China’s Avicopter and Russia’s Oboronprom plan to co-develop a heavy-lift helicopter. The program may well be based on Mil’s Mi-46 design, which was first proposed in the early 1990s.
The U.S. military and allies are heavily involved in rebuilding the Iraqi air force (see p. 48) and the air arm of the Afghanistan national army (see p. 56), both of which are being created from almost nothing. One of the priorities in Iraq is to build an effective helicopter force that can support the Iraqi army’s counter-insurgency operations. The Mi-17 is becoming the backbone of the air force’s rotorcraft fleet. Photo by U.S. Army Capt. R. Shawn Herron.
Dr. Ira Blumen of the University of Chicago Medical Center has won the second annual Vision Zero Aviation Safety Award from American Eurocopter for his “tireless work in leading the Opportunities for Safety Improvement in Helicopter EMS research project.” OSI-HEMS has brought together more than 40 aviation and medical experts to review the estimated 120 helicopter EMS accidents since 1998. The project was conceived after a 2005 conference at which Blumen presented a lecture entitled “Safety: Evidence-Based Decision Making.”
Sahib Ajjam has been named head of aircraft maintenance for southern Germany for Lufthansa Technik . He succeeds Wolfgang Diefenbach, who is now technical director of Lufthansa CityLine. Ajjam was head of VIP completions for Airbus and Boeing aircraft at the Lufthansa Technik Completion Center.
NASA Kennedy Space Center has selected off-the-shelf Harris Corp. telemetry, tracking and command software for the Constellation Launch Control System that will be used to process and countdown the Ares booster and Orion spacecraft. Designated OS/Comet, the software is less complex than the highly specialized Launch Processing System software used for the space shuttle.
Embraer on Nov. 4 released its first market forecast for China. In the next two decades, the Brazilian manufacturer sees a demand for 875 new regional aircraft, 120 with 30-60 seats, 295 with 61-90 seats and 460 with 91-120 seats. In addition, there will be a continuing industry push for greater fuel efficiency and environment-friendly equipment.
Robert Wall (Kirkuk Regional AB and New al-Muthana AB)
Airborne intelligence-gathering in the Iraqi air force is moving into a new stage as more advanced systems come on line and the service moves to becoming more independent. But perhaps more importantly, the IQAF is set to field its first armed reconnaissance capability. Besides allowing the service to move beyond just imaging potential hot spots, forces will be able to intervene directly and stop hostile action as it’s detected.
Mission: STS-126 International Space Station (ISS) Utilization flight ULA-2. The 126th launch of the shuttle program. Orbiter: Endeavour, 22nd flight Launch date: Nov. 14 at 7:55 p.m. EST off Launch Complex 39A
The rumors are already flying. Less than 36 hr. after Democratic Sen. Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election, a senior executive at an F-22 supplier told AVIATION WEEK that the Raptor program is marked for termination. His fears are well grounded, since some of Obama’s defense advisers view the costly fighter jet as a Cold War relic. But it’s unlikely the new President-elect is going to make such momentous moves anytime soon.
At the end of 1980 and the start of 1981, as Ronald Reagan prepared to become President of the U.S., his national security transition team mapped the end of what the new administration came to call a “decade of neglect” in defense spending. As purse strings loosened, the Pentagon went on a shopping spree. We need airlift? Develop the C-17 and buy more C-5s, plus some KC-10s for good measure. Should we build more B-1 bombers or wait for the B-2? Buy both. MX? Midgetman? Trident 2? Yes, yes, yes.
As the Pentagon turns its attention to Afghanistan, the Army is speeding ahead to buy roughly 20 more Constant Hawk intelligence collection aircraft to support operations there. Constant Hawk consists of several electro-optical cameras on a single platform that provide a 360-deg. view of the space around it. High-resolution streaming video is collected and stored, and the system is used for forensics after an event, such as an improvised-explosive-device detonation. Col.
Thales Alenia Space will supply X-band communications subsystems and S-band tracking, telemetry and control transponders for the Sentinel 1, 2 and 3 satellites, as well as the next three recurrent spacecraft, planned for Europe’s Kopernikus (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) program.
Honeywell Aerospace and Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS) will help the FAA accelerate the installation and testing of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, according to acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell. The new FAA contract is designed to show how ADS-B can help pilots spot safety problems near airports and to encourage aircraft operators to install such equipment earlier than mandated. ACSS will receive $6 million to work on an ADS-B demonstration at Philadelphia International Airport.
First Officer James E. Eaton American Airlines (Yarmouth, Maine)
American Airlines is seeking antitrust immunity for its proposed joint venture with Oneworld alliance partners British Airways and Iberia. This is a competitive response to the Star and SkyTeam alliances, which already enjoy immunity.
Michael Bruno (Washington), John M. Doyle (Washington)
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is moving quickly to organize his administration’s takeover, including national security policy and Pentagon leadership, while reaching out to supporters of his opponent in last week’s election.
China is pushing ahead with development of a broad range of tactical guided weaponry, offering up an increasingly wide range of systems for export. Several previously unseen developments were on display at Airshow China. They included a small anti-ship cruise missile, air-launched versions of a tactical anti-ship missile, a range of dual-mode and standoff precision-guided munitions, a low-cost laser-guided missile and a “small-diameter bomb.” The last two are both intended, at least in part, for UAV applications.
General Dynamics has completed the acquisition of Jet Aviation from Dreamliner Lux, controlled by the Permira Funds. The $2.18-billion purchase, announced in August, will give General Dynamics control of one of the largest business aviation service companies, and a leader in the VVIP completion business.
The list of defense programs facing do-or-die decisions in the next administration seems to grow monthly. But some decisions—the F-22 Raptor and the next Air Force combat search-and-rescue aircraft—could come due before President-elect Barack Obama and a raft of newly empowered Democrats in Congress have moved into their new offices. Obama ran on a platform that promised to revamp defense programs in favor of personnel needs, rebuilding the military and advancing new technologies.
A National Transportation Safety Board team is helping Mexican investigators seek clues to the cause of the Nov. 4 crash of a Learjet 45 on approach to Mexico City. The aircraft crashed into a residential neighborhood, killing all nine people on board, including Mexican Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mourino, according to the NTSB.
By 2020, 97 additional airports will be operating in China to bring the country’s total to 244, according to its civil aviation authority. Construction of a second international airport for Beijing is due to begin within the next couple of years.
The Iraqi vision is grand: build one of the Middle East’s premier air forces flying F-16s, attack helicopters and modern airlifters. But years of neglect, combat losses and domestic turmoil mean that attaining this goal will be an enormous challenge. Trying to create a new air force in what’s effectively still a war zone may be an unprecedented undertaking. Nevertheless, such efforts are gaining momentum as a new generation of systems, pilots, maintenance personnel and processes starts coming into its own.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is now the 14th in the U.S. with an operational Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) system that allows air traffic controllers to see all aircraft moving on the airport surface on an electronic display. Sensis Corp. is installing ASDE-X systems at 35 airports in the U.S. In an unrelated contract, Sensis has provided its Aerobahn Service to Continental Airlines so the carrier can see all aircraft moving on the surface at Newark Liberty International Airport.
A severe shortage in aircraft delivery financing is threatening to leave Airbus and Boeing stranded with perhaps 200 “white-tail” aircraft they can’t place with customers. The aircraft financing crisis comes on top of fears by analysts that 20-30% of Airbus and Boeing backlogs may be at risk as airlines go bust. Exacerbating the situation is that the leasing sector—which both aircraft makers were hoping would help them ride through the storm—also has entered a period of upheaval and restructuring.
A worldwide recession may be near, but Boeing is bullish on air freight, assigning it a 5.8% average annual growth rate in its latest 20-year forecast. As they have for almost a decade, Asian air cargo markets are expected to lead growth, with domestic Chinese and intra-Asian markets growing 9.9% and 8.1%, respectively. Boeing’s analysts expect the world freighter fleet to nearly double to 3,892 aircraft in 2027 from 1,948 last year. Biggest growth will come in mid-size and large freighters, which will see their market share increase to 65% from the current 61%.
Shenyang is planning yet another upgrade of the F-8II fighter aircraft, dubbed the F-8T. The upgrade would cover avionics, the flight control system and weaponry. Likely candidates for the latter include the SD-10 (PL-12) radar-guided air-to-air missile, as well as a supersonic anti-ship missile.
