Two key congressional committees have given their backing to the U.S. Air Force's proposal to lease 100 KC-767A tankers, but the service still has an argument on its hands with the remaining two defense panels.
Despite an overall positive assessment of how space systems supported U.S. and allied troops during the war against Iraq, U.S. military officials are quickly identifying areas that require serious attention or could result in significant problems in future conflicts.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 18 U.S. troops await Liberia deployment decision 18 Lockheed Martin wins UCAR design phase contract 19 Boeing divisions suspended in EELV document case WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 24 Breakthrough for U.S., U.K. defense cooperation sought 25 JSF's international approach raises concerns in U.S. 26 GKN to purchase rival Pilkington Aerospace 27 Pentagon faces bandwidth, spectrum challenges 28 Pentagon orders new test plan, benchmark for F/A-22
THE RTCA IS EVALUATING THE USE OF PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES (PEDs) on aircraft, in response to an FAA request. Its Special Committee 202 will focus on intentional emitters, specifically cell phones, wireless RF networks and other wireless devices such as personal digital assistants. A previous committee studied the effects of nonintentional emitters (AW&ST Sept. 9, 1996, p. 82). Recommendations are sought for enforceable rules for use of PEDs on commercial aircraft and for changes in aircraft certification in the future to account for PEDs.
LAUNCH ACCORD A backup launch agreement among Arianespace, Boeing and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries could be concluded by the fall, according to Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall. The accord would allow commercial customers on the Ariane 5, Sea Launch Zenit and H-IIA, respectively, to switch to another booster quickly in the event of a launch snag (AW&ST June 30, p. 40). Speaking in Tokyo, Le Gall said Arianespace also was pursuing a backup agreement for public launches with the Japanese government.
PARTING OF THE WAYS EADS has decided to cede its share in a pair of European civil telecom joint ventures to partner Nortel and to acquire Nortel's holding in a military telecom venture, EADS Telecom, putting an end to a collaboration that dates back to 1992. The operation is part of a strategy aimed at streamlining and reinforcing EADS' military activities.
Corporate and general aviation aircraft will be the first to take advantage of new avionics with GPS guidance on near-precision approaches. This Aviation Week & Space Technology pilot had an opportunity to fly in a Cessna 421 owned by one of two avionics manufacturers that have developed systems that utilize GPS signals corrected by the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).
A common rationale used to justify the airline pilot "age 60 and out" rule--that controllers also are forced to retire on age--is a red herring. Traditional controllers leave the scope at age 56, but go to management if they don't wish to retire. Ex-military and retired Patco controllers have had no age cap.
Relaxing ever so slightly its grip on information about the recent conflict in Iraq, the Pentagon has released pictures of unmanned target aircraft used in the opening hours of the air campaign against command-and-control and antiaircraft defenses around Baghdad.
THOR'S HAMMER The National Reconnaissance Office and U.S. Strategic Command in February will conduct a "strategic game" not unlike one exercise the Air Force conducted earlier this year. The NRO/Strategic Command event, called Thor's Hammer--it's not clear whether that is an allusion to the Norse god or an "X-Files" TV episode in which the NRO is mentioned--is expected to involve intelligence and military intelligence collection satellites, as well as government and civil systems.
A MAJOR U.S.-EUROPEAN IMPASSE WAS AVOIDED at the World Radio communication Conference (WRC-03) in Geneva over the issue of coordinating navigation satellites. The Conference of European Postal & Telecommunications Administrations had proposed changing the rules for coordinating nongeosynchronous Earth-orbit (non-GEO) satellites, including radio navigation satellite systems such as GPS, Russia's Glonass and Europe's Galileo.
Goodrich will supply EasyJet with nacelle and thrust reverser maintenance, repair and overhaul work. The 10-year contract covers work on Boeing 737-300s and -700s and Airbus A320-series aircraft. It will be performed at Goodrich's Prestwick, Scotland, Service Center. Also, Goodrich has entered into an agreement with Vietnam Airlines to provide wheels and brakes for its six Boeing 777-200ERs.
California-based CPU Technology is applying its commercial System-on-a-Chip technology as part of its work with Raytheon Missiles Systems to develop a replacement digital signal processor for the guidance section computer of the U.S. Navy's Standard Missile 2 Block IIIB.
Sagem reported solid growth in the first half, with net earnings up 74% to 49.4 million euros ($55.8 million) on revenues of 1.5 billion euros (up 15%). Operating earnings surged 95%, led by the defense and security division. The results prompted management to revise its full-year sales increase forecast to 12% from 8% and to predict 2003 operating earnings of 25%, versus 15% in its previous estimate.
Britain's $1-billion Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle program is exposing fundamental rivalries over which armed service will operate the air platforms. Watchkeeper is intended to provide an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system, with the unmanned aerial vehicle element, at least notionally, to be flown by army personnel. However, top-ranking air force officials recently asserted that the Royal Air Force continues to harbor ambitions to operate UAV elements of the program.
NOT CLEARED TO LAND NavCanada unveiled plans to increase air navigation service charges by 6.9% effective Aug. 1--a decision that Canada's air traffic control provider said was a result of a revenue shortfall tied to a decline in traffic. The decreased demand was attributed to Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the economy, war in Iraq and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In financial results released last week for the three- and nine-month periods ending May 31, NavCanada reported a 10.5% decline in traffic in its 2002 fiscal year.
SUITE DREAMS In a time of cost-cutting, Virgin Atlantic has invested $80 million to upgrade first-class service in its fleet of Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A340-600s. Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson continues his battle "to the bitter end" to keep rival British Airways' Concorde flying.
One of your readers asked for an alternative to a fixed age at which airline pilots would be forced out. The alternative is one used by a number of countries--examination and testing. Nations such as Australia have no age for sidelining pilots. They depend upon the same frequent physician examinations and simulator tests as the U.S. to identify impairments. This process grounds more younger pilots than those 58-60. If the FAA believes it doesn't work, it must change the process, but for all.
TERMINAL 3 DELAY? The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is to decide later this year whether to delay construction of Changi Airport's $882-million Terminal 3, which was set to open in early 2006. Changi, which last year handled 29 million passengers, was one of the hardest hit by SARS in terms of traffic decline. Airport traffic decreased by 50% in April and May compared with the same period last year, according to the CAAS.
U.S. Northern Command is planning a large-scale exercise in late August that will focus on using Defense Dept. resources to support civil authorities responding to a terrorism incident. Scheduled to take place in southern Nevada, "Determined Promise '03" will be structured around Northcom's military assistance to civil authorities (MACA) mission, and include county, state and Homeland Security Dept. players. The planned scenario involves a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive event.
REUSABLE ROCKET Boeing Rocketdyne's kerosene-fueled RS-84 reusable rocket engine has passed preliminary design review, and is scheduled to begin preburner tests in September. Funded under NASA's Next-Generation Launch Technology effort, the 1-million-lb.-thrust engine is one of several in the running to power a reusable first stage for what could someday be a two-stage replacement for the space shuttle. Plans call for a "nearly full-scale" preburner producing 40,000 lb.
IDENTIFICATION, PLEASE Boeing last week confirmed a Southwest Airlines' order for 15 additional 737-700s. The order, previously posted by Boeing for an unidentified customer, increases Southwest's firm order for the model to 261. Deliveries are scheduled to start next year. Southwest has taken delivery of 132 737s from 1997 through the end of June and will add 12 -700s in 2003.
Ongoing correspondence with regard to cabin air recycling has caught my attention because of a recent worrying experience following a flight from Greece to London. My wife has a vulnerability to infections because of a chronic medical condition. Some 36 hr. after the 3-hr. flight, she suffered from a high fever and difficulty in breathing. She was hospitalized for 10 days with a lung infection. On discussing the matter with a number of friends, nearly all admitted to at least respiratory discomfort following flights of 3 hr. or more.
REFLECTS WELL More details are emerging about the use of electronic warfare in the initial attacks on Baghdad's air defenses and command and control network. Aerospace industry specialists used a twist on the basic technique of dropping corridors of chaff, which are tinfoil-like metallic strips cut to exact lengths to block specific radar frequencies. EA-6B Prowler crews, for example, then directed radar jamming signals at the airborne cloud of foil.
