BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has signed lease agreements with Yeti Airlines, a Nepalese carrier. The deal includes four turboprop-powered Jetstream 41s, the first of which has been delivered. The airplanes will replace Saab 340Bs. In addition, Dutch MagicBird Airlines has agreed to lease two ATP freighters, with plans to expand the fleet to eight in support of its cargo operations in Europe; and FaroeJet is leasing an Avro RJ100 to begin service with rival Atlantic Airways, the only airline flying to the Danish islands.
SES Astra has taken full control of German satellite broadband specialist ND SatCom by purchasing the 74.9% stake held by Agusta Technologie, also of Germany, for 35.6 million euros ($45.6 million), plus up to 13 million euros upon award of Germany's Satcom Bw Stage II satellite communications contract. ND SatCom is responsible for the ground segment within the Astrium-led bid team, which expects a parliamentary go-ahead by summer.
Excel-Jet Ltd. had flown its single-engine, four-place Sport-Jet nine times as of early last week, rapidly expanding the flight envelope following a first flight on May 12 (see photo). Test pilot Ronald D. McElroy said the Sport-Jet exhibits "performance and handling qualities well beyond my expectations." Powered by a single 1,500-lb.-thrust-class Williams International FJ-33, the "personal light jet" has demonstrated 200 KIAS at 60% power (14,000-ft. altitude), according to Excel-Jet founder Robert Bornhofen.
Boeing has delivered its first, 250-lb.-class Small-Diameter Bomb to the U.S. Air Force. The all-weather SDB I uses a four-bomb carriage that fits current strike aircraft and is expected to accommodate future ones. It has a 60-naut.-mi. standoff range. Total production should reach 24,000 weapons and 2,000 carriages. The $1.2-billion program is to extend beyond 2015.
European Space Agency and Galileo Joint Undertaking officials are expressing bemusement at recent reports that the European Union should consider scaling back the Galileo satellite navigation system to help cope with a 400-million-euro ($512- million) budget overrun. The reports, one of which was attributed to a former European Commission research commissioner, Philippe Busquin, suggest the system should be trimmed to 24-25 spacecraft from 30 now.
The space shuttle Discovery is undergoing processing on Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B this week following rollout to the pad May 19. The vehicle has received an initial clean bill of health for launch as early as July 1 with its modified external tank, but additional reviews remain.
Congratulations for publishing "Spaceplane Shelved?" Regarding the James R. French letter, "Doesn't Meet Credibility Test" (AW&ST Mar. 27, pp. 9-10), his skepticism is valid but his analysis of the "XOV" by comparing it to technology of the 1950s (XB-70/Dynasoar) is outdated. Believe it or not, the system exists. I've known of such a program since 1989. And to the following letter by Gil Vondriska, "Displeased Over Secret Release," certain programs are secret for a reason but there must be checks and balances.
Slashing power use, eliminating clutter, gleaning more information from targets and convincing radars that they are something else--in size, shape and mission--are long-terms goals for Australian radar researchers.
Thales has confirmed it is considering entering the civil market for airborne weather radars. The subject is under discussion, confirmed a Thales official, but no more details are available at the moment. The key competitors for this type of business at Airbus and Boeing now are Honeywell and Rockwell Collins, and both have invested in new products recently that feature major innovations for this type of equipment.
U.S. astronaut Jeff Williams, flight engineer on Expedition 13 to the International Space Station, may eventually get to use a laptop controller for manual "flight" of the first of three microsat testbeds to reach the station. But for now, Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers are evaluating the results of the first autonomous tests May 18 and 20 of their Synchronized Position Hold, Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites (Spheres) hardware in microgravity. Williams deployed the 8-in.-dia.
CAE is expanding its operations in India. The Canadian aircraft simulator company is hiring 50 more software engineers, doubling its staff at a facility in Bangalore. The Indians act as a virtual night shift, taking over software visuals development work from CAE's Montreal engineers when they go home. A CAE spokeswoman says the expansion in Bangalore will not result in any layoffs in Canada.
USAF Maj. Gen. James. G. Roudebush has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and surgeon general of the Air Force from deputy surgeon general. He will be succceeded by Maj. Gen. Charles B. Green, who has been assistant surgeon general for health care operations in the Office of the Surgeon General, Bolling AFB in Washington. Maj. Gen. (select) Thomas J. Loftus has been appointed director of medical operations in the Office of the Surgeon General. He has been command surgeon at Air Mobility Command Headquarters, Scott AFB, Ill.
John Harvey has been promoted to executive vice president/chief financial officer from senior vice president-corporate finance/treasurer of JetBlue Airways. He succeeds John Owen, who has been named executive vice president-supply chain and information technology. Virginia Gambale has been appointed to the board of directors. She is managing partner of Azimuth Partners.
Israel started to cut back last year on military assistance it provides to China, but the U.S. Defense Dept. still isn't satisfied that everything is in order. Last year, the Pentagon temporarily cut off Israel from access to technology information, ostensibly because of a spat over Israel's sale in 2001 of Harpy unmanned aircraft to China and the maintenance of parts for the system in 2003-04. Israel responded by vowing to improve oversight of arms sales to China, which the Pentagon says happened and at which point the sanctions were lifted.
After months of interagency wrangling, the Pentagon's acquisition chief is finally allowing future polar-orbiting weather satellite development to proceed--but with major cutbacks--despite its $8-billion shortfall, schedule slips and difficulties with congressional overseers.
The Australian Defense Force is demonstrating that a small military can have global impact by leveraging cyber-skills and focusing operations where they have the greatest effect and, if need be, cause the greatest pain. Realizing that its manpower issues are intractable, the ADF is making a virtue out of smallness by ensuring that it innovates, constantly reexamines its efforts, and explores the impact of new technology quickly with such tools as virtual models of next-generation weapons.
NASA exploration managers are poised to incorporate lessons learned from last year's failure of the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) mission, largely because they are no further along than a "benchmarking mode" that by definition looks for what actually works.
Frequent fliers traveling from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pa.) International Airport's new Joseph M. McDade Terminal can relax in a free business facility and park their cars in reserved spots. The airport's Pocono Club & Business Center is similar to airline clubs and features workstations with data ports, free wi-fi access, television, magazines, newspapers, and facsimile and copy machines. Access to the club is given to those who can show they belong to an airline's frequent-flier program at the 25,000-mi.-per-year level. Travelers with at least 50,000 mi.
Japan Airlines is teaming with Florida West International Airways to expand its cargo network into the American South. Called Southern Flash, the service links freight carried from Tokyo by JAL Cargo to Miami and Dallas. The connection with Florida West's freighters will be made at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Airservices Australia has commissioned a new version of software from Thales for its air traffic control system. The software has Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast capability to support the deployment of a nationwide ADS-B system. Airservices is about to integrate four new ADS-B ground stations into its ATC operations, adding them to a ground station used in an initial demonstration at Bundaberg. That will leave 23 additional ADS-B stations to be integrated into the ATC system in the next year.
Vice Adm. (ret.) Conrad Lautenbacher, who leads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is taking hits on Capitol Hill--two Democrats on the House Science Committee want him fired because of major cost overruns to the nation's next-generation polar-orbiting satellite system (see p. 28). But he's also counterpunching. Lautenbacher is in a subtle tug of war with NASA Administrator Michael Griffin over which agency should ultimately hold acquisition authority--and acquisition appropriations--for major satellite procurements in the future.
The British Office of Fair Trading may examine the structure of the U.K.'s airports, considering whether they offer value to the consumer. Almost two-thirds of passengers in the U.K. travel through airports owned and operated by BAA. BAA says the OFT announcement was a "complete surprise." The European Commission has cleared Spain's Ferrovial to take over BAA from an antitrust perspective. However, BAA is still fighting the hostile offering that it says undervalues the company.
Dan Reida (see photo) has been promoted to director of worldwide marketing from director of airline and military marketing for Universal Avionics, Tucson, Ariz.
House aviation subcommittee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) says he is "trying to keep at bay" efforts by Democrats and the air traffic controllers' union to overturn FAA's authority to impose a contract on the controllers without their agreement. Under the existing impasse process, the FAA will be allowed to impose its contract terms unless Congress intervenes by June 5, at the end of its Memorial Day recess. Aviation subcommittee ranking member Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and Rep.
