The latest infrared-guided version of Sagem’s AASM standoff air-to-surface weapon completed technical validation testing with an “ambitious” test drop on Feb. 5, the company said on Feb. 21. The event involved a single weapon, fitted with an imaging infrared seeker, dropped by a Dassault Aviation Mirage 2000N strike aircraft. The weapon had to hit a target located in a mock industrial zone at France’s Biscarosse test range. But the target’s GPS coordinates—transmitted to the AASM before the test—were offset about 1,000 ft. from the actual target position.
AgustaWestland has carried out air-to-air refueling trials of the AW101 helicopter from an Italian air force C-130J. The trials are understood to be in support of the Lockheed Martin-led AW101 bid for the U.S. Combat Search and Rescue-X program.
Air One will appeal a ruling by an Italian administrative tribunal rejecting the airline’s request to block talks between Air France and Alitalia. The ruling was a serious blow to Air One’s attempt to slow down the discussions, which are to be completed by Mar. 14, when Air France is expected to present its binding offer. Air One could still submit a competing bid or launch a public offer for Alitalia shares. Air France plans to submit an industrial plan to Alitalia unions on Mar. 27 but has indicated it will not proceed without government endorsement.
Europe’s helicopter industry is headed for a significant structural shift as manufacturers move abroad to reap a higher return on their euro investments.
Aerospace lecturer William F. Shea has been elected to the boards of directors of the Aerospace Museum of California Foundation and California Transportation Foundation , both in Sacramento. He was FAA associate administrator for airports and first chief of the California Aeronautics Div., director of aviation for the Port of Portland, Ore., founding director of the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Aviation Institute and Aviation Dept. chairman at the University of North Dakota.
A Boeing 40 biplane built for Pacific Air Transport in 1928 for mail and passenger service flew for the first time in almost 80 years on Feb. 13 in Seattle. It is both the oldest operational Boeing transport and the only airworthy example of a Boeing 40 in the world, says Addison Pemberton, owner and operator of Pemberton and Sons Aviation in Spokane, Wash., who, along with volunteer help, spent 18,000 man-hours rebuilding the airplane during the past eight years.
AgustaWestland’s executive vice president of sales for North and South America, Lou Bartalotta, says the U.S. commercial helicopter market is experiencing “a remarkable period” that will give AgustaWestland “a great ride for the foreseeable future.” He says business is being driven upward by offshore oil exploration, increased use of helicopters by public service agencies and corporate operators coupled with exploding demand in emerging markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia.
The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) continues its investigation into the Jan. 17 accident involving a Boeing 777-200ER that landed 1,000 ft. short of Runway 27 Left at London Heathrow. On impact, the aircraft’s nose gear collapsed and right main landing gear separated while the left gear pushed up through the wing. According to the AAIB’s Feb. 18 Special Bulletin, investigators are replicating the damage to the engine high-pressure fuel pumps and matching it to flight data.
The Air Line Pilots Assn. wants Congress to review confidentiality protections given Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) data, in the face of a court decision that would allow release of ASAP reports. The move stems from a U.S. District Court ruling in litigation involving the Aug. 27, 2006, crash of a Comair Bombardier CRJ-100 at Lexington (Ky.) Blue Grass Airport. The judge upheld a magistrate’s findings that there was “no statutory or regulatory privilege” protecting Comair’s ASAP reports from the discovery process.
Boeing will propose that Japan help to develop an advanced version of the F-15E or F/A-18E, opening a way for the country to hone its combat aircraft skills and for the U.S. company to prolong the competitiveness of its product range. A senior Pentagon official, meanwhile, specifically endorses the F-15E Eagle as a suitable aircraft for Japan to buy while it awaits the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. One advantage is that the country could build the Eagle domestically, he says, holding out a second temptation for Japanese industry.
Indonesia was order central for Boeing. Garuda Indonesia ordered four 777-300ERs valued at $1 billion at list prices. The carrier confirmed a previously unidentified order for seven 737-800s that it placed last year. It also converted existing orders for two models to larger aircraft: 18 737-700s will become 737-800s and six 777-200ERs will become 777-300ERs. Lion Air increased its 737-900ER order book to 178 aircraft with the addition of airplanes valued at $4.4 billion. It took purchase rights for another 50 aircraft.
A Lufthansa Boeing 737 en route between Frankfurt and Munich completed the first operational use of Mode S flight identity downlink, according to Eurocontrol. Radar identification of the Jan. 18 flight was established and maintained without assignment of a discrete secondary surveillance radar code. Only 4,095 codes are available—an insufficient number to sustain expected growth in air traffic. The use of Mode S now paves the way for expanded city-pair flights to be launched this year by German air navigation service provider Deutsche Flugsicherung.
Grupo Marsans has ordered Pratt & Whitney PW4000s to power five Airbus A330s, adding to 12 A330s with the Pratt engines that it ordered at last year’s Paris air show. Pratt also recorded an order from Air Caraibes to power three A330s.
Air-land-sea adventurer Steve Fossett was declared legally dead by a Chicago court on Feb. 15. The move paves the way to resolving the status of his estate. Fossett disappeared Sept. 3, 2007, after departing solo in his Bellanca C8KCAB-180 two-seat taildragger from a private airstrip near Yerington, Nev. (AW&ST Sept. 10, 2007, p. 16). Despite a months-long search effort, no trace of wreckage was found in the mountainous region.
Stork Aerospace, Bradford Engineering and the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) of the Netherlands are negotiating with Goodrich and Lockheed Martin to incorporate a new, high-power electronics cooling technology into the avionics infrastructure of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
Russ Chew has been appointed to the board of directors of the Era Corp. , Reston, Va. He is president/chief operating officer of JetBlue Airways and was chief operating officer of the FAA. Honors And Elections
Italian aerospace research center CIRA is preparing a second transonic drop test with its recoverable Unmanned Space Vehicle, a demonstrator designed to study critical technologies for future reusable or semi-reusable launchers. The flight, set for March-April at the flight test center in Sardinia, will involve a new test vehicle, Polux, and a considerably more complex trajectory than the first trial in February 2007.
Apr. 15-16—AVIATION WEEK Interiors, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Apr. 15-17—MRO Conference and Exhibition, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Sept. 23-25—MRO Europe, Madrid. Oct. 14-16—MRO Asia, Singapore. PARTNERSHIPS Mar. 31-Apr. 6—FIDAE, Santiago, Chile. Apr. 1-3—JEC Composites, Paris. Apr. 7-10—U.S. Space Foundation, Colorado Springs. May 27-June 1—ILA Berlin air show. June 16-18—Aircraft Interiors-Middle East, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Boeing acknowledged the Iraqi government’s plan to buy 40 new and four used aircraft and six purchases from Bombardier. The government didn’t say what types it would buy or when.
Mumbai-based BJETS, which provides business aviation services in Asia, has ordered 11 Hawker 900XP and nine 850XP business jets from Hawker Beechcraft Corp. flights throughout India and Southeast Asia. BJETS also ordered 20 Cessna Citation CJ2+ jets.
The U.S. Special Operations Command (Socom) is ground-testing BAE Systems’ belly-mounted, 360-deg. gun system for CV-22s, with flight testing scheduled next, the company says. Socom oversaw installation of the system hardware on board the aircraft in January. The GAU-2B mini-gun weapon is based on BAE’s Remote Guardian System, a two-year company-funded effort to develop a common airborne defensive capability for the V-22 Osprey and other special-mission rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
Mark Harris (see photo) has been appointed site leader of the Fort Walton Beach, Fla., facility of Crane Aerospace and Electronics . He was business unit director for commercial products, fuel management systems and retail solutions for the Danaher Corp.
Lufthansa Technik is joining the “clean engine” service business with a Cyclean Engine Wash system. Airlines have water-washed their engines for years because it makes them use less fuel and burn cleaner. Lufthansa says regular Cyclean washing will cut kerosene and C02 emissions by 0.5-0.75%. Airlines commonly use high-pressure hoses to clean as best they can and usually open the cowlings or thrust reverser.
