While in complete agreement with the majority of Michael J. Morrison's concerns regarding outsourcing--such as job losses, over-emphasizing profit with respect to maintenance and management's regard for maintenance as a necessary evil, I would take exception to the safety concerns he expresses (AW&ST Oct. 10, p. 6).
EADS Space Transportation will incorporate the assets of Dutch Space BV into its space launch and orbital infrastructure business, after acquiring the Leiden-based concern for an undisclosed sum. Spun off from the Fokker group in 1995, Dutch Space employs about 300 to build advanced solar arrays and develop hardware in the fields of robotics, lightweight structures and spacecraft thermal protection.
Finmeccanica's AgustaWestland unit is adding a second production line here for civil helicopters as it continues a push to build and sell more rotary wing aircraft in North America.
SAAB IS ACQUIRING AEROSPACE MONITORING AND SYSTEMS (AMS) of Midrand, South Africa, and plans to integrate it into Saab Avitronics, a merger of SaabTech and South Africa's Avitronics. The deal is valued at approximately $4.75 million and will take effect in April 2006. AMS has proprietary aircraft monitoring and recording systems, and Saab Avitronics President Bjorn Erman says this should extend his company's global business in these types of systems. AMS has annual sales of $9 million and employs 75 people.
Hainan Airlines, China's fourth-largest carrier, will increase its planned investment to a controlling majority in a start-up carrier called Lucky Air, to be based at Dali Airport in south China's Yunnan Province. According to the official Xinhua Financial Network News, the Hainan Airlines Group will invest 102 million yuan ($12.7 million) and own 68% of Lucky Air, with Shanxi Airlines holding nearly all the rest of the stock. Hainan's original plan, announced last April, was to invest barely 3 million yuan and supply three aircraft for a total stake valued at 49%.
The FAA has certified Bell Helicopter Textron's TR918 Eagle Eye unmanned aircraft, clearing it for a series of flight tests scheduled to begin next year at Bell's XworX research and development facility in Arlington, Tex. Kevin Connell, vice president of XworX, says the airworthiness certificate awarded on Dec. 5 is the first issued to a UAV for experimental testing.
After completing cryogenic tests to verify systems functionality at its Tanegashima Launch Center, JAXA has set the liftoff for the eighth H-IIA mission at 10:33 a.m., Jan. 19. The mission will carry the Japanese space agency's Advanced Land Observing Satellite. A daily launch window of 10 min. can be extended to Feb. 28 (AW&ST Nov. 28, p. 67).
Brazil's main international airline, Varig, has two crucial deadlines looming in its bankruptcy proceedings that could likely determine its fate. Varig has to present restructuring plans to a U.S. bankruptcy court on Dec. 19 and to a Rio de Janeiro/Brazil-based court on Jan. 8. The airline gained a short 20-day reprieve, after the Brazilian court said it miscalculated the timing with the original rescue plan also due by mid-December.
Jon C. Jones has become president of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS), Waltham, Mass. He succeeds Jack R. Kelble, who will retire in February. Jones has been vice president/general manager of SAS and was vice president/deputy general manager of Raytheon Missile Systems.
Frank Robilotto has been appointed executive vice president/general manager of Arkwin Industries Inc., Westbury, N.Y. He was president of Ozone Industries. Kevin Oliver has been named senior vice president-technical operations. He was vice president-product development. Promoted have been Robert Hultmark to senior vice president-marketing and contracts management from vice president, Thomas Molloy to senior vice president-administration from vice president and Marc MacDonell to vice president from director of material.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. WILL OFFER THE AIRCELL AXXESS satellite communications system as an option for its Citation X, Sovereign and XLS business jets. The multi-channel, wireless, broadband equipment is designed for medium- to large-cabin business aircraft and uses two Iridium satellite channels for voice and narrowband data services, according to AirCell. The installation also allows users to add an Inmarsat broadband connection on a plug-and-play basis through the system's Ethernet port. Cessna says the option will be available in the third quarter of 2006.
Colombia has placed a $235-million order for 25 Super Tucanos, marking the first export deal for the Embraer military turboprop used as a trainer and light attack aircraft.
"Back to Basics" and "And Engine Anomalies" (AW&ST Nov. 7, p. 31) both suggest that the first "A" in NASA has been AWOL for far too long. NASA's new aeronautics chief, Lisa Porter, has her work cut out for her, but the potential is enormous.
It's business as usual for Asia-Pacific airlines and, outwardly at least, there seems to be none of the panic one might expect with talk of a possible avian flu pandemic.
The Pentagon began its Quadrennial Defense Review amid great expectations that new capabilities and visions (such as network-centric warfare) and asymmetric threats (such as jihadist terrorists) would lead to recommendations to radically transform the U.S. military in the near future. Months later, the QDR is looking like it will prove to be the dog that did not bark. Already, decisions have been made that suggest that not much will change (AW&ST Nov. 28, p. 28).
European space ministers are signaling that they're ready to embark on ambitious exploration and environmental-monitoring initiatives and to reinforce strategic positions in science, launchers and telecommunications, despite uncertain budget support from the European Union--a new partner in the European space program.
French armaments agency DGA has awarded a 129-million-euro ($152-million), seven-year contract for concept design and demonstration of a cooperative fighting system. It would integrate unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, weapons and future soldier systems into a network-centric warfighting environment.
Kudos to R.A. LeFande for his letter "Fallacies of U.S. Model" (AW&ST Nov. 14, p. 6). I would add that wealth is way ahead of pride and honor, and see with surprise that the last two are working well for the Europeans. Case in point is the advertising campaign with the headline "I am EADS." Ever seen "I am NASA"?
Your editorial in support of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) was misguided (AW&ST Nov. 14, p. 66). The current vision of this program is seriously flawed and needs a complete overhaul. Early program planning wrongly assumed that solar power systems were not durable enough for a two-year mission. The resulting nuclear-powered rover requires a complex and unique landing system. While both technologies are interesting, their development should not be the justification for the program.
The FBI is probing a report of a suspicious plume of smoke observed by an airline pilot taking off from Los Angeles International Airport. On Nov. 26, American Airlines Flight 612 took off to the west over the ocean at 12:49 p.m. and made a large left U-turn to parallel the coast. The pilot reported that between 10,000-13,000 ft., when the aircraft was about 15 mi. south of land and heading east, he saw a plume of smoke rising to about half his altitude that emanated from the ocean or coastline, according to the FBI. It was miles away and not directed at the aircraft.
The House has passed a bill making it illegal to aim laser pointers at planes. The Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act amends the federal criminal code to prohibit aiming the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft.
Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees are making progress on a deal to pass the Fiscal 2006 Defense Dept. authorization bill before the holiday recess. The chairmen and senior Democrats from both panels met a couple of times last week, and the game plan calls for floor votes by midweek so the bill can be on President Bush's desk by week's end. An amendment to bar the military from mistreating detainees, engineered by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and approved 90-9 by the Senate, has been a major stumbling block. Bush has threatened a veto.
BBN Technologies has been awarded $16.4 million by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a system for the Global Autonomous Language Exploitation (GALE) initiative to solve the human language technology problem of transcribing speech and computer-encoded text directly into English text so soldiers, commanders and other decision makers have access to critical information quickly.
