The Single European Sky initiative intended to provide carriers with a unified airspace over Europe by the end of next year may miss its deadline following renewed squabbling in the European Parliament over proposed changes to military airspace requirements. Several nations, led by France, are hostile to the idea of allowing their no-fly zones to be shared with civil aircraft.
Industry is preparing to offer the Navy its ideas for a high-speed, turbine-powered missile that could bridge the gap between current-generation cruise missiles and next-generation ramjet-powered weapons that are still several years from realization.
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TEST SUPPORT The Pentagon has awarded Fort Worth- based EFW Inc. a contract to operate the Hermes 450 tactical unmanned aircraft in support of the Joint UAV Test and Evaluation program at NAS Fallon, Nev. EFW is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Elbit and for this contract is acting as a conduit for Israel's UAV. The flight services will be performed by EFW and Silver Arrow, another Elbit subsidiary.
HEADS UP Preliminary flight testing of the JAS 39 Gripen's integrated helmet should start next year, says Mats Thorbiornson, experimental test pilot for Saab. After several years of assessing various models and encountering weight and balance problems with some, developers have opted to equip Gripen with a derivative of the Eurofighter Typhoon's Strike helmet. The Gripen version, known as Cobra, is being developed by BAE Systems, Saab Aerospace and South Africa's Cumulus, the provider of the system that tracks head movements.
In an attempt to catapult themselves into a competitive position in the Pentagon's contest to design and build what could amount to hundreds of unmanned combat aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Air Force, Northrop Grumman has teamed with Lockheed Martin to re-create the team that won the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. "JSF set the tone for this," agreed Scott Winship, Northrop Grumman's joint unmanned combat air system (J-UCAS) program manager.
Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa has become superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He was deputy director for current operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 18 Recapitalization plan could bring new outlook for Piper 19 Washington summit to target global observing system 19 Contract awarded for un- manned combat rotorcraft 19 Midwest Airlines avoids bankruptcy protection filing WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 22 Asian carriers using deals, appeals to lure passengers 23 SARS blamed as Boeing to double intended layoffs 24 Pentagon's boost-phase- intercept plans questioned
LOW TOLERANCE FOR UNRULY Japan's parliament has amended the nation's aviation law to strengthen penalties against unruly passengers. In many cases, the new law is catching up with procedures common elsewhere. Passengers are subject to punishment for sexually harassing cabin attendants, moving life vests or other equipment without permission, using electronic devices on takeoff or landing, smoking in the lavatory, not wearing seatbelts and reclining seatbacks during takeoff and landings, leaving luggage in aisles and fiddling with the emergency exit doors.
Arturo Barahona has been promoted to chief executive from deputy chief executive of Aeromexico. He succeeds Alfonso Pasquel, who has resigned as chairman/chief executive but will remain as an adviser. Luis Gutierrez Ruvalcaba, who is chairman of Aeromexico and Mexicana parent Grupo Cintra, will become chairman of Aeromexico on Aug. 1.
Atlantic Coast Airlines is likely seeking ways to develop alternative business now that it is confronted with a double threat to survival as a United Express carrier. ACA faces a possible breakdown of contract renegotiations with United Airlines and heightened competition arising from United's memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Trans States Airlines to operate services from ACA's Washington Dulles International airport hub.
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The American Physical Society's critique of boost-phase-intercept (BPI) missile defense offers various scenarios, each highlighting how elements such as ICBM and interceptor performance or basing can alter the success of an attempted engagement.
The manufacturer of the Vehicle and Engine Multifunction Display on the Eurocopter EC130 B4 was identified incorrectly (AW&ST June 30, p. 48). The VEMD is made by Thales.
Warren Qualley has become director of aviation services development for Weathernews Americas Inc. of San Francisco. He was manager of weather services for American Airlines.
As part of a counterterrorism strategy in Jammu and Kashmir, India has started blocking infiltration routes used by militants, reviewing troop deployment along the Line of Control and installing an electronic warfare system to cut communications among terrorists across the border. The defense ministry has shortlisted Thales of France and Elta of Israel to establish an EW network to cover the troubled area to counter the advanced communications that Pakistani-based terrorist groups reportedly are using.
Northrop Grumman is working aggressively to expand its capabilities in sensors for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with several teaming arrangements aimed at enhancing the company's capability to capture new projects such as the U.S. Navy's multimission maritime aircraft and broad-area maritime surveillance programs. Among the latest are agreements with Israel Aircraft Industries' Tamam division, for small and mid-sized UAV payloads; and U.S.-based Sonoma Design, for long-range sensors on manned aircraft.
Ingemar Andersson has been appointed executive vice president of Saab AB. He has been business manager for Saab Bofors Dynamics and head of Saab International.
Two letters on the age 60 rule need a rational reply (AW&ST June 16, p. 20). Capt. Clifford D. Strat seems to think only those pilots over 58 object to the rule. Through- out my airline career from age 28 in 1965 until age 60 in 1997, I knew quite a few pilots who were against the rule and very few of us made a secret of our feelings.
With their increasing popularity and reliability, unmanned aircraft are being assigned additional and more difficult tasks, but such growth means larger payloads and greater weight in a business where extra pounds equal more expense. Boeing and its partner, The Insitu Group, are trying to be the exception that proves the rule with ScanEagle, a small UAV. They expect the unusual aircraft will drop in price as they sell hundreds, and, they hope, thousands, to military and civilian agencies. Insitu's aircraft would employ Boeing avionics and sensor payloads.
Is Aviation Week & Space Technology in the business of rewriting aviation history? A much bigger ValuJet bought a six-airplane AirTran and changed its name to distance itself from the stigma of ValuJet's 1996 Everglades crash and subsequent grounding. AirTran's Joe Leonard, who also is a former Frank Lorenzo lieutenant, claims the recent Boeing 737 order constitutes "a relaunch of the company." Hmmm.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Thomas J. Keck has been appointed vice president-business development for Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz. He held the same position for air combat systems for General Dynamics Decision Systems.
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) has postponed the scheduled February 2004 launch of its Astro-F infrared astronautical satellite to allow more time to fix problems with the spacecraft. Budget constraints will also force ISAS to postpone the launch of its Selene lunar surveyor and its Solar-B solar observation missions from the summer of 2005 to the summer of 2006. The Planet-C Venus surveyor will slip from early 2008 to early 2009 for the same reason, ISAS said. Meanwhile, the institute has started 24-hr.
