USN Cdr. (ret.) Scott Carpenter, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, will be among the 2008 inductees for the San Diego Air and Space Museum . The others are: The Tuskegee Airmen, represented by Roscoe Brown and Lee Archer; John and Martha King of the King Schools; J. Robert Beyster, founder of the Science Applications International Corp.; USAF Col. (ret.) Steve Pisanos of the original Eagle Squadrons; and Gen. Bob Cardenas, USAF flying wing test pilot.
The Pentagon and intelligence community’s “poster child” satellite program for unprecedented cooperation between their national-security space cultures appears to have splintered. The Pentagon now plans to move ahead with its own Space Radar demonstration, with fielding beginning in 2012, while the intel community seems to be uninterested in this effort. Space Radar is expected to provide tactical support to ground forces with radar imagery and moving target indictor capabilities similar to those of the Joint Stars aircraft operated by the Air Force.
Boeing is studying winglets for possible retrofit to 777-200, ‑200ER and -300 versions as part of a series of planned performance upgrades, initial elements of which are now in development. The winglet study, being undertaken with specialist Aviation Partners Boeing, is competing with an alternate “enhanced raked tip” option and remains part of a long-term improvement study, says Boeing Commercial Airplane Services (CAS) Environmental Strategy Director Per Noren.
Boeing has submitted an F/A-18E/F Block 2 Super Hornet offer to Denmark, formally joining a 48-aircraft competition that already includes the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and Saab Gripen NG. A final recommendation to parliament is expected by mid-2009, aiming for a contract award by year-end and deliveries beginning in 2016. Saab, meanwhile, has submitted a proposal for 85 Gripen NGs to the Netherlands, which is evaluating alternatives to the F-35. Lockheed has also provided information requested by the Dutch on an F-16E/F Block 60 derivative.
The U.S. Navy plans to begin flight testing fixes to its airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) package for the MH-60S helicopter in one year, slipping by 20 months plans to achieve initial operational testing in July 2008. After 350 hr. in operational testing of the Raytheon AN/AQS-20, a towed deep-water mine detection system, the Navy halted the testing process because of reliability problems. The towed system has an intricate interface with the MH-60S which lowers, tows and retracts it back into the aircraft called the Carriage, Stream, Tow and Recovery System.
Globalstar, Inmarsat and Iridium are reaching critical milestones in their quest to roll out a new generation of global mobile communications satellites competitive with terrestrial cell phone networks. The spacecraft—together with hybrid geostationary systems being introduced in the U.S., Asia and Europe—are intended to meet exploding demand for mobile satellite service (MSS).
Capt. (ret.) Dave Harris (see photo) is being honored by the Silver Spring, Md.-based Organization of Black Airline Pilots Inc. for being the first African-American to fly for a commercial airline. Harris retired from American Airlines in 1994 after more 30 years of service. Also being honored is Joan Dorsey, who became the first African-American flight attendant. She retired from American Airlines in 1999 after 36 years.
The German state government of Bavaria is placing an order for eight Eurocopter EC135 P2i helicopters. The rotorcraft are to be fielded between September 2009 and April 2010. The state has previously operated EC135s at the Bavarian Police Helicopter Squadron, first fielding them in 1998, but needed to modernize its helicopters. The letter of intent also calls for a 10-year power-by-the-hour service package to be provided by Eurocopter. The helo configuration includes a Flir sensor, high-resolution digital day/night camera, and satellite communications.
Amy Butler (Washington), David A. Fulghum (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
The reputation of Predator manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems as an innovator appears to be tarnishing as the company strains to fulfill the obligations of a number of contracts for the Pentagon.
NASA is seeking ideas from industry about communications and navigation services that could be used by future lunar explorers over the next quarter-century. The request for information (RFI) calls for concepts for terrestrial network services and ground stations, Earth-orbiting satellites, Moon-orbiting satellites and lunar surface capabilities, among other categories.
Charles P. Blankenship, Jr., has been appointed vice president/general manager of commercial engines at GE Aviation , Evendale, Ohio. He was general manager of GE Energy’s Aeroderivative Gas Turbine business and had been general manager for small commercial engines.
Southwest has released a winter schedule that eliminates a net of 190 one-way frequencies—including 22 departures at Chicago Midway, 13 at Baltimore/Washington Airport and 11 in Las Vegas—which means it will be offering about 4% fewer flights than it did this past winter. Most of the cuts simply reduce the number of frequencies in a market, but three city pairs will lose service completely when the schedule kicks in on Jan. 11: Phoenix-Birmingham, Nashville-Oakland and Nashville-Seattle.
South Korea is a high-tempo laboratory where a futuristic, multinational military machine is being pieced together. But the process is being hobbled by events beyond its borders that include U.S. personnel turnover of about 85% a year, Washington’s budget battles, the vagaries of digital technology and combat a half world away.
Inmarsat is preparing to apply for a European hybrid mobile satellite service license as demand for MSS bandwidth continues to surge worldwide. The operator’s decision follows a European Union decision on Aug. 7 to launch an auction for 2 GHz. of S-band spectrum (AW&ST Aug. 11, p. 20). On Aug. 22, Inmarsat concluded preliminary agreements with Thales Alenia Space and ILS to build and launch a hybrid satellite, EuropaSat, pending the outcome of the auction. The 5.7‑metric-ton, 8.5 kw. EuropaSat spacecraft would be launched in early 2011. Applications are due in by Oct.
Aviation Week restates the notion that the Air Force’s so-called 2018 bomber will “begin fielding in 2018” (AW&ST Aug. 4, p. 28) in one form or another. That is 10 years away, and the “formal requirements” have not yet even been released. This deadline is preposterous, given USAF’s track record of the last 30 years. By comparison, the F-22 RFP was issued in 1986, and the YF-22 was selected in 1991. If “fielding” means initial operational capability (IOC), the F-22 reached IOC in December 2005, 19 years after the RFP and 14 years after the prototype flew.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense will ask parliament for ¥95 billion ($86.6 billion) to upgrade 22 F-15Js and buy parts for a further 38 in the budget year that begins on Apr. 1. Development delays with the Kawasaki Heavy Industries C-X airlifter have resulted in the elimination of funding—presumably initial procurement funding. The ministry has also chosen not to ask for money for extra Boeing AH-64D Apache helicopters.
The Dutch army plans to field five short-range, tactical unmanned aircraft to support military operations in Afghanistan. The nation’s Defense Materiel Organization is asking companies about a potential acquisition program, with the goal of having the UAVs operational by March 2009 with the capability of providing the army with 180 hr. of imagery per month. The requests for proposals ask for lease pricing quotes of one-, six- and 12-month periods through 2010.
Iran’s flight test of a space launch vehicle failed Aug. 17, according to radar tracking by a U.S. Navy destroyer and infrared data from U.S. Air Force Defense Support Program (DSP) missile-warning satellites. Gordon Johndroe, with the U.S. National Security Council, confirmed the Aug. 17 test saying “the Iranian development and testing of rockets is troubling and raises further questions about Iranian intentions.” Key data on the failure was provided by the USS Russell, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer patrolling the Persian Gulf.
Allen Boyd (see photo) has become vice president for Tactical Communications Systems at ITT Communications Systems , Fort Wayne, Ind. He was senior director for the Joint Tactical Radio System and military satellite communications programs and senior director for ground vehicle solutions for Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Boeing will build up to 215 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters over five years for the U.S. Army under a multi-year contract worth a potential $4.3 billion. The contract covers 191 firm and 24 option aircraft and will save more than $449 million over annual procurement, according to Boeing. Deliveries will begin in January 2009, and two-thirds of the helicopters will be new-build. Boeing is also building six CH-47Fs for the Netherlands and has signed a contract with an unidentified Middle East customer for four helicopters with an option for 16.
Northrop Grumman’s AQ-8B Fire Scout UAV has begun payload-integration and data-link flight tests as the U.S. Navy moves toward technical evaluation (Techeval) of the aircraft early next year. Flights with Flir Systems’ Brite Star II electro-optical/infrared sensor and Cubic tactical control data link are underway at NAS Patuxent River, Md. Techeval is scheduled for early 2009 on board a Perry-class frigate, leading to operational evaluation in the third quarter and initial operating capability soon thereafter.
David A. Fulghum (Osan AB, South Korea), Douglas Barrie (London)
Reconnaissance in South Korea is sophisticated, but it’s only a preview of the advanced capabilities sought by military planners. Information from the small force of U-2s based at Osan AB will be supplemented by near-real-time information from high-flying, Global Hawk strategic-range unmanned aircraft flying out of Guam or perhaps even South Korea as well. Operation of low- and mid-altitude Predator and Reaper tactical UAVs also is envisioned.
Managers on NASA’s Constellation Program may know by early next year what kind of budget hit they face for letting their target initial operational capability (IOC) for the Orion crew exploration vehicle slip a year. Tight funding and technical issues pushed the IOC to September 2014 (AW&ST Aug. 18/25, p. 42). The last time NASA changed its Orion IOC—from 2011 to 2013—it added $384.8 million to its development contract with Lockheed Martin, according to the Constellation program office.
Lockheed Martin has completed its acquisition of Tenix Group’s interest in RLM Holdings—a radar, systems engineering, integration and logistics management business based in Adelaide, Australia. RLM began in 1997 as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Tenix.
Initial launch pad checks of the space shuttle Atlantis for its mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope should be getting underway during the first week of September, pending the resolution of orbiter/external tank umbilical mating difficulties. Atlantis was to roll out to Launch Complex 39A as early as Aug. 30, but United Space Alliance technicians had difficulty extracting a jammed ground support system bolt used initially to align the hydrogen umbilical side of the tank’s massive rigging structure with the orbiter’s belly.
