Thales is likely to expand its dominance over the Chinese air traffic control market as a result of a joint venture between the French company and an affiliate of China's civil aviation authority.
Measat Satellite Systems of Malaysia says its Measat-3 communications satellite has been shipped to Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, for a December launch atop an International Launch Services Proton M booster. The Boeing-built spacecraft will provide C- and K u-band service to Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa.
ENAV, the Italian air navigation services provider, is expected to slow modernization spending in 2007 and 2008, after putting €311 million ($401 million) in equipment this year. Outlays in the next two years are expected to reach €189 million and €158 million, respectively. ENAV's priority in those years will be on runway control systems and anti-intrusion systems, precision approach landing, air surveillance and monitoring, better ground and air communications and more reliable meteorological services.
Except for the Defense and Homeland Security Depts., the federal government remains funded by a continuing resolution through Dec. 8, and under one scenario brewing in Congress, the situation may remain the same through Sept. 30, 2007, the end of the fiscal year. The lame-duck Congress still has a stack of unfinished Fiscal '07 appropriations, including money for NASA and the Transportation Dept. Last week, conservative senators blocked action on a few appropriations bills, citing fiscal disgust.
ICO Global Communications has requested that the Federal Communications Commission grant it a six-month extension for the construction and launch of ICO's planned hybrid mobile satellite system, because of production/delivery issues encountered by the spacecraft manufacturer, Space Systems/Loral. The extension would move launch from July 1, 2007, to Nov. 30, 2007, and the in-service date from July 17, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2007.
EgyptAir has signed a contract with Lufthansa Systems to use its Sirax revenue accounting system. That makes EygptAir the second carrier in the region to use the system after Royal Jordanian Airlines. Sirax controls accounting by checking ticket sales against specific flight data and allows paperless billing of code-share flights.
Germany is poised to launch a hyperspectral imaging spacecraft as it notches up an ongoing effort to make the country a leading player in the remote sensing market.
I grew up as a "rocket boy" in a small Kentucky town in the 1950s. While launching backyard missiles and conducting explosive experiments in the basement, I devoured science fiction and wondered if personal space travel would ever be possible. And if so, what would it be like? Now, 50 years later, after several careers in space and technology, I believe those dreams are within reach.
Mike Cave has been named vice president of business strategy and marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which puts him in charge of strategic business planning for the airframer, reporting to CEO Scott Carson. He is building one of the widest portfolios at BCA, having served as its chief financial officer and, most recently, vice president and general manager of its airplane programs office. Cave succeeds Nicole Piasecki, who has been appointed vice president of Boeing International and president of Boeing Japan.
Turkey has signed an order for 17 Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk helicopters. Deliveries are to begin in 2009. The Turkish Navy already operates seven S-70Bs. The new order will up the fleet to 24 aircraft. The S-70B is a derivative of the U.S. Navy's SH-60B Seahawk. It has a fully integrated, digital cockpit with liquid crystal displays, multi-mode radar and dipping sonar, and can carry Penguin and Hellfire missiles.
Garnett Stowe (see photo) has been appointed Washington-based vice president-National Intelligence Programs for the Raytheon Co.'s business development organization. He was principal consultant in Booz Allen Hamilton's National Security Business Segment and had been chief of staff for the National Reconnaissance Office.
MARKET FOCUS Embraer raises delivery target to make up for 2006 shortfall 10 NEWS BREAKS SAMP-T air defense system carried out its last qualification firing of Aster 30 16 Germany poised to launch hyper- spectral imaging spacecraft 17 Russia begins effort to consolidate its aerospace manufacturers 18 Asian and European airworthiness author- ities extend civil aviation project 20 Final Brazilian investigation report on midair collision due in year 20 WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS
The picture of Saturn from the Cassini orbiter flying above and behind the Sun was a truly magnificent image (AW&ST Oct. 30, p. 24). However, one error marred the commentary: the planet's stated diameter: Rather than 121,000 mi., that would be about 121,000 km. (The reader is correct--Ed.)
Mary K. Bush has been named to the board of directors of the ManTech International Corp., Fairfax, Va. She is president of Bush International and was a member of the ManTech advisory board.
When the Democrats take charge of Congress in January, incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin hopes Sen. John McCain will carry on his defense acquisition reform efforts--if the Arizona Republican isn't too busy seeking higher office. "I hope those reforms will continue apace," says Levin (D-Mich.), adding that Congress should be prepared to legislate "in order to address any issues," including ballistic missile defense.
Half of the companies that have listed their spacecraft buses on NASA's rapid-development satellite "catalog" are based in Europe, despite longstanding presidential policies giving preference to U.S. space hardware. Earlier this month NASA added Alcatel Alenia Space of Toulouse, France, to a list of potential suppliers that already includes trans-European EADS Astrium and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. of the U.K. U.S. companies participating are Ball Aerospace, Orbital Sciences Corp. and SpectumAstro.
The British Civil Aviation Authority may be debunking one of today's commercial aviation myths by reporting that no-frills airlines, at least in the U.K., have not significantly affected overall rates of traffic growth. CAA's report "No-Frills Carriers: Revolution or Evolution" found that "the average annual rate of growth of short-haul traffic is similar to that before the arrival of no-frills airlines.
Asian and European airworthiness authorities have extended a five-year, €21-million ($26.8-million) civil aviation project that was formed to stimulate cooperation in airworthiness and airport and air traffic management. Called "Bridging Aviation Project," the two-year extension will be managed under the AeroSpace and Defense Industries Assn. of Europe (ASD), with financing by European industry and participating Asian countries.
Michael L. Campbell (see photos) and Peter J. Carian have been named principal engineers of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. Campbell will be chief software engineer within the Navigation Div. He has been a principal director in the Computers and Software Div. Carian will be principal engineer within the Electronics and Sensors Div. He was a senior engineering specialist.
Your Washington Outlook item "Denim Be Damned" (AW&ST Oct. 23, p. 23) had the mindset of a 10th grader. It's true airport travelers are not concerned about fashion in towers or darkened control centers, but they are deathly concerned about professionalism. If you don't think the way a person dresses affects his/her attitude about the seriousness of their job, you need to wake up. Go ahead and tell any airline that their crews really don't need to wear those silly hats and dark jackets with matching slacks, white shirts, ties and dress shoes (no sneakers or sandals).
If there is a black mark on Embraer's 2006 performance, it is delivery problems with the 190/195 regional jets. The company is now upping its 2007 production target to offset a 10-aircraft shortfall in this year's planned output.
USN Rear Adm. (lower half) (select) Scott H. Swift has been named deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces under U.S. Central Command in Bahrain. He has been deputy executive officer for naval aviation and tactical air systems in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. Rear Adm. (lower half) (select) Michael P. Tillotson has become deputy commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, Norfolk, Va. He was deputy director of Standing Joint Force Headquarters North, U.S. Northern Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
ARINC AIMS TO BRING NEXT-GENERATION WEATHER RADAR imagery and other weather graphics to the flight decks of airline aircraft--a capability that's already being used widely by business jets through satellite connections. For example, XM's satellite weather link provides Nexrad graphics, winds aloft, echo tops, Meteorological Aerodrome Reports, freezing level and lightning activity, among other information. Now Arinc has flight-tested the display of weather uplinked from the organization's graphical weather on the ground.
Blue Origin, the startup personal spaceflight concern backed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, gave its New Shepherd reusable launch vehicle its first flight test Nov. 13, opening an evaluation series that is planned to continue into 2009. The flight, which an FAA official confirmed, came at the end of a three-day experimental launch permit that restricted aircraft within 5 mi. of the company's facility near Van Horn, Tex., for 5 hr. a day to an altitude of 10,000 ft. The secretive Kent, Wash.-based company released no details on the initial flight.
