Arsenal KB (Design Bureau) FSUE (Federal State Unitary Enterprise) and the associated Arsenal Machine Building Plant OAO (St. Petersburg) trace their history to cannon foundries founded by Czar Peter the Great in 1711. Arsenal developed the R-31 (SS-N-17), the first Soviet solid-fuel submarine-launched ballistic missile. In 1980, it ceased its involvement in missile systems and switched to satellites, mostly naval reconnaissance and hand-off types. Since then, more than 80 Cosmos series spacecraft have been developed, manufactured and operated by Arsenal.
KOREA AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES (Seoul) (www.koreaaero.com): Comprising Daewoo Heavy Industries, Samsung Aerospace and Hyundai Space & Aircraft, KAI is the predominant aerospace defense contractor in South Korea (see p. 284). Products include the KT-1 turboprop trainer, T-50 jet trainer and KMH medium helicopter (in development). Also has joint ventures with Lockheed Martin (F-16C/D) and Bell (SB 422).
Air Force Beech RC-12D (5) Beech RC-12K (2) Bell Helicopter Textron 206B (2) Bell Helicopter Textron AH-1E (7) Bell Helicopter Textron AH-1F (13) Bell Helicopter Textron AH-1G (5) Bell Helicopter Textron AH-1S (30) Bell Helicopter Textron OH-58D (7) Boeing 707-300 (12) Boeing F-15I (25) Boeing Helicopter AH-64A (37) Boeing Helicopter AH-64D (11) Dornier Do 28 (5) Gulfstream G550 (3) IAI CM 170 (43)
Airbus is facing much more than just contractual and schedule challenges in its A400M military airlifter program—the company may need to do a great deal of re-engineering work to achieve the aircraft’s performance targets. Numerous issues threaten to make the A400M a less attractive and capable aircraft, industry officials say, on top of the well-publicized delays in the flight-test program linked to the lagging engine Fadec development.
Sundbybergsvägen 1 SE-171 54 SOLNA, Sweden Tel. (468) 505-645-00; Fax (468) 28-24-80 www.nsab-sirius.com Sirius 3 Broadcasting, business services. Orbital location is 5° E. Carries 15 Ku-band transponders. 2010 EOL. Sirius 4 Broadcasting, business services. Orbital location is 5° E. Carries 52 Ku-band and two Ka-band transponders. 15-year design life. 2022 EOL.
EADS is undertaking trials to clear Australia’s KC-30B Airbus A330-based tanker to receive as well as deliver fuel. On Jan. 19, the company used its A310-based refueling boom flying testbed in conjunction with the first KC-30B during flight trials. The two aircraft made a series of contacts off the southwest coast of Spain. The aircraft are based at Getafe, near Madrid, home of EADS’s tanker conversion business.
9601 S. Meridian Blvd. Englewood, CO 80112, USA Tel. (303) 723-1000; Fax (303) 723-1046 www.dishnetwork.com Echostar 1 Direct-to-home TV broadcasting. Orbital location is 148° W. Launched 1995. Echostar 2 Direct-to-home TV broadcasting. Orbital location is 148° W. Launched 1996. Echostar 3 Direct-to-home TV broadcasting. Orbital location is 61.5° W. 2009 EOL. Echostar 4 Direct-to-home TV broadcasting. Orbital location is 119° W. 2010 EOL.
Robert Steele, Head Coach Skunkworks Robotics Team No. 1983 Aviation High School (Des Moines, Wash.)
Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson is right on when he writes that tomorrow’s technology innovation leaders are in the classroom now (AW&ST Jan. 5, p. 58).
George Paz has been named to the board of directors of Honeywell International Inc. , Morris Township, N.J. He is chairman/president/CEO of Express Scripts Inc. Honors and Elections
Eutelsat and Speedcast will team with Furuno of Japan to offer worldwide mobile broadband satellite services for the maritime industry. Eutelsat had agreed in March to develop the service with Hong Kong-based Speedcast, a satellite communications service provider owned by AsiaSat, using the two operators’ satellite fleets. Unlike a similar Ku-band mobile service announced by ViaSat and KHN (AW&ST Oct. 27, 2008, p. 43), the Eutelsat/Speedcast/Furuno service, known as SafeComNet, will focus on merchant shipping and fishing fleets.
An engineer and a computer specialist from Hitco Carbon Composites watched with interest as a mechanical roving head produced a wide shingle of dark material and deposited it on a slightly contoured table. In time, the table was covered with sticky plates, all bonded together into a simulated airplane part.
A Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 rocket engine modified with an improved injector and propellant feed system demonstrated combustion stability over an expanded thrust range of 8-104% in the latest phase of tests under NASA’s Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine (CECE) program. The recent trials, aimed at proving technology for the future Altair lunar lander, involved 11 hot-fire tests for an accumulated 2,935 sec., and included a simulation of an approach to a lunar landing.
San Diego Bay shimmers in the distance at Eaton Aerospace’s new manufacturing plant in Tijuana, Mexico. But pull back on the view, and a landscape of ramshackle houses clinging to hillsides gives the impression that Southern California is a world away, rather than just 10 mi.
Sagem has won an exclusive award to develop a data link for French UAVs. The Lido (French acronym for drone data link) project will require the Safran unit to devise economical bandwidth solutions as well as enhanced protection against electronic warfare. Sagem says the system will cover all future UAV systems—tactical, theater or combat—and will include both line-of-site and satellite links, whether for vehicle operation or payload control.
The Italian military is preparing for possible involvement in a peacekeeping operation in the Gaza Strip, which would come on top of already mounting overseas commitments. Defense Minister Ignazio la Russa says Italy would be ready to cope with any European Union request to participate in a mission in Gaza, presupposing the warring factions (Hamas and Israel) permit such a force.
The U.S. Navy has finally signed a record of decision that allows it to move forward on homeporting a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Port modifications will include dredging, additional infrastructure, wharf improvements and construction of nuclear-propulsion plant maintenance facilities.
Congressional auditors say NASA’s Office of Inspector General isn’t doing its job. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, says only one of the 71 reports issued by NASA’s OIG in Fiscal 2006 and 2007 had any recommendations for saving the taxpayers money. Given the OIG’s $34-million budget in Fiscal 2007, that translates to a return of 36 cents on each dollar the office spent. By contrast, the average return for other federal agencies’ inspectors general was $9.49 per dollar spent. At least three lawmakers, including Rep.
Aero Vodochody has spun off its airfield at Odolena Voda, Czech Republic, as a separate company, in a further attempt to streamline operations and improve profitability. The Czech aerospace contractor will remain sole owner of the facility, which could become an alternate airport for Prague.
