Lockheed Martin's newly unveiled Polecat unmanned aerial system demonstrator is designed to explore the aerodynamic characteristics of the tailless flying wing design at higher altitudes than attempted to date, and possibly feed technologies into future aircraft for the U.S. Air Force.
Qinetiq is taking part in a development program for the Zephyr High-Altitude, Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HALE UAV) to ready its flight controls and power systems for extended flight, building on Zephyr's recent trial at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. This most recent foray proved that a low-cost UAV can provide operations at high altitudes. The focus now is on refining Zephyr's rechargeable batteries to enable flying for weeks, then months. Zephyr uses solar power to fly at altitudes in excess of 60,000 ft.
Initial assessments tentatively place blame for the July 10 failure of an Indian Geostationary Space Launch Vehicle (GSVL) on a minor flaw in a first-stage engine component. An analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity, says the component was made by the consortium that supplies the Indian Space Research Organization with engine parts for final assembly. ISRO managers ordered emergency measures to review procedures and documents from the engine's pre-design stage to ensure quality was not compromised.
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works last week unveiled its Polecat unmanned aerial system demonstrator at the Farnborough air show. A new composite heating process and the use of a "wing-shaping" technique, coupled with Polecat's tailless flying wing design, will be tested at increasingly higher altitudes beginning this fall (see story and more Lockheed Martin photos on pp. 64-65).
Market Focus 14 American Airlines' chief tries new routes to profitability News Breaks 18 Cameras on Bigelow Aerospace Gen- esis I image its interior and exterior 18 C-27J team selects production and logistics sites in two states 19 Aviation Week magazines win awards from Royal Aeronautical Society 19 USAF completes aerodynamic load tests on Joint Strike Fighter Farnborough 2006 News Breaks 20 RAF will take delivery of Nimrod MRA4s beginning in 2009
Industry officials are suggesting the U.S. Air Force is planning to procure its refueling tanker replacements in three batches, with the first buy likely to be about 185 aircraft. USAF program officials say they are still reviewing a "range of procurement quantities of up to the equivalent of one-third of the tanker fleet." The acquisition strategy is due to the Pentagon in the fall and a contract award next summer.
Russian controllers scrubbed a third attempt to launch Eumetsat's MetOp weather satellite 3 min. 5 sec. before liftoff July 20 and returned the Soyuz launch vehicle and satellite to their integration facility at Baikonur Cosmodrome for an indefinite delay. The Soyuz ground support was tentatively faulted for the setback, which followed launch aborts on July 17 and 18. MetOp will be Europe's first polar-orbiting weather satellite.
Qantas pilots are raising concerns with Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) over subsidiary Jetstar Airways' plans to gain 180-min. ETOPS approval. Budget operator Jetstar wants ETOPS so it can begin direct flights to Honolulu later this year. The Australian and International Pilots Assn. argues that CASA should perform a risk assessment before granting approval.
BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE MARKED two milestones recently with manufacture of the 300th Learjet 45 and 300th Learjet 60 business jet. The Learjet 45 will be operated in the U.S., while the Learjet 60 has been bought by an operator in Finland. The latest version of the Model 60 series, the 60 XR, is in flight test for FAA certification this year. Bombardier acquired Learjet Inc. in 1990.
The U.S. Air Force is in the midst of a 30-day review of Northrop Grumman's recommendations for an engine provider for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System re-engining project. According to industry sources, only Pratt & Whitney put in a bid, prompting the Air Force to extend the competition. However, GE said at Farnborough it will offer "a generic CFM56," giving the Air Force the competition it wants.
NASA plans to use the expertise United Space Alliance has built up running the space shuttle program to help it begin switching to the follow-on Crew Exploration Vehicle and its Ares I launcher for the remainder of the decade. Under a no-bid contract extension announced last week, the agency will award the Boeing-Lockheed Martin 50-50 joint venture a wide range of support work as it develops requirements for the shuttle replacements. "USA is the only known source with the wide range of unique skills, analytical capabilities and expertise . . .
I say the criticism of Airbus is warranted! Yes, Joe E. Harrington, building a large aircraft is difficult, costly and prone to delays. However, until Airbus/EADS comes to the table and plays like a true contender to Boeing, without all the no-interest government loans to start new aircraft, Airbus has no reason to complain when it gets bad press.
The U.S. Army's ARH-70A Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter completed its maiden flight last week at the Bell XworX facility in Arlington, Tex. The helo reached 80 kt. and 500 ft. altitude, with banks up to 30 deg. for a little more than 1.5 hr. of flight.
The next-generation unmanned combat aircraft are going to vary wildly from those proposed by Boeing (X-45), Lockheed Martin (Polecat, see p. 64) and Northrop Grumman (X-47), say specialists attending the Farnborough air show. They contend that the ability to build conformal active electronically scanned array radars and power them with small energy sources will allow unmanned combat aircraft to become missile-sized.
The U.S. sport flying industry is forecast to grow stronger by the end of this decade as more affordable aircraft promise to cut the cost of personal flying. "The sport and recreational aviation industry is very healthy," says Tom Poberezny, president of the Experimental Aircraft Assn. (EAA). The association, which boasts more than 170,000 members and 1,000 chapters worldwide, is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wis., and focuses on development of amateur-built designs. It also promotes programs aimed at making flight more affordable to the public.
Anatoly Perminov, head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, says the government plans to roll the country's space companies into 8-10 big contractors by decade's end, and three or four by 2015 as part of the long-awaited realignment of its fragmented and overbuilt aerospace industry. Perminov says there are no plans to merge the two leading firms, Khrunichev and Energia, at least in the initial phase.
Erik F. Varwijk has been appointed executive vice president-inflight services for KLM, effective Sept. 12. He has been senior vice president-Benelux. Varwijk will succeed Jan Meurer, who will be retiring. Varwijk, in turn, will be succeeded by Bram Graber, who has been senior vice president-marketing and network for Air France-KLM Cargo.
The first of Boeing's 747 Large Cargo Freighters is due in Seattle from the modification line at Evergreen Aviation in Taiwan in mid-August. The schedule is so tight that the aircraft may arrive unpainted.
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has signed a 20-year contract with GE-Aviation for service and repair of the 40 GE90-115B engines it has in service on Boeing 777-300ERs. The agreement, which could be worth as much as $1 billion, also covers additional engines purchased through 2017.
Robert B. Dybdal (see photos), Sergio B. Guarro and Johnson C. Wang have been appointed distinguished engineers, and Sylvia Shen and Gary W. Stupian have been named distinguished scientists, all at The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. Dybdal, who works in the Antenna Systems Dept.'s Communications and Networking Div., is principal investigator for space initiatives including prototype designs for GPS satellites and antenna designs for weather satellite readout terminals for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Notably absent from Farnborough 2006 was the bonanza of Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft orders that have been a trademark of other big shows in previous years. But Aviation Week's reporting team, led by London Bureau Chief Douglas Barrie, found this year's Farnborough to be a milestone event, nonetheless. For example, Airbus appears to have halted its downward spiral with the unveiling of the A350XWB, while Boeing continued to build momentum, including raising interest in the 747-8 freighter.
Reusable rockets capable of as many as 200 firings are a step closer to reality with the first U.S. test of a full-flow staged-combustion cryogenic engine to achieve steady-state "mainstage" operation generating full power. The Integrated Powerhead Demonstration (IPD) ground-test engine burns liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in pre-burners to drive its turbomachinery, generating more power there than staged combustion cycle engines. That allows lower turbine temperatures for longer life in repeated firing on a reusable system.
U.S. airports, and carriers flying between the U.S. and Haiti, no longer have to warn passengers bound for the Caribbean nation about security risks at Port-au-Prince International Airport. The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. says the airport now meets International Civil Aviation Organization security standards. Since Dec. 22, 2004, carriers issuing tickets for travel between the U.S. and Port-au-Prince (and U.S. airports serving those flights) have been required to advise passengers about security risks. The notification requirements, mandated by U.S.
