The directors of the Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center and possibly also the Marshall Space Flight Center are likely to be replaced by the end of August by NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin. The move is related to his attempt to accelerate the agency's new exploration and space transportation goals.
The Pentagon's new unmanned aircraft road map (see p. 18), which offers a look at future warfare, specifically previews "weapons that use either electromagnetic or directed energy as their primary destructive mechanism." Unmanned aircraft can carry such weapons closer to the enemy than their piloted equivalents because of greater survivability--they would be smaller, thus harder to detect, and could maneuver more violently. Approaching closer also means directed-energy weapons would require less power to damage enemy electronics.
Flight simulator giant CAE Inc. posted revenue of C$266 million ($221 million) for the quarter ended June 30, a 15% increase from a year earlier. Net earnings from continuing operations at the Montreal-based company were C$20.8 million, a 1% increase.
Amy Butler (Washington), Edward H. Phillips (Dallas)
A Bell-Boeing Osprey made an emergency landing last week at a Texas airport following what officials are characterizing as a minor incident. The MV-22 tiltrotor landed on Amarillo International Airport grounds about 2 mi. away from Bell's facility. Following takeoff, the pilot accelerated to 111 kt. He had an "immediate indication something was wrong," says Edward Carroll, a spokesman for the V-22 Joint Program Office in Maryland.
British Airways on Aug. 11 canceled all flights in and out of Heathrow Airport at least until late on Aug. 12 after ground personnel walked out in sympathy with striking Gate Gourmet staff. Gate Gourmet is the carrier's sole caterer at Heathrow. At least 20,000 passengers were stranded and 120 BA flights at Heathrow were canceled Aug. 11. Unions want BA to pressure Gate Gourmet to rehire employees dismissed earlier this month by the caterer in a labor dispute.
The first look at Discovery's belly shows it has less damage than after most other flights, despite a few pieces of large foam debris caught falling from the external tank by intense photographic coverage.
A large second-quarter loss has forced Independence Air to postpone the delivery of six Airbus A319s as it struggles to avoid a bankruptcy filing. The airline's parent company, Flyi Inc., said it lost $98.5 million ($2.01 a share) for the quarter ended June 30, leaving the carrier with a cash balance of just $66 million. Flyi also disclosed that it was making contingency plans for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing.
A Royal Air Force Boeing C-17 airlifted the Scorpio 45, an unmanned underwater robot, to the Kamchatka peninsula of the Russian Far East on Aug. 7 --just in time to rescue seven Russian sailors. The Russians were trapped for three days in the mini submarine Priz at 625 ft. in the Pacific after the sub became tangled in a cable. Scorpio 45 was used to cut the cable and free the sub.
Lockheed Martin says an announcement of a new platform provider for the U.S. Aerial Common Sensor program is expected soon. The company is refuting suggestions that a full recompetition is needed, which would open the door again to Lockheed Martin's competitor, Northrop Grumman. Lockheed Martin had chosen the Embraer EMB-145 and found it too small for the Army's requirements. Northrop Grumman officials still say they are not planning to protest.
The Greek government is prepared to sell flag carrier Olympic Airways to the York Capital/Olympic Investors group. The deal, contingent upon approval by European Commission officials, is seen as a last-ditch effort to save the airline, which lost about 87 million euros ($107 million) in 2004. The entity being sold is the holdover from Olympic Airways that went bankrupt last year. EC authorities are investigating whether the sale conforms to European competition rules.
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Canada is developing its own no-fly list for use starting next year and will be consulting with airlines and other stakeholders on the "Passenger Project" program proposal. The authority for this and other aviation security initiatives is the Public Safety Act of 2002, which amends the Aeronautics Act. In addition, the Canadian government has budgeted C$16 million ($13.2 million) over five years for new systems to collect information on air travelers for national and transportation security.
World News Roundup 14 RAF C-17 airlifts underwater robot to rescue Russians in sub 15 Boeing P-8A MMA program begins to lose non-U.S. interest World News & Analysis 18 New technology promises leaps in UAV warfighting capability 20 U.S. Army to fly Predator variants after raising vehicle requirement 20 Helicopter makers preparing bids for U.S. Army utility aircraft effort 21 Small fire sparks quick landing during routine Osprey flight test
New European Union members struggling to sustain their aerospace industries are about to receive help from the European Commission. Brussels is arranging a tutorial session next month on how those countries can boost their industries by taking advantage of European aeronautics and air transport research initiatives.
Philip J. Klass, who retired as senior avionics editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology in 1986, died on Aug. 9 in Merritt Island, Fla., from cancer. He was 85. (See p. 58 for a tribute.) Klass was born in 1919 in Des Moines, Iowa, and grew up in Cedar Rapids. He earned his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering at Iowa State University. After graduating, Klass worked as an engineer at General Electric's Schenectady, N.Y., facility before joining Aviation Week in 1952.
James Chadwick and Gerald Hellerman have been named to the board of directors of AirNet Systems Inc., Columbus, Ohio. Chadwick was the managing member of Pacific Coast Investment Partners, while Hellerman owns his own financial consulting and litigation support services firm.
After several weeks of test range and technical holds, Boeing flew two X-45A joint unmanned combat air systems (J-UCAS) in a coordinated simulated combat mission from Edwards AFB, Calif. During the test flights, the two aircraft autonomously used their on-board decision-making software to determine the best route through fixed and pop-up air defenses to position themselves for a preemptive mission against ground-based radars and missile launchers. The two aircraft prioritized the targets and alternated attacking two of them.
PanAmSat reported EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $214 million and revenues of $155 million for the second quarter, slightly surpassing analysts' forecasts. CEO Joe Wright says strong demand for high-definition TV and government services appears to signal an end to the long dry spell the satellite telecom industry has endured.
Rival maintenance organizations Air France Industries and Lufthansa Technik are nearing the point when their Airbus A380 support joint venture will become fully up and running. But the endeavor raises larger questions, mainly whether it can blossom into a more expansive relationship.
Te Pentagon's civilian leadership is being briefed on a year-long study of land-attack weapons that could affect the fate of several large missile programs as the Defense Dept. picks up the pieces of a number of joint efforts left in shambles by interservice disagreements.
Heroux-Devtek Inc., a leading Canadian aerospace and industrial manufacturer, says 2005 is off to a good start with $63 million (U.S.$52 million) in new orders. President and CEO Gilles Labbe says the period since 9/11 has been a challenging one, but market recovery is well underway this year. The Canadian dollar exchange rate also hurt, costing the company C$10.2 million last year. The prices of steel, aluminum and titanium were up, and delivery lead times lengthened. A long-term order worth $180 million signed with the U.S.
Lufthansa Systems' Lido eRouteManual, a digital database of airport and route charts, has been integrated into the Airbus A380s onboard information system. Lufthansa Systems and Airbus have been working for a year to develop a comprehensive approach to a paperless cockpit. The eRouteManual will be offered on all Airbus electronic flight bag systems.
Yair Shamir (see photo) has become chairman of Israel Aircraft Industries. He is chairman of Shamir Optical Industries, chairman/co-manager of the Catalyst Fund and former chairman of El Al Israel Airlines.
Larry Fischer has been named acting chief financial officer of The Allied Defense Group Inc., Vienna, Va., following the resignation of Charles A. Hasper. Fischer has been CFO of the company's NS Microwave subsidiary.
The first production MH-60R (see photo) took to the skies at Sikorsky's Stratford, Conn., facility late last month during a 90-min. flight that included a series of flight control and engine evaluations. The U.S. Navy plans to buy 254 of the helicopters to conduct antisubmarine and surface attack missions. The MH-60R will replace aging fleets of Sikorsky SH-60B and SH-60F aircraft. Lockheed Martin is teamed with Sikorsky to integrate the mission systems and digital cockpit.
