Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany-based H3 Aerospace, through Fortius Mittelstandskapital, is buying Grob Aerospace’s training aircraft and support businesses. Around 100 employees are expected to resume work at Grob’s Tussenhausen-Mattsies facility this month. The new company, called Grob Aircraft, will be based there. The company is already in advanced talks with a commercial customer to sell trainer aircraft, says H-3 Aerospace Chief Executive Johann Heitzmann.
And during another recent test at White Sands Missile Range, Lockheed Martin proved the interoperablity of the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (Atacms) with the U.K.’s upgraded Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). The trials, which the company says went off without a hitch, provided the U.K. Defense Equipment & Support delegation a close look at Atacms—a step they requested as they determine future artillery system requirements. The MLRS designated M270B1 has been used by British forces since the 1990s and handles all MLRS rocket munitions except Atacms.
Budgetary pressures may stymie ambitions to convert all Nimrod MRA4 test aircraft to the production standard, potentially leaving the Royal Air Force with only nine of the type. The Defense Ministry and Nimrod manufacturer BAE Systems have been trying to strike a deal on bringing the three development aircraft in the much-delayed program to the final production version. The talks are taking place within the broader context of BAE and the government trying to conclude a partnering agreement designed to sustain the U.K.’s defense industrial capability.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates continues to be full of surprises. In his first appearance before Congress as a member of President Barack Obama’s cabinet, he says mutual missile defense projects with Moscow are not as far-fetched as recent events would suggest. Officially, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitri Medvedev oppose U.S. plans to place 10 interceptors in Poland and a radar warning system in the Czech Republic. But Gates says some Russian civilian and military leaders are more interested in discussing forms of cooperation.
The NTSB is examining the flight recorders from the Empire Airlines/FedEx ATR 42-320 that crashed 300 ft. short of Runway 17 at Lubbock (Tex.) Preston Smith International Airport on Jan. 27. The two crewmembers survived. The aircraft, which was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW121s, was destroyed.
NASA believes the unconventional hybrid wing/body aircraft holds the most promise for meeting aggressive environmental goals set for 2020 and beyond, and is providing funds to Boeing to test a low-noise cargo configuration in a wind tunnel (see p. 50). Locating the engines above the fuselage and between the fins helps block fan and jet noise from reaching the ground, enabling quieter airport operations. Concept artwork provided by NASA.
Boeing has received $234 million to begin production of the sixth Wideband Global Satcom satellite from the U.S. Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center. The order was placed in November 2007 by the Australian government as part of an agreement granting the Australian Defense Force access to the worldwide WGS constellation of communications satellites. At that time, the WGS network was limited to five spacecraft.
The British Defense Ministry and Rolls-Royce have agreed on a multi-year support contract for the Harrier GR9’s Pegasus turbofan engine. The contract—worth £198 million ($281 million)—covers the next 10 years. This could see the GR9 out to its scheduled withdrawal from service in 2018.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has removed the FAA’s NextGen air traffic control modernization program from its biennial high-risk list, citing progress made in keeping crucial projects on schedule. GAO noted that ATC modernization was originally put on the high-risk list in 1995 because of its $36-billion cost, complexity, importance to FAA’s mission and “its problem-plagued past.”
I am concerned about the final two paragraphs of Pedro L. Rustan’s letter to then-President-elect Barack Obama in which he says the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) needs to attract talent from overseas (AW&ST Jan. 12, p. 62). Rustan says 60% of U.S. Ph.D. students in science and engineering traditionally have come from abroad and that Darpa should work with the Homeland Security and State Depts. to help this talent stay in America.
NASA is trying to diagnose the cause of the Mars Exploration rover Spirit’s recent erratic behavior. On Jan. 25—the 1,800th Martian day of what was originally baselined as a 90-day mission—Spirit failed to respond to its daily driving commands, and did not record its main activities for the day onto its hard drive. The next day, controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory sent a command for Spirit to locate the Sun with its camera, on the hunch that the rover might be disoriented. Spirit found the Sun, but not in its expected location.
The first of an international pair of spacecraft designed to analyze the impact of greenhouse gases on global warming is in checkout, following the Jan. 23 launch of the Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (Gosat) by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Gosat and NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, due for launch Feb. 23, will map the real-time distribution of greenhouse gases worldwide. Gosat alone will be able to generate 56,000 real-time data points around the globe, updating every three days.
Air access to Rome faces greater constraint if the regional authorities decide to shut Ciampino, a move being considered to bolster Fiumicino as the city’s main airport. Ciampino is used now by both the Italian military and several low-cost operators, including Ryanair and EasyJet. The authorities are offering an alternative site for the budget carriers, but it is nearly four times as far from the city as the present location. These operators are being successful in drawing customers from Alitalia for intra-European and some domestic routes.
Lufthansa’s plan to take over SN Brussels Airlines is receiving close scrutiny from antitrust regulators. The European Commission intends to review the deal, which was announced last year. “Initial market investigation indicated that the proposed acquisition could significantly impede effective competition and so raises serious doubts as to its compatibility with the single market, at least as regards passenger air transport on a number of routes between Belgium and Germany, and Belgium and Switzerland,” the EC says.
Boeing is planning to cut 10,000 employees this year, more than doubling the reductions announced just last month. But senior executives are confident that the company’s financial position will remain stable, despite some of the most difficult economic conditions it has faced in at least half a decade.
Many Middle Eastern carriers are expected to suffer less during the current economic slow down than their peers elsewhere, which will further increase interest of maintenance, repair and overhaul vendors in the region. But, as customers become more discerning and competition intensifies, the market’s challenges will not get any easier.
The U.S. Air Force is launching an effort to certify plant-derived biofuels for use in its aircraft, an initiative that would dwarf the highly publicized tests by commercial airlines in recent months.
Haifa-based Elbit Systems has supplied more information regarding the Israeli defense ministry contract it received last December for additional Skylark l LE mini-UAVs. The $40-million award is to include training and logistics support, and units, destined for ground forces, are to be delivered across several years. Skylarks were a part of the recent volatile initiative to block mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip. The UAVs gathered intelligence that was disseminated among operating forces within the Israel Defense Forces.
Boeing is now the only contender to provide a platform for the prestigious contract to build a new U.S. Air Force One presidential transport. EADS and its Airbus commercial aircraft manufacturing subsidiary are not planning to compete to supply three planes to transport future U.S. presidents, according to company officials.
Lufthansa Cargo and Jettainer of Raumhein, Germany, have initiated a pilot test of lightweight air cargo containers from four manufacturers to see how well they hold up and whether they will cut transportation costs. Jettainer manages standardized air freight pallets and containers, which are currently made of aluminum. Lufthansa wants to see if containers made from lighter, non-corrosive composite materials will survive the airfreight operations while delivering fuel savings. The test will be run with 1,000 containers from four manufacturers.
India is EADS’s next target for establishing a research center as the company expands its technology footprint to align long-term development with its larger corporate goals, notwithstanding the significant near-term pressures on the aerospace giant’s balance sheet.
The reinstatement last week of the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) at Delta Air Lines is garnering strong support from safety leaders. The voluntary program allows airline employees and third parties, such as labor unions, to report safety incidents without fear of retribution. ASAP’s goal is to identify safety risks and correct them before they lead to accidents. Several other airlines dropped their programs.
The British Royal Navy took the opportunity of the Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring’s first arrival at its home base of Portsmouth to announce that the ship’s MBDA Principal Anti-Air Missile System would be known in U.K. service as the Sea Viper. Current anti-air missile systems include the Sea Dart and Sea Wolf. HMS Daring is the lead ship for the Type 45 class.
