Is the 7E7 still a Boeing airplane? Is it still an American airplane? I think not. A lot of the engineering of this new Boeing aircraft will be conducted with components or systems suppliers outside the U.S. including in strategic fields such as wing development in Japan. Even worse, at least 50% of the value of the aircraft will come from suppliers outside the U.S.--upper center fuselage and horizontal stabilizer from Italy, wings from Japan, landing gear from France, engines and electronic systems from the U.K. This does not take into account subcontract work in China.
Albert F. Riggle is among the U.S. Air Force colonels who have been nominated to become brigadier generals. He is director of security forces, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Others are: Paul G. Schafer, director for the Air Force secretary and chief of staff at the Pentagon; Stephen D. Schmidt, commander of the 14th Flying Training Wing of the Air Education and Training Command, Columbus AFB, Miss.; Mark S. Solo, commander of the 97th Air Mobility Wing of Air Combat Command (ACC), Altus AFB, Okla.; Lawrence A.
USAF is conceding another $1 billion in cost growth for the beleaguered Space-Based Infrared Systems-High early warning satellite program. The price now tops $9 billion, triple the original estimate. But more bad news may be ahead for the five-spacecraft program as USAF fully defines revisions.
The Norwegian Defense Ministry is struggling to quell discontent among industry and opposition politicians over its failure to secure significant work so far on the Joint Strike Fighter--an issue which will resonate with other F-35 participants.
The regional airline industry faces impressive growth in the coming decade, and its greatest challenge--maintaining or reducing costs while providing efficient service. Failure to pass the economics test means operators will vanish, as will air services to small communities.
Scientists and engineers at Stanford University are well into a 60-day in-orbit checkout and calibration period for NASA's Gravity Probe-B (GP-B) experiment after a near-perfect launch on Apr. 20. "The solar arrays are deployed, and we have received initial data that indicates all systems are operating smoothly," said Rex D. Geveden, NASA's GP-B program manager and deputy director of Marshall Space Flight Center.
Douglas E. Belair has been named vice president/general manager for the undersea warfare business of BAE Systems North America, Rockville, Md. He was vice president of the Undersea Warfare Systems Div. Belair succeeds William Bassett, who has become vice president-special projects.
In its first operating year under its new name, Avio--70% owned by Carlyle, 30% by Finmeccanica--has perhaps suffered more than most in the civil aviation realm because more than 50% of its revenues are based on the dollar, rather than the much stronger euro. Since being sold by Fiat last year, the profit-and-loss account for that year was drawn on a pro forma basis: numbers pertained to the former FiatAvio till June, and to Avio Holding proper in the second half.
The stage is set for Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to square off in the battle to be the Pentagon's provider of unmanned combat armed rotorcraft (UCAR). After months spent developing concepts, the teams headed by the two defense giants--neither of which builds rotorcraft--are set to undergo a series of critical technology demonstrations to determine the winner of the Pentagon's most ambitious autonomous unmanned aircraft project so far. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency anticipates selecting a team by October to build flying prototypes.
BY THE END OF 2005, AUSTRALIA PLANS TO PROVIDE high-altitude aircraft tracking over the entire continent using using 28 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) ground stations. Aircraft will use the 1090 MHz. Mode S Extended Squitter to automatically transmit their identity, position, altitude and other information about once a second. In addition to nation-wide surveillance above FL 300 (30,000 ft.), ADS-B inputs will be combined with radar surveillance to enhance coverage below 10,000 ft. in high-density traffic areas.
Britain is to purchase an initial batch of 64 Raytheon Tactical Tomahawk cruise missiles for attack submarines. Delivery will begin in 2006. Up to 105 Tactical Tomahawks could be acquired if the U.K. exercises all options.
Steve Scheper has become vice president of the Reservation Sales and Customer Care Div. of Delta Air Lines. He was managing director for reservation sales for North America.
European aerospace giant EADS is bolstering its credibility in the strategic air systems sector, scoring two key wins against U.S. rivals. EADS emerged as the winner over Boeing in being selected to provide the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) with a tanker aircraft, while also being preferred to Raytheon for a $4.8-billion NATO ground-surveillance program.
The revolving door of top executives at US Airways provides a dash of optimism for the carrier's unions and perhaps the airline itself. But even if new management tempers labor hostilities, the financially weakened seventh-ranked U.S. major airline, unless radically changed, remains vulnerable to the harsher realities of the competitive marketplace and its exacting demands.
Private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) has agreed to acquire PanAmSat Corp. for $4.3 billion, including the assumption of $750 million in debt. The satellite operator and The DirecTV Group Inc., which holds 80.5% of PanAmSat's stock, signed a definitive transaction agreement with KKR worth $23.50 in cash per share. The deal ends an auction designed to focus the former Hughes organization into a single business built around digital television service DirecTV.
Inside Avionics in the Feb. 23 issue (p. 96) should have said the cost of equipping an airport with QuinetiQ's high-resolution millimeter-wave radar would be about 450,000 euros ($585,000).
James Chu has been appointed director of advanced technology for Atlanta-based EMS Technologies Inc. He was senior director of the Advanced Technology Center at Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
China is beginning a campaign to launch 10 unmanned spacecraft this year, totally dominating Asia-Pacific space operations, where India and Japan will be lucky to launch one or two missions combined. The first two satellites in China's 2004 plan were launched Apr. 18 on board a 666,000-lb.-thrust Long March 2C fired from the Xichang launch site in Sichuan.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace and Boeing have agreed to meet with a federal mediator beginning Apr. 26 on a new three-year contract at Boeing's Wichita, Kan., plant.
If the phrase "well above estimates" is music to a CEO's ears, then you'll understand if that's the song you hear coming from beneath the doors of some boardrooms.
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USAF has begun the next round of the Space-Based Radar program, with the much-anticipated contracts going to the only two competitors, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The concept development contracts could total $220 million, although so far only $30.5 million has been obligated to Lockheed Martin and $30 million to Northrop Grumman.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has made a critical mistake in his haste to cancel the Hubble servicing flight, stating that safety is the only top priority.
I've been following recent letters re: Airbus vs. Boeing, Europe vs. America. With more than 25 years in aerospace and defense, and with an education in history and political science, I have a simple explanation: Western Europe is addicted to government in every aspect of life, especially "sexy" businesses like aircraft and airlines. I expect that won't change significantly in my lifetime. U.S. policy makers had better get that through their thick heads, and create an investment mechanism for aerospace that minimizes financial risk. This would put Boeing and other U.S.
