Boeing says its first 787-9 delivery will be to Air New Zealand in 2010. The carrier had been a standard length 787-8 customer but switched its order for four aircraft to the stretched -9. The ANZ aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
Theresa Brunasso has become head of government research and development technology marketing, Bayne Bunce head of airborne and terrestrial solutions for data links and satellite communications and Jim Daly head of airborne and terrestrial solutions for sensors and smart weapons, all for EMS Technologies' Defense and Space Systems Div. in Atlanta.
The Dassault group has offered to sell its 5.7% holding in Thales to the defense electronics companies primary shareholders, Alcatel and the French government. If a suitable proposal is not forthcoming--the group is looking to realize 400 million euros ($512 million)--another buyer will be sought. The only offer to date is from the Thales employees association.
The Iranian government is warning people with satellite dishes that they could be arrested and the equipment seized. The government does not want its public to watch what it considers decadent programming from the West, including material from opposition groups outside of Iran. "If the satellite receivers are visible in houses, the equipment will be seized and the offenders referred to the judiciary," Iranian national police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moqadam told an Iranian news service.
J. Michael Cerneck has become CEO of Swales Aerospace, Greenbelt, Md. He will succeed John M. Klineberg, who will remain on the board of directors. Cerneck has been vice president/general manager of defense operations at the Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp.
Missile Defense Agency Director USAF Lt. Gen. Henry Obering says the May 11 flight test of Lockheed Martin's Theater High-Altitude Air Defense system met all objectives. It was the first test since a major system overhaul in 2000 to involve all Thaad elements. The next trial, set for late summer, will focus on missile seeker characterization capabilities. A full intercept is planned by year-end, followed by demonstrations against increasingly difficult targets at the Pacific Missile Range in Hawaii. Initial deployment is planned for 2009.
An Evergreen AW139 flies over appropriately picturesque piney woods on an evaluation flight recently. AgustaWestland leased back the aircraft and modified it for the U.S. Army's four-way "fly-off" at Ft. Rucker, Ala., for the Light Utility Helicopter competition. Editor-at-Large and staff test pilot William Readdy offers a flight report beginning on p. 60. John Harrington photo.
UNITED STATES Editor-In-Chief: Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. [email protected] Managing Editor: James R. Asker [email protected] Assistant Managing Editor: Michael Stearns [email protected] Senior Editors: Craig Covault [email protected], David Hughes [email protected] Editor-at-Large: William F. Readdy NEW YORK 2 Penn Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121 Phone: +1 (212) 904-2000, Fax: +1 (212) 904-6068 Senior News Editor: Nora Titterington
The loss of a British Westland Lynx Mk. 7 helicopter, and five crewmembers, in Basra, Iraq, on May 6 is further focusing attention on the threats posed to coalition helicopters in theater.
As he gets ready to put some lift into his company's stalled widebody modernization strategy, Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert may want to deliver a blunt message. "You blew it, boss!" might not be choice words, but that's what EADS Co-CEO Noel Forgeard needs to hear. It was while Forgeard was Airbus chief executive that this mid-market muddle began.
Germany's aerospace industry expects continued growth in sales and jobs this year as the sector benefits from a surge in civil aircraft spending and a restructuring of its previously faltering space initiative.
Pentagon bean counters already are looking for places to nip and tuck in preparation for the Fiscal 2008 budget proposal, which isn't due to Congress until next February. Officials in each service and the major commands are drawing their battle lines. Some programs already in the crosshairs are the Special Operations MH-60 multimission helicopter; the Navy's EA-18G Growler, being developed for electronic attack; and the Navy's E-2D Hawkeye aircraft. These early budget deliberations portend a rough road ahead.
Singapore Airlines, which reported a drop in fourth-quarter net profits of 7.1% last week, has delayed a decision on whether to acquire the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350.
Michael A. Taverna (Leiden and Noordwijk, Netherlands)
A manipulator arm to be delivered for the International Space Station next year will highlight the prowess of European robotics engineers. The so-called European Robot Arm (ERA), an advanced seven-degree-of-freedom manipulator, is intended for assembly and servicing missions on the Russian segment of the ISS. Built under a barter arrangement with Russian space agency Roscosmos, the arm is due to be launched atop Russia's Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by a Proton booster in November 2007.
The biannual Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment held at Nellis AFB, Nev., focused on networking and rapid targeting for manned aircraft this year, with only limited participation by unmanned systems. But in the 2008 edition, Pentagon planners intend to start putting machine-to-machine networks through their paces, controlling dozens of swarming real and virtual UAVs cooperating in networks that can find and destroy targets in less than 2 min. "We certainly will submit UAV solutions," says George Muellner, president of Advanced Systems at Boeing.
Concerns are growing that 50% or more of the KH-11 optical and Lacrosse imaging radar satellites that make up the core of secret U.S. space reconnaissance operations will die before smaller, more modern replacements can be launched. A new program, however, may be forming to stem this trend. Fears over the loss of future secret imaging capability are growing as the need for detailed pictures of Iranian and Chinese weapons developments is increasing.
JAXA has celebrated the selection of two Japanese astronauts for a space shuttle mission at the end of 2007 to install Kibo, the Mitsubishi experimental module for the International Space Station.
Pierre Sparaco does a disservice to BAE Systems' European credentials when he writes in his "European Perspective" column: "BAE Systems is no longer a genuine European player. But was it any time in the past?" and "BAE Systems' predecessors, Vickers and BAC, believed in economic patriotism long before the French did" (AW&ST Apr. 24, p. 71). He goes on to say the Airbus A300B became a reality despite the British government's withdrawal.
Paul Hewett (see photo) has been promoted to manager from assistant manager of FlightSafety International's London Farnborough Learning Center. He succeeds Rudy Toering, who has become managing director for European business development. Blaine Little (see photo) has been promoted to manager of the Toledo (Ohio) Learning Center from regional marketing director. He succeeds Kyle Davis, who has left the company.
Northwest Airlines, operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since last September, posted a $15-million operating loss for the first quarter of 2006, which was a much improved result over the 2005 quarter's $301-million deficit. The net loss was $1.1 billion, $975 million of it for reorganization items, compared with $455 million in the 2005 quarter. Northwest reduced mainline capacity 10.8% year-over-year but otherwise resembled other carriers.
The British Defense Ministry will use a BAC 1-11 twin-engine regional jet to simulate unmanned combat air vehicle operation as it moves toward a full-blown technology demonstrator for a long-range strike platform. An industry team led by BAE Systems recently submitted a proposal to the Defense Ministry for a unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator program. This is now being reviewed with an eye to a formal launch in the next few months.
The U.S. Army's Stryker Brigade Combat Team 3 became the first unit to deploy a Northrop Grumman-built secure wireless local area network radio during combat. The LAN radios are intended to make communications in an urban setting easier and more secure. The design eliminates cabling, doing away with the long setup times and making the radio more mobile. The Army also has used the radios to extend access to the Pentagon's secret Internet protocol router network in urban areas where offices may be separated by more than a half-mile.
Air Canada parent ACE Aviation Holdings had a "solid" first quarter from a financial perspective, says CEO Robert Milton. The company reported a net income of C$118 million (U.S. $107 million) and an operating loss of C$29 million for the quarter (excluding C$33 million in special charges for labor restructuring). This compares to a net loss of C$77 million and operating loss of C$10 million in the year-ago quarter. Passenger revenues increased 16% to C$282 million based on a 9% improvement in yield and 6% growth in revenue passenger miles. Unit costs were up 10%.
The World Bank has approved $33.6 million in credits and grants to four African nations--Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon and Guinea, for air transport safety and security. The money will be used to bring civil aviation into compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization safety and security standards.
AAI Corp. has captured two Shadow UAV contracts. One for $87.1 million involves full-rate production of the Shadow and associated support equipment. A second for $65.5 million covers logistics support.
