Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. has begun initial integration testing of the Communication, Navigation and Identification system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. UHF, VHF, radar altimeter, intercom, caution and warning, and IFF were checked in the company's Mission Systems Integration Lab.
NASA has brought in the National Academy of Sciences for some help in refining its robotic exploration goals and management, with a big meeting due later this month in Irvine, Calif., to tackle the job. Alphonso V. Diaz, the new science associate administrator, says the academy's Space Studies Board will review the decadal scientific priorities it sets, focusing on missions that would follow those already scheduled, such as the New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt flyby scheduled for launch in 2006.
Joint fuel purchasing agreements at three key hubs--Los Angeles, San Francisco and London Heathrow--have saved Star Alliance members $50 million since last year. Called Star Fuel Co., the joint fuel buying agreement has recently been extended to Charles de Gaulle (Paris) airport, says Star CEO Jaan Albrecht. Star Fuel leverages the joint buying power of member airlines and will expand airport-by-airport throughout the 15-member airlines' worldwide network.
Although the U.S. has greatly increased its dependence on space-based platforms, little has been done to protect these vital military and commercial resources. "Space control"--which encompasses defensive measures--is a pressing issue, but even labels associated with this mission area raise the hackles of allies and adversaries alike. The latter claim the U.S. goal of maintaining "space superiority" during a conflict is indicative of the nation's intent to deny others access to space. Nothing could be further from the truth, U.S. milspace leaders say.
Airbus will provide 36 narrow- and wide-body aircraft to Turkish Airlines in an award that may have geopolitical as well as economic underpinnings. The Turkish flag carrier agreed last week to acquire 19 A320 and 12 A321 narrowbodies, along with five A330-220s. The A320s and A321s will be powered by IAE V2527-A5 engines and the A330s with General Electric CF6-80E1 A3s. The aircraft will be used on domestic and international routes, and scheduled to be delivered between October 2005 and 2008.
India's defense procurement is under scrutiny following a French court order that confirmed middleman Panama-based Keyser, "a commercial aeronautical product company," negotiated a deal for 10 Mirage-2000s in 1996, yet to be delivered. Ironically, the case went to court recently following Dassault Aviation's refusal to pay Keyser the complete commission of 2.5%. The first installment, $100,000, has been paid. Air Chief S. Krishnaswamy has denied "middlemen or agents" were involved.
John A. Kinsey has been appointed technical director for the Futron Corp., Bethesda, Md. He was a principal director of Air Force programs in the Rosslyn, Va.-based Space Support Office of The Aerospace Corp.
Singapore Airlines Group earned S$357 million ($214 million) in the second quarter of fiscal 2004 (ending Sept. 30), up from S$306 million in the previous year. Despite that, the carrier acknowledges that escalating fuel prices and competition from budget carriers could dampen returns this year. SIA is said to have hedged about 40% of its jet fuel requirements at around $34 a barrel for the fiscal year that ends Mar. 31. Starting Nov. 18, SIA has entered a seven-year, S$300-million contract to outsource its information technology operations to IBM.
Some $3 billion worth of booster and spacecraft hardware is to be launched from Cape Canaveral between mid-November and mid-February as NASA and the Air Force recover from hurricane delays and hardware issues with Boeing Delta II boosters. The launch of a Delta II carrying the Air Force GPS 2R-13 spacecraft is being rescheduled to Nov. 5, so problems found in Delta hardware still in the factory or other vehicles not in a launch flow can be resolved, and so third-stage battery lifetime can be assessed in light of the delays.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John R. Wood has been appointed director of the U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Experimentation Directorate. He succeeds Maj. Gen. James M. Dubik, who has been named commanding general of I Corps and Ft. Lewis, Wash. Wood was commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Div. of the Eighth U.S. Army in South Korea.
Joseph A. Anselmi (see photo), a senior engineering specialist in the Flight Software Validation Dept. of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., received its Trustees' Distinguished Achievement Award for "outstanding sustained contributions to GPS attitude control systems' development and operations." Anselmi has specialized in the analysis, testing and development of attitude control systems for GPS satellites for 27 years, helping to define requirements, identify design deficiencies and validate system performance.
A new U.S. tax law that eliminates the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act is causing the European Union to lift retaliatory sanctions it had imposed since March on U.S. goods. The sanctions were endorsed by the World Trade Organization.
Japan Airlines is adding a 300-yen ($2.82) surcharge per flight sector to domestic tickets to compensate for high fuel charges. The rates are to take effect Jan. 11, and they will be withdrawn when the average monthly barrel of Singapore kerosene falls below $40 per barrel.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. Inspector General's Office reports training still needs to be improved for Transportation Security Administration screeners. While the IG did say program revisions since the start of 2003 have brought improvements, baggage screeners aren't receiving enough hands-on practice and sometimes aren't being trained with the same models of explosives detection equipment they will use on the job. Some subjects still aren't being covered, such as how to handle dangerous weapons or objects.
Anthony B. Hays has been promoted to manager of the Mechanical Systems Unit from program manager for satellite docking system technologies and Scott Lindemann to manager of the Optical Products Unit from program manager at the Michigan Aerospace Corp. in Ann Arbor.
In his rebuttal to Mark Powell's "sophomoric rant about the missile attack on a DHL Airbus A300 in Baghdad" (AW&ST Oct. 11, p. 14; Sept. 13, p. 6), Bruce Haxthausen says "Powell should either pipe down or tell us how he knows these facts and can allege that (Jerome) Sessini was more interested in watching the crew die."
The U.S. Marine Corps is laying the groundwork for changes in its rotorcraft modernization, with new production of AH-1Z Cobras and an upgraded vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft as emerging initiatives.
The U.S./European Cassini mission to Saturn has found that the giant moon Titan has a far more geologically active surface than scientists had expected. That's a major revelation. And when placed alongside new evidence for the planet-sized body's diverse organic chemistry, it will make Titan all the more significant in NASA planning for the U.S.' new solar system exploration initiative.
Eric Monsel has been named vice president-programs for Dassault Falcon Jet, Teterboro, N.J. He succeeds Marc Valle, who will be retiring. Monsel has been deputy vice president-engineering, based in Merignac, France.
France is looking to expand the number of defense activities that can be outsourced to industry (AW&ST June 24, p. 24). After targeting helicopter ab-initio pilot training as an outsourcing candidate, the government is reviewing offers to cede responsibility for the maintenance of 100 naval vessels to private shipyards, and studying the possibility of outsourcing ab-initio fixed-wing pilot training.
Bolstered by robust U.S. military spending, aerospace contractors continue their bull run of 2004, finishing the third quarter well ahead of Wall Street's expectations and raising their earnings projections for the full year.
China Eastern Airlines has taken delivery of the first of four Airbus A321s powered by CFM56-5B turbofans. The twinjets will operate domestically in 177-seat cabin configuration. China Eastern's fleet includes 90 Airbus transports.
Maureen Woods has been appointed senior director of air traffic services for Arinc, Annapolis, Md. She was manager of the Great Lakes Region of the FAA's Airway Facilities Div.
The U.S./Russian International Space Station Expedition 9 crew are beginning six weeks of readapting to Earth's gravity, following the unusual fiery night landing of their Soyuz spacecraft Oct. 24 in high winds on the steppes of Kazakhstan. From right are Expedition 9 flight engineer astronaut Mike Fincke and ISS/Soyuz commander Gennady Padalka, who spent 188 days in space. Returning with them was cosmonaut Yuri Shargin (left), who spent 10 days on the ISS.
