The congressional budget ax is about to fall again on the U.S. Air Force's beleaguered Space Radar program. The project has repeatedly suffered cuts in Congress, with legislators concerned the Air Force is embarking on a costly program without its fully understanding the technology or price. And skepticism remains, despite heavy service lobbying.
Merrill Lynch analyst Ronald J. Epstein says Brazil's Embraer could force defense electronics giant Raytheon out of the general aviation business. This month Embraer announced plans to invest $235 million to develop a lightweight and very lightweight business jet, and could blaze a trail as the first low-cost producer in the market (AW&ST May 9, p. 39). If Embraer's new jets win traction, Raytheon could decide to divest its non-core general aviation business "before competitive pressure increases," Epstein writes.
French Navy Rear Adm. Benoit Montanie (see photo) has been appointed defense and security adviser at Paris-based Alcatel Space. He succeeds Gen. Bernard Molard. Montanie was general space officer at French armed forces headquarters in Paris.
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The German defense ministry has opted for an EADS team as preferred bidder for a new military satellite communications system. The team, including ND Satcom and Alcatel Space, is expected to conclude a contract for the system, Satcom BW Stage 2, by the third quarter.
Trying to soften the blow of the Pentagon's Friday-the-13th list of military bases to be closed or realigned, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirms ahead of time that there could be fewer major closings than expected even a few months ago. He says the drive for closures slackened because of the need to house U.S. troops returning from overseas and the desire to reduce leased facilities in the U.S. And 10-15% of the bases named for closure may be removed from the list later.
NASA managers trying to speed development of a space shuttle replacement may shift away from the lunar landing concept used in the Apollo program to one that would send a single crew vehicle all the way from Earth to the Moon's surface.
An article on the Airbus A380's first flight (May 2, p. 22) incorrectly stated that certain airlines buying the mega-transport had not made engine selections. It should have said that Emirates, Air France, ILFC and FedEx have opted for the GP7200 turbofans built by a General Electric/ Pratt & Whitney joint venture.
In Securities and Exchange Commission filings this month, Delta Air Lines indicates its transformation plan aimed at earning annual savings of $5 billion by the end of 2006 may not be enough to avoid seeking bankruptcy protection. The airline has already redesigned its Atlanta hub, dehubbed Dallas/Fort Worth and introduced simplified fares in the U.S. But the carrier still faces "significant challenges" owing to high fuel prices, low yields and other cost pressures, and says it expects to record a substantial net loss for the nine months ending Dec. 31, 2005.
House Democrats are taking on the Bush Administration's slash-and-burn aeronautics policy with a measure that would restore funds cut to pay for space exploration. Rep. Mark Udall (Colo.), ranking Democrat on the House Science space and aeronautics subcommittee, wants to add about $150 million to NASA's Fiscal 2006 aeronautics budget and reaffirm "aeronautical research and development as a core mission" of the agency. "It just seems like we're ceding ground that we shouldn't cede," Udall says.
Aerospace companies are receiving a boost from a surge in U.S. government spending on information technology. Lockheed Martin Corp. retained its role as the government's top IT contractor for the 11th consecutive year, raking in just under $6 billion in contracts in 2004, according to a new ranking compiled by Washington Technology magazine. Northrop Grumman came in second with $4.7 billion in IT sales. Rounding out the top five were Science Applications International Corp., Computer Sciences Corp. and General Dynamics Corp.
Geoffrey L. Grant has become vice president-systems integration for BAE Systems, Reston, Va. He was vice president-intelligence services for the Lockheed Martin Corp.
The E-8 Joint Stars won its first combat laurels in 1991 by spotting Iraq's only offensive thrust, then peered through sandstorms in 2003's fighting to help decimate an armored division. Now, in 2005, it has adapted to the war against insurgents. In addition to finding new ways to use the aircraft in combat, E-8 operators have identified a series of upgrades that could make it an even more effective platform in this new type of warfare.
Pierre Sparaco does not seem to understand French President Jacques Chirac's comment on A380 first flight (AW&ST May 2, p. 23). "This is a milestone for Europe, a symbol of what Europeans can do when combining forces." In praising European Union technology cooperation, he is attempting to appeal to French Eurosceptics to vote for the EU Constitution on May 29, not to tell Airbus they can count on government support! This has nothing to do with the subsidiary issues.
Scientists suspected for decades that a moon, local or remote, must be responsible for the Keeler Gap near the outer edge of Saturn's A ring, but were only able to spot it with pictures taken this month by the Cassini spacecraft.
The Navy's P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft program, the replacement for the long-serving P-3, has completed its second major technical review since contract award to Boeing last year. The MMA's preliminary design review is scheduled for this fall.
The Boeing Co. may still be searching for a new leader to replace ousted President/CEO Harry C. Stonecipher, but that hasn't dampened investor enthusiasm for the aerospace giant's stock. Boeing shares are up about 20% since early January and last week hit their highest price since November 2000 after the company announced another surge of orders for its jets (see p. 46).
Two Northwest Airlines aircraft were damaged May 10 in a ground collision at Minneapolis-St. Paul International, known locally as "Twin Cities" airport. According to the airline, an arriving Northwest DC-9, Flight 1495, with 94 passengers and five crew on board, was taxiing to its gate when it made contact with an Airbus A319, Flight 1849, as it pushed back from its gate with 38 passengers and five crew. It appears the DC-9's upper cockpit area contacted the A319 wing (see photo).
Michael D. Keebaugh, president of Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems (IIS), Falls Church, Va., has received the 2005 Outstanding Engineering Alumnus Award from the Pennsylvania State University College of Engineering. He was honored for maintaining IIS as an industry leader in the intelligence and information technology market.
Australia's Transportation Safety Board investigators last week pored over the flight data recorders of a Fairchild Metroliner, seeking clues to the May 7 crash that killed all 15 people on board. Australian aviation, which has enjoyed an extraordinary safety record, dubbed the accident the country's worst civil air disaster since 1968, when a Vickers Viscount crashed at Port Hedland in the Western Australia state, killing 26 people.
First-quarter numbers for 2005 suggest air traffic continues to rise in Europe. The Brussels-based Airports Council International-Europe reports that traffic through March grew 5.6% compared with the same 2004 period. Year-over-year, March performance was particularly strong--a 7% increase. The spike is largely attributed to the fact that the Easter holidays fell within the period. With fewer business days, freight traffic in Europe for March fell 0.4% compared with the previous year.
Joe Gibney has become senior director of marketing for Signature Flight Support, Orlando, Fla. He was general manager of the company's facility in Jacksonville, Fla.
Lufthansa faces an even gloomier financial outlook in 2005 than the airline's management expected only a few months ago. The main culprit is stubbornly high fuel prices. So pressured is the carrier that industry analysts believe some divestitures might be unavoidable. Under the revised outlook, Lufthansa expects only to reach last year's 383-million-euro ($490-million) operating profit. Results for 2004 were negatively affected by write-offs that don't play a role in 2005.
Shareholders have finally approved the combination of publicly traded Sagem with largely government-controlled Snecma; they also blessed the entity's new name, Safran. During last week's extraordinary shareholder meeting, the new management team led by Jean-Paul Bechat, chairman and CEO, was also approved. The vote is the final step in a process initiated last October, when the combination was first approved. Business operations have been running as a combined entity since March, but last week's actions marked the final legal steps.
FLEXJET, BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE'S FRACTIONAL ownership operation has reserved delivery positions for 51 new business jets worth about $829 million for replacement of existing aircraft as well as expanding the fleet to meet increased demand. According to the company, the Learjet 40XR and Challenger 300 will account for more than 60% of the deliveries. Sales of Flexjet fractional shares increased 67% in 2004.
