The Vietnamese government will sell 10-20% of Vietnam Airlines to a foreign strategic investor and other stock in the company to public shareholders, retaining 70-80% for itself. The airline says it will expand its fleet to 110 aircraft in 2020 from 45 now.
Jet Airways will lease another five Boeing 737s from BOC Aviation, a Bank of China unit formerly known as Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise. The aircraft will be delivered beginning in March 2010 and will be leased for 10 years.
Boeing’s third announced delay in the 787 program puts first flight at least nine months behind schedule and means first delivery is as much as a year off the original mark. The company cannot predict when it will start work on the first delivery aircraft or when final assembly will begin on the five remaining airplanes needed to achieve FAA certification. Despite its production problems, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson emphasizes that the airplane’s technical advances remain on track. So far, there’s no reason to doubt him.
Russia has given the long-awaited OK for Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica to take a 25% stake in the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co., now developing the Superjet 100 regional jet. The holding comes with a single share above the 25% threshold, giving Alenia the control it sought. But the special status also required a dispensation from President Vladimir Putin, because it breaches Russia’s foreign ownership limits. With the arrangement expected to be approved this summer, Alenia gets to name two of seven SCAC board members.
Honeywell plans to offer consulting services to help operators qualify to fly Required Navigation Performance procedures. Business jet operators and airlines have to be certified by the FAA to fly RNP with Special Aircraft and Aircrew Authorization Required, which uses GPS to allow precision guidance during approaches. RNP can help aircraft fly safely into airports in mountainous areas and also is being used at congested airports.
The J2-X powerpack being readied for testing at the Stennis Space Center bears a serial number on the engine skirt that identifies this hardware (or at least parts of it) as having special historical significance with a 40-plus-year heritage. Engine J-2103 was the engine attached to the Skylab space station when it was first built as a rocket stage (S-IVB-212) in 1967. Two years later, the engine was removed when the stage was converted to the orbital workshop of Skylab. NASA has made good use of the preserved hardware.
Korea Aerospace Industries will focus on Asia and Latin America for sales of its KT-1 trainer and light attack aircraft, judging that insurgencies make those regions the strongest markets for such aircraft. The manufacturer aims to sell 200 of the turboprop aircraft by 2015, says a company executive.
The U.S. has been conducting network warfare and information operations since the 1992-95 war in Bosnia, but improvements in computer technologies, algorithms and encryption are making enemy networks increasingly tough to penetrate and exploit. Moreover, other countries are “getting just as much capability [as expensive U.S. systems] because they are leveraging more commercial products,” says Rance Walleston, director of BAE Systems’ information operations initiative. A major cost saver is that “everybody else does the research for them.”
Marc Raimondi has become director of communications in Washington for the Harris Corp. He was spokesman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement section of the U.S. Homeland Security Dept.
Virgin Atlantic, in a partnership that includes Boeing and General Electric, plans to perform the first biofuel flight test next month. A Virgin Boeing 747-400 will fly from London Heathrow to Amsterdam Schiphol using a blend of 20% biofuel and 80% jet fuel. The airline isn’t revealing the feed stock for the biofuel at this time, and will only say the material doesn’t compete with food and fresh-water resources. Engine partner GE has already been performing ground trials, with promising results, according to Virgin Atlantic.
Malaysia-based Measat has deployed a satellite over Eastern Africa to help meet strong demand for telecom services. The spacecraft, renamed Africastar-1, was commissioned last week at 46 deg. E. Long. Launched in 1996 and now in inclined orbit, it is no longer operating at full strength but will offer 12 C-band and up to four Ku-band transponders for customers, Measat says.
Italy plans to spend €100 million this year to increase its aerial firefighting fleet. The country operates Bombardier 415 amphibians and has been closely evaluating the Russian Beriev Be-200. Type selection is pending. The European Union would like to see member states integrate fleets, an idea that is likely to be tested this year in a series of exercises. Italian Civil Protection chief, Guido Bertolaso, says the country is pursuing a two-part approach.
If he’s elected President, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) might make a receptive audience for alternate space exploration goals in preparation by an experienced group of scientists who would drop Bush administration plans for a lunar base (see p. 24). Obama calls for developing the Ares I/Orion combo to replace the space shuttle, and for finishing the International Space Station. But he makes no mention of going on to the Moon, or of building the Ares V heavy launch vehicle that would be needed to get humans beyond Earth orbit.
Flight trials for EADS’s two main electronic warfare developments are headed for a crucial period, with hopes that important production contracts for key helicopter and fighter programs are in reach.
H. Andrew Schwartz has been named vice president-external relations for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies . He was its deputy director for external relations and director of media relations.
Rockwell Collins will provide primary flight control computers for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet’s fly-by-wire system, as well as pilot controls and the horizontal stabilizer trim system. The pilot controls will include the control wheels, columns, pedals and “feel” systems, and pedestal controls. Mitsubishi had already selected Rockwell Collins’s new Pro Line Fusion suite for the aircraft’s cockpit.
Embraer has signed a contract with LOT Polish Airlines to order a dozen more 175 regional jets. The agreement also has provisions for the purchase of another 12 of the aircraft.
The European Space Agency is embarking on a major overhaul of its budgetary and financial management procedures to ensure that it can function with expanded membership and a broader mandate without suffering administrative gridlock.
Airbus is preparing a round of A380 enhancements even though the basic configuration has enjoyed a successful initial period of in-service operations. The aircraft maker also believes some larger, long-running headaches, particularly excess weight on the megatransport, may effectively be resolved.
Both Afghanistan and Iraq are making progress in fielding air forces, says Central Command’s air chief, Lt. Gen. Gary L. North. He estimates the Iraqi air force may be ready to field a jet fighter as early as 2011. “The Iraqi government is programming a budget of close to $1 billion for next year,” North says. On the other hand, he says, “We’re behind, programmatically, where we would like the Afghan air force to be.” Iraq’s priority is airlift, both fixed-wing and rotary; weaponizing light aircraft, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).
American Airlines’ first quarterly loss since early 2006 could signal that the remarkable financial recovery of the U.S. major carriers is running out of gas. More bad news could be around the corner—while demand for air travel is holding up for now, analysts believe the U.S. economic slowdown must eventually hurt airline bookings.
The European Parliament is proposing to curtail the number of airports affected by a European Union policy to harmonize airport regulations, including charges. The Parliament voted to apply the new airport charging system only to facilities with at least 5 million passengers per year (or 15% of traffic of that member state), while the European Commission set the barrier at 1 million travelers.
