As the Pentagon turns its focus to supporting the war in Afghanistan, a priority of the forthcoming Obama administration, the military services are planning to field new systems to enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) collection there.
NASA’s Ares I crew launch vehicle won’t be “significantly different” from today’s Atlas V and Delta IV rockets in the capabilities it will provide space-science missions, but the planned Ares V heavy-lift follow-on could be too capable for frequent NASA science launches, says a National Research Council committee. The panel was formed to evaluate the potential scientific windfall in 2020-35 from the Constellation Program vehicles planned for a human return to the Moon.
International Lease Finance Corp. CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy has confirmed months of speculation by revealing that he is attempting to put together a new ownership group, including the lessor’s current management. Such a deal would disentangle ILFC from current owner American International Group, which is being forced to sell subsidiaries. Udvar-Hazy reportedly says a deal will likely close early in 2009.
Proposing an asteroid mission with Constellation hardware instead of building a lunar base can’t be serious (AW&ST Nov. 17, p. 29). The same proponents considered interplanetary missions “not feasible” due to radiation dangers, until NASA proposed returning to the Moon. “Asteroids first” bears the risk of wrecking both programs at this stage of development. Visiting Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) as a first step to Mars is a good idea, but not with the Orion-Altair combination.
Charles Quintero (see photos) and Yamaris Soto, both engineers at the Baltimore-based Electronic Systems Sector of the Northrop Grumman Corp., were honored by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC). Quintero, a senior advisory engineer, received the HENAAC Luminary Award, and Soto, a senior multidiscipline engineer, the Community Service Award. Quintero was recognized for myriad radar systems engineering achievements. He is a systems architect for a new, multifunction ground-based military radar program.
Companies specializing in flight simulators for the general aviation industry are focusing on PC-based and commercial-off-the-shelf technologies to create next-generation training devices that are both affordable and highly capable teaching tools.
Luxury airline Wataniya Airways plans to launch service in February with twice-daily flights to Dubai from Kuwait using two Airbus A320s. The aircraft are designed to carry 122 passengers in a two-class (first- and premium-economy) configuration. Wataniya will operate from Kuwait’s Royal Terminal, a 100,000-sq.-ft. privately owned fixed-base operation located at Kuwait International Airport. Next year, the Kuwaiti startup airline plans to operate four aircraft and announce additional destinations.
Mikhail Pogosyan, closely associated with Sukhoi for nearly three decades, is to lead an effort to steady the finances of rival manufacturer MiG prior to its being integrated into United Aircraft Corp.’s combat aircraft division. The process of turning MiG into a 100% government-held joint stock company is taking longer than anticipated. In parallel, MiG’s financial plight has become apparent.
Brian Horais, Aerospace Engineer (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Michael Goldberg in his Viewpoint, “How To Ease the Engineering Gap” (AW&ST Nov. 17, p. 62), says a “gap this large cannot be filled solely by efforts to boost the supply of talent.” But if we don’t address the dwindling supply, better management of the current engineers will be a declining proposition. During the race to put a man on the Moon in the 1960s, aerospace engineering careers were highly desirable, thanks to the spirit of creativity and innovation.
The price of EU emission allowances (EUAs) under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme fell for most of November, before finding support in the latter half of the month as oil prices began to stabilize. EUAs for December 2008 delivery held broadly steady in the first few days of November, holding mostly in a range of €18-19 ($23.04-24.32) per metric ton of CO2 equivalent.
Boeing has warned its employees to expect job cuts of potentially more than the annual attrition rate of 4-5% beginning early in 2009, citing challenges across its commercial and defense businesses including delayed programs and contract awards, expected slower military spending and the impact of a global recession on airlines.
WestWind Technologies is beginning construction of a new Aircraft Modification & Integration Center in Alabama at the Huntsville International Airport. The facility will help the company meet increased demand for aviation services at the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal and is designed to accommodate every type of rotorcraft in the Army’s inventory as well as airplanes up to the size of C-130s, says Roger Messick, chief operating officer.
There are increasing indications the AgustaWestland Future Lynx will emerge comparatively unscathed from the British government’s present round of budget deliberations. While numbers for both the Royal Navy and Army will likely be trimmed, the program is now expected to go ahead. There are also suggestions that some of the Army’s Lynx helicopters may be re-engined.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. continues its drive to turn the launch-vehicle market on its head with the first full-duration firing of the nine-engine first stage for its medium-lift Falcon 9. Partially funded with seed money from NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) effort, Falcon 9 is a big step up from the privately developed, single-engine Falcon 1 that finally flew Sept. 28 (AW&ST Oct. 6, p. 41). The Nov. 22 static firing on the SpaceX vertical test stand in McGregor, Tex., lasted 178 sec.—simulating an actual mission.
Amy Butler (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
Pentagon enthusiasm for the F-35 program appears to be solidifying, with the Navy offering up money to meet a shortfall in funding in Fiscal 2009 and Defense Dept. leadership mulling a budget boost for production. The show of support comes as the F-35 is embroiled in a domestic debate over continued production of the F-22.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will have to wait longer for critical military equipment as delays loom for the EADS KC-30 refueling tanker and uncertainty continues over the schedule for the Boeing 737-based Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft.
Technological advances and a new global standard are shifting the dynamics of the simulation and training business. No longer will the training provider tell the customer: “Here’s the simulator, decide what to do with it.” The customer will say, “Here’s how we want to train our pilots. Give us the products to accomplish our training tasks.”
Aurora Flight Sciences has completed limit load testing of the wing designed for the Orion HALL hydrogen-powered, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle. The single-piece cantilevered beam structure, which spans 132 ft., features composite spars and skins, but the ribs are a mix of aluminum alloy and composites. The structure withstood loads up to 1.5 times (150%) the highest aerodynamic load the wing is expected to encounter during its service life. The wing was built and tested at Aurora’s facility in Columbus, Miss.
Dec. 8-9—Technology Training Corps’ Space Security & Defense Conference. MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas. Call +1 (310) 563-1223, fax +1 (310) 563-1220 or see www.technologytraining.com Jan. 5-8American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ 47th Annual Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition. Orlando (Fla.) World Center Marriott. Call +1 (703) 264-7500 or +1 (800) 639-AIAA, fax +1 (703) 264-7551 or see www.aiaa.org
Space industry executives are calling on President-elect Barack Obama’s new administration to establish a “clear and robust national space policy” as a top priority to help the U.S. compete globally against growing international commercial and military space capabilities.
John Greenhalgh has become director of Middle East/Africa operations for the International Products and Services unit of ITT Communications Systems , Fort Wayne, Ind. He was head of business development for ITT Defense Ltd., Basingstoke, England.
Acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell has declared the initial segment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast receivers in South Florida operational and said ADS-B is ready for nationwide deployment. However, the fate of this deployment and the larger NextGen ATC modernization effort remains in limbo.
Prof. Darryll J. Pines has been named dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering and Nariman Farvardin Professor of Engineering at the University of Maryland , effective Jan. 5. He has been chairman of the Aerospace Engineering Dept. since 2006.
Despite financial uncertainties, Europe will forge ahead with a sharply expanded civil space program that will consolidate its place in science and Earth observation, while moving it into key new areas of activity.
A Chinese space delegation is in Washington this week to continue space cooperation discussions with NASA. One U.S. objective is to discuss Chinese participation in NASA’s Aeronet atmospheric aerosol detection program, says NASA Assistant Administrator Michael F. O’Brien. Aeronet sensors in about 35 countries measure atmospheric content from the ground and compare it with similar information from satellites.
