David A. Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London)
Stealth is poised for a massive overhaul. In classified planning sessions and closely held technology projects, its basic tenets are being reexamined. Overshadowing this review is the anticipated implosion of defense spending over the next two decades--a process that's expected to accelerate with the ultimate pullout of major U.S. units from Iraq, as well as growth in entitlement programs to satisfy the financial and medical needs of an aging population.
Boeing launch services chief Dan Collins wants to get back into the business of selling commercial Delta IV launches, but probably not as quickly as he suggested at a Washington symposium on the commercial launch services industry. Flanked by most of his potential competitors should Boeing decide to offer its big new rocket to the private sector, Collins said "we hope to reenter the commercial market here shortly; I'd say by the end of 2005 we should be back in that market." The problem is, the market doesn't amount to much.
Gala Goncalves has been named general manager of France-based NH Industries. She was general secretary/president's cabinet manager at the headquarters of Eurocopter, which is part-owner of NH Industries. Goncalves succeeds Gerard Maitrepierre, who has been reassigned at Eurocopter.
U.S. Army Gen. (ret.) Paul J. Kern has joined The Cohen Group in Washington as senior counselor. He was commanding general of the Army Materiel Command and director of the investigation into abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The striking photos of the gaping Airbus A310 (Air Transat Flight 961) rudder attachment hinges/actuator points were unnerving signs that the chickens may be coming home to roost (AW&ST Mar. 21, p. 20; Mar. 14, p. 73). The rudder disappeared in level, non-turbulent flight at 35,000 ft. Did separation follow a final freeze cycle of internal moisture that again forced the composite layers apart, this time perhaps initiating a small crack along the rudder's leading edge? We know what would happen next.
Missile manufacturer MBDA's U.S. subsidiary plans to develop a protoype wing-kit, dubbed Active Diamond Back, under a contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The kit will differ from the existing Diamond Back by providing a loitering capability. Potential further work includes examining the integration of a munition fitted with Active Diamond Back in internal bays of the the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
The U.S. military obviously is moving toward a more mobile and quickly deployable force structure that can immediately meet a threat anywhere. Your article "Near Miss, For Now" (AW&ST Feb. 14, p. 28) demonstrates this trend.
Venezuela has agreed to buy 10 EADS CASA C-295 military transports as part of a 1.3-billion-euro arms package. The deal also includes several ships and was finalized during a trip to Caracas by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
Bids are due this week for industrial consortia hoping to take a lead role in the design of Europe's future air traffic management system. But questions about how to harmonize the effort over a wide range of stakeholders remain. Funding the multibillion-euro scheme also is seen as a potential hurdle, with program managers now preparing the relatively cheap concept definition phase already working under tight budget constraints.
Except for technology advances made during World War II, the 1930s were arguably the greatest period of aeronautical innovation in the first half of the 20th century. Martin, Curtiss, Lockheed, Douglas, Vought and dozens of other high-profile names pushed the state of aviation art throughout that decade. Their pursuits were fueled by thousands of ordinary people who had a burning passion to fly. Two of those were natives of Columbus, Ga., where their personal lives and a love of flying intersected during aviation's halcyon days.
Europe is upping the ante in aeronautics research in an expanded effort to support the sustainable growth of air transport, ensure continued aerospace leadership and perhaps provide an alternative source of funding for new development projects.
Work on an advanced version of Singapore Technologies Aerospace mini-unmanned aerial vehicle, called FanTail, has started. With a 2.9-kg. (6.4-lb.) takeoff weight, FanTail was designed and developed in-house using commercial-off-the-shelf products, according to the company.
Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., has received the 2005 Excellence in Pilot Training Award from the National Air Transportation Assn. The award spotlights safety, professionalism, leadership and excellence in pilot training. Brady was cited for distinction "as a highly knowledgeable and experienced aviator, teacher, administrator and writer."
You could say that the stars were in a postive alignment four years ago for the space programs at the Pentagon and in the intelligence community. A conservative-leaning Congress was expected to be friendly to national security space priorities, even on the once-taboo topic of building offensive and defensive space systems. George W. Bush was entering office with a hearty military transformation agenda that relied heavily on space technology.
Martin Phillips has been named national industry director for aerospace and defense, and partner in charge of the Aerospace & Defense Risk Advisory practice, at New York-based KPMG. He was a partner in IBM Global Aerospace and Defense.
Christopher Groff has been named vice president-North American sales for the Conduant Corp., Longmont, Colo. He was an executive with Telcordia Technologies.
Albert E. Smith (see photo) has been named to the board of trustees of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. Smith is retired executive vice president-integrated systems and solutions for the Lockheed Martin Corp. and had been executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
John F. Wood has become chief of staff and Brian R. Besanceney assistant secretary for public affairs of the U.S. Homeland Security Dept. Wood was counselor to the U.S. attorney general, while Besanceney was special assistant to the President and deputy director of communications at the White House.
"Unfortunate" is how acting Air Force Secretary Peter Teets describes the timing between his proclamation lifting Boeing's 20-month ban from competing for military space launches and the company's sudden dismissal of CEO Harry Stonecipher after discovering his affair with a female company executive. On Mar. 4, Teets lifted the suspension, imposed after the company was found in possession of proprietary Lockheed Martin documents during a rocket competition in the late 1990s. On Mar. 7, Boeing announced Stonecipher's firing.
Hawker de Havilland plans to invest A$175million ($135 million) in Melbourne to build wing components for the Boeing 787, Australian Innovation Minister John Brumby said last week. The government-backed investment is to generate more than 200 jobs. The company is to provide composite movable surfaces on the trailing edge of the wing, including flaps, ailerons and related structures.
General Electric has committed to an architectural design for the GEnx engine and begun the detailed design phase for a powerplant destined for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. In committing to the architecture, Tom Brisken, general manager of the GEnx program, says GE determined the fan diameter, the compressor and turbine stages, and the location of bearings.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a Washington-based privacy advocacy group, is concerned that sensitive personal information provided to the U.S. government by airline passengers will be misused for non-aviation security purposes. The concerns were voiced in a letter from EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg to Rep. Daniel Lungren (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity.
The first C-27J ordered by Greece is slated to be delivered next month, but Athens is already mulling upgrades to the tactical transport. The first Greek C-27J was unveiled last week in Turin following completion of a brief flight test program by the joint venture of Alenia Aeronautica and Lockheed Martin that builds the aircraft. Lockheed Martin is bowing out of the arrangement, to be replaced in a more limited role by L-3 Communications, which will be involved in any C-27J activity in North America (AW&ST Feb. 21, p. 40).
