British Defense Secretary John Reid earlier this month confirmed the government is to go ahead with the flotation of defense technology company Qinetiq. The aim, according to Reid, is for an initial public offering next month. Both the government, and the U.S. Carlyle Group, which holds a 34% stake in Qinetiq, will retain shares of the company following the offering. The privatization of Qinetiq, which was created from the bulk of the Britain Defense Evaluation and Research Agency, has been dogged by controversy.
6 Correspondence 8-9 Who's Where 12 Industry Outlook 13 Airline Outlook 15 In Orbit 16-18 News Breaks 19 Washington Outlook 54-55 Classified 56 Contact Us 57 Aerospace Calendar
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) Apr. 5-6--U.S. Defense Dept. Budgets and Programs Conference, Arlington, Va. Apr. 25-26--MRO Military Conference, Phoenix. Apr. 25-27--MRO USA Conference & Exhibition 2006, Phoenix. May 16-17--MRO Military Europe, in conjunction with ILA air show, Berlin. Sept. 19-21--MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition, Xiamen, China.
Air Berlin is stepping up its preparations for a possible initial public offering later this year, after the company changed its legal status to a British registered public limited company and for the first time hired a chief financial officer.
President Bush has tapped USCG Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen to be U.S. Coast Guard commandant. Allen currently is chief of staff. He will succeed Adm. Thomas Collins.
Steven E. Karol has become chairman of the Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd., Kerrville, Tex. He succeeds Walt Catlow, who has resigned. Karol is managing partner/founder of Watermill Ventures and Watermill Advisors as well as chairman/CEO of HMK Enterprises Inc.
Senior Military Editor David A. Fulghum is the first journalist to fly on board Senior Scout. The U.S. Air Force extended the offer to accompany a mission during Operation Trident Warrior '05, with the understanding that certain intelligence-related information could not be used in this article and that the last names of the 169th Intelligence Sqdn.'s aircrew would not be revealed.
The Israeli government has named Israir Airlines to operate flights between Tel Aviv and New York, setting up a rival service to El Al Israel Airlines. Tourism Minister Avraham Hirchson says passenger increases necessitated such a move.
Russian air force chief Gen. Vladimir Mikhailov claims its PAK FA fifth-generation fighter prototype will fly in 2007, and indicates the service is also pursuing a single-engine light fighter as a complement. The PAK FA, a large twin-engine Su-27 Flanker-class fighter, is being developed by Sukhoi, which designates it the T-50.
A British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon T1 two-seater from Coningsby Air Base in England suffered slight damage last week when the crew had to land it with the nose gear up.
Three Russian space vehicle manufacturers, Energia, Khrunichev and Molnya, have submitted bids for a new man-rated partly reusable space transportation system to the Russian space agency, Roskosmos. The winner is to be decided by Feb. 3.
The British Royal Navy's Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (CSP) helicopter program has finally been given the go-ahead. Following negotiations between the Defense Ministry and Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the program, and its partner AgustaWestland, the cost of the program was reduced by around $100 million to 750 million pounds ($1.32 billion). The ministry will upgrade 30 out of the 44 Merlins originally purchased for the navy. There is also an option to upgrade eight more aircraft.
Market Focus 10 U.S. legacy airlines brace for startup Virgin America News Breaks 16 First landings on USN ship for Fire Scout unmanned helicopters 17 Telesat Canada to buy four satellites this year 17 ESA signs contract for first four Galileo spacecraft 18 FAA seeks permanent air defense zone around Washington 18 Obituary for Minuteman missile pio- neer Col. (ret.) Edward N. Hall World News & Analysis
Dan Marsh (see photo) has been appointed vice president of the Electronic Manufacturing Solutions and Microelectronics Solutions units of Crane Aerospace and Electronics, Lynnwood, Wash.
"Incomprehensible" is the conclusion of a British parliamentary report on the Defense Ministry's decision to support a 100-million-pound ($176-million) maintenance development when it was in the throes of reviewing its support strategy. The Defense Committee report says the call to go ahead with the work at the Defense Aviation Repair Agency site at St. Athan in Wales is "a clear example of a lack of joined-up government." The ministry is in the process of closing down and likely selling off elements of DARA.
Ivan Wilson (see photo) has been named vice president-engineering and certification of Stevens Aviation, Greenville, S.C. He was director of engineering for Bombardier Aviation Services.
The British Civil Aviation Authority has issued a notice on A380 wake separation that mirrors interim guidance from the International Civil Aviation Organization. ICAO established relatively large separation standards for en-route operations as well as takeoffs and landings, to Airbus's dismay.
NASA is backing away from high-profile flight demonstrations in its aeronautics program to refocus efforts on fundamental research and improving design tools, the agency's new aeronautics chief, Lisa J. Porter, told an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference here this month.
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The fastest reentry on record of any man-made object produced this meteor-like image in the night sky above Nevada as the Stardust return capsule streaked to a perfect landing in Utah (see p. 20). Besides returning dust from Comet Wild 2, the capsule's blazing reentry was studied by meteorologists. It also confirmed NASA's modeling techniques for deep space return missions. Utah State University's Mike Taylor captured this image from a DC-8 observation aircraft flown on behalf of NASA Ames Research Center.
Former astronaut Brewster Shaw has appointed vice president/general manager of Houston-based Boeing NASA Systems. He succeeds the late Mike Mott. Shaw was chief operating officer of United Space Alliance. Succeeding Shaw will be former astronaut Richard O. Covey, who also will be executive vice president. Covey has been president of the Boeing Service Co. in Colorado Springs.
A lease from Boeing will lead to development of three hangars for upgrades to the U.S. Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft at the Oklahoma Air Logistics Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Center near Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City. The hangars are to be built by MROTC Development Partners, a joint venture of Trammell Crow Co. and Battelle Memorial Institute. Tinker is home to the U.S. AWACS fleet and the hangars represent the first phase of an expansion that will include 17 hangars and more than 1 million sq. ft.
The Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) program seems destined to mutate once again. Conceived as a fighter, it became a long-endurance, larger payload strike and electronic attack aircraft. It also spawned a carrier-landing Navy version. Now the Air Force has decided it wants more range and larger payloads for an advanced strike mission. So the program will split. The Executive Committee of senior service representatives--headed by the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm.
As the Boeing 787 has moved from a conceptual aircraft to firm configuration, Spirit Aerosystems is transforming a former 757 factory floor into the new home for assembly of the jet's nose. To get ready, the company has added 100,000 sq. ft., raising total floor space to 500,000 sq. ft. Foundations have been poured for three key pieces of equipment--automatic fiber placement, skin trim and drill, and automated fastening machines. But the site is still a construction zone.
