The Hawk is a single-engine, two-seat trainer and light attack aircraft. A single-seat light fighter variant (the Hawk 200) also exists. All variants are powered by an unaugmented turbofan engine of Rolls-Royce Turbomeca’s Adour series: the Hawk T1/1A uses the Mk 151 (5,200 lb. thrust); Hawk 50, the Mk 851 (5,340 lb. thrust); Hawk 60, the Mk 861 (5,700 lb. thrust); Hawk 100/200, the Mk 871 (6,270 lb. thrust); and Hawk 128 LIFT, the Mk 951 (6,800 lb. thrust).
The Jaguar is a single-seat light strike/reconnaissance aircraft produced by Societe Europeene de Production de l’Avion ECAT (Sepecat), a consortium of BAE and Dassault. Twin-seat trainer versions also have been built. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) now builds the aircraft under license. The initial prototype flight occurred in 1968. The Jaguar is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofan engines; the exact Adour version varies by aircraft model. Approximately 632 Jaguars were built through 2008, including some by HAL.
Gregory Yeldon (see photo) has been promoted to president from vice president/chief financial officer of the CMC Electronics subsidiary of the Esterline Corp., Bellevue, Wash.
The French army aviation corps has opened two simulation centers. One, at the Tiger attack helicopter school in Provence, is equipped with two full-mission simulators and two cockpit procedures trainers supplied by Thales and Rheinmetall Defense Electronics. The other, at the army aviation school, houses three IFR trainers, a six-seat tactical trainer and a flight/weapon system trainer, all supplied by Thales.
Avic Aircraft has swooped on Austrian aerospace manufacturer FACC in the first case of a Chinese manufacturer buying a first-tier Western supplier to Airbus and Boeing.
Emivest Aerospace Corp. delivered SJ30, s/n 008, to Deja Vu Consulting, an entertainment business, on Sept. 23. The handover was the first since Emivest, a subsidiary of Emirates Investment & Development of Dubai, took control of the former Sino-Swearingen program last year. Although the light jet was unveiled in 1988, and first flew three years later, Deja Vu’s is only the third aircraft to be delivered. Movie actor Morgan Freeman is to receive the next SJ30 this month. Certificated for single-pilot operation, the SJ30 has a range of 2,500 naut. mi.
SkyIMD, a San Francisco technology company, has won FAA supplemental type certification for installation of its low-cost SkyFusionPak surveillance system on Cessna 152/172/182 aircraft. The system includes a 7.2-lb. gimbaled pod with Sony 980 electro-optic and long-wave infrared cameras, and a ground station from which surveillance missions are planned through an intuitive graphical interface. The system loads the flight computer with information to fly the mission, and downloads the data after completion.
John Lambert, president of the Arlington, Va.-based AUVSI and senior director for tactical systems of Aurora Flight Sciences, is among the new members of the association’s board of directors. Other new members are: Larry L. Felder, AUVSI executive vice president and director of unmanned systems development for the Science Applications International Corp.; John Lademan, AUVSI first vice president and director for strategic planning and advanced systems for the Northrop Grumman Corp.; Joe D.
USAF Lt. Col. (ret.) Price T. Bingham (Melbourne, Fla. )
The effectiveness of network-centric warfare depends on having a reliable, timely picture of the battlespace. Joint Stars provides this through its ability to present an unprecedented wide-area, real-time picture of surface movement. Yet, despite Joint Stars’ combat-proven capabilities and the recognized need for fully and quickly funding upgrades to these capabilities, Air Force support for the program remains lukewarm at best (AW&ST Sept. 7, pp. 32-33).
The Pentagon’s Defense Energy Support Center has awarded contracts for almost 600,000 gal. of hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) biofuel for testing and certification in U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft. Sustainable Oils, Solazyme and Honeywell company UOP will supply 400,000 gal. of HRJ to the Air Force and 190,000 to the Navy.
The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency has tapped Circor Aerospace to supply its nose wheel steering actuator for all models of Lockheed Martin’s F-16s, domestic and foreign. The unit is a drop-in replacement, requiring no change to current installation of operational procedures. The contract exceeds $3.7 million.
The NTSB last week issued 10 recommendations asking the FAA to mandate more protections against aircraft bird strikes. They include revising bird-strike certification requirements set in Part 25 airworthiness standards for transport category aircraft so that protection from in-flight impact is consistent across all airframe structures. Another would require aircraft manufacturers to develop guidance information that would help pilots take measures to minimize the severity of damage from strikes.
European space industry executives say they expect system, satellite and launch awards for the Galileo satellite navigation system to be issued by year’s end, in accordance with plans put forth by the European Space Agency, which is running the procurement process on behalf of the European Commission (AW&ST June 29, p. 38). These contracts are on the critical path, and ESA planners say they must be finalized this year if the system is to meet the 2013 in-service objective set after the program’s reorganization in 2007.
European Union emissions allowance (EUA) prices nose-dived in September, driven by profit-taking on gains seen during July and August, and hit further by uncertainty after a key ruling on carbon allocation for two EU member states by a European court. December 2009 EUAs edged to a four-month high of €15.45 ($22.55) per metric ton of CO2 equivalent on Sept. 8, having made robust gains throughout July and August.
The U.S. Air Force is already on the defensive about its plans for the KC-X competition, with a former top procurement official questioning the source-selection methodology and Northrop Grumman/EADS asserting it has been put at a disadvantage by the disclosure of its pricing data to rival Boeing.
A fractionated-satellite concept—which replaces large satellites with clusters of spacecraft flying in formation—has the potential to drive cultural change and reinvigorate a “mature” U.S. space industry, say proponents.
The long-running spat between Britain’s Serious Fraud Office and BAE Systems is continuing, with the SFO announcing Oct. 1 that it intends to pursue prosecution of the company over alleged corruption offenses. There have been widespread suggestions in the U.K. press that the SFO had proposed that BAE plea-bargain and accept a fine, with Sept. 30 the deadline for company acceptance. BAE’s share price dropped by more than 4% on the day of the SFO statement.
Regarding the issue of air crew fatigue (AW&ST Sept. 21, p. 42), the FAA, NTSB, Air Line Pilots Assn. and other organizations should contact French National Railways (SNCF). It operates high-speed trains at speeds of 165-210 mph. on routes where the locomotive engineer is on duty for 5 hr. or longer with limited or no stops. These engineers do not have the luxury of en-route cruise with little to do and an additional individual to take turns at the controls. SNCF has been looking at fatigue issues and may have interesting viewpoints.
The U.S. Navy awarded Temeku Technologies an $11.7-million contract to design, build and deliver in April 2011 a production representative model of a multifunction display to aid landings on aircraft carriers. The large shipboard display will combine existing visual landing aids into one presentation with horizon reference display bar, deck status indication and pilot visual cues for the Aircraft Ship Integrated Secure and Traverse System.
Pratt & Whitney Canada says by year’s end it will lay off 250 workers across all employment categories among its more than 9,000 employees, plus another 160 when it closes a plant. The layoffs are necessary “to align with a projected decline in customer demand and weakness in the global aerospace market with no signs of a recovery in 2010,” the company states. The closure is of the Auvergne Street plant at Longueuil, Quebec, headquarters site, which will see the work consolidated with PWC facilities on Montreal’s South Shore.
ST Aerospace subsidiary ST Aviation Services has won an Airbus contract to provide heavy maintenance checks for 19 A330s leased to Singapore Airlines. The contract is part of an Airbus multi-party deal to provide support as part of leases for the aircraft. Maintenance is expected to begin in 2015 and take 18 months.
Low-cost carriers are becoming more cautious about slapping passengers with higher or new add-on charges, fearing a backlash from customers and regulators alike. If airlines do so much unbundling that travelers face untenable fees—and therefore believe they cannot fly for the fare the airline advertises—the European Union will start regulating such practices, predicts Daniel Skjeldam, chief commercial officer for Norwegian Air Shuttle.
Bidding in the aerial refueling war has become increasingly less competitive ever since the McDonnell Douglas merger with Boeing, whose response to being competitive was to eliminate the competition. Flattening Douglas Aircraft Co. did nothing but open the door for Airbus to provide planes to U.S. airlines.
Operating experience in Iraq and Afghanistan is adding urgency to demands for dramatic improvements in rotorcraft technology. Briefing industry on their needs earlier this year, the U.S. armed services said they want improvements in performance, reliability, safety and survivability. Increased speed, payload and maneuverability are high on the list, along with reduced vibration, noise and cost.
In stark contrast to the gloom that has settled over much of business aviation this past recessionary year, Gulfstream Aerospace celebrated the rollout of the G650 business jet in Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 29 and planned to reconvene the party in Tel Aviv on Oct. 6 when the G250 makes its debut.
