A litmus test for the growing relations between India and the U.S. has been passed by the U.S. Senate. The Indo-U.S. Civilian Nuclear Agreement is expected to foster trade and investment opportunities for U.S. companies, particularly defense deals. The Senate version must still be reconciled with differing language in a House version after the Thanksgiving recess. The accord also is subject to review by the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Boeing's attitude--measured and somewhat sympathetic--toward Airbus's alarming straits is remarkable, and suggests that the competitors probably have more thoughts to share than grounds for disagreement. In the last 10 years, since the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger became a reality, they came to understand the true meaning of living together within the narrow limits of an industrial duopoly.
Korean Air's order for 25 Boeing aircraft sets the carrier on a course toward replacing many of its 747-400s with smaller 777-300ERs and introduces the 747-8 into the fleet as a freighter, leaving open the chance of later purchases of the passenger version. The Nov. 20 deal, which the airline valued at $5.5 billion at catalog prices, also boosts Korean's freight fleet, already the world's largest among passenger carriers, with 10 new freighters in addition to 747-400s now being converted for cargo work.
Bernard Elero has been appointed vice president-business development for the Raytheon Co.'s Falls Church, Va.-based Intelligence and Information Systems unit. He held the same position for the Intelligence Solutions Div. of L-3 Communications' Titan Group, Reston, Va.
Astar Air Cargo has won a $29-million U.S. Defense Dept. contract to provide global transportation of parts and supplies weighing 151-300 lb., starting Dec. 1.
The Italian air force is undergoing flight trials with its first Tornado IDS interdiction aircraft fitted with a MIDS-LVT (Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminal). The data link, which uses the Link 16 transmission format, is designed to allow information exchange with other air, ground and naval platforms using a similar system. The trials are being carried out at the flight test center in Pratica di Mare, near Rome.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has picked Cray Inc. and IBM for the next phase of the High Productivity Computing Systems (HPCS) program, which is aimed at accelerating the state of the art in supercomputing and making such powerhouse systems easier to use. Between now and 2010, Cray will receive $250 million and IBM $244 million to develop prototype supercomputers capable of performing at least two quadrillion floating point operations per second (flops), or two petaflops.
Michael Moore (see photo) has been appointed vice president-program management at the Associated Air Center, Dallas Love Field. He was vice president/general manager of Timco Aviation Services.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force has ordered eight MB-339CM trainer aircraft, equipped with full digital avionics suites, from Italian manufactuer Alenia Aermacchi. Delivery is to start in November 2008 and continue at a rate of two units every two months.
Laryssa Densmore (see photos) has become site director for the Lockheed Martin Corp. at the Mississippi Space and Technology Center at the Stennis Space Center. Stuart Stine has been appointed finance director and Malcolm Wood facilities and environmental services director at the company's Space Systems Div. at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Densmore was a program manager in the boost vehicle and targets countermeasures organization.
Cessna Aircraft Co. received the FAA production certificate for its six-place Citation Mustang business jet on Nov. 22 and on the same day delivered the first aircraft to Fresno, Calif.-based Mustang Management Group. Cessna will lease the aircraft for 10 months as a demonstrator. Mustang Management then plans to use the aircraft for flight training at its Scott Aviation subsidiary. Cessna expects to deliver 40 Mustangs in 2007.
First flight of an F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter equipped with a full suite of mission systems is tentatively scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2008. A short takeoff/vertical landing F-35B (Serial No. BF-4) will be the first Joint Strike Fighter fitted with a complete complement of sensors, followed closely by an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing version (Serial No. AF-3), according to Lockheed Martin. No sensors are installed on the first production F-35A that's scheduled to fly next month.
A new Lockheed Martin/U.S. Air Force modernized GPS satellite is launched by a Boeing Delta II framed (at left) by a nearly 50-year-old Thor-Able rocket at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Thor gave birth to the modern Delta.
Ryanair will not increase its offer to Aer Lingus shareholders beyond the €2.80 per share put forward in the initial acquisition proposal in October, although reserving the right to still do so. Ryanair made its statement after Aer Lingus issued its defense on why shareholders should reject the unsolicited takeover bid.
Transport Canada is expected within weeks to issue a final version of an international air policy that will set the course for future negotiations with other nations. A federal government paper issued earlier this year indicates the administration's willingness to pursue U.S.-style Open Skies agreements, while encouraging competition and expanded international services. The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is encouraged by the government's stated goals, such as freeing airports from traditional bilateral constraints.
NASA managers like to describe the upcoming 12a.1 International Space Station assembly mission as rewiring your house while you live in it. But this abode has far more moving parts, all flying about 17,000 mph., 250 mi. high.
The Delta unit of the Air Line Pilots Assn. is analyzing what it describes as "US Airways' hostile unsolicited bid to acquire and merge with Delta." In a Nov. 21 letter to pilots, Delta Master Executive Council Chairman Lee Moak says if the bid is "as misguided and as poor an idea" as he believes it to be, he will deploy every available resource to stop it. Moak identifies what is perhaps the largest and most critical obstacle to overcome: the operational challenge of joining US Airways and Delta prior to the completion of the America West-US Airways merger.
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (Canso) has been invited to participate in the European Union's High Level Group on the Future of Aviation Regulations. About 50 air navigation service providers worldwide belong to Canso. The EU High-Level Group already includes the directors-general of civil aviation for the Netherlands, the U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, as well as the Eurocontrol director-general and representatives from the International Air Transport Assn. and Airports Council International-Europe.
Finnair is adding flights to key European destinations to further feed its Asian routes, which have become central to the carrier's long-term financial plans. To improve its feeder network, frequencies are being added to Amsterdam, Kiev and Gothenburg in Sweden. Finnair says the Amsterdam connection is closely tied to the newly opened route from Helsinki to New Delhi. The Swedish and Ukrainian expansion is set for March and April next year, respectively.
Last-ditch efforts are underway to save Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), 200 million mi. from Earth and orbiting 230 mi. above Mars on an extraordinary voyage of scientific discovery. Spacecraft have gone missing at Mars before. But never has such an integrated spacecraft infrastructure in Martian orbit and on the surface, along with corporate and NASA control centers on Earth, been combined as part of a deep-space rescue operation.
John Woodin has been named president of the Seattle-based Aeromedia Network. He was vice president/general manager of KIRO-TV and remains president/CEO of SkyBlue Productions.
USAF Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering, 3rd (Director, Missile Defense Agency, Washington, D.C.)
Neal Chism's assertions regarding the Missile Defense Agency's use of sensors for missile defense testing (AW&ST Nov. 6, p. 10) were really off the mark.
Sikorsky has been awarded a $138.5-million contract upgrade for procurement of 12 MH-60R full-rate production Lot 4 helicopters. Work is to be completed in December 2007.
Airlines in the coming 20 years will buy 22,663 new passenger and freighter aircraft and probably more, since the projection for some of the strongest growth markets are seen as conservative in the latest Airbus look-ahead. The newly issued Global Market Forecast has upped the 20-year outlook by more than 5,000 aircraft compared to the one issued in 2004. "This is a strong growth market and we expect it to continue growing," says John Leahy, Airbus COO for customers.
A flight-test program recently flown on Scaled Composites' White Knight testbed provides a glimpse of a fuel-saving feature that aircraft may incorporate in the near future--"adaptive compliant" wings.
