The French Defense Ministry has tested a prototype imaging infrared seeker developed by missile manufacturer MBDA. The program, known as Madrid, is intended to develop a "low-cost" imaging seeker for use against surface targets. MBDA says the production cost would be 20-30% lower than that of comparable available sensors.
The Pentagon is arguing against cuts pushed by lawmakers in two key weapons programs. House members proposed terminating the troubled Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm), a stealthy cruise missile manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Jassm has had repeated problems during tests, but the Defense Dept. says it has increased its oversight of the program and expects reliability to improve. The House cut all but $2 million of the $150.2-million Jassm request, while the Senate left $100 million for the program.
A NASA-funded low-mass, low-power star tracker developed by the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory is finally closing in on a flight test. If all goes as planned, the 2.9-kg. Inertial Stellar Compass (ISC)--based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscope technology also developed at Draper--will get a ride to orbit on the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) TacSat 2 experimental spacecraft next year. Drawing only 3.6 watts of power, the device has been ground-qualified to perform like much larger and more power-hungry star trackers.
A bipartisan group of senators is sponsoring an amendment to the Fiscal 2006 defense spending bill that would give the U.S. Air Force authority to buy as many as 42 more C-17s in a multi-year contract with Boeing. The move is designed to blunt the impact of a Pentagon study that suggests the 180 aircraft already on contract will satisfy future requirements. Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) offered the amendment last week, telling the Senate that the Mobility Capabilities Study is "flawed" and failed to take into account the Army's transformation to a more expeditionary force. Sen.
ATA Airlines is asking U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis to approve an agreement with Matlin-Patterson Global Opportunities Partners II of New York for $30-million debtor-in-possession financing. Matlin-Patterson intends to invest an additional $70 million in equity when ATA concludes Chapter 11 reorganization.
The 13-day joint air exercises of the Indian air force (IAF) and U.S Air Force at the Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal started on Nov. 7 despite demonstrations by left-wing parties. Sixteen F-16s, an E-3 AWACS and 30 IAF aircraft--Su-30MKIs, Jaguars, Mirages and MiG-29s--made several sorties above 15,000 ft. Col. Cobat Nelson is leading the 250-U.S. Air Force contingent.
The German military's procurement arm, the BWB, has taken delivery of the first surface-to-air missile operations centers. The EADS-built system entered production last year and will run through 2006. The system is a networking tool to coordinate air-defense activities.
Finnair Group has seen a 13.4% year-to-date revenue growth to 471.2 million euros compared to 2004, on 8.9% stronger passenger traffic. Profit is also up to 26.4 million euros, from 9 million for the year-ago period. Although the last-quarter performance is expected to be poor, management still expects to deliver a full-year profit.
House and Senate appropriations conferees adopted a $16.457-billion NASA spending bill for Fiscal 2006, $260 million above the Fiscal 2005 level. The measure represents a $60-million increase in President Bush's request for aeronautics to $912.3 million, and funds his exploration initiative at $3.1 billion.
Dewey Turner, 3rd, (see photos) has been appointed senior vice president-global sourcing and manufacturing and Steve Schrader director of quality assurance for the Aerospace Group of Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Lynnwood, Wash. Turner was general manager of Precision Components International, Columbus, Ga. Schrader was a site leader for Hydro-Aire and P.L. Porter, two Crane subsidiary companies.
The rover Spirit, completing work atop the ridgeline of a Martian mountain 50 million mi. from Earth, epitomizes the extraordinary exploration continuing on Mars by both Spirit and Opportunity. The human/robotic rover team is redefining the already formidable performance envelope of the $800-million vehicles, says Steve Squyres of Cornell University, the project's principal investigator. Both Spirit and Opportunity are being pushed to more complex robotic science and driving operations against increasingly challenging terrain.
In his letter "Wisdom Questioned," Walter E. Shepherd says Airbus designed the A320 nose gear to rotate by 90 deg. before retraction (AW&ST Oct. 24, p. 6). Fact is, the gear is normally not rotated. The rotation in the JetBlue case was caused by a misalignment that then prevented the gear from retraction.
Development of the U.S. Navy's EA-18G Growler is running parallel to that of the updated EA-6B, which soon will go into combat for the first time. But when the new aircraft is operational in 2009, it will bring with it advanced capabilities in electronic attack and information war.
Walter E. Shepherd questions the wisdom of certifying a transport aircraft that cannot dump fuel in an emergency. Every twin-engine jet transport to which I have been exposed has not had this capability due to single-engine climb requirements after losing 50% of available thrust.
Aerodynamics, propulsion and materials technologies and changes in air traffic management offer the potential to hold down emissions, despite projected traffic growth out to 2050, states the U.K.'s Greener By Design group. It optimistically suggests that carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by a factor of three and oxides of nitrogen by a factor of 10. Contrails could be reduced by factors of 5-15.
Southwest Airlines recently equipped its new operations center with DSPatch--a touch-screen console communications system designed and installed by Avtec Inc. The airline's entire telephone communications system had to be relocated to the new facility quickly, and communications supplier Avtec made the switch in 1 hr., according to company officials. FAA rules require no downtime in communications between ground dispatchers and pilots, and the system remained fully operational during the move.
European Space Agency head Jean-Jacques Dordain says ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) envision forming a three-way partnership with the Russian Space Agency to cooperate on Russia's Clipper spaceship project. Dordain met earlier this month with JAXA Executive Director Kiyoshi Higuchi in Paris to discuss the matter. Speaking to reporters during the visit, Higuchi noted Japan shares Europe's vision of an independent transportation system that would permit access to the Moon and International Space Station in the event U.S. means are interrupted.
EADS has begun flight trials of the Carapas high-speed, tactical reconnaissance unmanned aircraft it is developing with its partner, Italy's Galileo Avionica, for the French military. Flight testing is to run through year-end. The Carapas is seen as a replacement for the CL-289 recon drone. The winged system would retain its predecessor's high-speed potential, but be able to fly at lower speeds for better intelligence collection. Payloads include an electro-optical infrared sensor and electronic intel detection device.
The continuing discussion of the V-22 has left off a couple of important items. One of the underlying fears within the U.S. Marine Corps is that it will be taken over by or made a subservient unit of the Army. Even though the Black Hawk is an adequate replacement for the CH-46, the Marines have pressed for a "Marine-only" aircraft, much as they did with the AV-8 Harrier. The continuing insistence on a difficult-to-maintain, tactically "challenging" concept is partially due to this fear.
Roberto L. Vasquez has been appointed vice president-Defense Dept. space operations for the National Security and Space Unit of the Science Applications International Corp., Torrance, Calif. He was program director for XM Satellite Radio for Boeing.
EasyJet has boosted its foreign ownership limit to 45% from 40% after the earlier threshold was almost reached. A key part of approaching the 40% ceiling has been a move by the FL Group, which also owns Icelandair, to gradually increase its stake in EasyJet. Stock purchases now give the FL Group a 16.18% share in the U.K.-based low-fare carrier. The move by the airline also is seen as providing greater flexibility for investors.
Lars Nygaard has become CEO of SAS Group member Spanair. He was chief financial officer/chief commercial officer. Nygaard succeeds Enrique Melia Soriano, who is now head of Madrid-based Newco Airports Services.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is considering the return of razor blades, small knives and other sharp objects banned from commercial airline cabins since the 9/11 hijackings. That alarms the Assn. of Flight Attendants. The union, which represents 46,000 members at 21 U.S. airlines, says such objects still pose a threat.
