The U.S. Air Force's Space Control Center (SCC) will move from Cheyenne Mountain Air Station in Colorado to Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and become part of a recently activated Joint Space Operations Center (JSOC). Run by Air Force Space Command's (AFSPC's) 1st Space Control Sqdn., the SCC is the command-and-control focus for all U.S. space surveillance activities, such as tracking space debris and satellites and monitoring all launches. The SCC merger with JSOC is expected to streamline AFSPC's support of combatant commanders.
The Iraqi military stands to receive 20 Mi-17 transport helicopters and other equipment under a proposed $500-million foreign military sales deal with the U.S. The arrangement also includes logistics support for the helos, as well as Huey II and Jet Ranger rotorcraft, as well as a slew of ground equipment, including 600 infantry light armored personnel carriers.
The first-generation ensemble is a collection of modular subsystems integrated with the soldier's protective clothing and body armor. Here's a rundown of what Land Warriors are slated to get:
John Hardy Griffith, Fred D. Knox, Jr., and USAF Col. (ret.) Mervin L. Evenson have been inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor in Lancaster, Calif. Also named were the late USAF Col. Emil (Ted) Sturmthal and Jacqueline Cochran. Sturmthal, who died in 1982, was the B-1 Test Force project director and copilot on the first flight of the B-1, on Dec. 23, 1974. He was also project pilot on the B-58 flight control modification program, XB-70 joint NASA/USAF supersonic research flight program and the first flight of the RB-57F.
Qatar Airways is leasing six Airbus single-aisle jets from CIT Aerospace, including one A320 and five larger A321s. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2007 and continue into 2008. The deal is the first between the airline and the company. Qatar Airways is experiencing expansion of its fleet, projected to more than double in size to 110 aircraft by 2015.
HONEYWELL AEROSPACE HAS RESTRUCTURED its helicopter business, including engines, avionics and other products. The changes were made under Vice President Vicki E. Panhuise. In addition, the company has appointed "one point of contact" for all of the larger aircraft manufacturers, including a manager for Bell, Boeing, Sikorksy, AgustaWestland and Eurocopter. There is also one person assigned to manage all Defense Dept. business and one to handle helicopter-sector dealers, distributors and trading companies. Panhuise says the response from major customers, including the U.S.
As available research and procurement accounts begin to cave under the weight of war costs, flexibility is becoming the name of the game for the Pentagon's weapons and munitions. Gone are the days of buying a single type of weapon for a single set of targets. The Air Force and Navy are now looking inward to modify existing weapons, even the brand-new Small-Diameter Bomb, with added capabilities. The goal is two-fold: Decrease bomb yield to allow use in populated areas and find a way to destroy adversaries on the go.
The City of Chicago intends to privatize Midway Airport in a lease deal set to close in the second half of 2007. The city applied to the FAA under terms of 1996 legislation that authorizes five pilot privatization projects, only one of which--New York's Newburgh Stewart Airport--has been approved. A key objective at Midway is the creation of a new rate-setting framework for airline-use agreements providing a "long-term certainty" of funds at favorable rates and charges, which could be a template at other privatized airports.
Weapons being developed to protect commercial airliners from shoulder-fired missiles suffer from a challenging set of logistics, cost, export control and technological issues, the Homeland Security Dept. said in a recent report to Congress. The official report was posted online by the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy until the Homeland Security Dept. found out and compelled the organization to take the document down for security reasons. Man-portable air defense systems (Manpads) are widely considered a rising terrorist threat.
Air China Southwest Capt. Chen Dong Cheng shot this photo from his Boeing 757 cockpit on the first Required Navigation Performance approach to Runway 05 at Linzhi Airport during a test flight on July 12. A 757 on Sept. 1 operated the first revenue flight that used an RNP approach to Runway 23 (see p. 52). Naverus Inc. of Kent, Wash., designed these RNAV RNP approaches. On the approach path to Runway 05, the valley necks down to 0.875 naut. mi. in width as a ridge juts in from the left.
Evergreen International Airlines will use Jouve Aviation Solutions' AirFTI Task Manager software for its maintenance and engineering operations in its management of Boeing's Large Cargo Freighter transports for the 787 program, as well as for its existing fleet of 13 747-100/200 freighters.
Photographed by the space shuttle Atlantis during a Sept. 17 flyaround, this configuration of the International Space Station already has changed. The Progress capsule at the end of the Russian Zvezda service module (top center) was jettisoned the next day to make room for the Soyuz vehicle carrying the Expedition 14 crew, which docked at 1:21 a.m. EDT Sept. 20.
India's GoAir has chosen the CFM International CFM56-5B to power its 10 Airbus A320s. Deliveries on the $150-million engine deal are to begin in mid-2007. The engines will include the Tech Insert efficiency configuration that cuts oxides of nitrogen pollution.
editorial director Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. editor-in-chief Sharon Weinberger managing editor Glenn W. Goodman, Jr. assistant managing editor Michael Stearns contributing editors Michael Dumiak David Eshel Ann Finkbeiner Nicholas Fiorenza Ron Laurenzo Catherine MacRae Hockmuth Neelam Mathews Andy Nativi Tim Ripley
Boeing has finalized its $2.15-billion acquisition of Aviall, the world's largest independent provider of new aviation parts and related aftermarket services. The Dallas-based company will operate as a subsidiary of Boeing Commercial Aviation Services.
Eurofighter partner nations are battling to finalize a critical upgrade package for the four-nation fighter and looking again at longer-term capability enhancements. Industry partners and the Eurofighter management agency were in discussions last week to try for final agreement on systems and weapons enhancement packages for the second production run of the aircraft.
Companies are increasingly banking on a growing market for simulation products, backed by advances in the underlying technology and the increasing military appetite for advanced training. Rheinmetall Defense Electronics GmbH., the Bremen-based subsidiary of the German company Rheinmetall, says it recently received about €50 million ($63.5 million) in orders for a number of its simulation products, such as an electronic gunnery training system called Elsa, and its Tacos gunnery and combat simulator.
With development issues now behind them and concession talks in the final stretch, Galileo managers are now focusing on construction of the first spacecraft that will serve to demonstrate and validate the European satellite navigation system.
The history of European cooperation on naval programs is plagued by false starts and near disasters. The French-Italian effort to build a new generation of large frigates is no exception. The cooperative effort--called Fremm (Fregate Multi-Mission/Fregate Multi-Missione)--has suffered delays and bitter technical and industrial arguments. But the worst now seems to be over as the Fremm design has been finalized and, in less than five years, the first ship will be delivered.
Japan's transport ministry has signed off on plans to extend Runway 16L/34R at Narita International Airport in Tokyo. The runway's length will be increased 320 meters to 2,500 meters (8,200 ft.) and is scheduled to be commissioned in March 2010. The additional length is projected to increase Narita's traffic by an additional 20,000 movements annually.
Air Force officials say they've stabilized production for their newest workhorse weapon fuze after supplier problems in recent years prompted the former top Air Force bomb developer to declare it "the biggest hole in the weapons world."
Vic Bonneau (see photo) has been promoted to president of Smiths Aerospace's Electrical Power business, Dayton, Ohio, from vice president/general manager.
