Yair Ramati (see photos), who has been general manager of the MLM Div. of Israel Aircraft Industries' Systems, Missiles and Space Group, has been named IAI's corporate vice president-marketing. Joseph Weiss, who has been general manager of the group's MBT Space Div., has been named the group's corporate vice president/general manager. Yehoshua Eldar, who has been the group's director of finance, is now IAI corporate vice president-business development and subsidiaries.
The pace of business at Sweden's Esrange Space Center is high these days, with two sounding-rocket launches in less than a month and the addition of six polar-orbiting satellites en masse for its controllers to track. On May 2, a big Maxus 7 rocket (see photo) exposed a package of five European Space Agency experiments to microgravity for 12 min. as it fell from an apogee of 702 km. (436 mi.). Launch of the Maxus 7 by Swedish Space Corp. (SSC), which operates the facility north of the Arctic Circle near the mining town of Kiruna, followed the Apr.
NASA can't do all it has on its plate with the funds the Bush White House has allocated to it, and the nation's science establishment wants Congress to restore some of what has been cut from scientific research in space. Failing that, many scientists who rely on the U.S. space agency for funding would be willing to defer the multibillion-dollar "flagship" missions on the books in favor of stronger near-term financing of small missions and the research and analysis (R&A) that benefits the next generation of space scientists.
Stung by high fuel costs, TAP Air Portugal is overhauling its services--down to how it distributes newspapers to passengers--in an effort to minimize fuel consumption and achieve profitability. Fleet modernization is the cornerstone of TAP's activities to streamline operations, with fielding of eight Airbus A330s planned to replace A310s on long-haul routes. The older aircraft actually burn less fuel but carry fewer than 200 passengers. A330-200 deliveries started in March, triggering the A310 phaseout, which should be completed in 2008.
A vibrant economy and the rise of entrepreneurs who understand the concept of an aircraft as a business tool are leading Indian corporations to fast-track acquisition of business jets. But there are two big impediments: bureaucracy and a lack of infrastructure, including night landing facilities. Mumbai and Delhi may have the lion's share of India's domestic commercial air traffic, but they only handle 10% of its business jets.
India's largest private carrier, Jet Airways, posted a net profit that rose 15% in the year ended Mar. 31 to $101.3 million. Jet expects to be integrating operations with Air Sahara, which it acquired, subject to regulatory approvals by the end of December 2006.
Foster Miller, a subsidiary of Qinetiq, received an additional $28 million from the Indian Head, Md.-based Naval Surface Warfare Center for approximately 200 more Talon robots and spare parts to repair robots damaged while dealing with roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan. The funding is under a multiyear contract, part of the Man-Transportable Robotic Systems program, that runs through 2009.
The Russian Cosmos 2420 reconnaissance spacecraft is undergoing initial checkout in a 200 X 100-mi. orbit inclined 67 deg. following launch May 3 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on a Soyuz booster. The mission is an attempt by the Russian Military Space Force to reconstitute its dwindling space reconnaissance capability.
Space Systems/Loral has been selected to supply AsiaSat-5 for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. The C-/K u-band spacecraft, which is to be launched in 2008, will replace and expand capacity on AsiaSat 2, which is at 100.5 deg. E.
The Pentagon has selected 64 new projects for funding. Forty-two fall under the Foreign Comparative Testing program, and 22 are in the Defense Acquisition Challenge domain.
Embraer has sold two Legacy 600s, one to the CEO of Beirut-based Fransabank, Adnan Kassar. The other buyer is Celtel International, a unit of Kuwait-based cell phone service provider MTC. Embraer also launched its customer support program, called Executive Care. It expands the existing Total Legacy Care, by also covering the Phenom 100/300 very light and light jets, as well as the newly launched Lineage 1000.
Your "In Orbit" item entitled "Mission Complete" (AW&ST Apr. 24, p. 21) is incorrect. Not only is the Shenzhou 6 module still in orbit, but it is still operating. Your item appears to be based on a wire story that contains a mistranslation of an original Chinese article reporting that the module had completed the first six months of autonomous flight.
The sixth European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, which was held May 3-5 in Geneva by the European Business Aviation Assn. and Washington-based National Business Aviation Assn., reflected the growth of this aviation segment in Europe. Attendence late last week was poised to top 9,000, a new record, with nearly 300 exhibitors on-site and more than 50 business aircraft on static display.
It's one thing to lift some quotations from a dead engineering professor, quite another to expropriate those of "The Customer," as defense contractors obsequiously refer to Uncle Sam. When we heard of Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson's plagiarism troubles over his "Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management," we confess we turned first to another set of folksy aphorisms known well in aerospace--"Rumsfeld's Rules." Alas, we couldn't drag the Defense secretary into an ever-widening Watergate of attribution failure. He had noted the sources of the quotations he had copied.
The battle over Olympic Airlines between the European Commission and the Greek government is headed to the European Court of Justice. After the EC ruled in September that Athens needed to quantify and recover unlawful state aid it had granted the national carrier, the EC determined it had to seek legal action to get the Greek government to comply. It also demanded an immediate freeze on any further payments and a report, within two months, about what has been accomplished.
The full-year net profit of India's largest private carrier, Jet Airways, rose 15% in the year ended March 2006 to $101.3 million. Chairman Naresh Goyal says while Jet remained the market leader, it was challenged by high fuel costs. Jet expects by year's end to be integrating operations with Air Sahara, which it acquired, subject to regulatory approvals.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) May 16-17--MRO Military Europe, in conjunction with ILA air show, Berlin. Sept. 19-21--MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition, Xiamen, China. Oct. 24-26--MRO Europe Conference & Exhibition, Amsterdam. Nov. 13-15--Aerospace & Defense Programs, Phoenix. PARTNERSHIPS May 16-21--ILA, Berlin. www.ila-berlin.com
The FAA's Fiscal 2007 budget proposal and its contract impasse with the air traffic controllers union attracted predictable criticism last week at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, but not much is likely to happen to either. Considering budget deficits, war costs and election-year jitters that center more on gasoline than aviation fuel, airline industry observers expect Congress to keep FAA budget add-ons light except for the Airport Improvement Program, which at $2.75 billion would be getting $765 million less than this year.
Sikorsky Aircraft recently set in motion a nationwide campaign to recruit more than 300 engineers to meet its demand for its military and civil helicopter product lines and related services. Over the next several months, job fairs are planned in several states to fill positions in Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Alabama and New York. For more information: www.sikorskycareers.com
Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems have each received U.S. Navy contracts for EA-6B Prowler components. The Navy exercised an initial $73-million purchase for four complete EA-6B Improved Capability (ICAP) III systems along with a partial system and spares. Work will be performed at Northrop Grumman's Bethpage, N.Y., facilities. BAE Systems will produce additional low-band transmitter-antenna groups for the service's EA-6Bs under a $24.3-million contract.
Despite a fresh scandal that has further clouded election prospects in next year's presidential race, the beleaguered French ruling party is trying to lay a road map for future defense spending while attempting to convince those jockeying for position that current levels should be maintained.
Japan and the U.S. are in talks about upgrading Tokyo's fleet of Boeing 767 AWACS aircraft. The deal would cover enhanced command-and-control mission equipment and the radar system improvement program, which already have been put on the U.S. Air Force's Boeing 707-based AWACS.
Boeing's Phantom Works has built two, 400-lb., high-resolution, 21-ft.- wingspan prototypes of the futuristic and tailless blended-wing body aircraft. The high-lift concept has been designated the X-48B and is being eyed as a long-range, high-capability military aircraft.
Engine program progress for the Airbus A380 is gaining for both the General Electric/Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce. The allied venture building the GP7200 is preparing for flight testing, with all four engines now installed on an A380. Airbus has yet to set a firm flight timeline, but the aircraft is expected to be airborne in mid-July. Emirates, the A380 customer with the biggest order, has opted for the U.S.-built GP7200 and anticipates receiving aircraft next year.
Russian controllers raised the International Space Station's orbit by 2.5 km. (1.6 mi.) May 4, using thrusters on the docked Progress supply vehicle. The 6-min., 31-sec. burn changed ISS velocity by 1.55 meters/sec., slightly off the predicted 1.6 meters/sec. but still considered nominal. The maneuver set up orbit phasing for the planned June 18 launch of the next Progress to the station, which will be reboosted again on June 8.
