The U.S. Air Force has officially taken delivery of the first of a series of new missile warning sensors in the Space-Based Infrared System (Sbirs) constellation. The HEO-1 sensor was launched June 27, 2006, into highly elliptical orbit on a classified National Reconnaissance Office host satellite. The sensor is an infrared scanner, and it’s expected to be certified for the missile warning mission later this year. It will now undergo operational test and evaluation with the Air Force. HEO-2 will begin operations by early 2009.
The European Union has launched its program to provide licenses for mobile satellite services operators covering all 27 member states. In the past, service providers had to deal with national authorities, but the EU wants to encourage multi-national service and has centralized the licensing process. For the initial round of licensing, satellite operators have until Oct. 7 to apply to the European Commission for services operating in the 2-Ghz.-band spectrum specifically reserved for pan-EU services.
Maria Alexandra Rangel Tovar has become general manager for Martinair in Bogota, Colombia. She was commercial director and general manager for Aerogroup.
Fuji Heavy Industries is contemplating a Subaru-branded light business jet. The Japanese company has released a model of one of several designs. No details have been disclosed, but the model’s proportions suggest an aircraft of at least the size of the Cessna CitationJet. Fuji, supplier of 777 and 787 wing boxes and the wing of the Eclipse 500 very light jet, had previously stated its aim of getting back into building aircraft of its own design, although it would work with international partners on the business jet.
Air France, eager to find revenue opportunities to offset slowing air travel demand and sky-high fuel costs, is accelerating efforts to work more closely with Delta Air Lines. Meanwhile, Britsh Airways, Iberia and American Airlines again are seeking U.S. anti-trust immunity (ATI) to cooperate more closely on transatlantic routes.
European carriers are assessing their fleet plans even as they optimize route networks to navigate through the morass of troubles gripping the air transport sector worldwide. While for many carriers the immediate focus is largely on parking aircraft to cut capacity, the more resilient airlines have other options.
In the first half of 2009, Delta Air Lines will be offering AirCell broadband wi-fi access to passengers on domestic flights. Customers with wi-fi-enabled devices, including laptops and personal data assistants (PDAs), will be able to access the Internet and send and receive text messages. AirCell’s Gogo system will be available for a $9.95 flat fee on flights of up to 3 hr. and $12.95 on longer flights. Delta plans to introduce service first on its MD-88/-90 aircraft, then expand to Boeing 737s, 757s and 767-300s.
Improved air traffic management could cut European commercial aviation carbon dioxide emissions by 570,000 tons annually beginning in 2013, according to the Society of British Aerospace Companies. Its latest briefing paper on the environmental impact of aviation examines the role air traffic management has in cutting aircraft emissions. The SBAC report notes: “In the European airspace, aircraft fly, on average, 31 mi. more per flight than necessary.
USAF says seven flight tests remain for the new Raytheon AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (Amraam). Of three test firings, two have been successful, one of which recently destroyed a QF-4 target drone at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. USAF officials report that performance on the two-way data link and an “enhanced” conformal data link on the front end of the weapon are “satisfactory” and will continue to be reviewed. The weapon also has the ability to maneuver actively at the end of its flight to compensate for evasive tactics used by the target.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has found evidence that a body of hydrocarbon on Saturn’s moon Titan is liquid, based on its reflectivity in infrared wavelengths. “Ontario Lacus” is larger than its namesake, Lake Ontario in North America, and absorbs 99.9% of the light that hits it at the 5-micron wavelength, according to Robert Brown of the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. He is principal investigator on Cassini’s Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). “For it to be that dark, the surface has to be extremely quiescent, mirror smooth,” he says.
Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) will develop a plan to improve testing and evaluation methodologies of unmanned and autonomous aerial vehicles for the Defense Dept. The “Road Map Development and Technology Insertion Plan,” a U.S. Army-funded initiative, will address systems that operate in the air, on the ground, underwater, on the sea surface and in space. GTRI’s chief task is to identify new approaches to testing autonomous systems.
OHB Technology says its long-term space surveillance, broadcast satellite and launcher activities will be significantly expanded by year-end. The German defense ministry, for one, is expected to award study contracts to OHB Technology and rival Astrium to start preparing work on a future generation of Earth-observation satellites, likely relying on radar technology. OHB last month launched the fifth and final of the current generation of SAR-Lupe satellites for the German military, which are slated to last until at least 2017.
Louis M. Maresca (see photo) has been named president/chief operating officer of New York-based Argosy International Inc. He was vice president-operations for the GLS Corp.
One of Singapore Airlines’ 17 Boeing 747-400s takes off from Los Angeles International Airport. Long-haul giant SIA is first—again—among major carriers in Aviation Week & Space Technology’s annual Top-Performing Companies airline rankings (see p. 52). The TPC study offers insight into which carriers are best situated to prosper in the current challenging environment—and which ones may struggle. A complex set of metrics is used to analyze publicly traded airline companies in the mainline/legacy, low-cost/regional and freight categories.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has tapped Northrop Grumman to develop and demo an ultra-high capacity hybrid thermal ground plane to overcome heat-related challenges in semiconductors employed in electronic systems. The $1.7-million, 18-month contract covers the first of a three-phase Darpa program.
It seems the world of aviation is a horrible place to work. The engineers who build aircraft lament that they are unappreciated in their jobs, because they didn’t get window offices, says reader Stan Kaplan (AW&ST July 21, p. 10). The pilots who fly these aircraft have window seats but complain as people tell them how they should do their jobs, according to Capt. Bob Waltz (AW&ST July 28, p. 12).
Aug. 17-19—New Mexico Museum of Space History’s Seminar & Workshop. “Passing the Torch: DC-X 15th Anniversary Reunion.” Alamagordo. See www.dcxproject.com
Latecoere is reporting a 17% growth in revenue for the first half reaching €297.2 million ($460.7 million). However, the board of directors will meet next month to review guidance for 2008, as well as the “Challenge 20101” cost-reduction plan. Latecoere has been suffering from the steep decline of the dollar against the euro.
Darpa is poised to accept bids for its radical Vulcan program, which aims to demonstrate a new type of engine that could power a hypersonic vehicle to Mach 4-plus.
A problem with solar array circuitry could reduce the lifetime of some of SES’s Lockheed Martin satellites while putting more pressure on space insurance rates, according to the Luxembourg-based satellite operator.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. alleges breach of contract in a suit filed against DHL Holdings USA last week in Clinton County, Ohio, Common Pleas Court. The association says DHL violated its contract with AStar Air Cargo pilots earlier this year. ALPA claims the AStar pilots traded benefits in the ALPA contract for job security, which is now in jeopardy. DHL, which owns 49% of AStar, has said it is negotiating with rival UPS to carry packages and freight, essentially eliminating services from AStar and another cargo carrier, ABX Air.
Qantas has named the head of its budget offshoot, Alan Joyce, as successor to Geoff Dixon. Joyce, who has worked for Qantas since 2000 and was previously an executive with Aer Lingus and failed Qantas rival Ansett Australia, will take over in November.
Vern Raburn’s ouster as CEO of Eclipse Aviation is being greeted with smug satisfaction in some corners of business and general aviation. It’s hard not to make enemies when you’re challenging the status quo, and the very light jet (VLJ) pioneer certainly did that in his singular pursuit of building an “everyman jet.” But intractable supply chain problems have prevented the Albuquerque, N.M.-based startup from producing anywhere near the 600 jets a year it needs to break even.
