Boeing appears headed for a divorce from troubled Czech aircraft maker Aero Vodochody. The Czech government said after a cabinet meeting on Feb. 11 that it would ask Boeing to negotiate the sale of its 35.3% minority stake in Aero Vodochody, which Boeing has managed under an agreement reached in 1998.
To improve security, a new headquarters will be set up in Baghdad during the next month or two that will probably be called Combined Forces Iraq, led by a three- or four-star general, Myers says. The multinational staff, responsible for working all the security issues in the country, will include Iraqis, Britons, Poles, Koreans, Japanese and others. "Below that you will have a tactical headquarters" for carrying out military operations until the Iraqi army is well enough trained and equipped for autonomous service.
Bombardier President/CEO Paul Tellier said the company is at least 12 months away from making a decision about development of 100-, 115- and 125-seat jets. They would compete with those from Brazilian rival Embraer, which already is introducing those classes of jets into airline service. Tellier said the high cost of nearly C$2 billion ($1.5 billion) would require Bombardier to seek partners, and that the Canadian government must support its aerospace industry if Canada is to compete in a global marketplace.
Wendell D. Bugg (see photo) has been appointed director of communications for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated Systems Sector, El Segundo, Calif. He was manager of corporate affairs and communications for the American Honda Motor Co.
Australia is projecting a huge jump in new aerospace-related projects, with the country looking to significantly boost spending on endurance unmanned aircraft over plans devised just a few years ago. In its latest 10-year defense capabilities blueprint, the Australian government is laying out projects that would cost $38 billion, with aerospace as the largest growth area but with significant increases projected for munitions and electronics. Aerospace spending would peak around $2.7 billion by 2012.
The Russian aerospace-defense sector is facing a tough task in sustaining long-term export markets, despite a fourth consecutive year of growth, with sales topping $5 billion for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Figures released by Rosoboronexport, the state arms export agency, show the bulk of the $5 billion was generated by the sale of combat aircraft and air defense systems. Naval systems and combat vehicles also reflected an improved performance.
Your caption accompanying the Mars Global Surveyor image of the Spirit lander on Mars (AW&ST Feb. 2, p. 36) describes it as "the first unambiguous orbital view of man-made objects off Earth." In fact, Lunar Orbiter III took the first such image 37 years ago when it photographed the Surveyor I lunar lander on Feb. 22, 1967--before many of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) engineers were even born.
Don Wilson has been promoted to vice president-business development from director of government and international business development for the Inventory Locator Service, Memphis, Tenn.
John Thomas Cunningham has been appointed director of business development for the Washington-based Universal Air Travel Plan Inc. He succeeds Stephen S. Smith, who has become director of solutions management for Atlanta-based TRX. Cunningham was manager of corporate card market research and product development.
Robert Wall (Washington), Neelam Matthews (New Delhi)
Missile defenses are on the rise in Asia, but the nascent trend is not without controversy. Countries ranging from India to Japan to Australia are looking to follow the U.S. and Russia down the path of fielding ballistic missile shields to protect troops and population centers.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Michael E. Zettler, who was deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics at USAF Headquarters in Washington, has been named president of Logtec Inc., Fairborn, Ohio.
You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.AviationNow.com/conferences or call Ryan Leeds at +1 (212) 904-3892/+1 (800) 240-7645 (U.S. and Canada Only) Mar. 8-9--European Transport Leaders Conference. Merrill Lynch Headquarters, London. Mar. 10-11--Toulouse Symposium. Toulouse (France) Congress Center. Mar. 25-26--Defense Budget Conference. Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel, Arlington, Va. Apr. 20-22--MRO USA/MRO Latin America/MRO Military. Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta.
Robert Wall Neelam Matthews (WashingtonNew Delhi )
Missile defenses are on the rise in Asia, but the nascent trend is not without controversy. Countries ranging from India to Japan to Australia are looking to follow the U.S. and Russia down the path of fielding ballistic missile shields to protect troops and population centers.
Boeing could face layoffs in the Seattle and Wichita, Kan., areas if the tanker deal remains stalled much beyond March, and Pentagon officials have indicated issues won't be resolved before May. Boeing has been working on the first USAF 767 tanker since December. But if there is no clear future for the program, that work may cease, says Boeing's senior vice president for Air Force programs, George K. Muellner. Even if the project is restarted, a shutdown would add cost and delay deliveries, he said.
Wendell D. Bugg (see photo) has been appointed director of communications for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated Systems Sector, El Segundo, Calif. He was manager of corporate affairs and communications for the American Honda Motor Co.
Thomas A. Kennedy (see photo) has become vice president-unmanned and reconnaissance systems for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, El Segundo, Calif. He succeeds Heidi Shyu, who has been appointed vice president/technical director. Kennedy was program manager for development of the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar.
CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO. WILL ASSEMBLE its Citation Mustang business jet at the Independence, Kan., facility that's home to production of the company's single-engine, piston-powered airplanes. President Jack J. Pelton said wings for the entry-level jet will be built at Cessna's Columbus, Ga., facility. Although Wichita was considered, Cessna needs that facility to accommodate production of other new business jets including the Citation CJ3 and the Sovereign.
Research Inc.'s PanelIR series of heaters are designed with ceramic or aluminum reflectors to provide consistent heat over a large area. Typical applications include the drying and curing of materials such as paint, graphite, adhesive, ink, coating and plastic. The configuration and infrared energy of the units are adjustable to meet specific heating needs. The lamps heat up and cool down instantly in response to power control signals, reaching 90% of full operating temperature within 3 sec. of a cold start, says the manufacturer. Five sec.
Steve Bohnenkamp has become vice president-strategic accounts for the St. Louis-based Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co. He was vice president-global sales and international operations.
Speaking of landing fees, the Central Japan International Airport Corp., owner and operator of Nagoya's new Centrair international airport, has proposed landing fees that are considerably cheaper than the country's two biggest international gateways, Narita in Tokyo and Kansai in Osaka. The fee at Centrair for a 747 will be $6,621, compared with $9,048 at Narita and $7,905 at Kansai. Centrair's management says it can charge less because it kept construction costs low.
Lufthansa Cargo forecasts that global freight traffic will grow at an average annual rate of 5.9% through 2010, driven by a global economic turnaround expected to begin this year. The company stated in its annual forecast that the root of the upswing will be in North America--perhaps aided by a strong euro--but there will be a strong Asian component as well. Average yields will remain flat, Lufthansa Cargo believes.
Air Canada and the Pension Beneficiaries Group have agreed on a plan to fund Air Canada's C$1.5-billion ($1.1-billion) pension deficit over a 10-year period. The group represents union and non-union employees and retirees. Trinity Time Investments, a 31% equity investor in Air Canada that participated in the discussions, was satisfied with the agreement, but only in the context of proper restructuring of the carrier's pension and benefit plans.
NASA will be hard-pressed to meet President Bush's 2010 retirement date for the shuttle as it struggles to resume flying, install upgrades to enhance safety and meet a challenging schedule for space station assembly.
Add the National Business Travel Assn. (NBTA) to trade groups impatient with slow-moving airport security and restive about Capps II privacy concerns (see p. 43). The association supports legislation pending in the House of Representatives that would require a "privacy impact analysis" before a federal agency issues security regulations. It backs provisions of last year's aviation security bill, still wending its way through Congress, that would improve security procedures and move toward standardizing them at all airports.
