Rolls-Royce planned a first test run of its Trent-900 high-bypass turbofan engine for Mar. 15 or 16. The 70,000-80,000-lb.-thrust Trent 900 is the launch engine for the Airbus A380.
GREAT ROBOTICS RACE ON HORIZON The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is circulating what is known as a "Grand Challenge" among robotic researchers. The challenge is billed as an "unprecedented unmanned vehicle race that defies current technology," but apparently could put $1 million in the pockets of some innovative robotics research team. Scheduled to take place Mar.13, 2004, the race will start "somewhere around Los Angeles and end somewhere around Las Vegas," according to an announcement. The actual course will be revealed only 2 hr.
John Albrecht (see photo) has been named vice president-sales and business development for FlightSafety Boeing Training International of Seattle. He was director of new business ventures for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Both Dassault Aviation and Gulf- stream Aerospace, a unit of General Dynamics Corp., plan to reduce production rates of business jets. Gulf- stream now expects to deliver 77 aircraft in 2003 instead of the previously planned 85. Dassault will scale back production of its Falcon aircraft to four per month by next year.
U.S. military forces operating against Iraq are expected to utilize 75% more military communications satellite capability than their counterparts during the 1991 Persian Gulf war, according to Christine M. Anderson, program director for the Milsatcom Joint Program Office in Los Angeles. Defense Satellite Communications Systems (DSCS) and Milstar ground controllers at Schriever AFB, Colo., have moved spacecraft and reconfigured transponders within the two constellations as necessary to maximize the bandwidth available to forces in the Iraqi theater.
FORECAST CLOUDY International Space Station partners meet again this week to hammer out details on operating the ISS while NASA's space shuttle fleet is down, but geopolitics may cloud the issue. Russian officials say the biggest problem is money--as in, how soon can they get some to beef up their station support, and how much will it be? But Alexander Vershbow, the U.S. ambassador in Moscow, warned that disagreement over Iraq could derail closer space cooperation.
In the days of sensitive or easily breakable payloads, we used a small "protective shell" to guard the payload, something that was jettisoned after leaving the atmosphere. Why can't NASA, in an age of super strong but extremely thin and very lightweight (read low-mass) materials, devise a protective shield to cover the belly/underskin/tiles of the orbiter that can be jettisoned after reaching orbit?
The U.S. Air Force has tested its new 10-ton Massive Ordnance Air Blast Weapon to much fanfare, but the service purposefully left the impression that it was a bomb to be dropped only from cargo aircraft for special operations missions.
CUTTING COSTS Eutelsat wants the European Commission to help jump-start the market for two-way satellite terminals in the hope that economies of scale can lead to lower prices. That, in turn, might encourage European manufacturers to enter the market, currently dominated by U.S. and Israeli firms. At today's low production levels, the terminals typically sell for 1,500 euros ($1,650) or more, too high to generate serious interest in two-way satellite broadband applications.
Michael A. Taverna (Colleferro, Italy), Michael A. Taverna (Fucino, Italy)
The Italian space industry is banking on new niche applications in launchers, defense and services to help turn around a downward slide in space sales and compensate for a slowdown in commercial satellites and International Space Station deliveries. Space revenues in Italy have been declining steadily in recent years, from 975 million euros ($1 billion) in 1997 to 876 million euros in 2001, according to figures published by Eurospace.
Steven R. Peterson (see photo) has been named vice president-wholesale marketing for the Truman Arnold Cos., Texarkana, Tex. He was general manager of refined products for Seminole Refined Products Inc.
Arianespace executives say customer skittishness may make it necessary to plan a second qualification flight to validate the main stage nozzle redesign on the higher power Ariane 5 EC-A booster, which failed on its maiden launch in December. The decision could hinge on the extent of the design changes. Several potential options are being evaluated, according to European Space Agency launch director Jean-Jacques Dordain, who said a final redesign plan should be ready by month's end.
Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines is completing plans for what is described as a "major order" for Airbus A320s and A330s. China's largest carrier, CSA already operates 20 A320s and expects to reap substantial training benefits through the addition of A330s to the fleet because of their common cockpit training applications. While confirming the talks, airline officials declined to say how many aircraft are involved or when they are to be ordered. If the order comes it will be Airbus' first for the A330 in China.
Regarding the letter from Frederick Boltz, "Shuttle Can Be Downsized" (AW&ST Jan. 20, p. 6), I disagree emphatically with his assertion that the technology "of trying to recover booster propellant tanks and multiple liquid rocket engines" is beyond the reach of existing technology.
Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and diversified engineering group GKN reported markedly different fortunes for the latest fiscal year, based on preliminary results. Both companies cautioned that the outlook in the commercial sector remains weak through 2004 and beyond. GKN saw pre-tax profit in 2001 rise by 68% to 180 million pounds ($288 million). Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, saw its pre-tax profit drop by 45% to 105 million pounds, "primarily from the predicted difficult conditions in the civil aerospace market," a company statement noted.
To say the performance of U.S. defense stocks year-to-date has been disappointing would be an understatement. In fact, "disappointing" wouldn't even begin to capture the frustration of investors and sell-side equity analysts--not to mention the defense contractors.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP 18 AT-802s help combat Colom- bian coca industry 19 Mars Exploration Rover readied for late-May launch WORLD NEWS & ANALYSIS 24 Clouds hang over Canada's largest aerospace company 24 Rolls, GKN warn of weak commercial sector outlook 32 Legal cloud lifted for Boeing Satellite Systems 33 Frustrations, backlogs in preparations for war vs. Iraq 36 Lockheed Martin to show F/A-22, F-35 advanced capabilities
Peter Murnane, who has been executive vice president of the Mesa Air Group Inc., also will be chief financial officer. He succeeds Rob Stone, who was CFO/treasurer and is now senior vice president/treasurer. Carter Leake has been named senior vice president for the US Airways Express operation. He was president of Mesa Air Group subsidiary CCAir. Scott Lyon has been promoted to vice president-planning from director of marketing development.
Dassault Aviation and Sagem will jointly form Dassault Sagem Tactical UAV to further strengthen a partnership established in April 2002. The French combat aircraft manufacturer and defense electronics group plan to jointly develop next-generation uninhabited air vehicles such as a long-endurance derivative of the Sperwer and a fast, stealthy platform (AW&ST Apr. 29, 2002, p. 59).
Dozens of U.S. Air Force C-17s and contract carrier aircraft are leaving here every day carrying soldiers and supplies to Middle Eastern bases for the showdown with Iraq. When included with continuing operations into Afghanistan, this airlift is already the third largest in history, behind Berlin and Desert Shield/Storm.
Amid the apparent squabbling and bickering, it's often difficult to see whether the defense element of Europe's great political experiment is advancing at all. Regardless of the discord--of which there has been much recently--and the seemingly endless deliberations, some of the European defense agenda is progressing, albeit at a pace alien to those inside the Washington beltway.
In the face of growing complaints on Capitol Hill that the U.S. is losing its competitive edge in the international air transport marketplace, the Bush administration is reviewing spending levels for aeronautics research and development with an eye to increases in its Fiscal 2005 budget.
Congress could smile on the Air Force plea for new tankers and intelligence aircraft, says Carl Levin (Mich.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Mike Langston has become vice president-worldwide Hawker sales and Don Dwyer (see photo) vice president-worldwide Beechcraft sales for the Raytheon Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan. Langston was domestic vice president-U.S. and Canada jet sales, while Dwyer was vice president-international Beechcraft and Hawker sales. Tom Hilpert has been appointed director of product development. He was director of program management and strategy for Bombardier.
