The European Commission says rival consortia bidding for the concession to deploy and operate the Galileo satellite navigation system are discussing submittal of a joint offer. The iNavSat consortium, led by EADS, Thales and Inmarsat, confirmed that it was in contact with the Commission to combine its proposal with that of Eurely, headed by Alcatel, Finmeccanica, Aena and Hispasat. Representatives from the Galileo Joint Undertaking, the public-private partnership managing the tender, were not immediately available for comment.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the most outspoken opponent of a now-defunct $23.5-billion lease-buy of Boeing 767 refueling tankers, is pushing to widen the field of potential candidates to replace the U.S. Air Force's KC-135 fleet. McCain last week directed the Pentagon's acquisition chief to include a Boeing 777 tanker option and the possibility of contracting out some refueling services in its controversial analysis of alternatives (AOA). Neither is currently included. That document will help Pentagon planners guide a path ahead for the massive recapitalization.
JEPPESEN HAS WORKED WITH NAVCANADA and Eurocontrol to improve weather input for the planning of the North Atlantic Track system, which changes twice a day for east- and then west-bound flights. The aim is to locate the tracks where aircraft will have optimum winds and the shortest track lengths. Now when the proposed tracks are previewed to users, the corresponding Jeppesen weather forecast map is overlaid on the proposed tracks to highlight hazards such as severe turbulence.
J.J. Quinn (see photo) has been named vice president-missile and space defense at the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Space Technology Sector, Redondo Beach, Calif. He was the lead executive with U.S. Navy and Marine Corps customers in Hampton Roads, Va., for the corporation's Integrated Systems Sector.
The Russian air force is intent on completing the first stage of state acceptance trials of the Yakovlev Yak-130 by December, clearing the way for series production of the advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft. The second stage of state trials--due to be finished before 2007--covers operational acceptance by the air force. The Sokol plant is contracted to manufacture 12 preproduction aircraft for the service, while Yakovlev is building a prototype light attack version, which will join the two trainer prototypes in the state trials.
While Capt. Romero's assertion (AW&ST Apr. 11, p. 6) that purchasing expensive IRCM equipment may not be the best way to spend limited dollars is correct, his solution of erecting a cordon sanitaire around every airport and a change in airline operating practices is not the best answer.
The possibility of lifting in the near term the European Union's partial arms embargo on China was raised again last week by Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's foreign minister. Asselborn is quoted in the British Financial Times as suggesting agreement could be reached as early as next month. Luxembourg holds the presidency of the European Union until June.
Kristi A. Tucker has been appointed communications director for Airbus North America, Herndon, Va. She was Atlanta-based head of internal and executive communication for The Home Depot's EXPO Design Centers.
Brian K. Leinbach has been named senior vice president/chief information officer of Delta Air Lines and president/CEO of subsidiary Delta Technology. He has been senior vice president-development of Delta Technology.
The British Defense Ministry is planning to convert another two Sea King Mk6 helicopters to serve as Mk7 airborne warning and control systems aircraft. The additional Sea Kings will replace two that were lost in a midair collision during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Thales UK is the prime contractor for the conversion program. The helicopters are set to be delivered to the Royal Navy in 2007. In other news, AgustaWestland will provide the Defense Ministry with three A109 Power helos for the RAF 32nd Sqdn. under a civil ownership agreement.
EADS' choice of Raytheon as a prime contractor for its U.S. Army Future Cargo Aircraft firms up the competition, squaring off two similar teams each containing a leading U.S. systems integrator backed by the muscle of a European airframe manufacturer. The Raytheon/EADS team is now pitted against the Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS), a 50/50 joint venture between L-3 Communications and Italian-owned Alenia North America, which is offering the C-27J.
David A. Fulghum (Airborne Over North-Central Iraq)
The air war in Iraq has changed from one primarily of bombing to that of intelligence-gathering, surveillance and command. To chronicle that transformation, Aviation Week & Space Technology flew on several U.S. Air Force aircraft and visited bases in the Iraq theater, after agreeing not to name some bases and countries visited, or reveal call signs and other tactical information. Additional reporting from that trip will appear in next week's issue.
The U.S. Army has provided enough funds for four contractors to participate in the upcoming Joint Heavy Lift competition, although program manager Col. William Crosby says he's pushing for enough funds to add one more to the field. He says he wants to invigorate innovation in the rotorcraft marketplace, including the "guys in garages" with new ideas, and the government is willing to invest in a new development. The Army does not yet know how much the procurement will cost, but a capability is needed for initial operating in 2022.
The latest chapter in the 29-month-old reorganization of United Airlines is likely to wield enormous impact on the fate of its fellow legacy airlines, and could possibly trigger a wider national crisis over employee pensions. In approving an agreement between United and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), terminating defined pension plans for four unions, Judge Eugene R. Wedoff of U.S. Bankruptcy Court set off a chain reaction of protest and strike threats from labor, followed by calls for reform of U.S. law governing bankruptcy and pensions.
Boeing won two awards involving the CH-47F Chinook helicopter. A $186.2-million contract is for remanufacturing the heavy-lift helicopters. Another $25.9-million add-on contract is to provide a new Cut In Common Avionics Architecture System and Digital Advanced Flight Control System for new CH-47 production.
The U.K. Defense Ministry plans to set up a concept demonstrator examining the utility of simulators in a networked environment for aircrew mission and operational training. The program will be based at the Royal Air Force's Air Warfare Center at Waddington Air Base in southeast England. A competitive tender is underway to identify an industry lead for the effort, known as the Military Training Through Distributed Simulation (MTDS) concept capability demonstrator.
The Army will choose later this month between two veteran unmanned aerial vehicle makers--Northrop Grumman and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems--as it modernizes its small reconnaissance aircraft fleet.
World News Roundup 22 Russian Yakovlev Yak-130 completing acceptance trials 23 Australians note Metroliner crash as worst civil air disaster in years 24 Cassini discovers tiny moon creating ripples in rings World News & Analysis 28 U.S. legacies on alert as court lets United out of pension promises 30 Congress charting ways to prevent next airline pension failure 31 Army's Sherpa replacement effort features two U.S./European teams
The Dassault Falcon 7X flies over water after taking off from the company's air field in Bordeaux, France. The May 5 first flight lasted 96 min. The test program for the 7X ultra-long-range business jet will include three aircraft, with the goal of achieving aircraft certification in October 2006. It is the first business jet with a fly-by-wire system, and includes a new wing, around which Dassault expects to build an entirely new family of business jets. Inflight photo by Dassault Aviation/ Francois Robineau.
International Launch Services will use a Proton/Breeze M combination to loft the Sirius 4 telecom satellite for Nordic Satellite AB. The Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft, equipped with 52 K u-band and two K a-band transponders, is to be orbited in the second quarter 2007. Meanwhile, the first Inmarsat 4 mobile broadband spacecraft, launched by an ILS Atlas V on Mar. 11, is now fully deployed and tested, according to Inmarsat. Operation is scheduled to begin following transfer of the satellite from its 8 deg. E. Long.
NASA is moving ahead with plans to use the space shuttle for a Hubble telescope servicing mission, but before astronomers break out the champagne, they should know the costs. Administrator Mike Griffin tells senators he has ordered planning started for a servicing mission under the assumption that the shuttle will prove safe enough after two test flights later this year. Griffin's predecessor, Sean O'Keefe, considered a shuttle mission too risky.
Boeing has awarded a $3.2-billion multi-year contract ($650 million for Fiscal 2005) to Northrop Grumman to build additional center and aft fuselages, twin vertical tails and associated subsystems for the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. In all, the company will build components for 210 aircraft through 2009. Of these, 56 are for the electronic attack version of the aircraft. The EA-18G is to begin replacing the EA-6B by the end of the decade.
Airservices Australia wants avionics companies that specialize in equipment for light aircraft to develop less-expensive Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasting (ADS-B) systems for general aviation aircraft. Australia will be the first country to inaugurate nationwide ADS-B surveillance in its upper air space starting next year. But before then, Airservices Australia must decide whether to rely on ADS-B in low-altitude airspace as well.
An interservice turf war is looming over a replacement for Britain's Trident nuclear weapon system. The Defense Ministry is already examining options for either extending the life of Trident or of procuring a new delivery system and nuclear payload. Submarine, surface-vessel and air-launched weapons are all being considered, potentially pitching navy against air force. With funding pressure on the long-term equipment program--and cost a key driver in any replacement system--horse-trading over acquisition programs is also a possibility.
Japan Airlines says its total revenues were up 10.2% in the fiscal year that ended Mar. 31, reaching 2.1 trillion yen ($20 billion) and net income was 30 billion yen, compared with a loss of 88 billion yen the previous year. JAL's fuel bill rose 18% on the previous year to 289 billion yen.
