France is looking at a modified version of the design of the U.K.'s CVF program, for its own new aircraft carrier. French and British defense officials are evaluating a concept submitted by Thales that would allow the French vessel, designated PA2, to benefit from CVF while meeting the distinct requirements of the French navy. Thales is responsible for hull design and systems development for the two U.K. vessels, and is expected to lead the French program (AW&ST Feb. 3, p. 32).
Europrop International (EPI) officials say the core of their three-shaft military TP400-D6 turboprop could be used to create turbofan derivatives capable of powering future military trainers, regional transports and business jet aircraft.
Beset by a continuing rise in claims and falling revenues, the space insurance industry is headed for another bad year, suggesting that brokers and underwriters will have to change to survive. Claims are forecast to outstrip premiums by two-to-one this year, marking the third time in the last six years that premiums have been unable to cover losses, according to Paris-based Aon Space, the No. 2 space broker. Aon predicted claims would reach $1.3 billion in 2003, just behind the record levels set in 1998 ($1.6 billion) and 2000 ($1.4 billion).
Boeing and the Air Traffic Alliance, a grouping of Airbus, EADS and Thales, have agreed to cooperate on issues affecting the interoperability of future air transport systems on a worldwide basis. From Boeing's perspective, the agreement is a further step in the establishment of its Air Traffic Management (ATM) business unit as a specialist advanced planning organization. It helps integrate air traffic control systems with airline operations centers and the flight management systems on board aircraft to alleviate airport and airway congestion.
France has launched an expanded demonstrator program, including an experimental unmanned combat air vehicle, in an effort to reinforce Europe's mastery of key technologies for combat aircraft, space systems and other applications.
Dassault Aviation is proposing an interim Alpha Jet modernization program to ensure advanced training for Rafale pilots until the Eurotrainer program reaches fruition. The Alpha Jet Mk. 1 will include modifications to make the aircraft compatible with Rafale weapon systems, along with an airframe life extension. Cockpit and powerplant upgrades may also be offered. Eurotrainer, currently in the feasibility stage, is supposed to be ready around the end of the decade (AW&ST Mar. 24, p. 70).
Douglas K. Mang has been named vice president of the Engineering and Test Div. and senior manager of Washington operations for Dayton T. Brown Inc., Bohemia, N.Y. He was director of government programs in Bombardier Aerospace's Washington office.
NH Industries and Lockheed Martin Canada have concluded a final teaming agreement to offer the NH90 for Canada's Maritime Helicopter Program. A request for proposals for the 28-aircraft buy is scheduled to be issued this summer. Final selection is expected early next year.
SETTING STANDARDS In a move that could have consequences throughout the airline and travel industry, the Star Alliance and SITA have agreed to provide a common Internet Protocol (IP) communications infrastructure platform. The intent is to ensure cost-effective and transparent IP connectivity to all of the Star Alliance members' host systems. Lack of common standards is a problem throughout the information technology world. As a result, the SITA/Star Alliance partnership amounts to an attempted fait accompli to establish such standards.
Every day gets better for Hong Kong International Airport authorities after the World Health Organization lifted its travel warning to the city in late May because of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). HKIA said an average of 200 passenger flights have resumed services this month and another 275 are expected to do so in July. Tourism fell 70% at the height of the SARS outbreak. Cathay Pacific Airways said it carried not quite 244,000 passengers in May, down nearly 75% from May 2002. Cathay carried nearly 916,000 passengers in March.
ANOTHER ACQUISITION United Technologies Corp. plans to acquire Chubb plc., a leading provider of electronic security and fire protection products and services, for $1 billion in cash. The London-based company employs about 48,000 people and reported revenues in 2002 of $2.5 billion. Analysts at JSA Research said Chubb, the world's sixth largest security business, would fit well with UTC's other divisions that focus on security/fire systems used in buildings.
Intra-regional and domestic air travel are receiving a boost as passengers stay away from SARS-affected countries. Promotional packages to open "new" markets, stricter controls over unions and increased frequencies between intra-regions are keeping low load factors at bay in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives) and the surrounding region.
WORKING THE TRADES Europe's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) remains on the books as a fallback to resupply the International Space Station, but there are costs associated with using the untried (and uncompleted) spacecraft. Mark L. Uhran, senior ISS system integration manager at NASA headquarters, says the ISS partnership would have to get about 750 kg. (1,650 lb.) of reflectors and other navigation aids to the station before ATV could dock there. And the two crewmen on board ISS would have to venture outside three or four times to install the gear.
CHANGING PARTNERS TAP Air Portugal, which code-shared with American Airlines under a May 2000 agreement that was terminated in March, applied on June 11 for U.S. Transportation Dept. authority to code-share with Continental, beginning in September. The carriers asked initially for permission to put the Continental code on TAP flights between Lisbon and 18 points in Europe and Africa, and to put the TAP code on Continental flights between Newark and 51 points in the U.S. and Canada.
NTSB FINAL REPORTS NTSB Chair Ellen G. Engleman said investigators are working to issue the final report on the Jan. 8 crash of Air Midwest Flight 5481 at Charlotte, N.C., in the fourth quarter (AW&ST May 26, p. 52). The board is aiming to file the final report on the Nov. 12, 2001, crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in New York in the first quarter of 2004, pending completion of a static lug test.
Participation in a top-level national exercise that simulated terrorist attacks in Seattle and Chicago recently put U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) coordination and new procedures to the test.
Douglas Barrie (Le Bourget), Alexey Komarov (Le Bourget), David A. Fulghum (Le Bourget)
Revamping the sclerotic Russian aerospace industry is being given political priority by top government officials, and Sukhoi is the likely beneficiary as it moves to use future defense and civil programs as the engine of consolidation.
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL The Flight Safety Foundation's Ultra-Long-Range Crew Alertness Steering Committee has identified adequate sleep for pilots as crucial to the safety, planning and approval of flight sector lengths of greater than 16 hr. between specific city pairs. Airlines are scheduled to begin international ULR operations late in 2003 when Singapore Airlines launches nonstop service between Singapore Changi Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, flying Airbus A340-500s. Duty periods during these flights are anticipated to be 18-22 hr.
KEEPING TRACK Iridium Satellite LLC, which picked up the multibillion-dollar assets of the bankrupt original Iridium low-Earth-orbit satellite communications venture for a song, has launched a short-burst data service for mobile asset tracking, pipeline monitoring and other remote telemetry. Users of the service can send and receive messages of as many as 1,960 bytes through the 66-satellite Iridium system, using the Iridium 9522 L-band transceiver and other hardware.
Bruce Melnick, Boeing vice president-Florida Operations, has received the Gold Knight Management Award from the Florida Space Coast Council of the National Management Assn. The award cited Melnick, a former astronaut, "for his strong promotion of ethics within The Boeing Company" and for practicing an "honest open door policy" with Boeing's 2,500 site employees, "whom he regularly encourages to assume stretch goals and projects."
IT AIN'T OVER YET Some important Americans aren't content with the demi-boycott of the 2003 Paris air show. The House aviation subcommittee chairman is still fuming about the intransigence of the French on the Iraq war. So Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) inserted language into the FAA reauthorization bill that would require the Transportation Dept. to study and report to Congress on the feasibility of establishing a competitor to the big-league shows.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 19 Roadmap advances plans for 767 tanker lease PARIS 2003 22 Airbus and Boeing believe signs of recovery are in sight 24 Boeing begins 7E7 wing, nose wind tunnel tests 26 EPI looks to widen its engine offerings, expand its markets 26 Europe studies U.S.-style homeland security setup 27 Carlyle-Finmeccanica lands TP400-D6 gearbox deal 30 Upgraded engines should boost S-92 capabilities 32 Commercial, military sats reinvigorate global market
THE FAA IS PREPARING TO CONDUCT bench tests to determine the susceptibility of GPS and selected communication and navigation receivers to radio-frequency interference from ultrawideband (UWB) emissions. But first the agency says it will resolve any issues raised during a two-week period of public comments, just concluded on June 23. Tests of the GPS multimode receiver aim to resolve anomalies found during Rockwell Collins' trials in 2001. Communication interference tests will focus on digital VHF data link Mode 2 and analog voice.
ASIA'S FIRST 747-400ER Korean Air, long Asia's leading scheduled air cargo leader, has taken delivery of the first of three 747-400ER freighters--and the first in Asia. Even before the aircraft was put into service, Korean signed a memorandum of understanding for two more during last week's Paris air show. The MOU included seven 777s. The freighters will be the first delivered, beginning in 2004. Boeing has 11 firm orders for the 910,000-lb.-maximum takeoff-weight aircraft, which has an additional 530 naut. mi. of range (for a total 4,970 naut.
Honeywell engineers--who invented the enhanced ground proximity warning system now installed on about 17,000 aircraft--are developing an inexpensive audio advisory to help pilots avoid runway incursions. EGPWS designer Don Bateman realized it could take several years to field a more comprehensive solution, including display of aircraft position on a moving map. This is because such advanced features require an improved airport database and an agreement with the FAA on certification requirements.
