WORKING TOGETHER EADS, Airbus and Thales have converted their air traffic management partnership, the Air Traffic Alliance, into a joint venture known as Air Traffic Alliance GIE. Under the new configuration, ATAGIE will ensure smooth coordination and management of joint projects, including initial research proposals recently submitted for Europe's 6th Framework research program.
The British Defense Ministry is set to decline any French overture to collaborate on a UCAV, a move that may mark a watershed in Europe's development of next-generation combat platforms. France is looking to place an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) at the very heart of a multinational military air combat systems effort, the European Technology Acquisition Program (ETAP). It is already in discussions with at least one of the six partner nations, Italy.
James B. Smith has become vice president-precision engagement for Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz. He was director of U.S. Navy C2 programs for Lockheed Martin Mission Systems.
Contrary to letters such as "Europe Will Catch Up to U.S." (AW&ST June 16, p. 12), Europe is not on track to become a superpower. Even if paired with Russia, there are few statistical trends that have this entity catching up in technology systems or military development.
Southeast Asia continues to be a tough place in which to build a regional airline. Air Asia, Malaysia's no-frills competitor, raised cash last week by selling 26% of its shares to the Bahrain-based Islamic Development Bank Infrastructure Fund LP, Saudi Arabia's Crescent Venture Partners and Deucalion Capital II Ltd. of Germany for a total of $26 million. The carrier expects to use part of the money to expand beyond Malaysia, but didn't give details on routes.
UNITED STATES Editor-In-Chief: David M. North [email protected] Managing Editor: James R. Asker [email protected] Assistant Managing Editors: Stanley W. Kandebo--Technology [email protected] Michael Stearns--Production [email protected] Senior Editors: Craig Covault [email protected], David Hughes [email protected] NEW YORK 2 Penn Plaza, Fifth Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121 Phone: +1 (212) 904-2000, Fax: +1 (212) 904-6068
DOUBLE HEADER As Boeing and Lockheed Martin prepare to face off in court over the alleged theft of Lockheed Martin Atlas V data by former Boeing employees, the two competitors will also take each other on with major Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) flights at Cape Canaveral in July. The first Lockheed Martin Atlas V-521 series vehicle, with two solid rocket boosters and a Swiss Contraves 5-meter shroud, is set for liftoff late July 17 carrying the Lockheed Martin-built Rainbow 1 communications satellite for Cablevision Systems Corp.
British Secretary of State for Defense Geoff Hoon has confirmed the U.K. is "currently considering options for the permanent retention of a small C-17 fleet." Four aircraft are presently leased, but the Defense Ministry has ambitions to operate a fleet of up to nine aircraft.
The launch of European military programs such as the A400M airlifter will boost the EADS defense arm's revenues--a development that should strengthen the group's dual civil-military strategy. Additional transatlantic joint ventures and a stronger presence in the U.S. through acquisitions are being weighed to promote long-term expansion goals, according to company executives.
USAF Maj. Gen. Walter E.L. Buchanan, 3rd, has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as commander of the Ninth Air Force, Air Combat Command; and commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces, Shaw AFB, S.C. He has been special assistant to the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at USAF Headquarters in Washington.
PAPER CHASE House and Senate committee staffers are poring through the 170,000 pages of documentation the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) has accumulated, using a new agreement on access to off-the-record CAIB evidence (AW&ST June 23, p. 45), to prepare for hearings on the accident panel's report and NASA's response to it. Those hearings aren't likely to delay the next flight, which NASA hopes will come in the first four months of 2004. The CAIB's final report probably will be released the week of July 21, before the August congressional recess.
Gordon Taylor, CEO of Racal Instruments Inc., Irvine, Calif., has been named 2003 Outstanding Executive-Private Company by the Orange County (Calif.) Council of the American Electronics Assn. for contributions to the county's high-technology community.
Elisha Kutliroff has been appointed director of information technology for Israel Express Airlines. He was executive director of Yeshivat Netzach David.
FLYING HIGH Unpowered glider operations have resumed at the U.S. Air Force Academy following a suspension of flights for several weeks while officials reviewed safety and cultural issues (AW&ST June 16, p. 43). New technical orders and checklists governing operations and maintenance were evaluated and altered as necessary during the stand-down, according to AFA leaders. Officer and cadet instructor pilots flew currency and requalification sorties in the academy's TG-10 gliders to validate training techniques and procedures.
FLYING TIME The U.K.'s Serco Group has been awarded the RAF Cranwell Multi-Activity Contract and the Multi-Engine Pilot Training Interim Solution contract to provide multi-engine training for Royal Air Force pilots. Plans calls for the company to lease a Raytheon Aircraft Co. Beechcraft B200 Super King Air from Raytheon Aircraft, and fly it about 5,500 hr. to train the pilots. In addition, another 3,000 hr. would be spent instructing pilots in the simulator. Serco is scheduled to begin the training Apr. 1, 2004.
Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Linenberg last week raised his 12-month target prices for three U.S. airlines that recently traded through previous price objectives. They are America West, to $9 from $7; ExpressJet, to $18 from $14; and Frontier, to $12 from $9. In addition, he upped his earnings or narrowed his loss forecasts for eight carriers for the quarter ended June 30.
APPROVED BY JAA The Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport has approved Bombardier Recreation's Austrian Div., Bombardier Rotax GmbH. & Co. KG, to act as an International Design Organization in accordance with Joint Airworthiness Requirements JAR-21 issued by the European Joint Aviation Authorities. The authorization allows the division to approve minor design changes to certified Rotax piston engines, control the timing of both minor and major changes and approve certain types of technical publications.
Finmeccanica's decision to purchase an additional 67.2% of Aermacchi was ratified by the companies' shareholders and implemented on July 1. The transaction is valued at 154.9 million euros ($178 million). Finmeccanica now owns 94.6% of Aermacchi.
Goodrich Corp. will provide wheels and brakes as well as repair and overhaul services for Air France's Boeing 777-300ERs. Air France has 13 aircraft on firm order plus seven options. Also, Goodrich has completed a $1.5-million expansion of its maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in Sydney.
James W. Kennedy has become director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, a post he assumed on an acting basis when Roy Bridges became director of the NASA Langley Research Center. Kennedy has been deputy director of both KSC and the Marshall Space Flight Center.
ISS AUTOMATION Astronaut Ed Lu, science officer of the two-man Expedition 7 crew on board the International Space Station, should be a little more productive now that the ISS Payload Operations Center has started using automated scripts to handle routine chores in the orbiting laboratory. Developed by Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass., the first "Timeliner" script automated startup and shutdown notification command sequences in the Microgravity Science Glovebox. Future applications include payload command and control and vehicle subsystem checkout.
Iraq's tactic of mixing cruise and ballistic missile launches in attacks on U.S. forces is to receive particular attention as the Defense Science Board assesses the performance of the Patriot air and missile defense system during the recent war. The examination also will address the shoot-down of British and U.S. aircraft by Patriot air defense batteries and, along with a U.S. Army and British review, is expected to trigger both hardware and tactical changes to reduce the chance of similar "friendly fire" incidents in the future.
DOING WHAT IT TAKES With Air Canada Pilots Assn.'s ratification of its new contract agreement, Air Canada's labor negotiations for company restructuring were completed. The six-year contract, which runs to July 1, 2009, is expected to provide up to one-third of the airline's expected permanent labor cost reductions of C$1.1 billion ($814 million). The ACPA represents 3,300 pilots who operate the mainline fleet, and President Don Johnson said the organization's members "recognize the severity of the issues . . .
The U.S. Air Force will be on the road to getting four more Global Hawk unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with the $30-million award to Northrop Grumman to procure long-lead parts for the start of low-rate production Lot 3. In addition to a launch and recovery element, a mission control element and spare basic sensor suite (IR, E/O and synthetic aperture radar), the order will include an RQ-4A with sensor suite, an RQ-4B with sensor suite and clip-in signals intelligence (sigint) kit and two RQ-4Bs with only the clip-in sigint payload.
FFDO TRAINING INTENSIFIES The Transportation Security Administration is shifting into high gear to train airline pilots who volunteer for the federal flight deck officer program. The first class completed training in April, but as of July 20 weekly classes will begin at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center sites in Glynco, Ga., and Artesia, N.M. Instruction will be given in firearms and defensive tactics, at government expense. The TSA will spend $8 million on training this fiscal year and has requested $25 million for Fiscal 2004.
