The U.S.-European Commission agreement that enables European airlines to hand over passenger name record (PNR) data to U.S. authorities appears to be in jeopardy under an opinion issued by Philippe Leger, advocate general of the European Court of Justice. Since the May 2004 accord, passenger record-sharing--more than 30 fields of data per person--has led to orders that flights be turned back or diverted to keep people found to be on terrorist watch lists out of the U.S.
Norman R. Augustine's apt call for reversing the "losing path" of U.S. aerospace science and technology (AW&ST Oct. 31, p. 70) will likely fall on deaf ears in a nation beset with the mounting casualties and costs of a failed war policy and the uncertain prospect of American free enterprise in the globalized geopolitics and economy.
Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (Vartm) could provide low-cost and high-volume readily applicable to large-scale structures, including airframes, according to the Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials (CCAM) at NIAR. Vartm uses an infusion process whereby a vacuum draws resin into a one-sided mold that is covered to form a seal. Experiments, however, have shown that the process does not currently provide sufficient repeatability or control of variability.
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The Predator unmanned aerial vehicle chalked another first on Nov. 12-13 when U.S. Air Force operators at Creech AFB, Nev., flew the aircraft over the flightline at nearby Nellis AFB during the Aviation Nation air show. Multiple signal relays allowed real-time Predator imagery of spectators at the event and aircraft on static display to be shown on large outdoor video screens. The UAV capped its air show debut both days by making a low-level pass and simulated missile attack, complete with explosions. Predator video clips were webcast via TVWorldwide.
Affordability could be a major problem for the U.S. Air Force's Combat Search and Rescue-X program to replace aging HH-60G helicopters, despite the program's high placement among the new chief of staff's top priorities. Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman, the senior military adviser to the Air Force's acquisition secretary, acknowledges the services are not expecting to gain approval for major programs such as the roughly $10-billion CSAR-X until the Pentagon completes its massive Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which examines its roles and missions.
Boeing reports a company computer containing files of information on 161,000 current and former employees--including names and Social Security numbers--has been stolen from a non-Boeing site. In some cases, birth dates and banking data were included. The company last week said there was no evidence that the informa- tion had been accessed or misused.
The chief financial backer of ailing MD Helicopters says she has invested more than $150 million in the company since July, primarily because of the marketability of its Notar system, a safety improvement that removes the tail rotor from a helicopter. But the company is likely the dark horse in the competition concerning the U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program as mainstay manufacturers adjust their bids.
Bell Helicopter Textron and AgustaWestland plan to sharply scale back long-standing collaboration plans that had been expected to lead to a merger of their civil rotorcraft operations. Bell will sell its 25% stake in the AB139 medium-lift helicopter program to Agusta, giving the Finmeccanica affiliate full control. AgustaWestland also will expand its U.S. plant in Philadelphia to accommodate American AB139 clients and eventually offer a domestic version known as the US139 for military and homeland security customers.
ESA has given up hope of recovering the SSETI-Express, a student spacecraft sent into space in October with a group of Iranian, Chinese, Russian and European microsatellites (AW&ST Oct. 31, p. 18). The spacecraft lost power shortly after deployment. However, ESA officials pointed out that the main objective of the mission--serving as an experimental testbed for future engineers--was obtained, and that three picosatellites riding piggyback on the vehicle appear to have deployed correctly.
Italy is laying out a strategic vision of its military future, although related budget details remain largely obscure. The defense ministry's 15-year plan describes a balanced and integrated military force structure geared for joint and combined operations. These capabilities are built around the introduction of improved weapons systems and the use of network-centric and effects-based operational concepts.
Jeffrey Hanley has been named manager and Mark Geyer deputy manager of NASA's Constellation Program. Hanley was chief of the Johnson Space Center flight director's office, while Geyer was manager of system engineering and integration for the Development Program Div. of the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
French aerospace industries association Gifas has reiterated a call for launch aid to be maintained for makers of engines, onboard systems and lower-tier subcontract items, even if it is abandoned for airframers (AW&ST Oct. 17, p. 26). In a report issued last week, Gifas's equipment division argued that system and engine suppliers, already under heavy pricing pressure from airframers, have witnessed a steady erosion in government support since 2001 that is forcing them to bear an ever greater share of research and development.
There are two points on deployment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) that were overlooked in your recent article (AW&ST Nov. 7, p. 98).
The Pentagon is primed for the perfect storm as operational, budgetary, manpower and transformation crises converge. One of the early indicators of this pending collision is the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which critics say has shifted from a blueprint for military transition to management of minor changes to future programs.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN OFFICIALS HAVE BEGUN INITIAL FLIGHT TESTING of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS) sensors, that will surround the aircraft with a protective sphere for enhanced situational awareness. On Nov. 11, the company's BAC 1-11 avionics testbed aircraft flew from Baltimore with three DAS sensors installed. During the flight, all three sensors functioned simultaneously to provide a single, combined, wide field of view.
Jordan has selected Northrop Grumman to conduct a $230-million upgrade of its national command, control, communications, computer and intelligence networks under a five-year program. The company's BattleSpace Command C 4I and Radiant air defense systems are expected to improve the speed of reactions to threats and will make the army, navy and air force more interoperable with each other and coalition forces in the region.
DirecTV has signed with Sea Launch for a Zenit-3SL launch of a Boeing 702 satellite in early 2007, plus another on option. The contract--Sea Launch's seventh of the year--will cover one of three 6-metric-ton 702s currently under construction for DirecTV. The company's 9S, intended to operate from 101 or 119 deg. W. Long. as a backup to 4S or 7S, is currently scheduled for launch next year. It is to be followed by DirecTV 10 and 11 in 2007. On Nov. 16, Arianespace orbited DirecTV's Spaceway 2, earmarked, like Spaceway 1 (orbited by Sea Launch on Apr.
Boeing and Airbus could break new order records before year-end, but the absence of airline commitments was also remarkable at last week's Dubai air show, illustrating airline concerns about readiness of proposed technological innovations. One record that could fall is for total order intake for aircraft seating more than 100; that was set in 1989 at 1,631 aircraft. Airbus President/CEO Gustav Humbert sees a slight chance his company and rival Boeing could combine to surpass that number. "This has been a good year for the industry at large," he notes.
Larry Miller (see photo) has become vice president-quality assurance for Meggitt subsidiary S-TEC, Mineral Wells, Tex. He was general manager of MD-88/90 fleet engineering for Delta Air Lines.
Douglas Barrie (Edinburgh), Michael A. Taverna (Brussels)
A pending status check of Europe's grand vision of a seamless air traffic system threatens to reveal a gulf between political ambition and the reality of implementation. In mid-2006, the European Commission (EC) plans to "take stock of developments" in advancing one of the critical elements of the Single European Sky initiative--the Functional Airspace Block (FAB), says Ben van Houtte, head of the EC's air traffic management unit.
The FAA has approved Frasca International's Mentor advanced aviation training device (AATD) for use in teaching student pilot maneuvers and procedures as outlined under certain sections of FAR Parts 61 and 141. The Mentor can be used for up to 20 hr. toward an instrument rating, 2.5 hr. for a private pilot license, 50 hr. toward a commercial license and 25 hr. for an Airline Transport Pilot certificate.
Ducommun Inc., a publicly traded supplier of electromechanical and structural aircraft components, has agreed to acquire Miltec Corp. for $50 million. Miltec, a privately owned provider of missile and aerospace systems and testing, had sales of $42 million last year. The deal is expected to close before Dec. 31.
Martin P. Kress has become executive director of the National Space Science and Technology Center, Huntsville, Ala. He was vice president/relationship manager of the NASA/Space Group with the National Security Div. of Battelle Science and Technology International, Columbus, Ohio.
