Israel's defense ministry has selected Elbit Systems Ltd.'s Skylark mini-unmanned aerial vehicle to play a man-pack-configured day-night observation role. Skylark has an "over-the-hill" range of about 10 km. (6.2 mi.). It uses an electric motor to suppress noise and can be launched and controlled by a single soldier, according to Elbit. Details on the size of the order are pending.
Taking a cue from the headlines, the Feb. 24-29 Asian Aerospace 2004 in Singapore will host a dedicated unmanned aerial vehicles pavilion that will include displays by the leading European, U.S. and Middle East competitors.
USN Rear Adm. (selectee) Albert M. Calland, 3rd, has been nominated for vice admiral and assignment as associate director of central intelligence for military support at the CIA. He has been commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, Coronado, Calif.
David R. Oliver, Jr., has been appointed executive vice president/chief operating officer for Washington-based EADS North America. He was Iraq-based director of management and budget for the Coalition Forces and had been principal deputy U.S. undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have joined for the U.S. Air Force Space-Based Radar competition. Lockheed Martin serves as prime contractor, with Northrop Grumman leading design of the radar payload. The Air Force this spring plans to name two teams to develop the constellation concept. The ground moving-target tracking system should be in service by late 2013.
Air traffic controller Kathleen Cloitre-Chabert monitors inbound traffic from the tower at Nice Cote d'Azur Airport in France. Controllers will need new technologies to cope with growing air traffic. Changes are afoot in the FAA's new Air Traffic Organization and collaborative long-range planning in the U.S. and at Eurocontrol that will shape the transformation from ATC to the next generation's Air Traffic Management (see p. 44). Joseph Pries photo.
(EDS) with X-ray diffraction technology will be installed at Rhein-Main Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, a primary transit point for GIs being ferried between the U.S. and Central Command's area of operation which includes Iraq and Afghanistan. Six European airports and the Israel Airport Authority are already using 18 of these XES 3000 systems which can characterize the specific type of explosives being detected.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] Feb. 17-20--The Aerospace Corp. and USAF Space and Missile Systems Center's Fifth National Space Systems Engineering & Risk Management Symposium, Manhattan Beach (Calif.) Marriott. Call +1 (310) 336-6805 or see www.aero.org
Eclipse Aviation Corp. has selected Hispano-Suiza's full-authority digital engine control system for the Eclipse 500 twinjet's Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofans.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Mikhail Dmitriev and Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Cyril Herath have signed a military cooperation agreement that allows imports of arms and training. The deal will result in supplies of auxiliary equipment and spare parts of Russian-made weapons in use by Sri Lanka in a 20-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers rebel group. Defense spending by Sri Lanka is expected to be approximately $533.6 million in 2004.
The F-117A Nighthawk is being upgraded to deliver inertial/GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions, with testing of new Block 2 weapon system software scheduled to begin in May. The first F-117A/JDAM separation tests were flown on Jan. 21 by Lt. Col. Jim Bierstine, 410th Flight Test Sqdn. commander, who dropped two inert versions of the 2,000-lb. weapon from a testbed Nighthawk at Edwards AFB, Calif. The aircraft released both a GBU-31(v) 1/B--a JDAM guidance kit strapped to an Mk.
Michael P. Lee has been named vice president-technology and compliance for New York-based FlightSafety International. He was general manager of courseware support/director of maintenance training standards.
Two teams vying for the NATO Airborne Ground Surveillance project have submitted proposals in preparation for officials to choose a developer in May to build the alliance's ground moving-target tracking aircraft. The Cooperative Transatlantic AGS team, including several European companies and Raytheon, is offering a Global Express-based system, while the Transatlantic Industrial Proposed Solution team, with Northrop Grumman as the U.S. member along with several European companies, are using the Airbus A321 as their host platform.
U.S. negotiators believe the groundwork has been laid for an agreement with their European counterparts to deconflict Galileo and GPS radio frequencies and address other issues regarding the emerging European satellite-based navigation and timing system. In meetings here late last month, the U.S. presented its concerns about the Galileo open signal modulation, known as BAC (1.5/1.5), and why it should be moved to BAC (1/1). It was the most technical briefing to date. Europeans have resisted the move, but U.S.
Pilots of cargo aircraft are now eligible to train as federal flight deck officers. The Transportation Security Administration last week expanded the program to include flight engineers and navigators of both passenger and cargo aircraft. The FFDO program trains volunteer pilots, and now other flight crew members, to defend the cockpit against acts of criminal violence and air piracy. Candidates may apply on a TSA secure web site; the selection process includes a 1-hr. computerized assessment and interview plus a background check.
Space Systems/Loral has reached a settlement with its Japanese customers over payments and delivery disputes regarding the MTSAT-1R spacecraft that is to provide Japan with meteorological and global positioning satellite services for air traffic management.
Boeing has secured its second customer for the Jeppesen Electronic Flight Bag document/ map/chart/logbook data system. Malaysia Airlines says it will install EFBs on the two 777-200ERs it has on order. The first aircraft will arrive in November.
Boeing CEO Harry Stonecipher has scotched any renewed speculation of a merger with or acquisition of BAE Systems. Stonecipher, in the U.K. at the beginning of February, was widely reported in the U.K. press as saying BAE was "not an attractive target."
Negotiations with Russian Regional Jet's potential launch customers are entering into an active phase with the first proposal being submitted this week to an undisclosed carrier, according to a French company executive. Sukhoi and Snecma Moteurs, which will supply the SM146 engine in a joint venture with NPO Saturn, formed an advisory board to help in the 60-95-seat RRJ's final definition phase. The board's membership, which has not been disclosed, includes Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Air France and SAS Scandinavian Airlines.
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With the FAA's new Air Traffic Organization (ATO) officially in business as of Feb. 8, its first major challenge will be to drastically change the practices of one of the government's most hidebound bureaucracies while operating and modernizing the world's largest ATC system and maintaining safety as the top goal.
B/E Aerospace has been selected by Thai Airways International, Korean Air and China Southern Airlines for retrofit and new aircraft programs worth up to a total of $60 million. B/E will install minipod electric lie-flat seats in business-class cabins on Boeing 777s and 747s, and Airbus A330s and A340s.
