Boeing Commercial Airplanes' delivery rates for the first quarter of 2006 jumped to 98 from 70 aircraft for the same period last year. The big surge came in 737s, which Boeing sold last year at a record pace. The company delivered 72 of that type through Mar. 31 compared to 54 last year. It also delivered more than twice as many 777s--17 this year versus eight last year. The last two 717s were delivered from the Long Beach, Calif., factory, plus four 747s and three 767s.
France's growing commitment to NATO out-of-theater operations will climb yet another notch with the introduction at year-end of a pair of command ships designed to lead large-scale allied force projection.
If the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is short of money to pay for keeping air travelers safe, then why not create a fee-based trust fund to finance security, asks Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens. The Alaska Republican vehemently opposes Bush administration plans to raise aviation security fees for airline passengers, noting "airline passengers are the only people in the country who pay for their own security."
The first rear-fuselage section for the A400M has been delivered by EADS Military Air Systems. Later this year, the company expects to add to that the first ramp door, an all-composite part. EADS recently displayed one of its ramp section product test specimens at the annual JEC composites show in Paris.
The U.S. Air Force is returning to proven program management techniques to fix a litany of next-generation space system cost and schedule problems. In the process, it hopes to rebuild credibility with Congress and the warfighter community.
Left in disarray by poor management decisions and conflicting requirements, the Pentagon's signals intelligence community is struggling to refashion its esoteric skills. Aging aircraft and the need to stay ahead of an increasingly sophisticated 21st century threat--which includes the latest wireless technology used by insurgents--are driving discussions among the services' top-level leaders.
Nahema, the NATO agency managing development of the NH90 transport/frigate helicopter, has qualified the TGEA tactical variant that is intended for the German army, clearing the way for the aircraft's entry into operational service. The TGEA includes specific features, mainly in the communications area. The German army units will be the first to receive the NH90, which has suffered from long delays, largely attributed to variances in national specifications (AW&ST Jan. 2, p. 30).
Airbus has revised the cabin for its A350 widebody, after early customer reviews indicated a desire for more expansive changes than the aircraft maker initially devised. Among the new features shown in a 12-meter (40-ft.) cabin mock-up at last week's Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, is a more open design, including in the door area. The overhead bins (below, left) allow business-class passengers space for more than two standard roller-bags and economy passengers space for more than one.
Regarding the experimental orbital vehicle, I was a structures technology engineer on studies in the 1970s and '80s about developing a reusable orbital vehicle system with vehicles of varying payloads. Our team studied vehicles and orbiters that were launched from subsonic and supersonic carriers at various altitudes.
LinkAir Express is the latest newcomer to the Italian air cargo/parcel express market. The new airline, which will operate between Milan Linate and several other Italian destinations, will fly two ATR 42 twin turboprops, with a third to come in June. The privately owned company has signed a contract with DHL Express covering at least 50% of capacity. A code-sharing agreement is being discussed with Air One.
U.S. Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. a $3.035-billion contract modification for the system development and demonstration (SDD) of the CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter. The modification includes four SDD aircraft, one ground test vehicle, and associated program management and test support. The aircraft is expected to be finished by December 2015.
As a former wind tunnel engineer, the possibility of an "XB-70 like spaceplane carrier" (AW&ST Mar. 6, p. 48) was of interest. The artist's sketch of the mated version certainly would illustrate a challenge for the landing gear group. The spaceplane likely would have to be much smaller or flatter than was pictured to have any hope of being strut-mounted to a large mothership needing to take off from a runway with conventional landing gear.
The Japanese space agency (JAXA) is trying to ascertain the impact of a lower-than-anticipated apogee on the launch vehicle for a planned scramjet test. Hyshot IV successfully left the pad Mar. 30, but the rocket's maximum altitude was 30 km. (18.6 mi.) lower than planned. Telemetry showed the vehicle only reached an altitude of 290 km. rather than the planned 320. The launch was carried out by Australia's University of Queensland. The aim of the test was to look at the performance of a JAXA-designed scramjet combustor utilizing an advanced fuel injector.
The Who's Where column (AW&ST Mar. 27, p. 11) incorrectly reported the status of Capts. Mike Barger and Al Spain at JetBlue Airways. Spain is retiring as senior vice president-operations, while Barger will remain head of JetBlue University.
Belgian carriers SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express plan to merge and are looking at a major expansion on long-haul routes. This is only the latest step in the consolidation of the Belgian air transport sector. The decision also means that for the first time an airline set up by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Virgin Express, will disappear.
The U.S. government is forecast to spend $93 billion on information technology in Fiscal 2011, up from $75 billion this year, according to a study by Input, a market analysis company in Reston, Va., that tracks spending in this sector. But this five-year outlook still represents a slowdown in the rate of growth in federal spending for IT. For example, spending requests for Fiscal 2007 increased only 0.5% from the budget enacted for the previous year.
EADS has begun flight testing of its refueling boom, using an Airbus A310 as a surrogate for the eventual A330 application. The three-year development program led to an initial series of flight trials that concluded Mar. 30 at EADS CASA's site in Seville, Spain.
Goodrich Corp. will use the first engineering drawings of the 747-8 released by Boeing, to develop a forging block to make parts for the aircraft's body landing gear, and a titanium supplier in China will use another image to order material for underwing fittings.
Russian Satellite Communications Co. will boost its failed Express-AM11 satellite into a graveyard orbit to prevent its destruction from making the orbital slot at 96.5 deg. E. Long. usable. RSCC declared AM11, a 2-kw., 30-transponder satellite launched in April 2004, a total loss. Prime contractor NPO PM blamed an orbital debris or meteoroid impact for the failure, which knocked out the thermal control system and caused the spacecraft to veer out of control.
FAA forecasters are bullish on cargo, now as in the past few years. In fact, they are more bullish than they seem to be. In 12-year aviation forecasts it issues annually, the agency estimates percentage growth in U.S. airlines' cargo traffic during each of the first two years of a 12-year period, then turns to projections of average annual growth for the remaining decade. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, those 10-year annual averages were 4.5%, 5.1% and 5.1%, respectively.
Renton, Wash.-based Aviation Fleet Solutions (AFS) and Pratt & Whitney have jointly developed a noise-reduction system for JT8D-200-powered MD-80 aircraft (see photo). QuietEagle, designed by Pratt and licensed to AFS for MD-80s, has been certified by the FAA and meets all Stage 4 and International Civil Aviation Organization Chapter 4 noise standard requirements. Noise levels are to be reduced by as much as 6 dB., according to AFS, and the first units are to be ready for delivery in May.
Portuguese flag carrier TAP has trimmed losses for 2005 to 9.9 million euros ($12.1 million). The airline suffered because fuel costs came in 93 million euros higher than the budget.
David A. Fulghum, Robert Wall and John M. Doyle (Washington)
The U.S. Air Force's nascent Long-Range Strike project, which underpins the hopes of much of the U.S. aerospace industry, is breaking into separate missile and aircraft efforts. Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley says the intermediate phase of the service's Long-Range Strike (LRS) effort is dividing into at least three segments.
Denmark, Ireland and Sweden have signed an agreement with Thales to jointly procure upgrades for air traffic management systems, notably to meet requirements of the Single European Sky initiative. Each operates Thales Eurocat ATM systems.
