Snecma-EADS venture SMA has contracted with India's National Aerospace Laboratory to supply its Jet A fuel diesel engine for NAL's Hansa 4 light aircraft program. The first SMA SR305-230 engine, certificated by the FAA in 2002, will be delivered later this year, and series production of the four-seat all-composite aircraft is slated to begin in late 2004. The SR305-230, in which Renault is also a partner, was picked to power a mini flying testbed to verify avionics and other onboard systems for the Light Combat Aircraft and other new Indian air force programs.
Republic Airlines, a new sister carrier to Chautauqua Airlines, has accepted a $7.8-million tax incentive package from the state of Kentucky and selected Louisville International Airport as the site of a corporate headquarters, crew base and primary maintenance facility.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is assessing the failure of an item it supplied for International Space Station science applications to see how it can be restored to service. The Microgravity Science Glovebox was launched on the shuttle Endeavour last June as part of a barter agreement for ISS services with NASA, including launch of ESA's Columbus orbital laboratory originally scheduled for October 2004. The glove box, installed in the U.S. Destiny Lab, is used for a variety of combustion, fluid, biotechnology and microgravity experiments.
The Polish government will be ready to sign a deal for 48 F-16 fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp. in April, according to a Polish Press Agency report last week. The government was planning to commit to the buy as well as to a so-called framework offset agreement on Feb. 28, but talks hit a snag. "We have to negotiate offset agreements within 60 days from signing," Deputy Defense Minister Janusz Zemke said.
The Transportation Security Administration says the child-friendly screening program it's had on trial at Denver International since October has been so successful, it's likely to be implemented at 429 U.S. airports, although no specific date has been set. The TSA launched the program in an attempt to make the process more pleasant and understandable for young people. Screeners talk to children and give them a smiley-face sticker to distract them as they go through the metal detector.
Wings from this Altair high-altitude UAV, photographed by Alan Waide at Gray Butte, Calif., will be placed on a Predator to increase altitude and range performance, one of a number of improvements slated for the aircraft (see p. 48). The insert photo shows the X-47A UCAV during its first flight at China Lake, Calif. Northrop Grumman photo by Bruce Wartlieb.
U.S. tensions with France and Germany, in particular over Iraq, are expected to have long-lasting consequences as Washington reassesses its international links. The recent rift indicates "a long-term diminution of traditional, law-based alliances," such as NATO, in favor of ad hoc coalitions, says the chief of the State Dept.'s political-military shop, Gregory Suchan. But that trend will create its own challenges. For instance, it is hard to formulate technology-export policy within arrangements that rely less on longstanding relationships, Suchan notes. The U.S.
Unmanned aircraft left an indelible mark on three recent conflicts, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, and they are already a staple in operations over Iraq; but, to trigger explosive growth in sales and use, they must find missions in expanding market areas such as homeland defense and communications.
These are very scary times in our country. Our civil liberties are being threatened in the name of security, and now Stephen J. Cabot (AW&ST Feb. 3, p. 62) proposes taking away some labor rights because airlines are "part of an essential industry."
The prospects of war in Iraq and concern over how long and how big it might be are giving airline executives the jitters. "People don't want to be stranded," said Air Canada President and CEO Robert A. Milton, describing an unease shared by other CEOs of the Star Alliance who gathered here last month to welcome Asiana Airlines as its 15th member.
Nearly 31 years after launch--and 29 years after its warranty expired-- Pioneer 10 has sent its last signal to NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). It was the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt, first to make direct observations of Jupiter and first human-made object to pass the orbit of Pluto at the edge of the solar system. "It ranks among the most historic as well as the most scientifically rich exploration missions ever undertaken," Colleen Hartman, director of NASA's Solar System Exploration Div., remarked.
A smooth first flight for the 777-300ER that was most notable for the obvious boost in power provided by General Electric's GE90-115B powerplants has begun a year-long campaign to complete certification of Boeing's largest twin-engine aircraft.
Fixing the Air Expeditionary Force is a major topic for U.S. Air Force four-stars and was addressed at their recent Corona meeting. "Most people thought the AEF plan was a scheduling tool for Operation Northern Watch and Southern Watch," said Gen. Gregory Martin, chief of U.S. Air Forces, Europe. "[Instead], AEF is a total cultural and process change for the Air Force.
LynuxWorks of San Jose, Calif., has released a commercially available safety-critical software code for aerospace applications that fulfills the FAA's DO-178B certification standards at Level A, the highest rating. Called LynxOS-178, it is a version of software development code that the company developed for Rockwell Collins' Virtual Machine Operating System.
A first generation of Internet-based buy-and-sell Web sites has come and gone. Most of the second-generation ones have, too, except for a small handful like the airline-run Aeroxchange, OEM-run Exostar and a few independents like ILSMart. There hasn't been a particularly loud clamor within the industry for a third-generation of Internet marketplaces, but that hasn't stopped Brazil's Embraer from hoping its success with regional jets will carry over to a new venture.
New Skies Satellites and Intelsat have agreed to pool their C- and Ku-band frequency rights at 340 deg. E. Long., allowing each to expand revenues with minimal investment. New Skies will make its C-band rights in this slot available to Intelsat's 603 spacecraft, which is currently providing only Ku-band services. Each firm then will separately market video, Internet and data products, including "cross-strapped" C-/Ku-band transmissions.
Jumper is hammering home new distinctions among types of unmanned aircraft, the prelude to an attempt to get some of them operating in national airspace for ease of movement in large numbers. The new category is remotely-piloted aircraft, like the missile-firing Predator, for which a person on the ground, in a manned aircraft or on a ship is involved constantly in the airplane's operations. Such hands-on control makes the aircraft better able to survive attack and provides for human judgment in operations, Jumper says.
An important piece of the puzzle is falling into place that reveals how the U.S. will jam its foes' radar and communications after the retirement of EA-6B Prowler and EC-130 Compass Call aircraft. A new focused, digital low-band jammer, operating in the frequencies where most communications are clustered, is being developed for internal carriage by the Air Force's new Multi-Sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A). It also can be packaged in a pod for use by smaller tactical aircraft.
Loy and Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson, speaking with reporters in TSA's final days as a Transportation Dept. agency--it moved to the Homeland Security Dept. Mar. 1--had mixed financial news for airport interests. On the one hand, installation of security equipment at airports might require what Loy terms "one last bite of AIP [Airport Improvement Program] money," continuing Fiscal 2002's diversion of funds that otherwise would finance new or improved infrastructure.
Thousands of pieces of orbiter Columbia debris, most of it found in north central Texas, are being sorted, characterized, then laid out in a hangar here on a 200 X 250-ft. grid (below), separated into specific orbiter sections. Only about 11% of Columbia has been recovered so far.
USAF officials have designated the service's proposed new Multi-Sensor Command and Control Aircraft as the E-10A. It eventually is to replace the E-8 Joint-STARS, E-3 AWACS and EC-130 Compass Call as radars and jamming systems mature. There was discussion of creating a new "M" prefix for multi-sensor, but program officials stuck with "E" for electrical systems. The new aircraft is expected to be a central element in USAF's network-centric command and control constellation. However, E-8 will continue to serve for some time.
Former Michigan Gov. John Engler has been appointed to the board of directors of Northwest Airlines. He is now vice president-government solutions for North America for EDS.
While the U.S. and European carriers continue to struggle through one of the industry's worst downturns, air freight is a top reason why major Asian airlines and the cargo integrators that serve the region are making money.
Frank Klaus (see photo) has become president of Garrett Aviation Services, Tempe, Ariz. He was regional general manager for Americas sales for GE Aircraft Engines. Klaus succeeds Jeff Garwood, who is now president of GE Fanuc Automation.
