European armaments agency Occar has issued a contract for the HAD version of the European Tiger attack helicopter, a new multirole version outfitted with higher-power engines, IFF equipment, improved ballistic protection and an air-ground missile capability. Work on the HAD, which is intended for Spain and France, began early this year under an instruction to proceed issued on Dec. 8, 2004.
An "ideal" NASA competition for the first commercial vehicle able to send humans into orbit would offer $200-300 million in prizes, with first-, second- and third-place awards to promote more technology development.
With Boeing Co. planning to increase its commercial aircraft output by 36% next year, CEO W. James McNerney is dead set against turning up production another notch, fearing that his suppliers would not be able to keep up. Executives on the front lines of the supply chain say such restraint is well advised.
Michael Mecham and Frank Morring, Jr. (Fukuoka, Japan)
There seemed to be no letup in natural disasters this year. They ultimately proved to be a greater worldwide threat to life than war. As relief and disaster experts respond, they are finding new ways satellites can help them.
BOMBARDIER'S SKYJET INTERNATIONAL CHARTER program is expanding its presence in the Middle East to include Pakistan through an alliance with regional operator Princely Jets. The alliance provides travelers in Pakistan with a single source of jet transportation that can fly anywhere, anytime, according to Bombardier. Princely Jets is the second partner added to Skyjet recently, following Royal Jet Group in November. Skyjet's partners in the region also include ExecuJet Middle East, Bexair and Cirrus Aviation that together offer 16 business jets for travel.
GoJet Airlines, the Trans States Holdings subsidiary that has been operating Bombardier CRJ700s for United Airlines Express since October, is seeking U.S. Transportation Dept. authority to expand into Canada and Mexico. GoJet, formed last December and certificated in August, has six CRJ700s, expects to take delivery of four more through January 2006 and holds options and financings for another 20 aircraft.
Anna Schaefer has become vice president-finance/chief accounting officer of Northwest Airlines. She succeeds James Mathews, who is now controller of ADC Telecommunications. Schaefer has been managing director of accounting.
Bell Helicopter Textron has opened an 82,000-sq.-ft. overhaul and repair facility in Roanoke, Tex., near Fort Worth. The $20-million structure will be used chiefly to support Bell helicopters operated by the U.S. military, including the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior and AH-1W Cobra that are experiencing high levels of activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. The facility also will support maintenance, overhaul and repair of components for the V-22 Osprey, according to Bell officials.
In "New Heights for Bizav Bash" (AW&ST Nov. 14, p. 40), Edward H. Phillips writes that "[t]he airlines say the FAA should charge all users the same fee for operating within the NAS [National Airspace System], regardless of aircraft type or passenger capacity." The airlines' resurgent enthusiasm for "equitable" user fees is a smoke screen. What they want is a NAS paid for by anyone other than themselves, so they can sell tickets at prices that hide the cost.
The final report of the 9/11 Commission gives the U.S. government poor marks for aviation security. The report found few improvements in passenger screening since initial changes right after the terrorist attacks. Testing of the new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) computerized, pre-screening program for airline passengers has been delayed, preventing final implementation, the report said. Secure Flight is scheduled to begin rollout with two airlines in early 2006.
Plans to merge U.S. civil and military weather satellite operations have complicated U.S.-European talks on sharing weather data. With Eumetsat's Metop polar-orbiting network nearing deployment, the European weather-satellite operator is seeking to seal an agreement with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on conditions that would permit denial of data from the network, which is part of the agencies' Joint Polar System initiative.
Al Romig, deputy director for integrated technologies and systems at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M., has received the National Materials Advancement Award from the Federation of Materials Societies. The award recognizes capabilities in advancing the effective and economic use of materials and the multidisciplinary field of materials science and engineering generally. Romig overseees development and engineering activities that provide science, technology, systems and expertise in support of U.S.
The article "Jamming Jam-Up" (AW&ST Nov. 7, p. 32) goes to show we have a made a complicated situation much worse. My frustration is not with the amount of different frequencies that are clobbering the airwaves, it's with the enormous cost of what we are doing to combat improvised explosive devices. Has there been an analysis on how much it costs to jam an IED?
Pratt & Whitney's F135 team has completed the engine that will power the first flight of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The first flight test F135 engine will be delivered to Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth plant later this month and will be installed in the first flight test JSF aircraft early next year. The engine will be the exclusive powerplant for the F-35's first flight, which is scheduled for the third quarter of 2006.
NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA are looking to repeat their joint success on the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) with a follow-on flight that would piggyback on other spacecraft to create a constellation of eight or more platforms.
The FAA has issued its first Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) for the Eclipse 500 very light jet, allowing the $1.4-million aircraft to enter formal FAA certification testing. Eclipse Aviation President and CEO Vern Rayburn says the company expects to "start the production line" in January.
An editorial last week incorrectly stated that Japan's Hayabusa is the first interplanetary spacecraft to use ion propulsion. JAXA's spacecraft used ion propulsion to make a slow rendezvous with an asteroid, but other spacecraft have used ion thrusters for interplanetary travel. The initial honors go to NASA's Deep Space 1 technology demonstrator mission, which was launched in October 1998. Its science mission focused on flybys of the comet Borrelly and the asteroid Braille.
Iran's seventh C-130 military transport crash since 1986 demonstrates the need for vast safety improvements in an air- space system clogged with poorly maintained, aging aircraft.
The outlook for the Russian Regional Jet is gradually brightening, with serious customer interest slowly growing, or so it seems. The Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. achieved an important breakthrough last week, capturing an elusive Aeroflot commitment for the new aircraft type. Russia's flag carrier inked a firm order for 30 RRJs, making it the first firm customer among airlines for the project.
Britain will increase the initial number of Hawk 128s it plans to buy, with the Defense Ministry and BAE Systems now pushing to resolve outstanding contractual issues by the end of the first quarter of 2006. Originally, the Defense Ministry announced it would purchase 20 Hawk 128 advanced jet trainers, and take options for another 24. However, Defense Ministry officials are now in final discussions with BAE over a production contract covering an increased number of aircraft--an initial purchase figure of 30 has been suggested by some industry sources.
Critical questions about whether a hurricane is about to intensify and how strong it will become are being solved with data from the U.S./Japanese Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM). An ability to forecast rapid intensification remains the "Holy Grail" of hurricane forecasting.
As Boeing heads toward a record year in orders, Morocco's Royal Air Maroc has made official its July commitment to add four 787-8s to its fleet. The engine order goes to General Electric for the GEnx. Deliveries are set for late 2008. The national flag carrier is playing a big role in expanding Morocco's appeal as a tourist destination and the new aircraft are to be used to open additional Middle East and African routes. Royal Air Maroc's order raises total 787 sales to 241 aircraft from 25 carriers.
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European space scientists worry that they will be forced to pare back or cancel a major science mission--even if they obtain a funding boost at the Berlin ministerial summit this week--because of parsimonious disbursements in past years.
