Intelligence capabilities have come into question dramatically in recent years, but assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, Michael Vickers, counsels to keep things in perspective. “Our intelligence capabilities are generally more impressive than people think. The problem with intelligence is that you can’t just order it up on demand,” he notes. “You have gaps. But what you do get is often very impressive and very decisive. We’re doing pretty well.”
France has given a $22-million contract to Raytheon to provide Enhanced Paveway II (dual GPS/laser guidance) precision bombs. The company also will integrate the weapons into the French air force’s Mirage 2000D fighters. Upgrade kits will convert existing 500-lb. laser-guided weapons into the more flexible dual-mode configuration. France also signed up to buy laser-guided Hellfire II missiles for the Army’s Tiger attack helicopter fleet.
German army air defense will be modernized from 2015 if a new industry proposal is given the green light. The offer—to be submitted this month to the German defense procurement agency (BWB)—is for an incrementally developed, networked approach to replace and upgrade a range of legacy systems. “SysFla” (for System Flugabwehr air defense system) is to be developed by 2014 for production to start in 2015. It builds on an existing program to field a stand-alone compound-protection system to counter rockets, artillery and mortars (C-RAM).
An influential South Korean government think tank is standing fast in its opposition to the air force’s proposed KFX stealth fighter program. The think tank had declared KFX’s costs to be greater than its economic benefits. Asked by the defense ministry to think again, it has come up with the same answer.
In addition to working with the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis when it arrives Feb. 10 (see p. 34), International Space Station Expedition 16 will be busy unloading a new Russian Progress resupply vehicle that docked Feb. 7, two days after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Carrying more than 5,000 lb. of cargo, the 28th Progress to reach the ISS docked at 9:30 a.m. EST. Progress 27, which undocked Feb. 4 to make room for the new arrival, will be deorbited for a fiery reentry with its load of station trash on Feb. 15.
Let’s be clear from the start: President Bush’s budget proposal for Fiscal 2009 is deservedly dead on arrival in Congress, as have been most if not all of his previous efforts. The President’s plan would squeeze health care, education, environmental protection and other domestic programs while preserving tax cuts for the highest-income Americans. The proposal greatly understates Iraq and Afghanistan war costs, and foresees continuing deficits until 2012—that is, through the entire term of the President who is elected this fall.
Jason Moir has become Learjet sales director for the Central U.S. for Bombardier Learjet , Wichita, Kan. He was contract manager for Bombardier Challenger 850 aircraft.
Gary Beck has been named vice president-flight operations for Alaska Airlines and Elizabeth Ryan managing director of labor relations for pilots, dispatchers and flight attendants. Beck succeeds Kevin Finan, who has retired. Beck was senior vice president-flight operations/chief pilot for Delta Air Lines and president/CEO of the Delta Connection Academy. Ryan has been a longtime labor negotiator for Alaska Airlines.
A weak dollar, increasing unit costs, a conservative dividend and general market skittishness conspired to see Rolls-Royce plc’s share price dip by nearly 10% on the announcement of its preliminary results last week. Despite sales up to £7.435 billion from £7.156 billion ($13.98 billion), and a 76% increase in its order book, the company’s share price fell to a low of 428.5 pence from an opening price of 473 pence. Published profit before taxes was down to £733 million for 2007 from £1.391 billion in 2006.
Boeing picked up two 737-800 orders from Blue Air, Romania’s four-year-old low-cost carrier, which began operations with an all-Boeing fleet of 737 Classics. Asiana Airlines ordered a 777. Boeing has accumulated 65 orders so far in 2008.
General Electric’s GEnx engine for the Boeing 787 has reached the 3,500 mark of ground starts using the variable frequency starter generators from Hamilton Sundstrand. The engine has accumulated more than 3,400 hr. and 4,500 cycles in ground testing. Certification is expected late this quarter.
Honeywell has received FAA approval for its new synthetic vision system, which it sees as providing a fundamental change in business jet displays so pilots can see virtual presentations of the terrain ahead in all types of weather.
Fred Munic has been appointed vice president of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programs at Vision Systems International , San Jose, Calif. He was director of JSF helmet-mounted display programs.
In what it notes will be the first public-private aerospace research consortium, Boeing has formed the Aerospace Network Research Consortium with the Indian Institute of Science and two Indian infotech companies—Wipro Technologies and HCL Technologies. ANRC was established as a four-year collaboration; financial terms were not disclosed. It is to develop wireless and other network technologies for aerospace applications. Boeing will be represented by its Phantom Works and Commercial Airplanes business units.
Helen Reed, head of the Aerospace Engineering Dept. at Texas A&M University in College Station, has received the J. Leland Atwood Award from the Reston, Va.-based American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) , for contributions to space systems engineering and space systems design education.
The RAF has activated the 39th U.K. Reaper Sqdn. at Creech AFB, Nev. It’s the RAF’s first UAV squadron, although RAF personnel have been part of the Joint Predator Task Force since 2004.
Army and Navy officials are joining forces to squelch a push by senior Pentagon civilians to fund two contractors in an upcoming competition to build the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM). The small weapon—born out of the defunct Lockheed Martin-led Joint Common Missile effort—will replace existing Hellfires and Mavericks on rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. JCM was terminated for lack of funding, but Pentagon acquisition czar John Young wants to carry two JAGM contractors through development and select a winner for production.
China expects to spend up to 60 billion yuan ($8.3 billion) on its projected 150-seat commercial aircraft. The country’s two main aircraft groups, Avic 1 and Avic 2, will have a stake in the endeavor, but the central government administration that controls state enterprises will fund most of it and hold the majority of shares. Avic 1 and 2 will contribute mainly with assets—presumably, manufacturing plants. Municipal governments and state-dominated metals companies will also take shares. The aircraft is supposed to fly around 2020.
The shuttle Atlantis and its U.S.-European crew are poised for liftoff as early as Feb. 7 to deliver Europe’s 13-ton Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station following a two-month delay to solve engine cutoff (ECO) sensor problems. After more than 20 years of development and frustration, the European Space Agency’s Columbus module is finally on the brink of its trip to the ISS (AW&ST Dec. 3, 2007, p. 45). A bent orbiter Freon line was forcing last-minute assessments, however.
Thales says it is poised to land a major helicopter retrofit award in the U.K. to go with one recently announced for French Cougars. The contract goals will be to reduce pilot workload and compensate for high airframe losses in Iraq and Afghanistan.
TNO Defense, Security and Safety of the Netherlands expects to make significant inroads into handling pilot disorientation via its newly opened six-degrees-of-freedom (DoF) moving base flight simulator at its Soesterberg facility. Known as Desdemona, the simulator was developed by Austrian-based AMST in collaboration with TNO. The cabin is suspended in a freely rotating gimbaled system (offering three DoFs through more than 360 deg.) which, as a whole, can move 3 ft. up and 3 ft.
Michael Mecham (Seattle), Michael A. Taverna (Seattle)
Realists among the travel-weary sect known as road warriors may say their “uncovered, unarticulated, emotional needs” for an airplane trip are to pass through noisy airports with their hearing intact and security lines with their clothes on. But Klaus Brauer and Blake Emery are paid by Boeing to talk to people about “the magic of flight.” Sometimes, this comes out best when passengers think back to the first time they flew.
Hong Kong Airlines has chosen Rolls-Royce Trent 700s to power 20 A330s it has on order. Rolls-Royce values the order at $1.2 billion. Deliveries will begin in 2010.
