On the campaign trail, Obama promised to bring back a national space council, but don’t assume the next vice president will be overseeing space policy. While that has been the case historically, any president has great latitude in setting up a space council. The first was created in 1958, but President Dwight Eisenhower largely ignored it, writes Dwayne A. Day, author of a history of White House space policy-making. The driving force behind the idea was then-Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson (D-Tex.), who became council chair when he was elected vice president.
An aging global fleet of seaplanes is prompting several companies to come forward with new or renewed designs aimed at private, commercial inter-island and special-mission markets for aircraft that can take off and land on water.
Air New Zealand and Boeing have scheduled the first flight test of a sustainably produced bio-derived replacement for petroleum-based jet fuel for Dec. 3. A 50-50 blend of conventional Jet A1 and a biofuel derived from jatropha will be used in one of four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines on a 747-400. The biofuel was produced using hydroprocessing technology developed by Honeywell company UOP. Boeing says the flight will be the first to use a biofuel that is sustainably sourced, commercially viable and meets the requirements for a “drop-in” replacement jet fuel.
Lockheed Martin’s preproduction F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, AA1, achieved supersonic flight for the first time Nov. 13, according to Dan Crowley, the company’s JSF vice president. The aircraft reached Mach 1.05 during its 69th flight, which lasted 58 min. This brings the airctraft’s flight-hour tally to 95.5, which is representative of the conventional takeoff and landing variant. Furthermore, Crowley says the Pentagon has approved proceeding with the third low-rate initial production lot, which includes 14 aircraft for the U.S., two for the U.K.
Germany’s defense armaments agency, the BWB, is assessing the Bental MicroBat 275 sensor for potential use on small unmanned air vehicles. The Israeli-designed system weight about 350 grams (12.5 oz.), has a 2.75-in. diameter and is optimized for installation in particularly small airframes. The goal is to improve the quality of photographs using the image-stabilized sensor. Germany’s EMT, which builds small UAVs such as the Luna and Aladin systems serving with the German military, is also evaluating the sensor package.
The Belgian government has scrapped plans to introduce a tax on airline tickets, which was fiercely opposed by air transport professionals and by the regional government of Wallonia, home of Charleroi Airport, one of Ryanair’s main continental hubs. The tax was expected to generate €132 million ($165 million) in revenue for the Belgian budget.
The European Commission is preparing legislation that would allow use of full body scanners for airport security checks throughout the European Union beginning in 2010. But the EU Parliament says the devices are tantamount to “a virtual strip search” and would raise privacy issues.
If cargo traffic is the proverbial canary in the coal mine, signaling economic slowdown or collapse, then current declines in airfreight volume augur impending recession or less-optimistic forecasts of gross domestic product (GDP) growth, analysts and economists say. Passenger demand tends to lag economic slowdown by six months to a year, as consumers complete long-planned trips and businesses cut travel budgets. But airfreight moves almost in lockstep with the economy, says Brian Pearce, chief economist for the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA).
The Italian air force has completed a series of flight trials to approve refueling operations for the Eurofighter Typhoon and the KC-130J aerial tanker. The tests were conducted at the Decimomannu test range in Sardinia. Eight refuelings were accomplished, including one mission flown at night. The Typhoon involved is IPA2, which Alenia Aeronautica uses for testing. The airplane flew both in a clean configuration and with external fuel tanks under the wings and central fuselage. The air force has 22 C-130Js and will configure eight for refueling operations.
Boeing and Raytheon demonstrated software their team developed to be common to the space and ground segments of the U.S. Air Force’s Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT). TSAT is a key piece of the Pentagon’s next-generation secure, global communications network, particularly because of its ability to provide Internet-protocol connections for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance communities. The Boeing-led team is vying with one headed by Lockheed Martin to win the TSAT contract.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, a widespread economic downturn and erratic oil prices, the airline industry is, again, in serious turmoil. Traffic growth is evaporating, yields are threatened by the urgent need to fill empty seats, while weak players are struggling to survive.
The latest speculation about potential choices for Obama’s Cabinet is that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is declining to stay on at the Pentagon with the new administration. At least two sources, citing Democratic insiders, say Gates let it be known he doesn’t want to serve in an Obama administration. What isn’t clear is whether the former CIA director and Texas A&M president has had enough of Washington, or had some policy differences with the Obama camp, which criticized the troop surge in Iraq during the presidential campaign.
Richard Leo (see photo) has become vice president-business management/chief financial officer for the Northrop Grumman Corp. ’s Integrated Systems Eastern Region, Bethpage, N.Y. He was director of business management for Airborne Early Warning Battle Management Command and Control programs.
USAF Col. (ret.) Michael R. Gallagher (Hillsboro, Ore.)
Outclimbing a developing thunderstorm as an avoidance strategy, as implied in the color diagram (AW&ST Oct. 27, p. 52), is not a great idea with or without radar guidance. Thunderstorms can grow at rates exceeding the climb capabilities of jet aircraft operating at normal en-route cruise altitudes. It’s far better to use the additional information available in the vertical view provided by the IntuVue radar display, to chart a lateral avoidance strategy.
Astronomers believe this Hubble Space Telescope image of the star Fomalhaut includes the first extrasolar planet ever detected directly in visible light (insets). A separate near-infrared image collected with the Keck and Gemini telescopes in Hawaii, also released last week, directly revealed what are believed to be three more planets in the extrasolar system surrounding the star HR8799, 140 light-years distant.
Orders from Grupo Marsans, BOC Aviation and Air Arabia have pushed Airbus gross bookings for the year above the 850-unit target. Grupo Marsans confirmed a long-standing deal, which includes four A380s, to bring the A380 order intake for more than 200 aircraft, eight years after commercial launch of the mega-transport.
Jean-Loup Picard, Thales senior vice president for strategy, research and technology, says a projected increase in development costs for the Airbus Military A400M airlifter’s flight management system will not affect plans to market derivatives for commercial applications. Further delays in the A400M will force Thales to take a writeoff in the second half of this year and could lead to further writedowns. Picard insists, though, that the company will adapt modular FMS technology used in the A400M for the commercial market, currently dominated by Honeywell.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has scheduled a Dec. 3 “Town Meeting” at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., so individuals can air concerns and question officials regarding the agency’s proposed Large Aircraft Security Plan for all Part 91 aircraft over 12,500 lb. The plan calls for criminal background checks of business aircraft pilots and flight attendants, screening of passengers, and third-party security audits, among other things.
Finmeccanica reported third-quarter revenue growth of 6% to €9.7 billion ($12.13 billion), with net profit of €396 million compared to €294 million for the same period in 2007. The bottom line includes a one-off payment of €54 million linked to the sale of 2.9% stake in STM. Additionally, Finmeccanica increased its order backlog, securing an additional €4.7 billion in orders in the third quarter. That brings the orderbook to €40.8 billion, the equivalent of almost three years of operations.
Saab began flight testing of the Gripen Demonstrator in May. The company so far has focused on assessing handling qualities and next year will begin installing new systems, including an active electronically scanned radar (see p. 50). The Demonstrator is designed to pave the way for the Gripen Next Generation, which could be fielded in 2014 depending on the outcome of several high-profile fighter competitions. Saab photo by Katsuhiko Tokunaga.
Loral Space & Communications says its Space Systems/Loral unit has landed a new satellite contract from an unspecified major operator. Together with an order revealed last month, also from an unspecified operator, SS/L has seven spacecraft awards for the year. SS/L revenues for the first nine months were $646 million, up from $618 million for the year-ago period, but adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were down to $24.5 million from $33 million, because of foreign exchange losses and higher R&D expenses.
The Air Force announced “operational acceptance” of a new missile warning payload in highly elliptical orbit (HEO). This payload, the first of the Space-Based Infrared System, built by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, was launched in 2006 and has undergone a rigorous trial period. U.S. Strategic Command, which will operate the system, must still certify it suitable for use to begin its official mission warning forces of ballistic missile launches.
Benet J. Wilson (Washington), Aileen Cho (New York)
While acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell is touting the benefit of three new U.S. runways opening Nov. 20, the agency is moving forward with a streamlining process that should ease future airport projects. The runways, opening at Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare and Seattle-Tacoma airports, will enable the U.S. aviation system to include 300,000 more annual operations, Sturgell tells Aviation Week & Space Technology. “That will allow us the capability to handle more traffic and have fewer passenger delays,” he says.
The European Commission has requested additional information on a planned merger between Astrium and U.K. small satellite specialist Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. SSTL officials say the request is only a technicality and does not call the takeover into question. Final approval, initially expected by mid-November, is still anticipated before Christmas, they indicate.
