I agree with Bob McAndrew that Boeing should offer a version of the 787 for the USAF tanker replacement program (AW&ST July 28, p. 10), but the company could do even better and also present a variant of the C-17 as a gapfiller for a complete package.
When you picture a typical 21st century engineer, do you imagine a vibrant young Latina who stands just a shade under 5 ft. 4 in. tall? Maybe you should. Efforts are underway in industry, government and academia to attract and retain the nation’s best engineers, particularly if they’re women and/or under-represented minorities. On some level, these initiatives are succeeding.
The Pentagon is expecting to release a final request for proposals for the Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueling tanker any day now, defense officials say. The draft RFP, released earlier this month, is seen to favor the Northrop Grumman/EADS A330-200-based option by establishing a scoring system for extra cargo and passengers, and for fuel offloading. Boeing officials say all options are on the table, including staying out of the recompetition.
There’s an astonishing lack of discussion on the option to continue flying the space shuttle past 2010 in an unmanned or minimally crewed configuration.
Jeanette Brewer has been appointed manager of flight crew cabin operations for Gulfstream Aerospace , Savannah, Ga. She was senior international flight attendant and flight attendant training officer. Todd Strong has been named director of engineering and quality for the company’s Long Beach, Calif., facility. He was its engineering manager.
L-3 Avionics is betting that by providing pilots with an easy-to-use avionics system, its new SmartDeck can claim a portion of the market for integrated glass cockpits on general aviation aircraft.
The Indonesian government is forcing domestic carrier Merpati Nusantara to cut staffing by more than half in return for 350 billion rupiah ($38 million) in state recapitalization. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s House of Representatives has approved a government plan to sell up to 49% of its holding in Garuda.
The first international X-plane program began in 1984, when Darpa, the Navy and the German government began the X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability project to demonstrate the use of thrust vectoring for control beyond the stall. Rockwell and MBB built two X-31s, the first flying in October 1990. In addition to advanced flight controls and thrust vectoring, the X-31 featured a cranked-delta wing and close-coupled canard.
A $1 fix to the MQ-1 system allows Predator pilots to talk over a secure Internet telephone rather than having to rely on text messaging. Staff Sgt. Ray Stetler received a 2 a.m. call to connect headquarters to the mission pilot via Voice Over Secure Internet Protocol. With a soldering iron and 6 ft. of cable, “I terminated a network connection cable inside the headset . . . and connected it to the conference call terminations on the circuit board inside a VOSIP phone.” Predator operators can plug the modified headset into the radio system and call anyone using VOSIP.
The Pentagon should begin to explore purchasing a sixth and possibly seventh Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite from Boeing, says Army Lt. Gen. Kevin Campbell, who oversees the service’s Space and Missile Defense Command. He made his comments during the 2008 Space and Missile Defense Conference, which was held Aug. 11-13 in Huntsville, Ala.
On Sept. 2, Lufthansa Cargo will start operating twice weekly service to Toronto Pearson International Airport from Frankfurt. The MD-11s to be used on the route offer a 99-ton freight capacity on each flight. Toronto Pearson is Canada’s leading air cargo gateway, with its 1.2 million sq. ft. of cargo handling facilities, 2.5 million sq. ft. of dedicated apron space for freight operations—and five runways capable of handling heavyweight aircraft.
Peter Weger, head of flight operations of Grob Aerospace, Mattsies, Germany, has been named a fellow of the California-based Society of Experimental Test Pilots . Weger, who was at the controls of Grob spn test aircraft No. 3, has been a test pilot for 28 years, accumulating more then 10,000 flight hours in 49 different aircraft. He operated the first flight of the Eurofighter and was involved in the evaluation of a number of foreign fighter aircraft including the Mirage 2000, F-16, F/A-18 and ADV.
Under the Teal Rain program, Darpa developed the first medium-size endurance UAV. Designed by Abe Karem, the Leading Systems Amber first flew in November 1986 and in June 1988 set an endurance record of 38 hr. The Amber did not transition to the military, and Leading Systems was acquired by General Atomics, which ultimately evolved the vehicle into the Predator UAV.
Terry Gray (see photos) has been promoted to vice president/general manager of Tulsa, Okla.-based Nordam ’s Interiors and Structures Div. from director of engineering and program management. Keith Phillips, who was director of program management at the Nacelle/Thrust Reverser Systems Div., has been appointed vice president-aftermarket services at NTR. And, Jim Thompson has been promoted to NTR vice president from director of engineering.
During the next few months, the U.K. Defense Ministry may roll out its road map for UAVs to the early 2020s. The work is one of a number of “capability investigations” underway. The ministry has so far relied almost exclusively on urgent operational requirements to provide UAVs in Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s now trying to determine its procurement needs over the coming decade.
India’s aviation industry is in a “very difficult phase,” and bad news is likely to outweigh the good for several quarters, according to Center for Asia Pacific Aviation analysts. Data from India’s Civil Aviation Ministry show airlines reduced weekly domestic services to about 8,778 in July—the lowest level since 2005—from 10,922 in March. This represents a 10% year-over-year decline, says CAPA, which is forecasting that domestic market demand is expected to continue slowing this year and next.
Clarke Havener has been appointed a Washington-based senior client partner/global leader of the Aerospace & Defense Sector of Korn/Ferry International . He succeeds Thomas Colella, who will continue as a senior client partner in the Washington office. Havener was leader of Russell Reynolds Associates’ airlines, aerospace and defense practice in the Americas.
In December 1959, as the U.S. sought to monitor and eventually outlaw atmospheric tests, ARPA took on the Vela program to detect nuclear explosions. The Vela Hotel satellites to detect high-altitude explosions were launched beginning in October 1963 just days after the Partial Test Ban Treaty took effect. The companion Vela Uniform program to detect underground explosions provided a massive funding boost for U.S. seismologists.
British government and industry are putting in place governance and management for its “consolidated” guided-weapons sector, as long-term efforts to accommodate U.S. manufacturers continue. Team Complex Weapons (Team CW), as the initiative is known, is intended to secure the future of the U.K.’s guided-weapons sector. The agreement between government and industry was signed earlier this year, culminating three years of work. July also saw the launch of six framework contracts under the auspices of Team CW.
Looking to cut its satellite-build time, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems has opened a pulsed moving assembly line in its El Segundo, Calif., factory. The initial focus is on fulfilling a U.S. Air Force contract for 12 Global Positioning System IIF spacecraft, the first of which will be launched early next year. As a heritage design that’s smaller and more modular than the Model 702 bus (inherited by Boeing when it absorbed Hughes in 2000), the GPS spacecraft is seen as a good first step in implementing pulsed assembly techniques.
Pre-event concerns of organizers over the impact high fuel prices and the faltering economy might have on attendance at this year’s EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., appear to have been unfounded. The association estimated that 540,000 people came through the turnstiles during the July 28-Aug. 3 gathering, slightly fewer than in 2007 but more than in 2006. Over 10,000 aircraft flew into Oshkosh and other area airports. EAA President Tom Poberezny described the response as “overwhelming.”
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London), Robert Wall (Paris), Andy Nativi (Genoa)
Miscalculations have defined the Georgian-Russian conflict. Georgia thought it could get away with occupying South Ossetia; Russia anticipated a militarily and politically painless counter-attack. All of these missteps are now connected to the huge, international concern about oil and the prizes it brings with it.
Darpa initiated the study of manned stealth aircraft in 1975, awarding contracts to Northrop and Lockheed to design the Experimental Survivable Testbed (XST). After pole-model tests, the program was transitioned to the Air Force and Lockheed was awarded the contract to build two Have Blue demonstrators. First flight was in December 1977, and led to the F-117 stealth fighter.
Bill Collier has been promoted to vice president from director of sales and marketing of the Citation parts distribution business of the Cessna Aircraft Co. , Wichita, Kan.
