Robert J. Regan has been appointed vice president/general counsel of the AAR Corp. , Wood Dale, Ill. He succeeds Howard A. Pulsifer, who is retiring. Regan was a partner in the law firm Schiff Hardin.
Michael E. Larkin has been promoted to executive vice president/general manager from senior vice president/deputy general manager of the Space Systems Group of the Orbital Sciences Corp. , Dulles, Va.
Michael A. Taverna (Noordwijk, Netherlands, and Washington)
Proposals by the European Space Agency to demonstrate data-relay and multipurpose payload technologies could help space-service providers develop an integrated offering combining telecom, remote sensing and navigation.
The European Union Parliament’s Industry Committee has issued draft rules for licensing of hybrid space-terrestrial mobile satellite service (MSS) systems to provide mobile TV/radio, Internet and other high-speed services. The committee decided that future MSS systems should be obliged to cover at least 60% of the EU’s total area initially and all EU members within seven years, and be transferable to disaster relief services in case of emergency. It also decided that no more than 15 MHz. of the 30 MHz.
Raytheon has delivered its first integrated infrared sensor for the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Infrared Satellite System (Airss) program, a technology effort that will eventually produce systems to augment and replace the Space-Based Infrared System satellites.
Ed Barnes has been appointed chief financial officer and Joseph Eng executive vice president-systems and technology of JetBlue Airways . Barnes had been interim CFO and was principal accounting officer/senior vice president-finance. Eng was president/CEO of Spectrum Systems. Christoph Franz has been named to the board of directors. He is CEO of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.
USN Adm. (ret.) John B. Nathman has been named to the board of directors of the Curtiss-Wright Corp. , Roseland, N.J. He was commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
April could prove to be the cruelest month for either airport operator BAA or its airline users, as initial guidance emerges on possibly breaking up BAA’s hold on the southeast of England.
Rolls-Royce’s win on the Gulfstream G650 (see p. 59) introduces a new member of the BR700 engine family. The BR725 incorporates a 50-in.-dia. fan made up of 24 swept titanium blades, and an additional third low-pressure turbine stage to drive it. The engine includes a revised high-pressure (HP) compressor with integrally bladed disks (or blisks) on Stages 2-6, and elliptical leading edges on the blades. Improved materials and cooling have also been introduced into the two-stage HP turbine.
Denmark’s largest aerospace contractor, Terma, is to develop an observation processing and scheduling facility in Canada for that country’s Sapphire program, which is to provide a space-based data collection platform for continuous surveillance of man-made objects in medium- to high-Earth orbits (6,000-40,000 km./3.7-24.8 mi.). Data collected by the telescope-equipped Sapphire spacecraft will be processed by the new facility, and the results will be used to update the U.S.
Researchers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cassini science team members around the world are beginning to pore over unique images and data transmitted to Earth Mar. 13 by the Cassini Saturn orbiter. On Mar. 12, Cassini dove through “Cold Faithful,” a gigantic plume of water vapor ice and dust jetting from under the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus 1 billion mi. from Earth. Cassini descended to within only 30 mi. of the moon’s surface and about 120 mi. from the central core of the plume to sample it. The spacecraft survived in excellent shape.
SAS plans to buy 27 Bombardier regional jets and turboprops as part of a settlement between the airline and aircraft-maker over landing gear problems that occurred last year with the carrier’s fleet of Q400s. After three accidents, SAS removed its entire fleet of Q400s from service. SAS has since been in a dispute with Bombardier and landing-gear-maker Goodrich. The settlement, for which exact financial terms have not been disclosed, has SAS ordering 13 CRJ900 NextGen regional jets and 14 of the latest version of the Q400.
With the launch of its three-ton Selene spacecraft Sept. 14, 2007, Japan joined the very elite club of spacefaring nations that have sent probes to Earth’s natural satellite. The only other members of the lunar club are the U.S., Russia (through the work of the former Soviet Union), the European Space Agency and—after Selene—China. All stand to benefit from the success of the Japanese mission.
1) AW&ST Tokyo-based correspondent Kazuki Shiibashi (far right) joins Space Laureate Yoshisada Takizawa and his wife, Yuko. 2) Aviation Partners chief aerodynamicist, Louis B. Gratzer (second from right), an Aeronautics/Propulsion Laureate nominee, and Mrs. Gratzer are accompanied by their son, Richard, and his wife. 3) Aerospace Industries Assn. President and CEO Marion Blakey (second from left) congratulates IT/Electronics Laureates (left to right) UPS Airlines Capt. Robert C. Hilb, Paul Fontaine and UPS Airlines Capt. Karen D. Lee.
Rapidly growing Southeast Asian airline group AirAsia will add three new services in the coming two months, connecting its Kuala Lumpur base with Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and Haikou and Hong Kong in southern China.
Raytheon researchers say they have tested a new, conventional warhead to punch into hardened and deeply buried bunkers. During a Jan. 31 test, the 1,000-lb.-class warhead set a record by penetrating all but 7 in. of a 20-ft.-thick, 330-ton, steel-reinforced concrete block rated at 12,600 psi. compressed strength in less than 10 millisec.
Alenia Aermacchi and Chile’s Enaer are in talks about collaborating on production of Alenia’s trainer family, including the M-346 advanced jet trainer. The move is part of a strategy to broaden the appeal of the Italian manufacturer’s products as it seeks to secure more customers for the M-346.
China, reacting to a foiled terrorist attempt to destroy an aircraft in flight with a gasoline fire, will ban domestic passengers from carrying liquids. The civil aviation administration will step up security checks at airports—opening more bags for inspection—and forbid airlines from operating express security lanes. There will also be tight checks on vehicles entering secure zones of airports.
BAE Systems is weighing future unmanned aerial vehicle concepts that could spawn a family of modular strike and reconnaissance platforms. Unmanned intra-theater airlifters and a scalable loitering UAV are being considered as well.
The cost of airline insurance per passenger is expected to continue to drop in 2008. It has been on a steady descent ever since the record highs reached in 2001 immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Globally, the average cost of insurance per passenger fell to $0.60 in 2007, down from $0.74 the year before. These figures combine hull loss and liability, but not war insurance.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is Japan’s biggest aerospace supplier, but it hasn’t built its own commercial airplanes for three decades. Now it’s ready for a comeback. Company officials say launch of the 70-90-seat Mitsubishi Regional Jet could come by early April and enter the market in 2013 (see p. 68). Powered by Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan, the new jet’s selling points are lower fuel burn, better operating costs and newer technology. But it enters a crowded field. Mitsubishi artist’s rendering.
Europe won, Boeing lost. Of course, politicians, labor unions, defense analysts, media stars and aerospace supply-chain leaders will argue for years about the impact of the KC-45A award. Not only in the U.S. but also in Europe. Everyone seems to be disappointed except for the Northrop Grumman/EADS team’s top executives. Moreover, they all are seriously overreacting, in an indication that they still don’t understand the true meaning of one magic word, globalization.
AerCap leasing has signed an agreement to provide 10 A330-200s to Aeroflot. The aircraft are part of an order for 20 A330s that the lessor placed in 2006 and to which it added 10 aircraft last year. Aeroflot should receive the Trent 700-powered aircraft between November 2008 and April 2010.
