Pratt & Whitney has won a $70.2-million contract plus-up for weight reduction in the F135 engine, the current propulsion system for the F-35 JSF. Work is to be completed by 2013.
As an Air National Guard officer and pilot, I am excited to see a decision regarding the KC-45 (AW&ST Mar. 3, p. 22). However, the excitement is tempered by the knowledge that a long battle has begun on behalf of the losing contractor. Combined with a political tug-of-war, the struggle will only delay entry into service, drive up costs and reduce the number of airframes produced.
France and Russia are preparing to commit additional air transport and reconnaissance assets to buoy the European Union’s U.N.-mandated force in Chad and the Central African Republic. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed an offer to send as many as eight helicopters and crews to bolster the EUFOR mission. France, which already supplies a large contingent of troops and equipment, plans to send three CL-289 long-distance, high-speed UAVs to reinforce reconnaissance capabilities.
Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems ended fiscal 2007 with a net profit after taxes of $34 million, orders of $1.4 billion and sales of more than $1.2 billion. Two products that are driving business are the Iron Dome defense against short-range rockets and missiles and David’s Sling for protection against medium-range missiles. Statistics for 2006 was net profits of $27 million, orders of $1.25 billion and $1 billion in sales.
Australia is seeking to fill a major gap in its military capabilities with Boeing EA-18 Growler electronic warfare aircraft, which it says it may now order as part of its purchase of the standard two-seat version of the Super Hornet, the F/A-18F. The new Labor government, elected in November, says it will stick with the contract for 24 Super Hornets, which it previously said might be canceled.
A Stanford University engineering and aeronautics team is conducting research for advanced computer simulations of hypersonic flight under a $17-million, five-year grant from the Energy Dept. Led by engineering Prof. Parviz Moin, the team will have access to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s “Red Storm” supercomputer located at Sandia National Laboratory. The research will center on data from the X-43 vehicle that achieved Mach 9.6 during two flights (that program is evolving into the X-51 vehicle).
Upgrades to the U.S. Air Force GPS constellation continue with the launch Mar. 15 of the sixth “modernized” Lockheed Martin GPS block IIR-M spacecraft, boasting dual civilian-channel capability. The 254-ton Delta II carrying the new $75-million GPS IIR-19M thundered aloft from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral on 782,000 lb. thrust at 2:10 a.m. local time. The Delta II placed the 4,540-lb. satellite into an initial 11,000 X 100-naut.-mi. orbit that will be circularized with the satellite’s solid-propellant apogee kick motor at about 11,000 naut. mi.
The Bush administration plan to use the Moon as a stepping-stone to Mars and beyond makes more sense than a direct shot at the Red Planet, argues Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.), chairman of the House Science Committee. “The fact of the matter is we’d have to ask the American taxpayer to trust us for the next 30 years,” he says. “I don’t think that’s realistic.
Kansas State University in Salina is establishing a new facility dedicated to aeronautics work. The Applied Aviation Research Center will focus on research for propulsion, avionics and aviation training and will “fill the void between futuristic development and the application of available technology to increase general aviation safety and efficiency,” says Dennis Kulhman, dean of K-State at Salina. Research also will include unmanned aerial vehicles and training for pilots and mechanics.
Cessna Aircraft Co. is launching its Mobile Service Unit (MSU) program aimed at saving owners of Citation business jets time and money on maintenance. The MSU is a truck fitted with laptop computers, for access to Cessna parts and maintenance manuals; a 28-ft. boom capable of hoisting engines as large as the AE3007 used on the Citation X; a ground power unit; an air compressor; jacks for all Citation models; a rear-mounted lift; and a hydraulic cart. Each MSU is manned by Cessna-trained mechanics who specialize in the Citation family of jets.
Leaders of both political parties from the House and Senate Armed Services committees have unveiled a panel of experts to study nuclear forces and U.S. strategic posture. For some time, Democrats have been calling for U.S. officials to reconsider nuclear weapons and infrastructure in light of post-9/11 security demands. They’ve also been expressing skepticism about the Reliable Replacement Warhead and erstwhile efforts for a low-yield nuclear bunker-buster or even conventionally tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Kevin Myers, who is senior director for enterprise procurement for Rockwell Collins Inc., has been elected to the board of directors of the Irvine, Calif.-based Supplier Excellence Alliance .
Michael A. Taverna (Paris and Noordwijk, Netherlands)
Arianespace is planning to accelerate the ramp-up of its new Soyuz launch pad at Kourou, French Guiana, to meet rising demand from institutional customers. The new pad, due to open in mid-2009, is currently slated to start business with three missions the first year and four the second. But European institutional customers say this rate may not be sufficient.
NASA’s Glenn Research Center will supply silicon carbide electronics to Inprox Technology Corp. (ITC) under a Space Act Agreement designed to test whether the Boston-based company’s proprietary position-sensor technology platform can use the high-temperature components. If it can, ITC sees possible applications in spaceflight systems, turbine engine controls and automotive engines. For spaceflight, silicon carbide sensors capable of operating at 600C (1,112F) could save weight by reducing the size of radiators for cooling.
Daisy Jenkins and Valecia Maclin are among six Raytheon Co. employees to be honored at the 2008 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference last month. Jenkins is vice president-human resources at Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz. She won the BEYA Award for Diversity for helping to foster a welcoming environment that values differences and new ideas among all Raytheon employees. Maclin is director of Homeland Security and Secure Systems for Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, Landover, Md., and received the BEYA Professional Achievement Award.
On a day when financial markets were reeling from the sudden unraveling of investment bank Bear Stearns and the U.S. Federal Reserve System’s move to head off a broad panic, Bill Swanson appeared relaxed and confident. After all, the Raytheon Co. chairman and CEO is watching the turmoil sweeping the financial markets from a comfortable seat on the sidelines.
The U.S. Air Force’s first Space Based Infrared System (Sbirs) satellite bound for geosynchronous orbit has entered a critical phase of integrated testing. Officials at Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale, Calif., satellite plant completed a set of evaluations on the missile warning satellite in an expanded test configuration in late January. The satellite has been assembled into flight configuration, including the bus and payload, for new tests that are expected to wrap up in May.
Paul Riemens has been appointed and Jan Klein Ikkink reappointed a member of the executive board of Air Traffic Control the Netherlands . Riemens also is chief operating officer, while Ikkink focuses on the continued development and reinforcement of the internal organization.
Ryanair has blasted Ireland’s commissioner for aviation regulation, Cathal Guiomard, for increases in airport charges at Dublin Airport—specifically, what it called a “sneak” decision to approve a 50% hike in check-in desk rentals proposed by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA). The airline accused Guiomard of approving an increase to $38,709 a year without forcing DAA to explain how it arrived at the rate hike, which it said was 10 times the rate of inflation. But Guiomard countered that DAA offered a detailed breakdown of the actual cost per desk.
International Lease Finance Corp. is in talks with Airbus and Boeing for a potentially significant number of aircraft orders to secure delivery positions after 2010. The two major aircraft makers have been urging ILFC to make further fleet commitments, and the lessor is assessing what deals it needs to expand its operations. “As our backlog is shrinking now, we need to think about where we go with Airbus and Boeing, but also as we look at [Bombardier’s] CSeries and other alternatives,” says Steven Udvar-Hazy, ILFC’s CEO.
Douglas Barrie (London), Joris Janssen Lok (Brussels)
As the April NATO summit approaches, political frailty and the growing gulf in defense expenditures may threaten the very future of the alliance. The British Parliament’s Defense Committee is cautioning that the NATO alliance needs to quickly address issues that will otherwise gnaw at its well-being—and eventually risk its existence.
Northrop Grumman Corp. employees Clayton K.S. Kau (see photos) and Aaron K. Oki received honors for contributions in science, engineering and their communities at the 2008 Asian American Engineer of the Year (AAEOY) Awards earlier this month. Kau is vice president/general manager of the Space and Defense Products Div. of the Space Technology Sector, while Oki is a technical fellow/deputy sector director of microelectronics. Kau heads all microelectronics process development and fabrication.
The Air Force knew its tanker down-select would be a political lightning rod. So, it published talking points for officers outlining “key messages.” The guide was written before the Feb. 29 announcement that Northrop Grumman/EADS won. It notes in red ink that in the event of a protest, such as the one Boeing ended up filing (see p.
United Airlines confirmed on Mar. 20 it was retesting the altitude indicating systems on seven Boeing 747-400s that had undergone heavy checks at Korean Air’s overhaul facility in Busan, South Korea, after it was discovered that the equipment used to test the systems was out of calibration. In a brief statement, United said it had voluntarily disclosed to the FAA that it was retesting the aircraft and that it had found no issues. The matter was made public by the Teamsters on Mar.
