Astrium affiliate Infoterra has formed a joint venture with Spanish satcom operator Hisdesat and the Cartographic Institute of Catalonia (ICC) to distribute high-resolution radar imagery from Infoterra’s TerraSAR-X satellite. Astrium will have a 60% share and ICC and Hisdesat, 20% each.
Global demand for new combat rotorcraft is driving sales upward and fattening order books as governments seek to modernize their forces and warfighting capabilities. Turbine engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce forecasts that demand for military helicopters will remain steady until 2012 before declining to a more sustainable level by 2016. In addition, during the next eight years, military sales will gradually shift away from single-engine turbine-powered helos toward medium- and heavy-lift designs deemed necessary for long-term operational needs.
Emirates has increased service between Dubai and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to daily from thrice-weekly, only two months after initiating the flights. Richard M. Vacar, director of the Houston Airport System, says 70% of the passengers are representatives of the Houston-area oil and gas industry. On average per flight, Emirates aircraft are carrying 16 tons of cargo departing Houston, while arriving flights carry an average of 10 tons of freight.
The International Air Transport Assn. hopes to begin testing its Baggage Improvement Program (BIP)—designed to address all of the causes of mishandling—with six member airlines and airports in 2008. For every 1,000 passengers, 982 do not have problems with luggage, according to IATA. But of the remaining 18, luggage for 15 is delayed on delivery, 2.25 are damaged and 0.75 is lost.
Japan’s first KC-767J tanker arrived at Gifu air base on Feb. 20, following its delivery flight from Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems’ conversion and modification site in Wichita, Kan. The aircraft, which was formally delivered to the Itochu Corp., a trading company acting for the Japanese government, will be officially handed over to Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force following an in-country acceptance process.
Sikorsky S-92 flies over New York on a demonstration flight. The commercial helicopter industry is riding a wave of prosperity that is forecast to remain strong for the next 10 years (see p. 56). Thousands of new rotorcraft are expected to be built as operators replace aging, high-maintenance aircraft with new, more efficient models. Strong demand from law enforcement, energy exploration and emergency medical services will help drive sales upward. Sikorsky photo by Rich Zellner.
Mar. 4-5—ATO Events’ Third Annual Conference and Exhibition: “Aircraft Maintenance Russia.” Holiday Inn Moscow Sokolniki Hotel. Call +74 (95) 626-5329, fax +74 (95) 245-4946 or see www.events.ato.ru/eng/events/mro/ Mar. 4-6—American Astronautical Society’s 46th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium: “Exploration to Commercialization: Going to Work in Space.” Greenbelt (Md.) Marriott. Call +1 (703) 866-0020, fax +1 (703) 866-3526 or see www.astronautical.org
Dassault Aviation says it took orders for 212 business aircraft last year—dwarfing the previous high of 158 in 2006. The purchases prompted a leap in orders to €6.26 billion ($9.2 billion), the fifth year in a row that new business has increased. The bulk of buys—73 units, according to figures reported last year—were for the new top-of-the-range 7X trijet, which entered service last June, said Chairman/CEO Charles Edelstenne. Falcon Jets deliveries climbed to 71 units from 61 a year earlier.
The U.S. Navy is asking three companies each to design an aircraft that can conduct simultaneous intelligence-gathering missions that were considered impractical, perhaps impossible, even a couple of years ago.
Jim Stobie has been named Falls Church, Va.-based director of aviation weather programs for government customers for Ensco . He was a senior systems engineer for the FAA.
The PowerJet SaM146 turbofan engine for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 family of 75-95-seat regional jets has completed the first phase of airborne trials on an Ilyushin Il-76LL transport, accumulating 42 hr. during 22 flights. Officials of the Snecma/NPO Saturn joint venture say the engine is meeting performance targets, but is not yet ready for production.
EADS Defense and Security and Tata of India have agreed to team for the Indian Army’s $1-billion tactical communications system, for which a request for proposals is expected this year.
The global appetite for commercial rotorcraft shows no signs of weakening as airframe manufacturers expand capacity and carefully manage supply chains to keep production lines rolling.
The FAA is proposing a rule that would harmonize engine fire protection certification standards with those of European Aviation Safety Agency requirements. The proposed rule, aimed at simplifying aircraft engine import and export activities, would apply to powerplants certificated in the U.S. under 14 CFR Part 33 and EASA CS-E or certification specifications for engines. The FAA is inviting comments by May 21.
Vietnam’s first telecommunications satellite, Vinasat-1, is set for launch following the completion of final checks. According to owner Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group, the $180-million Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft is to be orbited by Arianespace on Apr. 2. However, the launch operator, now preparing the Mar. 7 inaugural flight of Europe’s ATV space tug, says a mid-month date is more likely. To be sited at 132 deg. E. Long., Vinasat-1 will offer more than 200 DirecTV channels, and telecom/Internet access capacity.
SES and Eutelsat have formed a joint venture, Solaris, to offer mobile TV service using an S-band payload on Eutelsat’s W2A. The service is expected to be launched in early 2009 (see p. 49).
Chicago’s Midway Airport is one step closer to privatization after issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The City of Chicago signed up for an FAA pilot program that allows five U.S. airports to be leased to private operators. In September 2006, Midway announced its intention to complete privatization by the end of 2007. But the airport’s biggest tenant airlines—Southwest, Delta, AirTran, ATA and Frontier—expressed concern about how privatization would affect their operations. Now that the airlines have given their blessing, RFQ responses must be submitted by Mar.
Denmark-based Satair is making its first investment in China, taking a 49% stake in Sichuan Ruibo Hydraulic Component Service, which supplies Air China, China Eastern and China Southern with aircraft hydraulic overhaul services.
USAF Lt. Gen. Douglas M. Fraser has been named deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii. He was commander of the Alaskan Command of U.S. Pacific Command/commander of the 11th Air Force of Pacific Air Forces/commander of Alaskan North American Defense Region, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
High demand in Europe, the Middle East/North Africa and some sectors of the North American market is driving growth in the fixed-service satellite sector, helped along by a bevy of new satellite slots in Canada and projects in emerging markets. However, the influx of new national players is likely to limit efforts to reduce market fragmentation.
The looming consolidation of carriers in the U.S. may not yield the financial salvation the airlines have hoped for, and it could ripple throughout the aerospace industry to affect aircraft makers, believes International Lease Finance Corp. CEO Steven F. Udvar-Hazy. The head of the large aircraft leasing business says integrating airlines will be a greater challenge than is currently appreciated. Moreover, such moves could stall fleet modernization plans, hurting the likes of Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier.
Ralph (Skip) Boyce has been named Singapore-based president of Boeing Southeast Asia. He succeeds Douglas Miller, who had been Boeing Integrated Defense Systems vice president and leader of the Boeing Singapore office, and Paul Walters, who has led Boeing’s business activities in the remainder of Southeast Asia based in Malaysia. Both are retiring. Boyce was U.S. ambassador to Thailand from 2005-07. Naveed Hussain has become Boeing’s vice president in India for engineering and technology. He was director of flight engineering for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
Karl Wickizer (see photo) has been appointed business development manager in Huntsville, Ala., for EADS North America Test and Services . He was head of electronic warfare program execution and business development at the Sierra Nevada Corp. and was Rolls-Royce’s program manager for special technologies and the T63 and CTS 800 engine product lines.
If the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2008 supplemental request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is funded in full, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), appropriations for military operations and other related activities in the war on terrorism will rise to $188 billion this year and to a cumulative total of $752 billion since 2001. Last year, Congress approved $86.8 billion of the Bush administration’s total $189.3-billion Fiscal 2008 request. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants Congress to appropriate the remaining $102.5 billion.
More to the whole concept of airport hubs (AW&ST Jan. 14, p. 41), the U.S. would do well to consider what the Europeans and others around the world are doing to link major airports with distant cities and strategic intermediate points using high-speed rail networks.
