In partnership with Singapore Airlines, Boeing Crew Information Services has begun field testing the functionality of its wireless gatelink technology at Changi Airport.
BOEING RETRENCHES Boeing has rejiggered its satellite and space launch business units to reflect their dismal performance in the commercial marketplace. Last week the company put the troubled Delta IV evolved expendable launch vehicle (EELV) under its Air Force Systems unit and gave Hughes-heritage Boeing Satellite Systems to its Space and Intelligence Systems business. Rocketdyne, which has built rocket engines for the space shuttle and International Space Station, will fall under Boeing's NASA Systems unit.
ELECTRO-RADIATION INC., ACTING UNDER A QUICK-REACTION contract, will deliver 100 preproduction antijam retrofit assemblies to the U.S. Army to upgrade some legacy precision location GPS receivers (PLGRs). Rockwell Collins has produced 170,000 units for U.S. and international forces since it introduced the first PLGR in 1993. It has become the standard hand-held GPS receiver for the U.S. armed forces, and is also integrated into vehicles and communications systems.
Unidynamics has received a procurement contract worth more than $15 million from General Dynamics subsidiary Bath (Maine) Iron Works for helicopter hangar doors for the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer ships.
The breakup of the British Airport Authority's monopoly, and discounting building "new major airports on greenfield sites," were two of the main recommendations in the British Parliament's Transport Committee report into aviation, published July 17.
Air New Zealand says an alliance with Qantas would provide a pragmatic, commercial framework within which it could operate successfully as an independent New Zealand-owned and controlled airline against widening competition. Managing Director Ralph Norris said the New Zealand government should drop its antitrust challenge of Qantas' bid to buy a minority share of Air New Zealand (ANZ). He cited the impact of the Iraq war and the severe acute respiratory syndrome health crisis as two recent examples of where an alliance with Qantas is commercially necessary.
The purchase of DHL Airways led by Chairman and CEO John Dasburg was completed last week as legal wrangling continued in the Airways' citizenship case. The acquisition prompted the use of the charter carrier's new name, Astar Air Cargo. Boeing Capital Corp. secured loan financing for the buyout. Astar has agreed to purchase or lease at least 10 727-200 aircraft from an affiliate of Boeing Capital, adding to the four already leased. Astar operates a 40-aircraft fleet based at its hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Northrop Grumman is pulling the space technologies capabilities it acquired with TRW Inc. into alignment with the rest of the company, looking for cross-fertilization from its six other units to boost prospects for future government space contracting.
NEUTRINO MAP A frozen telescope buried a mile beneath the South Pole has given astronomers hope they may be able to match high-energy neutrinos with the violent cosmic events that send them hurtling across the Universe. The Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array (Amanda II) is an array of 677 glass modules on 19 cables sunk deep in the ice with high-pressure hot-water drills. Detectors in the modules register the flickers of blue light produced when incoming neutrinos plow through the ice and fracture into muons, leaving trails of light pointing back to their source.
AGE 50 RULE India's Supreme Court has ruled that female flight attendants for Air-India are to be grounded at age 50. Their male counterparts are permitted to keep flying until age 58. More than half the carrier's 1,600 crew are women, and about 80 of them are older than 50. Air-India's management has long complained of low productivity, saying that female crewmembers fly 25-60 hr. per month, compared with a global average of 80-100 hr.
CHINESE GROUND DEAL After being selected last year to supply the payload for China's DFH-4 telecommunications satellite, Alcatel has been picked to provide a turnkey "DSL-in-the-Sky" satellite Internet-access network. Under the award from Internet service provider Nanjing Toptry China-Spacenet Co., Alcatel will provide ground-based satellite links, consumer processing equipment and a network management system. The system, to be delivered by year-end, will be used to enhance web surfing, virtual private network and remote learning services.
Former NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin has been selected as the next president of Boston University. He has been a senior fellow at the Council on Competitiveness and a member of the board of directors of Lucent Technologies.
EYE ON KOREA With an eye on expanding its UAV operations, the Air Force expects to use Global Hawk next year in two new regions--Latin America and Korea. Air Force officials plan a site survey soon to prepare Global Hawk's deployment to Anderson AFB in Guam next year. The Pacific island would be only about 6-hr. flight time to Korea. The UAV's mission controllers would be set up at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, home of USAF's Pacific command. The high-altitude recce drone's sensor package would include basic electro-optical, infrared and synthetic aperture radar.
William B. Scott (Leeuwarden AB, Netherlands and NAF El Centro, Calif.)
The Netherlands' recent decision to restructure its armed forces by reducing the numbers of some weapon systems and investing in upgrades of others signals the nation's commitment to building a modern, effective expeditionary force.
EXTRA AIRCRAFT WILL MAKE ITS DEBUT in the U.S. late this month at the Experimental Aircraft Assn.'s AirVenture 2003 convention at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. President Ken Weaver said deposits are being accepted on all three of the company's aircraft, including the EA-500 powered by a 450-shp. Rolls-Royce turboprop engine turning a five-blade MT propeller. Company founder Walter Extra designed the airplane. The Extra 400 also will be exhibited. It features a fully integrated glass cockpit and a composite airframe.
French defense officials have denied the conclusion of an agreement by France and Russia regarding development of a fifth-generation fighter. Russian leaders stated last month that the two countries were preparing an information protection accord following decisions by Dassault Aviation, Sagem and MBDA to explore cooperation with fighter builder Sukhoi (AW&ST July 14, p. 17; June 30, p. 31). There is speculation that French manufacturers are angling to supply systems and know-how for a future Russian combat aircraft, if such a program is launched.
BOMB RUN The U.S. Air Force has formally launched the final round of the Small-Diameter-Bomb (SDB) competition that pits Boeing against Lockheed Martin in an effort to build--in the first five years alone--more than 8,600 250-lb.-class GPS-guided bombs. The program is slated for a top-level review in late September, with a winner for the system development and demonstration phase to be named on or shortly after Oct. 1. During the three-year development effort, the victor is to build six tactical munitions and 24 instrumented inert munitions, as well as other hardware.
Delta Air Lines, cautiously emerging from what CEO Leo F. Mullin called "the worst business cycle in our company's history," reported a second-quarter net income of $184 million or $1.40 per share, including unusual items.
Continental Airlines posted a net income of $79 million in the second quarter, but the carrier will avoid adding more debt and tightly control capacity by deferring short-term deliveries of new jets.
Maurice Flanagan has been appointed vice chairman/president of The Emirates Group. He was managing director. Other recent appointments at the Dubai-based airline company are: Tim Clark to president of the airline Emirates from chief director; Dermot Mannion to president for group support services from chief director of finance and information technology; and Gary Chapman to president of Dnata & Associated Cos. from chief director for support and development.
Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson remains firm in his intent to start a low-cost airline in U.S. skies--and last week set a target date of June 2004 for such an operation.
AEROFLOT'S RECORD PROFIT Russian flag carrier Aeroflot posted a record $89.3-million net profit in 2002, an almost fourfold increase compared with 2001. Revenues of the state-controlled carrier increased by $5 million, to $1.56 billion, and expenditures totaled $1.4 billion, a decrease of $113 million. Passenger traffic declined 6%, to 5,490,000. Airline officials attributed the record profit increase to improved route and fleet planning and the implementation of an intensive cost-cutting program.
NEW LIFE AT NOVOSIBIRSK Sukhoi has signed a support and spares contract with Algeria for maintenance of the latter's Su-24MK Fencer strike aircraft. The deal is reported in the Russian press to be the first support contract negotiated by Sukhoi independent of direct Russian state involvement. Sukhoi's Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Enterprise will carry out much of the work. It had been the production site for the Su-24 Fencer, and the work will be welcome.
The Royal Thai Air Force has received the final three of 16 upgraded F-16 fighters, including 15 F-16A single-seat models and one F-16B two-seat version, as part of the Peace Naresuan IV program. The jets were refurbished by the U.S. Air Force, including structural improvements and Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E engines.
