FEATURES Picture perfect 14 European Satellite Center coordinates the EU's space networks, improving members' access to imagery. Low-cost subs 19 Darpa's Tango Bravo program looks at developing attack submarines that are half the size and cost of Seawolf-class boats. Plugging the gaps 25 The U.S. is upgrading aging radars to improve their effectiveness. Another goal: seamless coverage of borders. Busting bombers 30
India is expected to issue a request for proposals for 126 medium-range combat aircraft in March. The RFP, which was to have been issued last December, apparently was delayed by technical issues relating to changes in the procurement policy.
Since 9/11, military planners have worried about how enemies might exploit gaps in radar coverage over the continental U.S. using cruise missiles, aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles to penetrate airspace. While much of the thinking has been theoretical, plans are under way to test ways to counter those threats. In response to questions from Defense Technology International, the North American Aerospace and Defense Command (Norad) confirmed plans to conduct an air defense experiment dubbed "Black Dart."
Administrator Michael Griffin continues to remake NASA in his own image, replacing the directors of two field centers. G. Scott Hubbard, who gained visibility in the Columbia accident investigation, is leaving NASA Ames Research Center, and Langley Research Center Deputy Director Richard Gilbrech will take over as director of Stennis Space Center. He replaces William Parsons, who left the Stennis director's chair temporarily to oversee the fixes growing out of the accident investigation as space shuttle program manager.
Bell Helicopter Textron's 412EP medium-lift helicopter brings a high degree of utility and reliability to the table in its bid for the U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter program. A fly-off competition is scheduled to begin this week with a winner to be announced as early as April.
The International Air Line Pilots Assn. on Jan. 26 issued a safety alert warning of volcanic activity in the Aleutian Islands, specifically, the Mt. Augustine volcano, which erupted Jan. 11, 14 and 17. IFALPA warns of the dangers of operating in or near volcanic ash clouds. IFALPA reminds pilots that volcanic ash clouds do not appear on weather radar and that turbojet engines encountering that ash are "extremely susceptible" to multiple engine malfunctions such as compressor stalls and flameouts.
Space Systems/Loral will build a spacecraft to replace Telstar 11 spacecraft operated by sister company Loral Skynet. Telstar 11, launched in 1995, serves Europe and North America. The new unit, Telstar 11N, will cover Europe and Africa.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Harry D. Raduege, Jr., has been elected vice chairman of the executive council of the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium. He succeeds Lorraine Martin of the Lockheed Martin Corp., who is now executive chair. Raduege is a former director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and is a member of the Strategic Business Relationships Team at IBM.
The Air Transport Assn.'s tabulation of big-airline yields--the seven largest U.S. airlines, except Southwest--completed 2005 with an eighth consecutive month of year-over-yield increases, which became more substantial as autumn began. The increase in December was 8.2% for domestic service, second-largest of the year. In transatlantic service, the increase was 13.1%, the 12th monthly increase and the third in four months in which the percentage gain was in double digits. The carriers logged lesser increases in Latin America and Pacific service.
The next generation of U.S. air traffic control will have to be network-centric to enable data to move freely from one system to the next and across organizational boundaries, say ATC specialists.
The market in Iraq for improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, has come to resemble that of any other commodity: It is well-financed and effectively managed, with supply adjusting to meet demand. U.S. military officers use the street price of an IED in Baghdad as an important measure of success in the war against the Iraqi insurgency. If the price goes up, they know efforts at interdicting munitions and taking down IED cells are effective.
Supporting equipment through its service life is the centerpiece of the U.K.'s Defense Industrial Strategy, unveiled last Dec. 15. Defense Secretary John Reid announced the road map after nearly six months of work led by Lord Paul Drayson, his procurement minister. Drayson launched the effort after being appointed to the Ministry of Defense in May 2005.
Michael A. Taverna (Brussels), Douglas Barrie (London)
Despite gains in inflight capacity management and an ambitious plan of air traffic management improvements, medium-to-long-term traffic growth in Europe will be shackled unless bold steps are taken soon to expand airport capacity, European aviation officials warn.
THE FAA DOESN'T PLAN TO MAKE ANY RULE CHANGES in the near term for enhanced and synthetic vision systems but is looking ahead to the day when these and other technologies mature. At that point, rule changes could help open up the use of such technology, according to John McGraw, manager of the FAA's Flight Technologies and Procedures Div. in Flight Standards. Enhanced vision involves the use of forward-looking infrared (Flir) imagery projected on a head-up display for the pilot to see the runway at night and in some types of low-visibility conditions.
The transition is underway from current U.S. and European ATC systems to those that will be needed in 20 years--although work is mostly in the planning and research stages. Major new ATC systems that have long been in the pipeline at the FAA, however, are either starting or nearing service, writes Adrian Schofield on pp. 51-52. Schofield reports on the FAA for Aviation Week's Aviation Daily. AW&ST Senior Editor David Hughes and Schofield also interviewed Robert Pearce, the acting director of the Joint Planning and Development Office, about revamping the U.S.
Britain is to deploy its Apache AH1 attack helicopters operationally for the first time as part of a substantial increase in its forces in Afghanistan. Eight Apaches are part of the force package that also includes four Lynx utility and six Chinook transport helicopters. Another four C-130s also will be deployed in support of the operation, as will a battery of Desert Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles. The U.K. will deploy an additional 3,300 personnel. The intent is to have the force fully operational by July.
The name of the writer who authored "The Cutting Edge" (Nov./Dec., p. 40) was misspelled in the byline and masthead. Her name is Catherine MacRae Hockmuth.
U.S. federal mediation, including binding arbitration, is the likely next step to settle a machinists' union strike against Boeing that is holding up the schedules of nearly 10 Delta launches at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The first of the delayed flights at the Cape is the GOES-N weather spacecraft to back up the primary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane monitoring satellite (AW&ST Dec. 12, 2005, p. 50). Six flights are military or National Reconnaissance Office missions.
The focus on restructuring the FAA's financial sources has been on the struggle between ATC system users to shift as much cost as possible away from themselves and to others. But when Congress takes up the issue in the FAA reauthorization bill, factors unique to Capitol Hill will come into play, notes David Schaffer, former House transportation subcommittee staff director, at a Transportation Research Board panel.
Kevin Finan has been promoted to executive vice president-operations from vice president-flight operations of Alaska Airlines and Glenn Johnson to its senior vice president-customer service for airports from senior vice president of customer service for subsidiary Horizon Air. They succeed George Bagley, who has retired as executive vice president-operations. Greg Latimer has been promoted to managing director from director of brand and product marketing.
The 2005 Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Economics Survey reports a "particularly striking" reversal of fortunes. In 2004, the world's airports turned around a three-year decline in operating margins and net profits and reported strong financial results. The ACI survey included 600 airports that represent 65% of global passenger traffic. Compared with 2003, the survey shows that 2004 global passenger traffic rebounded by 11.3% and cargo frequencies rose "appreciably" in all the world's regions.
Airbus Military has applied for type certification of the A400M military transport, one of the project's contractual milestones. Project officials expect integration of the first aircraft next year and first flight in early 2008.
Market Focus 11 Sales growth slows, but margins soar, at U.S. defense contractors News Breaks 15 Many U.S. aerospace companies register robust sales gains in '05 15 Alaska Air Group posts $84.5-million profit for 2005 16 United expected to exit Chapter 11 as early as this week 18 Investigators seek cause for crash of Citation V in California 18 French test pilot Fischl dies, flew ad- vanced military and Airbus aircraft World News & Analysis
I found the tone and text of James Ott's article "Grand Exit" (AW&ST Jan. 9, p. 20) to be misleading. Ott contends that United is at competitive disadvantage since it flies Boeing 777s and 747-400s in the Pacific Rim. He indicates other carriers will be leaders with 787s and Airbus A380s. But the 787 and A380 are not certified, and the 787 is basically a paper airplane. When United flies to Asia, it is competing with other 777s and 747s.
