Conflicting scenarios describe the state of aerospace and defense: There is the industry that saw sales increase 8% to nearly $600 billion last year, topping $50 billion in collective profit for the first time. This healthy sector boasts backlogs at near-record levels, a strong cash flow, and its largest customer, the Pentagon, continues to spend vast sums of money.
Former astronaut Scott Parazynski has become director of business development for Wyle ’s Houston-based Integrated Science and Engineering Group and medical director for Wyle’s Antarctic operations.
The Star Alliance is devising a scheme to admit smaller airlines as full members and will soon add destinations in Europe, while rival group Oneworld is extending its reach in Eastern Europe and Russia. Star announced May 26 that it invited Greece’s Aegean Airlines to become a member, and the carrier is expected to be ready to join in 2010. In addition, last month LOT Polish Airlines approached Lufthansa, a founding member of Star, about a possible takeover when LOT is privatized next year.
The European Aviation Safety Agency has granted Airbus the type certificate for a higher maximum takeoff weight A319 ACJ. The revision brings the Airbus Corporate Jet’s MTOW to 76.5 metric tons, or one more than it has had to date. Airbus says the adjustment yields 170 naut. mi. greater range for the ACJ carrying eight passengers, for a total range of 6,000 naut. mi. Airbus is using load-alleviation to achieve the higher MTOW. The capability is on aircraft now coming off the production line and is being made available for retrofit.
If legislation creating a cap-and-trade program to control greenhouse gas emissions passes as currently written, it could add $1.40-1.70 per gallon to aviation jet fuel, says Jim May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Assn. The American Clean Energy and Security Act, introduced by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) would, in effect, add a hefty tax on fuel, says May, citing American Petroleum Institute data.
Although the saga surrounding the C-27J airlifter buy in the U.S. continues, Alenia Aeronautica is engaged in increasingly serious talks with Northrop Grumman over a possible partnership for stateside final assembly of the aircraft.
The post-shuttle era already has started, even though NASA has eight more missions to fly before the fleet retires in 2010. Since late April, about 250 workers involved in manufacturing shuttle hardware have been taken off the program and another 650 will be gone by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The time needed to start up again would be too long for a seamless continuation of operations, says shuttle Program Manager John Shannon. “We would not be able to manufacture or produce the elements required to continue to fly without some sort of a gap,” he says.
While its Fiscal 2010 budget request is up slightly at almost $3.25 million, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking substantially increased funding to move several aerospace systems toward flight demonstrations.
Malcolm Chandler has become sales manager for Shannon (Ireland) Aerospace Ltd. for France, Ireland and the U.K. He was a sales manager for Marshall Aerospace and ATC Lasham.
The post-shuttle era already has started, even though NASA has eight more missions to fly before the fleet retires in 2010. Since late April, about 250 workers involved in manufacturing shuttle hardware have been taken off the program and another 650 will be gone by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The time needed to start up again would be too long for a seamless continuation of operations, says shuttle Program Manager John Shannon. “We would not be able to manufacture or produce the elements required to continue to fly without some sort of a gap,” he says.
There seems to be a division of thought in two major ADS-B articles (AW&ST Apr. 27, pp. 36, 38). In one, the system is extolled as “ready to roll,” while not mentioning that the ADS-B broadcasts lack any security safeguards whatsoever. In the other, the talk is of cyberattacks and the difficulties in defending against them. It seems unwise to base the NextGen ATM system on 100% openness and the belief that no one will exploit this. Terrorists could, or it could be breached for economic gain, unauthorized research, sensational journalism, or, or, or.
One of the biggest surprises in Aviation Week’s new Top-Performing Companies (TPC) results is that European companies sharply narrowed the competitiveness gap with their A&D counterparts in the U.S. (p. 48). But given the numerous structural and market challenges European companies continue to face, this year’s TPC snapshot is more of an anomaly than a trend that can be sustained.
The International Space Station is ready for full-up science operations, with a six-person crew, medical clearance to drink the recycled water that will keep the crew going after NASA’s space shuttle stops flying and a new class of European astronauts in the pipeline. Russia launched Soyuz TMA-15 on May 27 with Expedition 20 members Roman Romanenko of Russia, Robert Thirsk of Canada and Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency on board, setting up rendezvous and docking on May 29.
Three Boeing KC-767J aerial refueling tankers recently achieved Initial Operational Capability and have been placed in an active air wing in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The Japan Ministry of Defense and JASDF officially designated the KC-767J tankers “operational” during an April ceremony at Komaki Air Base following a year-long technical evaluation. The third of four KC-767JTs ordered by Japan was ferried from Boeing’s Wichita, Kan., modification facility and delivered to the JASDF in March.
Northrop Grumman may be hoping to convince the U.S. Army to field its Fire Scout vertical takeoff unmanned aerial vehicle earlier than scheduled, by test flying the VTUAV in Yuma, Ariz., this summer. The Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program official schedule doesn’t have a first flight planned for two years. Northrop Grumman is taking its corporate-owned Fire Scout, called White Tail, to Yuma this month to prove it can operate with the Army One ground control system.
Michael Romito (see photos) has been named president, Rick Jones senior vice president-solutions and Nigel Duncan vice president-sales and marketing of the Aerospace Group of Crane Aerospace & Electronics , Lynnwood, Wash. Romito was a consultant to several divisions of Alliant Techsystems Inc., while Jones was vice president of Crane’s Sensing & Utility Systems Div. Duncan was owner and principal of Framework Marketing and Investment Analytics.
A report on a Boeing 777 fire (AW&ST Apr. 20 p. 20) said that an electrical failure in the bus resulted in severe arcing and short circuit that caused molten metal droplets from the contactor casings to fall on insulation blankets, which then ignited. United Airlines had a similar fire on a Boeing 767 that was airborne near Paris, on a Europe-Washington run about 10 years ago. The airplane landed in London, but experienced a serious fire and lost most of its electrical system.
David D. McBride, who has been deputy director of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center , Edwards, Calif., has been named acting director. He succeeds Kevin L. Petersen, who has retired.
Russia’s deteriorating airport infrastructure poses a serious risk to travelers, and the government should earmark substantial funding for upgrades and create conditions to spur private investment, say industry officials.
The first of three Ilyuhsin Il-76-based airborne early warning aircraft was delivered to the Indian air force last week. Israel Aerospace Industries is the lead on the program, fitting the aircraft with a phased-array radar from Elta. Delivery of the first aircraft had been delayed repeatedly by development issues.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic executives believe they could combat dire industry conditions more effectively if European regulators gave them more relief on airport slot restrictions. But the European Union decision-making process—coupled with EU parliamentary elections on June 7—make it unlikely that any such relief would arrive in time to allow meaningful capacity reductions.
Starting June 1, visitors to the NTSB web site will be able to access accident investigation public dockets. The move follows legislative and executive mandates aimed at improving use of electronic media to build “a more transparent government,” according to the safety board. To view the list of dockets, organized by transportation mode, go to http://www.ntsb.gov/Info/foia_fri-dockets.htm
Controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are encouraged by tests showing the left middle wheel on the stalled Spirit Mars Exploration Rover is operating normally. The testing on Mars was aimed at determining whether the problem is associated with the wheel itself rather than a loss of traction or grounding on a rock. Operations with Spirit were suspended May 7 when signals showed the left middle wheel was jammed, while the other wheels apparently were dug into the surface up to their hubs. Last week JPL commanded 1- and 4-deg.
A Boeing 737-300 involved in a stall during an approach to Bournemouth (England) Airport was in revenue service for 11 days before investigators determined the seriousness of the event during a check of the aircraft’s Quick Access Recorder data. U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) final report, published May 21, reveals details surrounding the Sept. 23, 2007, “serious incident” at Bournemouth. The 737, operated by ThomsonFly, was on approach to Runway 26 when the autothrottle disengaged, for undetermined reasons, with thrust levers in the idle thrust position.
About $18.5 billion has been authorized to buy armed, fast-moving vehicles built by General Dynamics that will fit into an MV-22, CH-53, MH-47 or CV-22 rotorcraft. The contract from the U.S. Marine Corps is for 70 full-rate production, internally transportable vehicles to serve as expeditionary, high-mobility, weapons-capable platforms to provide ground units with the same mobility as the maneuver elements they support. Work is to be completed by mid-2010.
