NASA has pushed launch on a Boeing Delta II of its Messenger Mercury orbiter back from May 11 to no earlier than July 30 to gain more time to complete final assembly and checkout, which will add almost two years to the probe's travel time to its target planet. The program's managers decided that the spacecraft's fault-protection software needed more testing than could be accomplished by the May launch date. The software kicks spacecraft systems to backup hardware when it detects problems.
It was good to see that the military arm of Boeing is doing some creative design work (AW&ST Feb. 23, p. 102) with the ultra long-range blended wing body (BWB) aircraft. When the BWB flies, it will demonstrate that America is still a leader in aviation design.
The European Parliament on Apr. 1 confirmed its firm opposition to the transfer to U.S. authorities of passenger name records. EP's nonbinding vote was surrounded by a mounting controversy showing contradictions between the protection of privacy and the need to gather data that could help identify terrorists.
A U.S. bankruptcy judge's decision that lets UAL Corp. halt payments on certain bonds for facility improvements at airports in California and New York is good news for United Airlines in its quest to emerge from bankruptcy. However, it's bad news for bondholders, who could possibly receive pennies on the dollar for their investments.
Rockwell Collins snagged a contract potentially worth $300 million to provide upgrades to the U.S. Navy's fleet of E-6B Tacamo submarine communications and command and control aircraft. The modifications are designed to provide the E-6 with an open systems architecture for new avionics.
Traffic of the Assn. of European Airlines' (AEA) members soared 13.1% the week of Mar. 15--a misleading indication of sudden market recovery. Actually, 12 months earlier, the demand plunged 12.6% overnight as the Iraq war started. AEA's latest quarterly statistics nevertheless show that, during this year's first quarter, international passenger traffic increased 4.4%, a timid but positive trend. AEA members' transatlantic traffic in January-March increased 4.2%, but growth remained a disappointing 1.9% on European routes.
Canada is accelerating its search for a maritime search-and-rescue aircraft and is expected to release a request for proposals in the next two months, according to industry officials. Ottawa plans to buy 15 transports, with an option for six more. The competition is likely to pit the Alenia Aeronautica/Lockheed Martin C-27J against the EADS CASA CN-235 or C-295.
With orders again on the rise and development of its new 70-seater finally complete, Embraer expects revenues and earnings to resume climbing, after rough going in 2003.
Quickly and without fanfare, the U.S. Transportation Dept. finds itself with three-way competitions to serve Cancun from each of two U.S. gateways. The U.S.-Mexico aviation agreement permits the U.S. to designate no more than two carriers for scheduled service in a single city-pair. United Airlines, Allegiant Air and Champion Air want to join Frontier Airlines as a designee from Denver. Detroit, already served by Northwest Airlines, would get Spirit Airlines, USA 3000 Airlines or Champion Air as well.
British Mediterranean Airways has selected International Aero Engines' V2500-A5 powerplants for five Airbus A321s scheduled to be delivered in 2005-08.
Germany's OHB Technology reported a 60% jump in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, to 8.5 million euros ($10.5 million), and a 34% surge in revenues, to 105.8 million euros. Satellite development and production activities, including the SARLupe radar surveillance system, contributed 90% of revenues and all of earnings, but the company expects satellite service and telematics activities to be back in the black next year.
General Atomics has won a $17-million contract to develop specifications for arming its new, turboprop-powered Predator B UAV. The Predator A carries two 100-lb. Hellfire missiles, but the B model will have six weapons stations that can carry more and heavier weapons.
John King (see photo) of the San Diego-based King Schools has been named to receive the 2004 Excellence in Pilot Training Award from the National Air Transportation Assn., Alexandria, Va. The award recognizes contributions in safety, professionalism, leadership and excellence to the field of pilot training. King was cited for the introduction in 2003 of the course "Practical Risk Management For Pilots."
NASA is considering a Russian request that the International Space Station's two-member Expedition 10 crew stay on the orbiting facility for a full year after their launch next fall, twice the time originally planned. Russian Federal Space Agency spokesman Sergei Gorbunov tells the Reuters news agency the move was driven by the need to generate cash for his organization, which was recently shifted to control of the industry ministry (AW&ST Mar. 22, p. 18).
Thales has officially created a land and joint systems unit to improve its positioning in network-centric warfare, C2ISR and other system integration and system-of-systems markets. The unit has 12,000 employees and annual sales of 2.5 billion euros ($3.1 billion) and hosts Thales' new Battlespace Transformation Center, a facility to test and evaluate land-based NCW systems. By year-end, the center will be expanded to cover air and naval systems as well.
As U.S. Army and Marine Corps units rotate in and out of Iraq, a small group of Air Force explosives experts are staying on and trying to keep up to date on the constantly evolving techniques and tactics of insurgents to attack coalition troops with remotely controlled explosives.
British defense and finance officials are working toward a definitive decision on procuring key tanker capability for the air force by midsummer, but the ministry is hedging its bets by continuing to study alternatives for the 13-billion-pound ($24-billion) program. The ministries of defense, treasury and industry are wrestling over whether to continue to pursue the private finance initiative (PFI) funding route toward providing a future air-to-air tanker fleet for the Royal Air Force beginning in 2009.
China plans to launch the lunar rover it has been developing in 2012 to scout sites for an eventual Moon base (AW&ST Oct. 13, 2003, p. 34). The Beijing Youth Daily said China also is planning a lunar sample return by 2020, as well as the Chaang'e-1 lunar orbiter already set for launch in 2007. Meanwhile, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has received a host of proposals from nations that would like to participate in India's Chandrayaan-I lunar mission, also scheduled for launch in 2007. ISRO would make room for 20 kg.
European low-fare airlines are examining the pros and cons of forming an alliance. At least two multilateral alliances are already in the negotiation stage and could form the basis for an agreement between the low-fare carriers, similar in many ways to that of the sector's big network players.
The reality is becoming increasingly clear. The U.S. dollar/euro's unfavorable exchange rates are endangering European industry's long-term profitability, according to French executives.
Boeing said Hamilton Sundstrand will provide the primary power distribution system for the 7E7, a contract that builds on one that the company already has obtained. The latest award includes six power panels to control, protect and distribute electrical power.
John F. Lenihan, William P. Leahy and Michael D. Robinson have been named federal security directors under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Washington Dulles International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, respectively. Lenihan was director of the Container Security Div. at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, while Leahy was deputy FSD for Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport in Massachusetts. Robinson was assistant TSA administrator for aviation operations.
Airlines Belgium, an all-new Belgian charter carrier, is scheduled to begin operating this week. It was formed by Germany-based TUI to replace local players, including the ill-fated Sobelair that recently ceased operations after filing for bankruptcy. The Belgian TUI affiliate owns five Boeing 737s, will take delivery of a 767 in June to serve long-haul destinations and plans to lease three more 737s during the summer peak season. TUI, the world's biggest leisure group, last year had 20.3 billion euros ($25 billion) in revenues.
Are the Big Six network U.S. airlines--and possibly much of the industry--already down for the count in 2004? Recovery prospects are fading fast, says UBS' Sam Buttrick. He widened his industry loss forecast for this year to $2.3 billion from $500 million, blaming galloping fuel prices and continued weak domestic revenues. The carriers' deep cost reductions and rising international demand have not been adequate to put things right financially.
Two of the Pentagon's main developers and buyers of weapons, the U.S. Air Force and Navy, are mulling a closer alliance to pursue such endeavors and reduce costs in the long-run.
