Lockheed Martin and Boeing face tough decisions as their military transport production lines are poised for closure, while European rival EADS is looking to exploit those hard times by selling its midsize A400M. Boeing has been producing 10 unobligated C-17s, and Lockheed Martin is prepared to carry portions of the C-130J production line beginning early next year if the U.S. Air Force decides against another procurement.
With delivery and launch of the first Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites expected next year, the Missile Defense Agency is now refining the plan to buy follow-on spacecraft and mitigate a missile-tracking coverage gap.
Emirates and International Lease Financing Corp.--two of the aircraft industry's biggest buyers--are giving a strong endorsement to Boeing's design strategy through orders.
The Pentagon has started drafting its new unmanned vehicle road map, with the goal of releasing it in the summer or fall of next year. Historically focused on unmanned aircraft, future documents will try to pay more attention to unmanned ground and sea systems. By 2009, when yet another iteration of the document is slated for release, the Pentagon expects to shift the focus to unmanned systems as a whole, reflecting the goal to transition to a single type of control station that could be used for all sorts of unmanned vehicles.
Boeing and Sukhoi have inked a memorandum of understanding covering finish manufacturing of titanium parts for the Boeing 777 and 787 at the Sukhoi production facility in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Production will begin following factory certification.
Indian low-fare carrier GoAir has signed an order for 10 Airbus A320 family aircraft, with an option for 10. GoAir, which started service in November 2005, plans to expand its fleet to 30 A319/ A320/A321s through 2008. The 10 aircraft on firm order, including short-term leases, should keep the airline's growth plans on track through October 2008.
Controllers overseeing the New Horizons Pluto flyby mission launched in January have demonstrated its ability to snap a moving target with the probe's cameras and compensate for optical "smearing" from high-speed photo-ops. On June 11 and 13, with only six weeks of planning after the opportunity presented itself, controllers commanded the spacecraft to image a tiny asteroid known as 2002 JF56 as it zipped past at a relative speed of more than 70,000 km. per hr.
Your correspondents Joe E. Harrington, Chris Barnes and Karl Kettler (AW&ST July 10, p. 6) on the Airbus woes are refreshing in that they are all U.S. residents advocating the Airbus case. I am an Irish resident of Belgium with a U.S. perspective in general and Boeing philosophy in particular. Globalization is a joy to behold.
MBDA is pitching the Sea Skua Mk2 to meet the British Royal Navy's requirement for a next-generation anti-ship missile. The navy's Future Anti-Ship Guided Weapon (FASGW) program is intended to provide a lightweight anti-ship missile for its Super Lynx helicopters. The latter are expected to enter service in 2014. The European missile manufacturer unveiled its Sea Skua Mk2 proposal at the Farnborough 2006 show.
British full commitment to the Lockheed Martin F-35 took a step forward last week with BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin agreeing on a support strategy for the U.K.'s planned procurement. The agreement will see BAE take the industry lead in supporting the British aircraft over the aircraft's envisioned 40-year service life. The ability for the U.K. to independently support its aircraft is fundamental to the government decision. London wants a maintenance, repair and upgrade facility for the U.K., though the government is not demanding a final assembly and check-out site.
Rising populations are powering airline traffic growth around the globe, but not one of the pillars of air transport--the airlines, airports or air traffic management services--is anywhere near ready for it. And governments everywhere are to blame for dragging their feet on infrastructure projects deemed essential to offer relief to the ever-worsening situation. Only aircraft manufacturers emerge with their epaulets on straight. Airplanes for all purposes are there for the buying.
Stephen Pierson has become senior vice president/industry leader of aerospace and defense for GE Commercial Finance, Norwalk, Conn. He was risk manager for aircraft engines at GE Infrastructure.
USAF Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula has been appointed deputy chief of staff for intelligence at USAF Headquarters. He was vice commander of Pacific Air Forces at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Lt. Gen. Victor E. Renuart, Jr., has been named senior military assistant to the Defense secretary. He was director of strategic plans and policy at the Pentagon.
The space shuttle Atlantis will be rolled to Pad 39B next week on an accelerated schedule toward liftoff as early as Aug. 27, in a window shortened a week to avoid interference with a Soyuz carrying a Russian/U.S./Japanese crew to the station. The Atlantis preparations for STS-115 are also peaking as the orbiter Discovery begins its own ground processing turnaround after Mission Control and the STS-121 pilots dodged dynamic weather conditions for landing here July 17.
Henryka Bochniarz has been appointed Warsaw-based president of Boeing Central and Eastern Europe. She has been president of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers Lewiatan.
Bruce A. Wilson has become president/CEO of the Leesburg, Va.-based International Council of Air Shows. He was director of government relations for the Physician Insurers Assn. of America.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has postponed consideration of a proposed amendment that would redraw business aviation operating rules, Annex 6 Part 2, so they more closely match operational requirements. The proposal, backed by the International Business Aviation Council and the International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilot Assns., was initially supposed to be reviewed by ICAO's Air Navigation Commission before its summer recess. It will now be taken up in early October.
Kenneth Bean (see photo) has become director of manufacturing operations for the Aculight Corp., Bothell, Wash. Bean was founder/president of BBP Inc. and had been vice president-manufacturing of Terabeam Inc.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in Washington, has ruled against Goodrich Corp. in a tax case, overturning a lower court decision. The case involves a $379-million tax deduction taken in 1996 by Coltec Industries, a former Goodrich subsidiary, related to the creation of another subsidiary by Coltec to handle asbestos claims. The Internal Revenue Service contends the transaction was designed to generate tax losses and mitigate the company's tax payment. Goodrich has not decided whether to appeal to the Supreme Court.
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Simon Burrows has been appointed sales director for Northern Europe for Embraer. Other new sales directors are: Robert Posselt, Phenom 100 and 300 for Central Europe; Neil Patton, Central and Eastern Europe; Lynton Van Aswegen, Africa; Tony Fitzpatrick, Middle East; and Nokolay Golovitnin, Russia.
Capt. Brad Thomann (see photo) has been named senior vice president-training of Jeppesen/Alteon, Englewood, Colo., and executive vice president of fellow Boeing subsidiary Alteon. He was managing director of flight standards and training at United Airlines' Denver-based training center.
The Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI) will present a complete conceptual design of its "silent aircraft" to industry by the end of September, following its three-year study period.
