Eurocopter will supply reengining kits for 95 U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphins--another successful coup by the helicopter builder, and its parent company EADS, in the U.S. military market.
Robert Wall (Washington), Michael A. Taverna (Paris)
Efforts by France and Germany to persuade other European Union members to drop a 15-year-old embargo on defense sales to China could spark a new transatlantic quarrel and cause relations to deteriorate further.
The chances for deployment of a vast global observing system capable of systematically monitoring and forecasting changes in climate, crop yields, air quality and other environmental parameters appear unexpectedly good, following a meeting in Brussels late last month.
NASA scientists are using an airborne version of the infrared sensor on its Terra Earth-observation satellite to monitor thermal activity in and around Washington's Mount St. Helens, which has been sputtering of late. In this image--taken with the Modis/Aster Airborne Simulator, a version of the high-resolution infrared imager on Terra--bright red indicates hot spots in the volcano's crater, while blue represents snow on its slopes and a smoke plume that blew out of the crater on Oct. 11. The instrument was mounted in a Cessna Caravan.
Snecma and EADS are exploring a possible merger of their liquid launcher engine and satellite ion propulsion activities. The merger would create a single European player with a full space propulsion product line and sufficient economies of scale to meet development requirements and compete with international rivals. Such economies of scale are considered vital for future launcher programs and the international space exploration initiative, Snecma executives say.
Network-centric warfare is moving from the theoretical to the practical. Its usefulness in combat, even in rudimentary form, has already led practitioners to suggest the name be changed to "warfare-centric networks." The need to add electronic attack to the NCW portfolio--which includes computer invasions, jamming and directed-energy weapons--has recreated the requirement to fly close to enemy defenses in new, dangerous missions.
As the market grows increasingly positive for CFM International, the search for new technologies to provide for current and prospective engine customers is shifting into high gear.
Engineers at the French space agency CNES have detected the loss of a pressure sensor on the Rosetta Lander Magnetometer and Plasma Monitor (Romap) during checkout of the European Space Agency's Rosetta comet probe. Apparently the victim of a short circuit, the sensor was intended to measure ambient pressure on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko when Rosetta's Philae lander sets down there in November 2014.
A new National Security Space Institute (NSSI) will be the U.S. Defense Dept.'s single focal point for professional space education, training about 2,500 students per year. It absorbs the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Space Ops School, and will complement existing space education programs at Air University, Naval Postgraduate School and USAF Institute of Technology. NSSI will draw students from all branches of the military services, as well as the National Reconnaissance Office, NASA and other U.S. agencies. Based at Peterson AFB, Colo., NSSI was activated on Oct.
I read the interview with North American Aerospace Defense Commander Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart (AW&ST Sept. 13, p. 62) and noted the following statement: "An updated Air Warning Center can monitor the track of any aircraft on a flight plan in North America . . . ."
JP Rocket Engine Co. of Salt Lake City recently ground-tested a lightweight "no-spike" aerospike rocket nozzle design that could boost surface-to-air and air-to-air missile performance substantially. The Sept. 10 test (see photo) demonstrated a potential for advanced "choked" propulsion systems to exceed the performance of both conventional-nozzle engines and traditional aerospike designs. JP Rocket's small "no-spike" engine replaces a traditional aerospike center cone with a cylindrical port.
The first network carrier to break the mold and transform into a low-fare, low-cost model is warning ailing legacy airlines to morph . . . or die. The alert is not new. For several years, Air Canada CEO Robert A. Milton has been telling his legacy counterparts to shed the classic model. He said there are two kinds of airlines--those that restructure successfully and "the walking dead," those that cling to outdated models and do not embrace "the new reality," as Executive Vice President-Commercial Montie Brewer calls today's business environment.
Cathay Pacific Airways is to acquire a 9.9% stake worth $200 million in Air China, as the Beijing-based carrier lists its shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The two partners expect the investment to serve as a platform for developing a closer partnership and cooperation in engineering, ground handling, catering, cargo services, information technology, purchasing, safety and security. The two also have agreed to jointly market traffic between city pairs in their respective networks.
Top Defense Dept. officials in the coming weeks are set to define key elements of an initiative that could lead to the development of a new heavy-lift rotorcraft. It is intended to meet resupply needs of the U.S. Army and other services with an eye on the future, dispersed battlefield.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and Anatoly Permanov, director of the Russian Federal Space Agency, have agreed on a payment scheme for Russian flights to the International Space Station that apparently complies with a U.S. non-proliferation law forbidding cash for Russian ISS services. Still awaiting final White House approval, the deal would give Russian scientists 30,000 hr. of lab time on the station in exchange for two Soyuz crew transfer/rescue vehicles and four Progress cargo spacecraft annually, including launches, beginning next year.
India's parliament has approved raising foreign direct investment caps on domestic airlines to 49% from 40%. But foreign airlines are still prohibited from making such investments. The government has cited an urgent need to inject "huge amounts" of capital into the civil aviation sector, but the parliament balks at letting foreign airlines gain a foothold in the country.
Malaysia's discounter AirAsia is said to be acquiring private Indonesian carrier PT AWAir International for a token $2. It is expected to tie up with a local partner to launch an operation similar to Thai AirAsia, where Thai Shin Corp. holds a controlling 51% stake. AirAsia plans to raise at least $210.5 million in an initial share offer, with 80% for institutions and the rest to retail investors. The total offering in the IPO represents about 30% of its enlarged share capital. The shares are scheduled to list in November.
Attempts to revive the collapsed Fairchild Dornier 728 regional jet program have entered another phase, after failure of the latest effort to restart development. The ill-fated program was given back last week to Fairchild Dornier's administrator, Eberhard Braun, who now must relaunch his efforts to find an investor.
The Pentagon's advisory Defense Science Board is examining whether potential adversaries are gleaning insights from the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. The DSB task force will try to gauge and deal with whether enemies are adjusting their methods in response to what they learn. Another question being asked: "Is there any evidence potential adversaries are targeting the seams in the U.S. command and control alignment and planning process?"
While their bankrupt or near-bankrupt Big-Six competitors struggle to survive, American, Northwest and Continental airlines are mired in mediocre financial results in a third quarter spoiled by low yields and high fuel costs. Northwest and Continental logged small operating profits and American a small operating loss, but all three netted in the red. All these measures were worse than those of a year earlier (see table).
The battle between the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA about infant seats is heating up for the umpteenth time. The NTSB believes all infants should be strapped into infant seats that are strapped into airplane seats. The FAA responds that the cost of purchasing separate seats for infants will drive people into automobiles, actually reducing the safety of the families the NTSB wants to protect. As usual, there is some merit to both sides.
NASA and its international partners are learning some valuable lessons for long-duration spaceflight as they struggle to operate the ISS without the commodious logistics support afforded by the grounded space shuttle fleet. William H. Gerstenmaier, NASA's ISS program manager, says the diminished supply chain provided by Russia's Progress and Soyuz vehicles has forced station operators to adopt the same sort of economies and self-sufficiency that would be mandatory on a trip to Mars.
A Las Vegas startup airline with a premium discount business model has agreed to buy $3.8 billion in Boeing 737-800 and 7E7-8 aircraft for delivery starting in 2007.
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