Paul A. Robinson, President (AeroTech Research (USA), Newport News, Va.)
The findings of Mark Wiggins of the University of Western Sydney with regard to pilots' interpretation of weather radar data ("Pilot's Rorschach" AW&ST Aug. 22/29, p. 48) hit the nail on the head.
SUPERSONIC AEROSPACE INTERNATIONAL (SAI) is continuing its work with Lockheed Martin to develop new technology that will reduce the sonic boom impact of its proposed Quiet Supersonic Transport (QSST). According to the company, the technology would cut sonic boom to a level on the ground that would be "barely audible against ordinary background noise." SAI was founded in 2001 by J. Allen Paulson, son of aviation entrepreneur Allen E. Paulson. The 12-seat QSST would have a range of more than 4,000 naut. mi. and could fly above Mach 1 over land. SAI and Aerion Corp.
L-3 Communications has acquired Joseph Sheairs Associates, a systems and software firm that supports air traffic control systems. Terms were not disclosed, but L-3 says it expects Sheairs to add $25 million to its sales in 2006.
Spanish-U.S. satellite operator XTAR has signed up the Danish defense ministry to use its XTAR-EUR spacecraft. COO Denis Curtin says it is the first deal so far for left-hand polarization--a frequency-use enhancement feature common on commercial satellites that was previously unavailable on military communications spacecraft. Curtin says USAF and Army trials using RH/LH polarization in Germany earlier this year attracted strong interest. That could produce a deal as early as year's end, he says.
Singapore's Changi International Airport and Hochtief Airport have opted out of the bidding for New Delhi and Mumbai airport modernization following changes in the tender that imposes a guarantee of $80 million on the airport developer and not the joint venture, as is the norm. Six bidders are now left in the competition.
GAO is calling for the Transportation Dept. to revise safety guidelines for code-sharing by U.S. airlines to define "safety critical" and "nonsafety critical" issues. A GAO report on oversight of the safety aspects of code-sharing shows that from 2000-04, the department authorized U.S. carriers to code- share with foreign airlines 270 times and has not suspended any code-sharing agreement for safety reasons. But GAO now is calling for safety scrutiny to be improved.
Johnny Armstrong, who is chief engineer for the Edwards AFB, Calif.-based 412th Test Wing Hypersonic Flight Test Team, has been named the winner of the Society of Flight Test Engineers' Kelly Johnson Award for Excellence in Flight Test Engineering. Armstrong began his 49 years of government service by participating in the testing of the YB-58 and F-104. He later was the Air Force flight planner on the X-15 program and for both the X-24A and X-24B lifting bodies. Armstrong was project manager for the X-24B, the Defense Dept.
American Airlines, with a goal of cutting fuel costs, plans to retrofit 20 of its Boeing 757-200s and one of its 737-800s with blended winglets. According to Aviation Partners Boeing, the work will be performed at the carrier's maintenance facility at Tulsa, Okla., from November through early 2007.
Guidelines for a new U.S.-Thai aviation agreement approved by the Thai cabinet include a progressive increase in frequencies via a third country (Japan) before the accord takes effect in 2010. Presently, Northwest and United airlines, with a total of 14 flights, are entitled to a maximum of 21 a week from Bangkok to the U.S. via Narita. The agreement will boost Thailand's plan to promote Bangkok's new international airport as a regional aviation hub. Thailand is negotiating similar pacts with Japan, India, South Korea, Switzerland and Uzbekistan.
The Rambo taking center stage in the Israeli army today wields far more power than that of the celluloid superhero. V-Rambo, or Video Receiver and Monitor for Battlefield Operations, was born out of the frustration of Israeli commanders who could spot ambushes thanks to UAV sensors, yet were unable to warn their troops in time. Indeed, this need is being addressed by defense firms, worldwide.
The U.S. Air Force's top special operations officer says he wants to accelerate fielding of the next combat-search-and-rescue helicopter by a year, limiting the variety of technologies available to replace the venerable HH-60G Pave Hawk. Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, says he prefers to purchase what is available in industry as soon as possible--with initial operational capability in 2009 rather than the planned 2010--and incorporate improvements as they become available.
Hoping to pique public interest in a human return to the Moon, Lockheed Martin is sponsoring the nationwide release of a 3D IMAX "experience" based on Apollo film archives that will place audiences in the boots of the 12 astronauts who visited Earth's satellite. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington plans a Sept. 23 premiere of "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D," followed by simultaneous openings in 84 other IMAX theaters worldwide. Narrated by actor Tom Hanks, the presentation uses digitally remastered 35-mm. and 70-mm.
Shane Eddy has been appointed vice president-customer support and services/deputy chief service officer for Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth. He succeeds Carey Bond, who has resigned. Eddy was executive director of commercial helicopter programs.
Eclipse 500 airframe static testing was completed last week. Another airframe will undergo fatigue testing next spring to validate structural continued airworthiness. Eclipse Aviation is aiming for certification of its very light jet in March 2006.
A three-vehicle U.S. Army convoy ambushed on the outskirts of Baghdad prompts a soldier to press a "help" button on his blue-force tracking (BFT) device, a portable, GPS-based position-reporting system. That transmits a so-called "9-1-1 distress code" to a national intelligence-gathering aircraft or spacecraft overhead, which forwards the notification to an Army- operated Mission Management Center (MMC) here.
Saudi Arabia and Oman are emerging as potential customers for the British Paveway IV precision-guided bomb. The Paveway IV could form part of the weapons package for the Saudis' Tornado strike aircraft upgrade program.
Mars Express has lost the use of another instrument, the Planetary Fourrier Spectrometer (PFS). This incident also comes soon after sifting through the first returns of the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (Marsis), which was recovered this summer after an 18-month engineering effort (AW&ST Aug. 15, p. 13).
The aerospace and defense supply chain, historically comprising in the U.S. an unstructured band of manufacturers, mom-and-pop shops and companies of all sizes in between, is trying to transform itself into a responsive, low-cost and vital provider. Prime manufacturers such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are becoming systems integrators on key projects--assemblers, if you will--putting together components produced by suppliers under a much-compressed time schedule. Suppliers are reforming as well.
More Star Alliance member airlines are expected to sign up for a common information technology (IT) platform, after founding carriers United and Lufthansa decided to invest in a new system together.
The privatization of Greece's state-owned carrier Olympic Airlines appears to be in serious trouble now that the European Commission has ruled the airline must pay back up to 540 million euros ($660 million) in illegal state aid.
Jean Pritchard (see photo) has been promoted to vice president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and commercial activities, based in Washington, from director of commercial international programs for Asia and the Americas.
Further evidence of China's progress in cruise missiles is emerging, with detail coming to light on research and development and upgrade programs. Beijing is touting improved anti-ship missiles for export, featuring seeker technology with greater resistance to countermeasures. The Chinese are also revealing more about their air force's first-generation land-attack cruise missile, the YJ-63.
