Trade-offs between guns, butter and taxes will undoubtedly be forced onto the congressional agenda very early as long-delayed defense bills test the new 110th Congress's mettle.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to reschedule its aborted Dec. 7 test of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system to the spring. MDA said human error led to an improper equipment setting for the demonstration, which was focused on a rapid dispatch of two Standard Missile 3 interceptors. Mike Trotsky, Lockheed Martin's air and missile defense chief says the test will use an Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle (ARAV) for one of the targets. The Dec. 7 test expended the last of the Target Test Vehicles used to simulate a short-range ballistic missile.
Michael J. Fabey (Tyndall AFB, Fla.), David A. Fulghum (Washington)
Fighting in--or against--the F-22 is a singular event, humbling and frustrating to its victims, and often startling to its pilots, who describe each flight as a learning experience. The first thing anyone learns about the U.S. Air Force's Raptor is that it isn't envisioned as a dogfighting aircraft, mixing it up with other high-performance fighters.
Looking at the 110th Congress--most of its members fresh from election victories and not yet bogged down in the grinding task of getting re-elected--you would think there is no better time to address and solve some of the big-issue problems that face today's aviation and aerospace industries. Wrong!
Snecma and its partners are moving to commit more resources to the powerplant for Europe's A400M to prevent the engine effort, and the airlifter program itself, from falling behind schedule. Marc Ventre, the new head of Snecma's propulsion business, says the EuroPropulsion consortium building the A400M's TP400-B6 turboprop has met all milestones to date, but has fallen behind on total accumulated hours on the bench. EuroPropulsion comprises Snecma, Rolls-Royce, MTU and ITP of Spain.
Good things come to those who wait. In 1999, near the peak of the corporate aircraft market's last upcycle, Raytheon put its business and general aviation unit up for sale. The company finally selected a buyer in late December--of 2006.
Todd M. Neuman has become Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based vice president-sales for North America for South African Airways. He was a sales executive with US Airways and has been director of product development for the National Leisure Group.
International and intra-European talks this year will be critical in shaping the exact terms of how Europe includes aviation in its emissions trading scheme, now that the European Commission has given the go-ahead to an amended strategy.
India has approached Dassault, Thales and MBDA regarding a $1.9-billion retrofit of 52 Mirage 2000 fighters to carry the advanced short-range air-to-air missile (Asraam). The upgrade is to begin this year and include installation of new radar, cockpit displays, electronic warfare and joint tactical information data link systems, as well as a helmet-mounted sight for firing the missiles. In other news, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. has chosen Nexter, formerly Giat Industries in France, to supply 20 THL 20 turrets to equip the indigenous military Advanced Light Helicopter.
Regarding Delta Air Lines and its pilots, in the 1990s, despite clear trends showing the impact of low-cost airlines on the profits of mainline carriers, organized labor continued to negotiate and/or extort extravagant packages from management.
Thank you for your excellent editorial "Beware of Weaknesses in US Airways' Bid for Delta" (AW&ST Dec. 4, 2006, p. 66). For the first time in many years, an airline is using Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code for the reason it was crafted. It is scandalous that the sacrifices and Herculean efforts of all Delta employees committed to bringing back their company are now being stymied by Doug Parker solely for the selfish exploitation of a proven brand. History should have taught us the lessons from the likes of Carl Icahn and Frank Lorenzo.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the Dec. 26 runway overrun incident at Miami International Airport involving a British Airways Boeing 747-400. Flight 209 from London landed on Runway 30 and reportedly slowed to taxi speed. However, the 747 continued beyond the runway end into the paved overrun area, knocking down two 12-in. approach lights for reciprocal Runway 12, according to the NTSB. The 747 was towed to a taxiway and continued under its own power to the gate.
Tactical Aerospace Group has begun development of recoilless weapons for its unmanned combat aircraft designs, initially focused on the company's portable unmanned helicopters. TAG has teamed with Recoilless Technologies International of Australia to field a 7.62-mm. weapon to examine other calibers, grenade launchers and weapons for suitability. The rifle-caliber weapon will be added to the 2.75-in. missile package already adapted for the helicopter.
The U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin GPS-IIR-16M spacecraft launched in November has been declared operational. It is the third of the modernized Block IIR-M satellites in orbit within USAF's overall constellation of 30. A fourth is due for launch this year.
Robert Wall's article "Miles to Go . . ." (AW&ST Dec. 11, 2006, p. 36) says the Airbus A350XWB will have a fuselage of six composite panels, joined one to another, using aluminum frames or attachment structures. The article quotes Airbus's Tom Williams suggesting it can build a lighter fuselage than the full composite barrel section approach used by Boeing on the 787. I find this hard to believe. Fuselages are subject to internal pressurization cycles. In general composite design, circumferentially oriented reinforcement provides the main pressure force resistance.
Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington), Craig Covault (Kennedy Space Center)
Flight crews and ground controllers are preparing for major additions to the International Space Station this year, thanks to a combination of skill and luck that brought the space shuttle Discovery straight home to Florida after its crew tackled serious hurdles to finish the job in space.
Finmeccanica has completed the process of reducing its share in engine manufacturer Avio. The company sold a 30% stake to the Cinven investment funds for €432 million ($567 million) and reacquired a 15% stake for €130 million. The balance will go toward strengthening Finmeccanica's financial situation. The company retains an option to buy Avio's space business, which may be exercised under a space launcher initiative with EADS, but financial details are under review.
China's Spring Airlines is considering selling stakes to foreign investors, including Citigroup, Dow Jones and Reuters. The company was planning an initial public offering in 2009, but it's also looking for bank borrowings and private equity placements to help raise 3 billion yuan ($384 million). Separately, the airline says it will set up a second base at Sanya on Hainan, China's southern island province. And it has been in hot water with the authorities lately for selling tickets too cheaply.
Eurocopter's Down Under affiliate, Australian Aerospace, has won a nine-year follow-on contract to provide heavy maintenance for RAAF AP-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft. The company is a member of the team providing upgrades and service life extension support for the airplanes, and has supported the Orion fleet since 1993. Eurocopter is a major supplier to the Australian military. It also maintains local assembly lines for the Tiger attack and MRH-90 helicopters.
Delta Air Lines has completed its reorganization plan, filed it with the bankruptcy court that supervises its every move and lined up exit financing. Now comes the hard part. Unlike the United and US Airways bankruptcy emergences (twice) before it, Delta is contending with an unfriendly takeover bid, from no less than US Airways (AW&ST Nov. 20, p. 32). By filing its reorganization plan Dec. 19, Delta has cued the final act, a battle for the hearts and minds of its creditors.
Lord Drayson, the British minister for defense procurement, is the architect of the U.K.'s Defense Industrial Strategy (DIS). The strategy is an attempt to draw a cohesive technology road map for the sector. The document identifies those areas that the ministry will foster at the national level, and those that it is willing to purchase internationally. Drayson is continuing to drive implementation of the DIS, with the first programs already emerging. NATO's Int
NASA engineers will spend the next couple of months trimming some 3,000 lb. in excess weight from the Orion crew exploration vehicle design, while NASA lawyers negotiate with as many as 13 other space agencies on the best ways to use the capsule for "collaborative" lunar exploration.
For five years Qantas, headed by Geoff Dixon, has been hitting roadblocks and repeatedly bursting through with excellent profitability. From 9/11 to the Iraq war, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the latest oil spike, the company has delivered earnings before interest and tax of 5-10% of revenue while pushing down costs and setting up a business plan that may become a landmark in airline history: a two-brand strategy in which the company deploys its Qantas brand in the full-service market and its lean Jetstar operation to make money out of weaker routes.
Lufthansa has agreed to sell its 50% share in Thomas Cook to KarstadQuelle, a deal that has long been muted. The deal is valued at €800 million ($1.048 billion). In parallel, Lufthansa agreed to increase its share in Thomas Cook's charter carrier, Condor, to 24.9% from 10%. As part of that arrangement, Lufthansa will receive Condor's shares in Turkish leisure airline Sun Express.
