A longer-range Milan anti-tank missile has begun its formal, system flight trial phase. MBDA completed the first test of the weapon last month at a government test facility in Bourges, France. The trial also involved the weapon's new Advanced Technologies firing post. The missile, which uses a wire-guidance system, hit a target at a range of 3 km. This was the first test involving all elements of the Milan-ER systems, which were previously tested separately. This trial phase should lead to user evaluations next year in France and Germany.
Telesat reported net earnings of $19.8 million for the third quarter, down 22% over a year earlier, chiefly because of one-time charges related to the retirement of Chief Executive Larry Boisvert. Revenues were down 1% to $113.5 million.
A Democratic House and a Republican Senate? That's a likely outcome of this week's national elections, and some financial analysts think it wouldn't be pretty for military contractors. JPMorgan analyst Joseph Nadol, 3rd, says a Democratic-controlled House "would likely mean more investigations of everything from Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib to specific contracts and contractors." And he notes that if the GOP holds the Senate, the likely Armed Services chairman is John McCain (R-Ariz.), whose oversight of Boeing contracts landed two company officials in jail.
Steven H. Flajser has become a principal at Washington Technologies Strategies. He was manager of government relations for Loral Space and Communi- cations.
Saab has inked a deal with Denmark's Aerotech to provide the government with about $34 million of work for mechanical, electrical and electronic components, but there's a catch. The deal pre-supposes that the Danes will choose the Gripen fighter as the F-16 replacement. A decision is due in 2008. The Eurofighter consortium as well as Lockheed Martin have their eyes on the order.
Three of the six Discovery-class mission proposals NASA wants studied in-depth would use scientific spacecraft already launched that have completed their primary missions. Two of the "missions of opportunity" picked for $250,000 concept studies would use the Deep Impact mother ship that blasted a hole in the comet Tempel 1 with a copper projectile, while a third would use the Stardust comet sample return spacecraft to take another look into that hole.
PLATINUM JET CENTER BMI HAS OPENED ITS NEW 34,000-sq.-ft. aviation and business facility at Bloomington-Normal Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Ill., offering charter, leasing, sales and maintenance services. The hangar is designed to accommodate a Boeing Business Jet based on the 737-700.
Regarding the article about the new airport in Tibet, "The Future of Navigation on the Roof of the World" (AW&ST Sept. 25, p. 52), the Chinese name for the airport site, "Linzhi," is a bad transliteration from Tibetan to Chinese to English of the name that is more accurately transliterated directly from Tibetan to English as Nyingtri.
Gol has exercised options for 20 more Boeing 737-800s, raising its total order to 87 aircraft. The fast-growing Brazilian carrier, which is expanding its routes to other South American countries, now operates 56 737s and plans to expand its fleet to 101 aircraft by 2012. Gol also took new options for an additional 20 737-800s.
Spain's largest airline expects to exceed many of the targets set last year in a major competitiveness initiative, although some challenging labor issues still need to be resolved. Iberia's management last week provided the first update to its so-called Directors Plan, which aims to ensure the airline's long-term financial viability in the face of increasing fuel costs and massive competition from low-fare carriers. The goal is to generate cost cuts and operational improvements valued at a combined €600 million ($762 million) per year.
Jonathan B. Penn in his Viewpoint (AW&ST Oct. 23, p. 78) recommends occupying "the principled high ground" of what amounts to unilateral nuclear disarmament to rein in the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran. His faith in the effectiveness of the international community is touching.
Stacie Suggs (see photo), who is the lead hardware test equipment engineer at the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Space Technology Sector, Redondo Beach, Calif., has received the Community Service Award as part of the the Career Communications Group's 2006 National Women of Color Awards. Suggs was honored for her commitment to increasing the number of women and people of color pursuing studies in math and science.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) Nov. 13-15--Aerospace & Defense Programs, Phoenix. PARTNERSHIPS Nov. 29-30--Aeromart 2006, Toulouse. AVIATION WEEK MANAGEMENT FORUMS Nov. 14-15--CPI for Aircraft Maintenance, Phoenix. Dec. 5-6--Essentials of PBL Contracting Process, Washington. AVIATION WEEK SHOW NEWS
USN Rear Adm. (select) Peter J. Williams has been appointed executive officer for tactical aircraft programs at NAS Patuxent River, Md. He has been assistant commander for logistics at Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River and will be succeeded by Rear Adm. (lower half) William E. Shannon, 3rd, who has been the command's assistant commander for acquisition and operations. Rear Adm. (lower half) (select) Kenneth E. Floyd has been named director of the Aviation Plans and Requirements Branch in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington.
Virgin Blue Airlines has ordered three Embraer 170 and 11 Embraer 190 jets and holds options for another six aircraft. The Brisbane, Australia-based airline is right-sizing its fleet and plans to operate the new aircraft in its domestic and South Pacific markets.
The U.S. Air Force's nascent plans for a cheaper jammer program for its B-52 fleet are being mauled, most recently by the Navy and Marine Corps in a high-level Pentagon meeting.
After discovering Navy and Air Force plans to cut and delay their portions of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England called in senior leaders, including the service secretaries, to "re-energize" the military's dedication to the program and reassure international partners. Although the Navy never made public its proposal to delay production, the move had become known around the Pentagon well in advance of a meeting, planned in about four weeks, of the Defense Acquisition Working Group to discuss JSF.
The Pentagon is making the undersecretary of Defense for intelligence (USDI) responsible for deciding how to label information "For Official Use Only"--a restriction that exempts unclassified documents from mandatory release under Freedom of Information Act requests. In a Federal Register notice, the department says it "removes. . . and reserves" non-USDI guidance on marking unclassified material as FOUO. The reason: to "eliminate confusion" over who and what guidance to follow.
David A. Davis has been appointed senior vice president/general manager of the business aircraft division of New York-based CIT Aerospace. He was president/manager of the Specialty Finance Group Aircraft Div. of 1st Source Bank.
Your article "Small Yield, Big Bang" (AW&ST Sept. 25, p. 46) discusses methods of reducing the damage-causing "footprint" of weapons that will limit destruction to specific targets. One possible design improvement for any of these missiles or bombs would be a change in the fuze, as follows: Develop a long-distance proximity fuze that would, optionally, be set off 50-100 ft. prior to expected target impact, and connect the fuze to a highly inefficient detonator that would only cause an "enhanced deflagration" to blow the body of the missile/bomb apart.
The U.S. air traffic control system and Ford Motor Co. are in the same boat, says FAA Chief Operating Officer Russell Chew. They both have to reinvent themselves--and fast. While a lot of the planning for ATC modernization in Washington has focused on reinventing the system by 2025, Chew told ATC specialists at an Air Traffic Control Assn. conference that major improvements will be needed as soon as 2016. The good news is that a recent simulation exercise run by the FAA and Mitre Corp.
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EADS is continuing to remake Airbus, drawing it closer under its parent company, with more management reshuffling underway. Eurocopter chief Fabrice Bregier is moving to Airbus to take the position of chief operating officer, left vacant after the previous COO, Charles Champion, was dismissed. Bregier, who is replaced at Eurocopter by Lutz Bertling, reports to EADS Co-CEO and Airbus President and CEO Louis Gallois.
RAC'S CHIEF COMPETITOR, CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO., REPORTED receiving orders for 115 new business jets worth more than $1 billion during the NBAA show. Combined with agreements made before the event began, to date Cessna has logged more than 160 orders in the fourth quarter. In addition, Bell Helicopter Textron officials say the company booked 10 orders, including agreements to buy new Model 429 and Model 430 aircraft.
