The Netherlands government is locked in a head-to-head battle with the country’s aerospace and defense industry over its decision that industry should pay 10.3% of all revenues from F-35 Joint Strike Fighter-related orders through 2053 to the state. The revised percentage, replacing the preliminary figure of 3.5%, was announced July 1 by Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven.
Bettina H. Chavanne (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
With no all-new military rotorcraft program starts on the horizon, the U.S. industry faces the prospect of an endless cycle of modernization. Unless more science and technology dollars are dedicated to development, proponents fear, future helicopters risk being little more than legacy platforms with new paint.
Britain’s Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator will fly in 2010, with the French-led Neuron to follow in 2011. Both will use the same model of Rolls-Royce Adour engine—though ironically, propulsion is one area that is underfunded by both nations in terms of future development. Europe will conceivably be in a position to begin fielding operational UCAVs toward the end of the next decade, but both programs already build on years of predominantly classified research and development.
The U.S. Army has declared a Nunn-McCurdy cost overrun for its Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program, indicating further problems in the effort to field an armed commercial derivative of Bell’s 407. Last November, Army and company officials said the effort was back on track after a per-unit cost increase to $9 million from $5.5 million.
Jay Schaefer has been named vice president-finance/treasurer, Ben Minicucci vice president-Seattle operations and Tom O’Grady chief compliance officer/deputy general counsel for the Alaska Air Group . They all held the same positions with subsidiary Alaska Airlines. Dan Russo has been promoted to vice president from director of marketing and communications for subsidiary Horizon Air. Lane Kemper has become managing director of customer service call centers for Alaska Airlines. She was director of reservations in Seattle.
Tim Budden has been named president of Esterline Avista , Platteville, Wis. He was vice president-engineering and succeeds Jim Schneller, who has retired.
Iran’s latest test of its long-range missile capability bolsters U.S. arguments for basing an anti-ballistic missile defense system in Eastern Europe, says Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “This certainly addressed the doubts raised by the Russians that the Iranians won’t have a long-range ballistic missile for 10-20 years,” Gates told a Pentagon press briefing the first day of Iran’s latest missile testing (see p. 60). The U.S. is negotiating to base 10 ballistic missile interceptors in Poland, and just inked a deal to base a missile tracking radar in the Czech Republic.
With a panoramic view of downtown Chicago, Jim McNerney’s offices atop Boeing Co.’s skyscraper headquarters provide a fitting backdrop. As the chairman, president and CEO of a company whose sales rival the gross domestic product of Vietnam, he has to take a big picture view of the business landscape. So when asked to name the issues he’d like to see the U.S. presidential candidates address, McNerney doesn’t talk directly about airplanes or weapons systems. His top three desires are an articulated national energy policy, an upward “rebalancing” of the U.S.
Boeing has begun flight testing the AH-64D Apache Block III. The latest upgrade of the attack helicopter is on track to enter service with the U.S. Army in 2011, and will incorporate composite main rotor blades. uprated face-gear transmission, digitally controlled engines and new open-architecture avionics designed to increase connectivity, enhance situational awareness and allow control of unmanned aircraft. The first of two avionics-test aircraft flew on June 27, followed on July 5 by an aircraft fitted with the new rotor blades.
A recent diverted flight for a U.S. Navy Global Hawk maritime demonstration vehicle provided infrared data to firefighters battling this summer’s California wildfires on the locations of hot spots and movement of the blazes. Some of the fires could not be seen with visible light sensors because they were obscured by smoke. This image and nearly 700 others were collected after one of two U.S. Navy demonstrator aircraft conducted a mission over Hawaii for a series of Trident Warrior military exercises there.
For years, Bush administration officials and members of Congress have accused some NATO members of not pulling their weight in Afghanistan. But British Defense Secretary Des Browne says it might be more productive to focus on the transformation of Canadian, Danish, Dutch and other forces from a peace-keeping to a war-fighting role in Afghanistan.
Denis R. Brown, a private investor, has become chairman of American Science and Engineering Inc. , Billerica, Mass. He succeeds the late William E. Odom.
The French army received the first batch of 25 DRAC hand-launched unmanned aircraft on June 30. French armaments agency DGA has orderd 35 more of the EADS systems—each containing two air vehicles.
USAF Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Owen has been appointed director of logistics and sustainment at Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He has been commander of AFMC’s Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga. He will be succeeded by Maj. Gen. Polly A. Peyer, who has been director of resource integration/deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon. She will be followed by Brig. Gen. Arthur B.
Hypersonic technology is not easy. Just ask any of the engineers and scientists working on various Mach 4-plus air-breathing missile or air vehicle projects today, or the generations before them who tackled the same problems up to 40 years ago.
Brant Dahlfors (see photo) has been appointed vice president-widebody sales for the U.S. for Montreal-based Bombardier Business Aircraft . He has been vice president-widebody sales for the Western U.S.
The U.K. Defense Ministry is expected to sign off on a number of key projects at the heart of Team Complex Weapons following the approval of the “Complex Weapons” option within the ministry’s latest planning round. Programs likely to get the nod at the Farnborough air show this week include the Loitering Munition assessment phase, both the light and heavy elements of the Future Anti-ship Guided Weapon, a Storm Shadow cruise missile enhancement package and the first element of the Selective Precision Effects at Range project.
George Mushahwar has been appointed acting CEO of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Holding . He succeeds Bob Johnson, who has retired. Mushahwar was chief operating officer of Dubai-based Tecom Investments.
Capt. Vince Malinowski, American Airlines (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
I read the Viewpoint by Robert Crandall with chagrin and amusement (AW&ST June 16, p. 62). I joined American Airlines as a pilot in 1979, the dawn of deregulation. He was one of its biggest proponents, and American was one of the largest hub-and-spoke champions.
Capt. Mike Gerdes (see photo, p. 32) has become senior vice president-flight operations for ABX Air Inc. , Wilmington, Ohio. He was vice president-flight operations for ATA Airlines and succeeds Capt. Robert Morgenfeld, who has retired.
Advanced radars have matured at an incredible pace in the last decade, with ranges increasing 2‑3 fold and resolution improving to the point of jeopardizing stealth. But high prices, weight and cooling demands have kept these radars—and the 4++ and fifth-generation aircraft that carry them—out of reach for many governments.
Newt Gingrich makes some good points about getting rid of many of the bureaucracies that only work to slow down space research. As might be expected, given his political inclinations, he more or less proposes privatization of this area of research. Gingrich is probably right when he says the competitive spirit of Americans far outstrips the progress dictated by a bureaucratic hierarchy.
