Inmarsat expects an initial public offering later this month to bring in more than 400 million pounds ($729 million) in new capital to strengthen its balance sheet and increase payout to shareholders (AW&ST June 6, pp. 19, 53). Chairman/CEO Andrew Sukawaty said, following a period of heavy investment in its Broadband Global Area Network, the company expects at least half of normalized free cash flow from operations to be returned to shareholders in the form of dividends.
I am a retired aircraft primary structures engineer with 35 years' design experience. When I designed a hinged item, I nearly always had two self-aligning ball joints so there was a straight hinge line and the item would be free to rotate about that line even with structural deflections under load.
The McPherson fluorometer gathers data for atmospheric photochemistry and facilitates better understanding of the general effects of pollution on climate and air quality. The filter fluorometer simultaneously detects fluorescence emission of four unique samples using line emission light sources and narrow-band filters for discrete wavelength excitation. The system is compatible with the company's high-pressure liquid chromatography flow cells. Flow cell volumes range from 6-24 microliters.
Honeywell has again flown its 13-in.-dia. autonomous surveillance aircraft, but this time in untethered free flight. It took off, flew through designated waypoints and landed. The company plans to enter the ducted fan aircraft in the competition for the Army Future Combat System's Class I unmanned aerial vehicle. In production configuration, the aircraft is to weigh 13.5 lb. with fuel, fly at 50 kt. and have an endurance of 45 min. The Micro Air Vehicle is to be small enough for a soldier to carry and is equipped with two-day video or IR cameras.
This summer is critical for the U.S. Defense Dept.'s Osprey program. Officials must prove to the Pentagon that they can reduce the per-unit cost by $13 million, increase production at Bell's plant and complete the most rigorous trials of the operational evaluation phase now underway.
A new lightweight interconnect system from Tyco Electronics has been designed for data and power transmission in space applications. The serial bus connector block and connector system allows designers to address the need for IEEE 1394 connectivity in a range of aerospace applications, but is particularly well-suited for satellites and other space vehicles that need to transmit high-speed data, the company says. The system comprises a multi-connector header block, receptacle and plug connectors and other items such as complete cable assemblies and accessories.
Space Systems/Loral continues to show a healthy start for 2005, winning its fourth commercial launch contract from XM Radio to build the XM-5 high-power digital audio radio service satellite as a ground spare.
Only the coming weeks will reveal how serious the fallout is from the decision by Airbus shareholders to postpone formal launch of the proposed A350 on the eve of the Paris air show. So far, the European airframe manufacturer says it will proceed with the development program and meet its 2010 in-service goal. And in the intervening time, Airbus expects to rake in orders. But the A350 story has been one of constantly changing plot lines, and more twists may be ahead as the company launches its counteroffensive to Boeing's 787.
With the ink barely dry on his biggest acquisition deal ever, one might expect L-3 Communications Corp. Chairman/CEO Frank C. Lanza to put away his checkbook for a while. Fat chance. Lanza, who sealed the $2.7-billion agreement to buy the information technology (IT) services provider on June 3, already is itching to spend another $1 billion in cash his company has on hand. "Next month we'll announce some more acquisitions," he says. "We have things in process now."
Steven M. Sear has been promoted to vice president-sales from managing director of reservations services for Northwest Airlines. He succeeds Fay P. Beauchine, who plans to retire.
Bombardier Aerospace is highlighting its planned commercial aircraft offering, the CSeries, at the Paris air show--where it also hopes to challenge naysayers and announce customer commitments, an engine maker and possibly the program launch date.
Here at Europe's northern edge, the Swedish Space Corp. considers six months of deep winter a good thing. The lakes and rivers on its European Space Range (Esrange) freeze solid, turning 9,000 sq. km. of rolling arctic terrain into a dry recovery area for the microgravity payloads the company launches on sounding rockets.
THIS WEEK, ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR and prolific business and private airplanes, the Cessna Model 172, will celebrate 50 years since its first flight on June 12, 1955. E.B. "Fritz" Feutz was the test pilot. The four-place 172 was developed from the company's Model 170B and featured a tricycle landing gear and new empennage design. Flight tests were conducted secretly at Kingman, Kan. Cessna received FAA certification in November 1955, and the 172 was sold as a 1956 model.
Jeff Reid (see photo) has been appointed vice president-subcontract and vendor relations for Cincinnati-based Executive Jet Management. He was vice president-information technology.
Jeff Bosque (see photo) has been appointed president of Garrett/Piedmont Hawthorne/Associated, Tempe, Ariz. He succeeds Rick Penshorn, who has resigned. Bosque was vice president-sales and marketing.
John Gallo has been appointed vice president-business development and Steffen Koehler vice president-marketing for Phasebridge Inc., Pasadena, Calif. Gallo was director of defense programs at Bookham Inc., while Koehler was vice president-marketing for transceivers at Bookham Technology.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, which makes the Gnat and Predator unmanned reconnaissance and strike aircraft, has merged with General Atomics Reconnaissance Systems. The second company builds the Lynx family of synthetic aperture radars and ground moving target indicators, as well as integrating the electro-optical and infrared cameras built by General Atomics Photonics Div. The idea is to offer aircraft fully configured with an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payload package.
India's Jet Airways is emerging as the leading candidate for Star Alliance members seeking a partner in that fast-growing air market. State-owned Air-India was regarded as the front runner, but Star members want strong domestic ties, and Jet Airways has become the nation's biggest and probably best-rated carrier. Meanwhile, Star members are looking to Beijing-based Air China as a partner.
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In the article "Survival Tactics," Doug Abbey suggests major carriers' scope clauses are preventing them from introducing Embraer 190/195-class aircraft (AW&ST May 16, p. 56). He suggests JetBlue can do this because it is not "restricted" by scope. Any major airline can, regardless of scope, do what JetBlue did: bring the Embraer 190 into service flown by the same pilot group that flies its mainline aircraft. No existing scope clause "restricts" any major from doing exactly the same thing.
Ukraine has agreed to become the third country, after China and Israel, to join the Galileo system and to provide European Union airlines access to the Ukrainian market from any EU member state. The satnav agreement provides for Ukraine to take a stake in the Galileo Joint Undertaking, which is managing development, and become part of the Egnos GPS wide-area augmentation system that will precede Galileo. The move follows recent European Commission requests for approval to begin discussions with South Korea and Argentina.
A small government-owned company based in this bustling Stockholm suburb has quietly found its way to lunar orbit, building on technical capabilities that range from advanced space propulsion to airborne coastal surveillance.
Growing pressure for airlines to reduce air pollution and make less noise is coming at a time when they are already under stress from high fuel prices. A conference earlier this year brought together industry leaders as well as airport operators and air traffic control providers to compare notes and forge an action plan.
SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan has received the Washington-based National Space Society's Von Braun Award, in a ceremony from Konrad Dannenberg, one of the rocket scientists who worked with Wernher von Braun to land American astronauts on the Moon. "Burt Rutan's historic achievement picks up where Wernher von Braun and our team left off," said Dannenberg in a statement. "But instead of a space race with the Soviets, space tourism and entrepreneurs are driving this new space program.
