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.
Europe's civil aviation authorities urgently need to speak with a single voice, unify flight safety policies and strictly enforce prevailing regulations. In doing so, they can ease passenger anxiety and calm mounting controversy over commercial air transport safety. The public's serious concerns result from a recent series of lethal accidents and multiple incidents aggravated by weak crisis management.
Trade in defense and aviation relied heavily on political relationships this past month in India as a flurry of international delegations arrived vying for contracts. Leading the pack is France with whom India recently concluded two significant deals--the $2.4-billion, 43-aircraft Airbus order for Indian Airlines; and $3-billion six Scorpene submarines transfer-of-technology pact (see p. 42). India is a "major partner" of the world, President Jacques Chirac said when he welcomed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Paris last week.
Combining all Border Patrol aviation activities and the Office of Air and Marine Operations might prove to be more challenging than just winning turf battles.
IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA, the National Business Aviation Assn. (NBAA) has changed the location of its 58th meeting and convention to Orlando, Fla., from New Orleans. The event will take place Nov. 9-11, one week earlier than originally scheduled, at the Orange County Convention Center. NBAA President Ed Bolen says the association will donate a portion of proceeds from the show to a charity in New Orleans, and exhibitors will be given the opportunity to make donations. Aircraft will be on static display at the Orlando Executive Airport.
MT Aerospace has landed a 150-million-euro ($183-million) order to supply 54 modified booster casings for 27 more Ariane 5 launch vehicles. The casings, to be delivered in 2005-09, will be fully welded, saving 200 kg. (441 lb.) over previous models.
New Avionics Corp.'s ice detection transducer probe 9732-OEM detects ice with a sensitivity of 0.001 in. and alerts pilots to the presence of ice before it can become a hazard, according to the company. Remote sensing is accomplished by separating the tiny transducer probe from its electronic circuitry by as much as a meter. Four wires connect the transducer probe to its opening circuit, which is radio silent and uses no MHz. clock. A reference circuit is supplied under license, along with board layout and low-cost bill of materials.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. RECENTLY DELIVERED the 6,000th Model 182 Skylane built since production of single-engine, piston-powered airplanes resumed in 1996. The milestone Skylane is a naturally-aspirated Model 182T equipped with Garmin G1000 avionics that was ordered by Anson Air, a Cessna Pilot Center (CPC) based in Sugar Land, Tex. Since its founding in 1927 by Clyde V. Cessna, the company has built more than 150,000 aircraft and has more than 300 CPCs worldwide, according to the company.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) Oct. 18-20--MRO Europe. Estrel Hotel & Convention Center, Berlin. Nov. 8-10--MRO Asia, Suntec City, Singapore. Nov. 14-16--A&D Programs & Productivity Conference, Phoenix. PARTNERSHIPS Oct. 10-12--HeliAsia. Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. Oct. 25-27--ARA '05. Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.
The Civil Air Patrol plans to acquire more than 500 new Model 182T Skylanes, equipped with glass cockpits and special avionics equipment, as its mission expands to include an increased role in support of national security and disaster relief operations.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Eric Carter gave a tower ample berth during his approach, navigating his Jayhawk over a line of electrical wires on the perimeter of a Kmart parking lot to set his aircraft down on an improvised helipad.
3M Aerospace's Scotchweld EW-5000 is a water-based primer for structural metal bonding with epoxy film adhesives. The low, VOC heat-curing chromate primer helps simplify the manufacturing process and reduce operating expenses because it can service both 250F and 350F curing applications. Used by aircraft manufacturers and MRO providers, EW-5000 helps improve handling performance and provides protection against bonded corrosion, the company says. The primer can be brushed or sprayed on a surface and is compatible with an operator's existing spray equipment.
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Eaton Corp., a major supplier of electrical and fluid power systems to military and commercial aviation customers, plans to purchase the aerospace fluid and air division of U.K.-based Cobham plc for $270 million. The strategic acquisition is expected to close next month. The Cobham operation recorded sales of $210 million in 2004. It will complement Eaton's fluid conveyance and pump technology business, and push Eaton Aerospace's total revenues to about $1.2 billion.
Airbus expects to secure design of its head-up display by year-end, with the goal of having it certified for the first aircraft types next year. Flight testing of the HUD on a A340-600 test aircraft began in April, with a software update underway now to lead to testing of a fully realized design in December. The HUD system under development would be standardized across the fleet, with narrow-body A320 family aircraft and wide-body A330/A340s to be cleared to use the system next summer. Single- and dual-HUD configurations are on offer.
The intertwining debates over the upcoming defense budget and the sweeping Quadrennial Defense Review are expected to expose the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter--now four years into development--as the aviation program to undergo the most radical surgery.
Shana L. Dale, a longtime government space lawyer who heads the homeland and national security organization at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will take over from veteran astronaut Frederick D. Gregory as NASA deputy administrator, once she is confirmed by the Senate. Gregory, the agency's No. 2 official and the first African-American to command a space shuttle mission, announced Sept. 9 he planned to "call it a career" after 31 years with NASA.
Arinc is looking for a regional airline to conduct a test of its patented system that performs precise weight-and-balance calculations in real time, using actual weight information. Rolf Stefani, director of technology and product development, designed the system, which comprises an electronic flight bag, a scale and software. The scale provides actual weights of passengers, including carry-on bags. The software links the individual weight information with the seat positions of passengers.
