1 (310) 563-1220 or see www.ttcus.com
Independent research and development dollars are promising to help Northrop Grumman expand the customer base for its Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, with the U.S. Coast Guard slated to closely evaluate the aircraft. The Coast Guard is actively pursuing a vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) to satisfy requirements for its National Security Cutter (NSC). In October, the service used Northrop Grumman’s company-owned Fire Scout, aircraft P6, for land-based tests from Webster Field at NAS Patuxent River, Md.
In a precedent-setting punishment and apparent warning shot for U.S. carriers, the Transportation Dept. fined Continental, ExpressJet and Mesaba a combined $175,000 for their roles in a tarmac delay that trapped 47 passengers on a diverted Continental Express plane for nearly 6 hr. overnight in August. “I hope that this sends a signal to the rest of the airline industry that we expect airlines to respect the rights of air travelers,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.
Capt. (ret.) R.C. (Rick) Bauer (Fleming Island, Fla.)
As a commuting airline pilot for 30 years to five different bases, I can say the unnamed letter writer is correct on all points (AW&ST Nov. 16, p. 10). Irregular operations, plus schedules that are legal but illogical, complicate the issue. In the letter that followed, Ted Ledbetter thinks pilots eat too much. Research will show that low blood sugar and bad nutrition are larger problems. Would Ledbetter really recommend not eating prior to and during a 16-hr. duty period?
Indonesia’s Batavia Air started operations at Singapore Changi Airport last week, becoming the 14th carrier offering service between Singapore and cities in Indonesia. The carrier will operate two daily flights each to Jakarta and to Indonesia’s fifth-largest city, Semarang. Despite the weak economy, passenger traffic between Singapore and Indonesia increased 4.3% in the first 10 months of the year, compared with the same period the in 2008.
In a bid to find its own niche and shed its loss-making past, Gulf Air is embarking on a strategic remake that will see the airline focus on regional and short- and medium-haul operation, giving up much of its long-distance network and fleet. Such a move had been anticipated since former Royal Jordanian Airlines Chief Executive Samer Majali took over. Last week, he rolled out the realignment plan.
A solid-state, rechargeable lithium-air battery developed at the University of Dayton Research Institute addresses a safety hazard that prompted the Air Line Pilots Assn. to call for a ban last summer on shipments of other types of lithium rechargeable batteries, UDRI engineers say. A key difference in the new battery is its use of a stable glass-ceramic material, which replaces liquid electrolytes that “are corrosive and can leak,” says Binod Kumar, a leader of UDRI’s electrochemical power group.
The FAA has certified the Textron Lycoming IO-390-A3A6 piston engine and awarded a supplemental type certificate (STC) to retrofit older Mooney M20E, M20F and M20J, powered by the IO-360, with the upgraded powerplant. The approval is the second achieved by the Williamsport, Pa.-based company as part of its Echelon STC program to replace aging engines with new or remanufactured units. The first Echelon STC was developed for the Cessna 177 RG Cardinal. The IO-390 features increased horsepower and improved climb and cruise performance compared with the IO-360 series.
Having cut a deal, the British Defense Ministry and the government’s finance department are now trying to thrash out how the ministry will spend an additional £300 million ($500 million) agreed to as “recuperation” costs for combat operations. The extra funding is intended to help return the U.K.’s operational capability to its level prior to British involvement in recent combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The funding is being drawn from the reserve, rather than the Defense Ministry having to absorb the cost.
More than 10% of the current Boeing 747-400 fleet is now laid up, the largest number since they first were grounded in the aftermath of 9/11. Aircraft are either in storage, facing permanent retirement or awaiting conversion to freighters. Some 64 aircraft are now parked, four times as many as at the start of 2009 and three times more than in 2004 when the inactive 747-400 fleet peaked at 4.1%.
Air China and Air China Cargo want repairs on Pratt & Whitney PW4000 fan thrust reversers completed in-country to reduce turnaround times and cost. To accomplish this, Ameco Beijing, a joint venture between Air China and Lufthansa, and Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen will develop the PW4000 fan thrust reverser capability and provide technical and material support. PW4000 engines power the airlines’ Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft.
Russian military operators apparently will be using the Kosmos 2455 military satellite launched Nov. 20 for electronic intelligence. While Russian defense ministry officials did not release any details on the payload launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Soyuz-U booster, the Kommersant newspaper identified Kosmos 2455 as a next-generation electronic reconnaissance satellite of the Lotos type. In combination with the yet-to-be launched Pion satellite, the new spacecraft will form the Liana orbital intelligence system.
Intelsat flight controllers are checking out Intelsat 14, the newest telecommunications satellite in the company’s fleet, and were set for the Nov. 29 launch of Intelsat 15 as well. Across the Atlantic, Eutelsat was setting up its W7 satellite following a Zenit launch from Kazakhstan.
Boeing has delivered two more trainers for the U.S. Air Force’s C-130 Avionic Modernization Program (AMP) to Little Rock AFB, Ark. The 314th Airlift Wing there will be the government’s sole location for training aircrews on that model’s upgraded avionics.
GE Aviation has purchased Naverus Inc., a privately held Seattle-based company that designs Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures for aircraft operators, airlines and air traffic control agencies around the world, including the U.S., China and Australia. Financial details of the buyout, announced Nov. 23, were not disclosed.
Five, four, three . . . two . . . one . . . the Space Training Simulator STS-400 “mother ship” releases the spaceflight/reentry vehicle and the space traveler feels a kick in the seat of the pants as the powerful engine boosts the vehicle 68 mi. above Earth for a suborbital flight.
Site clearance work is getting underway at North Charleston, S.C., on Boeing’s second 787 assembly line, while preliminary work to prepare the first aircraft for its long-delayed maiden flight has also begun in Everett, Wash. Flight-test engineers are believed to have conducted a safety-of-flight review of ZA001’s landing gear on Nov. 22-23, though Boeing declines to confirm “day-to-day” status on aircraft No. 1. The pre-flight system gauntlet tests, which will mark the start of the roughly three-week preparation toward first flight, have yet to begin.
Dudley Cate is right about skipping the KC-X procurement altogether (AW&ST Nov. 16, p. 10). In this era of limited budgets, ordering minor airframe overhauls and avionics updates for the KC-135 fleet makes sense. Furthermore, the Pacific theater tanker shortfall—which suggests the need for a Boeing-777/Airbus A330-size aircraft—could be addressed inexpensively by converting surplus DC-10-30s. That idea worked when the U.S. Air Force modified Boeing 707s into the E-8 Joint Stars.
Amy Butler (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
The Pentagon appears to be willing to boost funding for the $300-billion Joint Strike Fighter program in an attempt to shore up the flight-test effort and minimize cost growth and projected delays.
Pilot trainees fly the Embraer 135/145 regional jet full-flight simulator at a FlightSafety International Learning Center. FSI provides more than one million hours of simulation-based training yearly for pilots of commercial as well as business and military aircraft. An intense industry debate is centered around airline pilot training methods and hiring requirements (see p. 52). FlightSafety International photo.
Spare parts delivered by the space shuttle Atlantis should help the International Space Station operate long after the shuttle fleet retires, stretching its service life with extra gyros, pumps and other hardware that inevitably will wear out. Atlantis was headed home for its next-to-last landing late last week after more than six days docked to the ISS. The six-man shuttle crew delivered two pallets of spare parts and performed a host of maintenance tasks in and outside the station.
