George Comber of Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, is one of nine engineering professors who will spend eight weeks this summer as members of Boeing’s Welliver Faculty Fellowship Program . The others are: M. Javed Khan and Deidre Paris Michael, Tuskegee (Ala.) University; Daniel Kirk, Florida Institute of Technology; Blaine Lilly, Ohio State University; Sridhar Santhanam, Villanova (Pa.) University; Howard Smith, Cranfield (England) University; Tein-Min Tan, Drexel University; and Kenneth Van Treuren, Baylor University.
Brig. Gen. Lee Kwang-Soo is chief of staff of the South Korean air force’s Operations Command and a veteran F-16 pilot with an extensive background in electronic warfare, intelligence and operations. He is a key figure in planning the modernization of the nation’s combat air forces. In his office at Osan AB, Lee sat down with AW&ST Senior Military Editor David A. Fulghum to discuss the tough budgetary and operational decisions facing the military.
Virgin Atlantic will take delivery of 10 Airbus A330-300s under a new deal, which will unfold in 2011-12. Virgin management had previously indicated it might place a fleet order during the current downturn. The $2.1-billion contract will allow Virgin to expand even as it waits for Boeing to deliver 787-9s. The airline will lease four of the aircraft and take six under a sale/lease-back deal.
Sukhoi hopes to secure more firm orders for its Superjet 100 regional airliner by year-end despite a depressed market. The manufacturer has 98 orders, but company director Mikhail Pogosyan says another 50 will be added by the close of 2009. In addition, the company has an aggressive production target of 70 aircraft annually as early as 2012. He says certification is being pursued in parallel with Russian authorities and the European Aviation Safety Agency. Approval is scheduled for late this year.
Airbus’s bet on China is starting to turn into reality, although questions persist about how its initiatives may eventually clash with the country’s long-term commercial aerospace ambitions.
As the Galileo contracting marathon heads into the final stretch, a debate is still raging over whether to pick one or two launchers and satellite suppliers for the satnav system, even though dual-sourcing might lead to further cost and schedule overruns.
Colin Mahoney has been appointed vice president-sales, marketing and support for Rockwell Collins Commercial Systems, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was senior director for business and regional systems sales.
Amy Butler (Washington and Le Bourget), Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington)
Concern is mounting in the U.S. about the future of the nation’s atrophied industrial base for large-body solid rocket motors (SRMs) after the Pentagon recently decided to terminate the Kinetic-Energy Interceptor and amid uncertainty over the Obama administration’s plans for a space shuttle follow-on.
France’s route to a future air combat capability will begin to be drawn up late this year or early in 2010, with the launch of a key study into how it plans to proceed in the development of an operational unmanned combat air vehicle. The work will pave the way for what happens beyond the present Neuron program, a multinational effort being led by Dassault, in determining the shape of the air force’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). Sweden, Italy, Spain, Greece and Switzerland are all supporting the Neuron program.
The U.S. Air Force has pinpointed the likely cause of the distorted signals coming from the latest GPS satellite to reach orbit. The problem appears to be related to the interface for the L5 payload, which is providing a new signal for civil GPS users. Launched on Mar. 24, the Lockheed Martin-built GPS IIR-20(M) spacecraft was still in its checkout phase when the distortion was discovered, so there has been no effect on GPS users.
As the Missile Defense Agency prepares for a flight test of the Aegis and SM-3 ballistic missile defense system in July, officials are also planning for testing and production of the new Block IB variant of the interceptor.
The stage of flight for the Sukhoi SuperJet 100 was mischaracterized in the cover photo description in the June 22 issue (p. 4). The aircraft was taking off.
Iberia Maintenance and ST Aerospace officially launched Madrid Aerospace Services, which is aimed at providing independent, third-party MRO work on landing gear for the Airbus A320, A330 and A340. The company will complement work already offered by Iberia Maintenance and ST Aerospace, with the latter providing landing-gear overhaul experience and the former assisting in the training of local mechanics. The facility will support Iberia Airlines as well as ST Aerospace’s contracts with Airbus customers.
Lufthansa is poised to further expand its operations through the integration of two additional European airlines, but the carrier first faces more pressing cost-cutting needs as continued weakness in revenue is threatening its operational profitability.
Sam B. Williams, chairman of engine manufacturer Williams International, which he founded in 1955, died at home in Indian Wells, Calif., on June 22. He was 88.
Researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are using airborne synthetic radar and interferometry to study underground stresses and strains that presage serious earthquakes in California.
While U.S. Army Future Combat Systems (FCS) technologies such as the Unmanned Ground Sensors, Class 1 UAV, Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle, MULE unmanned vehicle and parts of the communications network continue development, Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition Ashton Carter on June 23 ordered a halt to all work on the Non Line of Sight Cannon (NLOS-C).
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk expects the first ruling from the World Trade Organization in early August on the U.S.-European Union battle over large commercial aircraft subsidies for Boeing and Airbus. WTO will first adjudicate the U.S. complaint against Europe. Kirk also stressed that the U.S. would challenge any launch aid governments give Airbus for the A350XWB.
European Space Agency Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain says development snags with the Zefiro 9 third-stage solid-rocket motor and delays in building delays at the new launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, will push back the first flight of Europe’s new Vega light launcher for several months. The exact date for the launch, which had been planned for the beginning of 2010, will be set at year-end.
Bell Helicopter has waited a long time for a success to follow its best-selling single-turbine Model 407. The 427 light twin did not have instrument flight rules (IFR) certification, which kept customers away in droves. The follow-on 427i was IFR-certified, but the cabin was not big enough to attract operators, particularly the emergency medical service industry.
The Assn. of Asia Pacific Airlines reports member traffic remained soft through May. At 10.1 million passengers, the count was down nearly 15% from the previous year. International freight saw a year-on-year decline of nearly 19%. Members cut cargo capacity by 16%.
The Israeli and Italian space agencies have agreed to study a space-based hyperspectral sensor that could meet growing demand for systems capable of remotely mapping, identifying and classifying minerals, vegetation and other resources or distinguishing between different backgrounds and objects. If the nine-month study is conclusive, the two agencies will embark on a four-year €170-million ($239.7-million) development program. Israel plans to contribute aerial photography know-how from Elbit’s Venus superspectral camera.
Japan Airlines will have to reform its operation in return for a government rescue loan. Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano has all but confirmed that the government will bail out the money-losing company. Justifying his thinking, the minister describes JAL in terms of its value as a public service, rather than as a company operating in a competitive market. But government help would be available only if the airline agrees to restructure itself, he says.
John M. Doyle (Washington), Michael Bruno (Washington), David A. Fulghum (Washington)
So-called fighter gaps looming across the U.S. armed services are catching the attention of officials in Washington beyond just the battle over the F-22 Raptor. The head of U.S. Northern Command, the Defense Dept.’s combatant command responsible for North America, says he is looking for multirole aircraft to perform the varied missions required for protecting the homeland.
Middle Eastern network carriers are looking at further adjustments to their business plans as they recognize they can’t simply shrug off the sustained drop in traffic and yields. The situation is further complicated by the increased number of low-fare carriers putting downward pressure on prices. The situation is even causing some carriers to reconsider long-held business assumptions.
