Two Russian air force Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers will return to their base Sept. 15 following a five-day deployment to Venezuela, according to Russia’s Novosti news agency. Russia is planning to hold a naval exercise with Venezuela later this year, including deploying the Kirov-class cruiser Peter the Great. The deployments are seen as part of the deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and Russia following the latter’s military incursion into Georgia.
Farnborough-based Gama Holdings acquired Lees Avionics of Buckinghamshire, England, which will allow the companies, with their European Aviation Safety Agency Part 21J design and Part 145 aircraft maintenance authorizations, to offer complete design, modification and installation services for a variety of aircraft. Lees Avionics will retain its name and Harry Lees, the company’s founder and managing director, will continue his role.
Legislation to create and enforce an airline passenger bill of rights may be bogged down in the U.S. Congress, but Canada is launching a program to inform travelers of their rights. Flight Rights Canada “will help make sure that air travelers know their rights as consumers, and that obligations of air carriers are reflected in how they provide services,” says Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon. Among the provisions, passengers will be offered the option of disembarking from aircraft after a 90-min. delay on the ground, if circumstances permit.
A bold concept to bridge the digital divide around the globe underscores the growing importance of emerging markets to the satellite communications industry and its ability to weather the economic downturn.
Douglas Barrie (London), David A. Fulghum (Washington)
Royal Air Force leaders taking a first look at key procurement and support funding proposals face hard choices in their struggle to balance immediate operational requirements with longer-term equipment aspirations. The RAF is continuing to count the cost of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, both in terms of personnel and wear and tear on equipment. Fast jet, tactical and air transport fleet utilization rates are at higher than planned, with the resulting financial and service life implications.
EADS is expanding its far-reaching restructuring program in an attempt to put the company on sound financial footing, even as it faces development delays in the A400M military transport program and the first major hiccup in A380 flight operations
Douglas Barrie (London), Michael Bruno (Washington), John M. Doyle (Washington)
The fate of an Anglo-American defense industrial trade agreement may be determined this month, at least for the Bush administration, as its legislative window narrows. The Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty has yet to be approved by the Senate. The pact was signed by President Bush and then-British Prime Tony Blair in June 2007. Originally, it had been hoped that the document would go before the Senate in January of this year. A similar agreement with Australia was signed in September 2007.
Peg Billson has been appointed president/general manager of the Eclipse Aviation Manufacturing Div., Albuquerque, N.M., and Mike McConnell president/general manager of the Customer Div. Billson was chief operating officer, while McConnell was vice president-sales and marketing. Mark Borseth will lead the Process Improvement Teams and continue as chief financial officer.
The space shuttle orbiter Endeavour is being stacked on its external tank and solid rocket boosters in the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building following rollover of the vehicle from the Orbiter Processing Facility Sept. 11. Endeavour is to be hauled to Launch Complex 39B early on Sept. 19 where it will be readied for the STS-400 rescue backup for the STS-125 Hubble servicing mission set for launch Oct. 10.
The Royal Australian Air Force has opened a $42.9-million squadron headquarters and hangar at RAAF Base Amberley in Brisbane to support the new KC-30B, an Airbus A330 modified to serve as a multi-role tanker transport aircraft. The RAAF has five KC-30Bs on order under a $1.17-billion contract. The aircraft, set to enter service next year, will be operated by the RAAF’s No. 33 Sqdn. at Amberley. Also based there is No. 36 Sqdn. operating four C-17s (see photo) being obtained under a $2-billion order.
The Pentagon is in talks with the United Arab Emirates for what could become the first export of the Lockheed Martin Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense missile defense system. Talks are underway for a $6.95-billion deal to supply up to three Thaad firing units and 147 ballistic missile interceptors. The package would include three tactical radars and one for maintenance, six Thaad fire control and communications stations, and nine launchers.
Vought Aircraft has been named to provide wings for the Northrop Grumman RQ-4N maritime derivative Global Hawk that will be used for the U.S. Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System program. Vought will use graphite and epoxy to build the 131-ft.-long wing in Dallas.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries aims to become a master player in the production of commercial aircraft wings while separately seeking to be an integrator of its own complete aircraft. For decades, the company has built almost all types of major civil airframe assemblies, but it has now settled on just one as its key specialty, perhaps the most difficult: the wing.
General Electric was awarded a $120.2- million addition to a full-rate production contract for 30 F414 GE-400 engines in support of Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18Fs under the foreign military sales program.
Northrop Grumman has won the $5.1-billion, seven-year contract for design and construction of a new nuclear aircraft carrier—the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). The new class of carrier is the replacement for the long-serving Nimitz design. Advanced construction began in 2005 under a separate $2.7-billion contract. The ship’s keel will be laid in the fall of 2009 with delivery slated for 2015.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London)
U.S., French and South Korean aircrews were able to fly with—but not against—one of the world’s fabled aircraft, the Indian air force’s Su-30MKI. An IAF group of 50 pilots and weapon systems officers, flying eight Su-30MKIs, two Il-78 tankers and an Il-76 transport recently wrapped up a month-long tour in the U.S. It was completed with a training cycle at Red Flag that included both air-to-air and air-to-ground operations.
NASA’s space shuttle program can continue to fly beyond its scheduled retirement date at the end of 2010, probably with only minimal impact to development of the first of its follow-on vehicles, as long as Congress appropriates enough money for both activities.
Come next spring, passengers on Air Canada will be able to access the Internet on A319s operating to U.S. West Coast destinations. The “GoGo” service becomes available under an agreement between the Montreal-based carrier and AirCell. Initial service is limited to the U.S., as it is based on AirCell’s existing U.S. ground network. As AirCell rolls out its Canadian air-to-ground network, the airline plans to deploy the system fleet-wide throughout North American markets.
Lucy Reilly Fitch has been named vice president-corporate communications for BAE Systems in London and Julian Scopes president of BAE Systems India in New Delhi. Fitch was vice president-mergers and acquisitions, while Scopes was London-based head of government relations and U.K. business development.
Scientists are beginning to cull information from a small asteroid—2867 Steins—following a close flyby by Europe’s Rosetta comet chaser. The Sept. 5 encounter brought the probe to within 800 km. (495 mi.) of the target for imaging with its Osiris wide-angle optical camera. Seen in a mosaic from the flyby, Steins is the first nominal scientific target in the probe’s 11-year-plus mission to explore the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Only 4.6 km.
Rob Mionis, who has been CEO of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise ’s DAE Engineering, will now also be president/CEO of subsidiary StandardAero, Tempe, Ariz. He will succeed Paul Soubry, who will be a strategic adviser to the combined organization. Scott Shiells has become airframe program director for business aviation for StandardAero. He was maintenance and modification project manager for Duncan Aviation.
Three major European airlines could be sold in the next few weeks, as investors intensify efforts to reshape Europe’s air transport sector. At Austrian Airlines, non-binding bids for the 43% government stake were due Sept. 12 while a group of Italian investors were struggling to reach a last-minute deal with the airline’s unions over pay cuts and productivity improvements. At the same time, Brussels Airlines was pondering which of three interested partners it will select as its founding shareholders seek a way out.
Boeing has completed its acquisition of unmanned air systems maker Insitu of Bingen, Wash., as part of a wider plan to increase the company’s presence in the unmanned-aircraft market. Terms were not disclosed.
Rheinmetall has completed purchase of a 51% stake in Denel’s munitions business, following approval by antitrust authorities and fulfillment of other technicalities. South African-based Denel will keep a 41% holding. The move will allow German-based Rheinmetall to expand outside of its NATO customer base to Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America, where Denel has a foothold. Rheinmetall generates annual sales of $1 billion, Denel’s munitions activity, about 10% of that.
