Further delay is likely for signature of the Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2 contract, with cost and requirement issues yet to be resolved. The latest date for signing the contract, which covers a 236-aircraft purchase by the four partner nations, was due by mid-year. However, executives of industry partner BAE Systems are saying year-end is more realistic.
The number of products certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore that will be accepted without FAA re-certification has been broadened to include avionics and some other items, such as seat belts, according to FAA Assistant Administrator for International Aviation Douglas Lavin. The rule is an extension of a U.S.-Singapore bilateral agreement and also allows students of the Singapore Aviation Academy to enroll in the FAA's academy in Oklahoma.
The aerospace and defense industry seems to be waiting--waiting to see if the year fulfills its promise of an airline turnaround, waiting to see who will buy a pair of new airliners, and waiting for a next generation of military aircraft.
David J. McComas has been promoted to senior executive director of the Space Science and Engineering Div. of the Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio. He was principal investigator for the Two Wide-Imaging Neutralatom Spectrometers mission and solar wind experiments on the Ulysses and Advcanced Composition Explorer spacecraft.
Edward Fred, who has been president/CEO of CPI Aerostructures, Edgewood, N.Y., also will be interim chief financial officer, following the resignation of Anthony D'Agostino.
Increasing trade between Australia and India has prompted Qantas to plan nonstop service three times a week from Sydney to Mumbai (Bombay) beginning Sept. 1. Qantas has applied to the International Air Services Commission for operating rights and intends to use two Boeing 747-300s configured for two-class cabins. In addition, plans call for adding nonstop flights to Shanghai late this year.
China's Avic 1 Commercial Aircraft Co. Ltd. has selected Eaton Aerospace to design and supply the integrated cockpit panel lighting controller subsystem for its new regional jet, the ARJ-21. The aircraft is expected to make its first flight in 2006, with certification by 2007.
You have highlighted NASA's short-sightedness to cancel the next Hubble Space Telescope support mission. Has anyone thought about Hubble as abandoned for salvage? How would NASA and our taxpayers appreciate it if Russia or China parked a capsule next to a symbol of our national pride and planted a red-colored flag on its shiny aluminum exterior? What is the law on space salvage? Apparently, NASA's answer is to bring Hubble down first in a spectacular, and shameful, death. NASA, please reconsider.
Spirit Airlines has received a $125-million equity investment from a group headed by Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management LLC. Spirit President Jacob Schorr said the money would be used to finance acquisition of new airplanes and for other purposes. The low-cost airline is negotiating with Boeing, Airbus and Embraer for transports to replace its fleet of 32 MD-80s.
The Russian Vympel R-77 (foreground), also known as the AA-12 Adder, is the first active-radar guided air-to-air missile (AAM) to be fielded by the Chinese air force (PLAAF). The R-77 is part of the weapons package being supplied with the Sukhoi Su-30MKK, seen above as well. Also displayed are the Vympel R-73 (AA-11 Archer) short-range missile and the same manufacturer's Kh-29 (AS-14 Kedge) air-to-surface missile. Test shots of the R-77 were carried out in China during 2002.
Pratt & Whitney received a 10-year fleet management agreement from Karachi-based Pakistan International Airlines for its PW4152 powerplants. The contract covers engines that power four leased Airbus A310-300s and spare parts. PIA will provide daily servicing and tech support, P&W will provide overhaul services at its Eagle Services Asia Pte. Ltd. Engine Center in Singapore. PIA is expected to add six A310s over the next few years. No dollar amount was disclosed.
Boeing announced it will lay off 100 workers in Wichita, Kan., and up to 50 in the Puget Sound, Wash., area due to the "pause" in contract talks on the USAF 767 tanker program by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "It is important these reviews be completed" to ensure the Defense Dept. and Congress "can have confidence in any final decision on the 767 tanker program," said CEO Harry Stonecipher. A combined 600 workers in Wichita and Puget Sound will be redeployed because of the suspension.
The Singapore government says Asian Aerospace will move to a new site close to the northern tip of the new Runway 3 at Changi airport in 2008. It is to have twice as large an exhibit site and static display area for aircraft than the present site at Changi Exhibition Center.
After several years of agonizing over a program definition for a new military helicopter, South Korea is about to unveil its plans, setting off a fierce competition between U.S. and European suppliers to become partners in the project.
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Science Committee and one of the most engaged NASA overseers on Capitol Hill, is "firmly undecided" on President Bush's plan to tilt the U.S. space program toward human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. Boehlert tells space shuttle suppliers on a lobbying junket here that he likes the fact that Bush has supplied a long-missing vision to guide space exploration, and he appreciates the tough calls involved--like grounding the shuttle after 2010.
The highly diversified Lufthansa group's business strategy is again under intense scrutiny following the announcement of massive losses accumulated by its non-core businesses. The German carrier, Europe's third-largest player behind Air France and British Airways, last week posted 980-million euros ($1.22-billion) losses, including an unexpected 700-million-euro write-off covering LSG Sky Chefs. Moreover, the airline's operating profit plunged 96% to a weak 30 million euros.
China Air Cargo, a unit of the China Eastern Airline Group, is linking mainland China and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport through three flights each week using MD-11 freighters flying from Shanghai. The flights increase DFW's cargo operations from Asia to 25 per week, and represent about 19% of the airport's cargo volume and establish it as a hub for Chinese goods bound for the U.S., Central and South America.
Messier-Dowty International inaugurated its Suzhou production facility last week. Located 45 mi. outside of Shanghai, Suzhou is the most recent of the Messier-Dowty facilities. The 6,500-sq.-meter (69,966-sq.-ft.) site employs 114 workers, and specializes in manufacture of landing gear components for a number of programs, including the Airbus A320, Dassault Falcon 900/2000EX, Bombardier Challenger 300 and Raytheon Hawker 800XP.
Lockheed Martin is pressing ahead with plans to complete its acquisition of Titan Corp. this quarter, despite a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into Titan payments to two international consultants.
Robert Wall (Singapore), David A. Fulghum (Washington)
The decision to kill the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter signals that the Pentagon's attitude to its helicopter industrial base is changing--and not to the advantage of manufacturers. Comanche was the Pentagon's last remaining development of a new design, with all other major helo efforts refurbishments or upgrades of the existing fleet. The lack of new design efforts has been criticized by U.S. companies, but the Defense Dept. is essentially saying it doesn't care and that it may be willing to let the engineering expertise wither.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 14 Eurocopter Tiger for Aus- tralia undergoes initial flight 14 New delay seen for Euro- fighter Tranche 2 contract 14 Asian Aerospace 2004, briefly 15 Display shows Russian arms package for Chinese 15 Air Midwest crash linked to loss of pitch control WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 20 Army hopes it can invest sav- ings from killing Comanche 22 Helo industry assesses im- pact of Comanche's demise
The National Business Aviation Assn. plans to host the first Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Hong Kong July 15-16. The following summer, ABACE will debut in Shanghai.
Jerry Brown has been named vice president-engineering at Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz. He succeeds Paul Diamond, who is retiring. Brown was deputy director of engineering.
