David A. Fulghum (Tel Aviv and Jerusalem), Robert Wall (Tel Aviv and Jerusalem)
Israel plans to keep its aerial domination of the Middle East intact, and that includes buying Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, accelerating its first deliveries, and deciding whose advanced equipment will be packed into the stealthy strike aircraft. A senior Israeli air force (IAF) official says those major areas of concern appear to be on the right track because of an “understanding” with the U.S. officials. Washington’s representatives are more ambiguous, saying that there has been no official change to Israel’s F-35 program.
The senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee wants more human intelligence assets in the Middle East and Persian Gulf regions. At a bipartisan press briefing last week on the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (Mich.) called for more intelligence agents on the ground, and less reliance on high-technology intelligence-gathering.
Embraer has sold almost 700 Phenom-family very light and light jets, the aircraft maker says. Embraer recently secured a 100-aircraft order for Phenom 300s from Flight Options.
The excellent artist’s rendition of the Boeing Business Jet head-up display (AW&ST Nov. 19, cover) illustrates one very important, but often overlooked point: Less is frequently more. Head-up and helmet-mounted displays rely on their effectiveness by combining the content of visual or synthetic real-world images—instantly recognizable by the pilot—that cannot be derived from the real world. Too much data swamps the pilot’s ability to take in the real world and reduces the operational effectiveness of the combined display.
The weak dollar is making the U.S. an attractive lower-cost maintenance destination for European carriers. So says AAR Corp. CEO David Storch, noting that the maintenance, repair and overhaul segment of his Illinois-based company is suddenly experiencing demand from airlines across the Atlantic. “We just started seeing this in the last few weeks,” Storch said following an address at the Aviation Week-Credit Suisse Finance Conference in New York late last month. “With the dollar-euro and dollar-pound rates where they’re at, some of these folks are trying to see if the U.S.
Honeywell Aerospace’s “make-or-buy” strategy for its big A350XWB contract is mindful that the division has seen revenue growth of 10% across all its markets this year and expects more of the same in 2008. While the plan is evolving, Honeywell has determined that its work packages will be competed globally. The evaluation of when to buy will be based, in part, on what intellectual property it wants to keep in-house.
USAF Lt. Gen. Roger A. Brady has been nominated for promotion to general with assignment as commander of U.S. Air Forces-Europe/commander of Air Component Command, Ramstein AB, Germany/director of the Joint Air Power Competency Center. He has been deputy chief of staff for personnel at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon. Brady will be succeeded by Maj. Gen. Richard Y. Newton, 3rd, who has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general. Newton has been assistant deputy chief of staff for air, space and information operations, plans and requirements at the Pentagon.
Superlatives and exaggerations are tossed around pretty freely in places like Washington, where noteworthy events routinely go unnoted and the sensational is the coin of the realm. But the “blockbuster” label applied by stunned media to the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) of Iran’s nuclear intentions and capabilities, issued Dec. 3, is justified. But let’s be clear: The report’s main conclusion—that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program four years ago, in the fall of 2003—raises a number of more subtle questions that deserve close attention.
The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin a $51.3-million contract to supply 430 helicopter-mounted missile launchers and 376 launcher electronic assemblies for U.S. and international forces. The order, from the Aviation and Missile Command at the Redstone Arsenal, Ala., includes multiple spares, engineering services and depot support. Deliveries are scheduled to run through the third quarter of 2011.
Two thumbs-up on your editorial on airline seat overbooking. What a creative thought: Sell only the number of tickets that matches the number of seats on the aircraft. After that, issue standby tickets in case anyone wants to try to get on. That’s really changing the view 180 deg. Too bad the airlines didn’t think of and implement that idea. In case there are no-shows, chances are standbys would be there to fill the seats, thus maintaining load factors and keeping everyone happy.
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), ranking member on the Senate space subcommittee, is swapping that post for the same role on the aviation subcommittee. Hutchison will take over the aviation panel’s senior minority post from Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who retires from Congress this month. Hutchison chaired the aviation panel when Republicans controlled the Senate. David Vitter (R-La.) will replace her as ranking member on the space, aeronautics and related sciences subcommittee, which oversees NASA. In welcoming Hutchison to her new post, Sen.
Adam Aircraft’s A700 program received its first FAA Type Inspection Authorization. FAA representatives now can begin flight tests on the twin-engine very light jet for credit toward certification, which is expected in 2008.
Malaysia Airlines’ decision to increase its order for ATR 72 turboprops may have improved the chances for the aircraft type to prevail in Malaysia’s quest to field surveillance aircraft. The Malaysian government has long been seeking an aircraft to meet air force and navy requirements in maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare. The services have a joint requirement for 6-10 of such aircraft, with a request for proposals for a first lot of four aircraft expected soon.
Bradford R. Holt has been appointed president/chief operating officer of Atlantic Southeast Airlines . He succeeds Bryan T. LaBrecque, who has retired as president and Anthony J. DiNota, who resigned as COO. Holt was vice president-flight operations at SkyWest Airlines.
Your Sept. 17 editorial (p. 98) and several letter-writers have addressed the problem of overbooking and passenger bumping, and called for legislative or regulatory remedies, typically focused on punitive measures. There may be a more efficient solution that would result in better yield management, fewer arguments and happier passengers.
Joseph J. Lusczek, Jr. (see photo), who is technical director of aerospace systems design and analysis in the Capabilities Integration Directorate of the Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, has received SAE International’s Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Award. The award recognizes individuals who have contributed to the innovative design and development of advanced aircraft and/or spacecraft.
Long stymied in the Japanese market, Airbus is making another push to open the doors for its products. Driven in part by commercial interests and industrial needs, the aircraft maker is offering Japanese suppliers a 5% workshare on the A350XWB. And unlike some other partners, the Japanese don’t even have to become risk-sharing partners. Airbus officials say they want to tap Japan’s expertise in composites.
Stephen Gorman has become executive vice president-operations of Delta Air Lines . He succeeds Joseph C. Kolshak, who is retiring. Gorman was CEO of Greyhound Lines and chairman of the board of Pinnacle Airlines.
Oman has confirmed the award of a contract for a vertical launch version of the Mica medium-range air-to-air missile and Exocet MM40 Block 3 antiship missile, which have an extended 180-km. (112-mi.) range and a littoral attack capability. The MBDA weapons are intended for Oman’s three new Khareef offshore patrol vessels.
Malaysia’s AirAsia is staking out the densely populated Southeast Asia as its medium-term operating territory, rejecting lucrative China as too problematic, even for the long term. The highly profitable no-frills carrier, which boasts the world’s lowest operating costs, will become the largest user of Airbus A320s following an order for 25 of the type concluded on Dec. 5.
Boeing has completed ground tests of its fuel-cell powered aircraft demonstrator. The aircraft maker is now in talks with Spanish aviation authorities to receive its experimental flight permit; once that’s in hand, the aircraft will begin flight trials, says Jose Enrique Roman, director of research and technology for Boeing in Europe.
Aerospace industry demand for composites will quadruple during the next 20 years to nearly $30 billion annually, fueled by the increased use of composites in next-generation transports, such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, and their integration into aeroengine designs, says Kevin Michaels, a principal at Aerostrategy. Meanwhile, the use of aluminum alloy will continue to rise in the near term and supplies could be tight until 2012 because of torrid demand for narrow-body jets.
In the last few months, French industry officials repeatedly stressed that the European aerospace industry’s competitiveness is seriously endangered by weak research and technology funding. This negative trend could further accelerate in the wake of the unfavorable U.S. dollar/euro exchange rate. The euro is now valued at nearly $1.50, up from about 90 cents when the common currency was established on Jan. 1, 1999, deteriorating Europe’s capacity for maintaining profitability and market share while competitors produce aircraft mostly in “weak” currency.
