The U.K. will likely field a "novel" weapon system within the next few years--probably a radio-frequency payload--as it increases emphasis on directed-energy weapons research. The government's Defense Technology Strategy considers it "vital that the U.K. retains a capability in RF directed-energy weapon systems (and associated vulnerability and lethality modeling) and highly desirable that a national capability is retained on defensive laser (damage and dazzle) systems."
John Tracy, who is Chicago-based Boeing's senior vice president-engineering, operations and technology, has been named the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference's Hispanic Engineer of the Year for 2006.
It's not easy being on top of the world. Just look at General Dynamics Corp. With wide exposure to the fast-growing U.S. Army budget, the company is well-positioned to benefit from huge war expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan. General Dynamics expanded its presence in the red-hot information technology market with the $2.2-billion acquisition of Anteon Corp. in June. Margins are recovering in its shipbuilding business, and Gulfstream Aerospace, the company's business jet arm, is capitalizing on a surge in demand for corporate aircraft.
Michael A. Taverna (Cherbourg, Biscarrosse and St. Medard, France)
A mammoth project to modernize France's nuclear arsenal will mark a milestone this year with the first land launch of the next-generation M51 ballistic missile.
Europe's fourth-largest low-fare carrier, Copenhagen-based Sterling Airlines, is putting in place a five-year growth plan, marking the end of a tumultuous period that saw heavy losses. The current Sterling Airlines was created a year ago by the merger of two money-losing carriers, Sterling and Maersk Air. The combined airline has remained in the red and just keeping it operating was a struggle at times, say company representatives. Losses last year surpassed $150 million and even in the first half of the year were still around $31.5 million.
A new cabin that Singapore Airlines expected to install in the Airbus A380 is ready but the airplane isn't, so the new look will first appear in December only on the other aircraft on which the cabin was to be introduced, the Boeing 777-300ER. The airline says it has spent $360 million developing the cabin, which has lie-flat business seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement and an entertainment system that lets even economy-class passengers work on documents they bring along on USB memory drives.
A $350-million joint development effort by India and Israel for the advanced Barak-2 missile is under scrutiny because of corruption charges arising out of procurement of the original Barak-1 system. India's Central Bureau of Investigation is looking into charges that middlemen offered kickbacks on behalf of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) to politicians, including former Defense Minister George Fernandes, for the purchase of six Barak-1 anti-missile systems. Indian law prohibits the use of middlemen in such deals.
As hope is once again raised that the U.K. is on the brink of reaching a deal on a modification program for eight "mothballed" Boeing Chinook Mk. 3 helicopters it badly needs, a senior Defense Ministry official has provided further details of the problems.
Craig Estep has become vice president-Citation/Caravan operations for the Cessna Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan. He was vice president-operations. Rod Holter has been appointed vice president/general manager of the Independence, Kan., facility. He has been an executive of Eclipse Aviation, Albuquerque, N.M. Brad Thress has been named vice president-component operations. He was vice president-quality. Thress will be succeeded by Cub Marion, who has been vice president-Textron Six Sigma at Cessna.
Boeing has received a follow-on contract for up to three Block II Wideband Gapfiller Satellites (WGS) worth a potential $1.067 billion that are similar to the Block 1 spacecraft already in production. Block II includes a radio-frequency bypass capability to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms that need ultrahigh bandwidth for data rates used by unmanned aerial vehicles. Boeing received authorization in February for the fourth WGS and anticipates authorization for the fifth by the end of this year. The first is due for launch next year.
For the men and women who wear U.S. Air Force blue, Oct. 14, 2006, is a date they won't soon forget. On that day, on a promontory adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery overlooking Washington, the Air Force Memorial was dedicated.
Ondas Media, which proposes to build a European mobile digital audio radio system (DARS), says the Spanish government has filed a new application with the International Telecommunications Union on its behalf. Teamed with Club DAB Italia, a consortium of media companies, Ondas is one of several ventures vying to start European mobile satellite radio/TV service. The company said the filing reflects the transitioning of the system, expected to start operations in late 2009, to a more advanced phase.
Regional rivals to Singapore's Tiger Airways are expanding their fleets. In July, Malaysia's AirAsia ordered 40 Airbus 320s, adding to a 2005 contract for 60 aircraft of the same type, to replace its Boeing 737s. PT Lion Mentari Airlines, Indonesia's biggest budget carrier, ordered 60 737-800s and -900s, and plans to start regional routes to Bangkok and Indian cities.
Aircraft simulator CAE Inc. is starting to feel the benefits of the upswing in commercial aircraft orders. The Montreal-based company had projected it would sell 21 simulators in its current fiscal year, which runs through Mar. 31. Halfway through that period, CAE has notched 19 orders, including a contract from five Boeing 737 simulators recently placed by low-cost European carrier Ryanair. If CAE is able to maintain its sales pace, it will surpass the 35 orders it notched in 2001 at the tail end of the industry's last upturn.
The British Defense Ministry and BAE Systems finally have signed a £450-million ($846-million) contract for the production of 28 Hawk 128 Advanced Jet Trainers for the Royal Air Force. Hard bargaining over costs appears to have been one cause for the delay in finalizing the deal, which had been expected to close by the end of 2005. The RAF also had considered purchasing up to 44 of the latest version of the Hawk, in two batches. At present, however, there is no indication the ministry will move beyond its order for 28. Two Hawk 128s have been built and are in flight-test.
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos says a deal to sell 12 EADS CASA C-295 twin-engine medium-lift aircraft and CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft to Venezuela is off. The U.S. opposed the deal, calling President Hugo Chavez a destabilizing force in the region. This left EADS without a supplier for some of the aircraft's technology. The cancellation comes as a relief to EADS North America, which has proposed the C-295 for the U.S. Army's Joint Cargo Aircraft competition and was hoping not to have to explain why the U.S.
Governments that want to harass the U.S. or its allies--without becoming entangled in actual conflict--have begun equipping non-state groups with technology that goes far beyond sophisticated weaponry. During the latest fighting in Lebanon and Israel, Iran provided Hezbollah with unmanned aircraft and, it is now being admitted, the intelligence products gathered by an electronic intercept facility it operated in Syria.
Industry may be applauding the intent of the British government's military technology road map, but it's also looking to find a route to additional cash. This is at a time when the Defense Ministry is already facing harsh choices on funding its equipment program. The strategy document also contains a warning for the air sector: It courts becoming so expensive as to be eventually unaffordable.
I hope the recent liquids fiasco has convinced people of the poor condition of our current airline passenger screening program. We are wasting billions of dollars each year for dubious gains. Terrorists must be laughing themselves silly, watching us chase our tails.
The Optus D1 and DirecTV 9S communications satellites were successfully dual-launched by an Ariane 5 rocket on Oct. 13 at approximately 4:56 p.m. EDT, the fourth launch this year for the Ariane 5 from Arianespace's facility in Kourou, French Guiana. Built by Orbital Sciences Corp. for Optus Networks Pty. Ltd. of Australia, Optus D1 will operate in the K u-band frequencies from its orbital location at 160 deg. E. Long., providing fixed satellite services and direct-to-home television broadcasting to Australia and New Zealand.
The successful launch of Europe's first polar orbiting weather satellite, after a string of delays, will reinforce global weather and climate forecasting--and help restore confidence in the venerable Soyuz launcher.
Arianespace affiliate Starsem says negotiations to launch Italy's CosmoSkyMed dual-use surveillance satellite system, the first of which is to be launched in April or May, hinge on talks between Italian and Russian officials. Starsem is closed to military missions, and Rome must convince Moscow of the civil nature of much of CosmoSkyMed's intended scope.
Richard Goglia has been named vice president-treasury and corporate development and Michael J. Wood vice president/chief accounting officer of the Raytheon Co., Waltham, Mass.
