To wean the U.S. aerospace industry from government contracts and seed the development of a space industry that would be as much a part of U.S. culture as automobiles or computers, a presidential space exploration panel has recommended billion-dollar cash prizes and other incentives for the advanced technology and commercial services that would be needed.
Bell Helicopter Textron is teaming with Lockheed Martin Corp., AAI Corp. and Textron Systems to market the Eagle Eye vertical unmanned aerial vehicle system. Plans call for each system to feature one or more of the twin-engine tiltrotors, ground control equipment, payload, communications and logistical support. According to Bell, AAI would supply the downlink capability and any integration expertise required. Textron Systems would be responsible for a variety of weapons payloads, and Lockheed Martin would provide prototyping as well as network-centric knowledge.
Shaohua Xu (see photo) has been named a research scientist with the Florida Space Research Institute at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and will teach at the Florida Institute of Technology.
Sagem, Bell Helicopter and Rheinmetall Defense Electronics will jointly offer a European version of Bell's Eagle Eye tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle, as Europe rethinks its tactical UAV strategy. The three companies plan to adapt the V-22 tiltrotor derivative for sea- and land-based European tactical UAV requirements. Eagle Eye can carry a payload weighing more than 90 kg. (200 lb.) at 20,000 ft., and can stay aloft for 5 hr.
France is redoubling efforts to woo European partners to unmanned aerial vehicle projects, and the future network-centric warfare systems in which UAVs will operate. The vehicle for establishing a European UAV effort was spotlighted at the Eurosatory exhibit here when EADS and Dassault Aviation announced a strategic cooperation agreement covering two French-led UAV demonstration projects.
Pratt & Whitney has halted tests of the first production-configured F135 short takeoff-vertical landing (Stovl) engine after a routine borescope exam uncovered erosion in the second-stage vanes of the powerplant's low-pressure turbine. The engine, which was being tested at the company's West Palm Beach, Fla., site is now at its Middletown, Conn., facility for teardown and inspection. Pratt expects to have the engine back on test early next month. The F135 is the lead engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Kuwait's first low-fare carrier--privately owned Al Jazeera Airways (no relation to the cable news network in the region)--is expected to be operational by early next year and is talking to Airbus about purchasing two or three A320s. Al Jazeera's fares are expected to be 55% cheaper than those of the in-the-red state-owned carrier, Kuwait Airways. Initial destinations are expected to include Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iran.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.'s first-production S-92 helicopter--S-92 No. 6--made its first flight last week at the company's Stratford, Conn., plant and performed all routine controllability maneuvers and completed engine and avionics checks "extremely well." The aircraft is slated for a midsummer production delivery to Lafayette, La.-based Petroleum Helicopters; a total of 12 aircraft are set to be delivered this year. Support elements are ready or in final preparation, according to the company.
The Boeing Co. has selected Smiths Aerospace to supply landing gear and high-lift actuation systems for the 7E7 for $1.6-billion total contract values. The U.K.-based Smiths is responsible for design, development, certification and manufacturing of a fully integrated system which will control deployment and retraction of the landing gears, including nose landing gear steering and brake control and monitoring systems. The first system delivery is set for fourth-quarter 2006.
Thai domestic carrier Phuket Airlines, barely three years old, is already eyeing aggressive expansion of its international network, with a focus on leisure and business travel markets.
In order to increase partnerships between Boeing and French aerospace companies with focus on the 7E7 program, top executives of 13 major suppliers recently visited Boeing Commercial Airplanes' Seattle headquarters to review opportunities.
We could go a long way toward preventing the development of a schism in the air-to-surface weapons community by fielding the capabilities that were demonstrated in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/Air Force Research Laboratory Affordable Moving Surface Target Engagement (Amste) program (AW&ST May 17, p. 44).
Rachelle G. Schroeder (see photo) has become director of government relations for Washington-based EADS North America. She was a professional staff member for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Homeland Security.
Boeing's win of the U.S. Navy's Multimission Maritime Aircraft is certain to significantly alter maritime patrol operations, but it is also spurring Navy and industry officials to consider complementary technology that could spell leap-ahead capabilities for the new surveillance aircraft. Boeing bested incumbent Lockheed Martin for the development and procurement of 108 aircraft in large measure by being able to demonstrate to service officials that it could address concerns the Navy had earlier with the 737-800ERX offering.
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Now that the U.S. Navy has selected Boeing's 737 for its manned Multimis-sion Maritime Aircraft (see p. 30), attention turns to the unmanned BAMS program set to supply a further adjunct to the patrol mission. However, the aerospace industry has no requests for proposals so far. Analysts are also looking at a possibility of a classified annex to the Operational Requirements Document to define Navy needs. The leading candidates are still Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk, General Atomics' Mariner and an unmanned version of General Dynamics' G550 executive jet.
The European Space Agency says Europe's GPS wide-area augmentation system will start up as scheduled in July. The agency says testbed trials to date have demonstrated submetric accuracy that is several times better than planned operating performance. An operator contract for the service, which will offer verifiable signal availability and integrity--something not available on standard GPS--is to be awarded by year-end. Funding for the system is assured through 2008, when Galileo is supposed to enter service (see p. 43).
With FAA approval of the Honeywell TFE731-20BR engine upgrade in hand, Bombardier plans to begin delivering Learjet 45XR business jets by the end of the month. The airframer also expects to issue a service bulletin so the 240 Learjet 45 operators worldwide can upgrade with the Honeywell engine. European Aviation Safety Agency certification of the 45XR is on schedule for the fourth quarter of 2004, says Bombardier.
Canadian simulator manufacturer CAE has turned to former Bombar- dier chief Robert Brown to be its president and CEO. Currently the chairman of Air Canada, Brown will take over for Derek Burney, who will be vice chairman of CAE until he retires Oct. 31.
The Pentagon is watching with interest and a bit of dismay China's efforts to grab a military toehold in Africa by exploiting the West's attempt to isolate Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. Having been cut off by the U.K., the U.S. and others from access to arms, Mugabe has embarked on a "look East" policy that extends beyond military ties. The Chinese "have volunteered to fill the gap," notes a senior Pentagon representative. Zimbabwe recently signed an arms order with China that reportedly includes the acquisition of a dozen FC-1 fighters. U.S.
The American Jobs Creation Act, passed last week by the House of Representatives, includes a 12-month extension of the 50% accelerated bonus depreciation for buyers of business aircraft. The Senate passed its version in May. The General Aviation Manufacturers Assn. is optimistic that the provision will be included in the final bill to be negotiated in a House and Senate conference committee.
John Metzner has been promoted to vice president-external relations at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., and head of its external relations unit. Darryl Niemeyer has been promoted to vice president-corporate relations from director of university relations and Ken Stackpoole to vice president from director of government relations. Eric B. Weekes has been named vice president/chief financial officer. He was treasurer of the OGE Energy Corp. of Oklahoma City.
