Following a series of top-level meetings at the end of 2002, the Russian government and military are attempting to reinvigorate the near-stalled effort to move to a smaller professional armed forces. First proposed in November 2000, little if any tangible progress has been made in effectively restructuring Russia's military. Under a newly approved plan, 92 high-readiness units of land, airborne and marine units will be fully staffed with professional military by 2007, employing 40,000 officers and 126,000 soldiers.
The FAA has approved 90 pilots to use the Enhanced Vision System installed on the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. G-550 long-range business jet. EVS imagery uses IR technology to overlay the airport scene when it is obscured by darkness or low visibility due to weather. Pilots are receiving the special training in FlightSafety International's Gulfstream V full-flight simulator (FFS) at its Savannah, Ga., Learning Center. An FFS for the G-550 featuring an EVS is scheduled to be available for training in mid-2003.
The AH-1Z Super Cobra for the U.S. Marine Corps has completed envelope expansion after accumulating more than 400 hr. during the first 24 months of the flight test program at NAS Patuxent River, Md. Pilots flew the aircraft to a maximum speed of 220 kt., an altitude of 16,000 ft. and maneuvered to -0.3g to +3.5g, according to the Marine Corps. The fleet of three Super Cobras has begun testing the jettison of external stores from the aircraft's six hard points.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is likely to post an operating loss for the current financial year and may end up in the red next year, too, after the company reported it has been suffering from a slowing demand and travelers' concerns about a possible war in Iraq.
Cessna Aircraft Co. has delivered the 1,000th 208B Grand Caravan to Supap Puranitee, based in Thailand. The airplane will be operated chiefly for personal transportation, according to the company. Since the original Caravan's introduction in 1985, Cessna has delivered more than 1,300 of the single-engine, turboprop-powered utility transports, and the worldwide fleet has accumulated more than 6 million flight hours. The Caravan's dispatch reliability rate has exceeded 99.9%, according to Cessna.
United Airlines late last week awaited a court decision to impose a 13% temporary wage cut on 37,000 workers represented by the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers--the only one of the carrier's unions that did not agree to pay reductions aimed at helping the company meet requirements of Chapter 11 financing. The Air Line Pilots Union agreed to a 29% cut and the Assn. of Flight Attendants, 9%; while the Transport Workers Union (meteorologists) and Professional Airline Flight Control Assn. (dispatchers) each accepted a 13% cut.
The Congressional Budget Office reports that the demand for defense spending could keep growing after 2007 when the defense budget is expected to reach $408 billion annually (in 2002 dollars) versus $359 billion for this year. The $408 billion estimate comes from the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) submitted with the Administration's 2003 budget request.
An agreement in principle to extend the current FAA-National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. contract by two years, through Sep- tember 2005, defuses but doesn't eliminate the hottest of Natca's hot-button issues--privatization. Pay will be frozen except for government-wide cost-of-living increases. And staff levels during the extension period remain to be worked out. The union argues that more controllers are needed, especially to replace an increasing number of retirement-eligible veterans.
The Model 2015 ProBalancer is designed for users (aviation hobbyists, owners, small maintenance shops) that have basic balancing and vibration analysis requirements but don't need to purchase more advanced/expensive analytical equipment. The unit covers basic propeller and rotor balancing and vibration analysis, and offers some advanced capabilities such as spectral analysis. A propeller balance kit that includes Model 2015 plus accessories such as cabling costs less than $4,000. The kit to perform a typical helicopter rotor balance is available for about $7,500.
The German bankruptcy court overseeing Fairchild Dornier has concluded a conditional purchase agreement for the 30-seat 328JET with U.S. investors AvCraft and Dimeling, Schreiber & Park. The deal would include a customer support unit. The pact, however, hinges on clarification of legal and financial aspects but is expected to be finalized soon. The investors are interested in resuming production of the 328JET but would face serious challenges.
France's Ceramic Coating Center, a joint subsidiary of Snecma Services and MTU Aero Engines, has become exclusive supplier of CF6 high-pressure turbine blades for General Electric.
Inside North America, call Edith Roman Associates, Inc. at: (800) 223-2194; Fax (845) 620-9035. Outside North America call The Prospect Shop at: 020 8481 8730; Fax: 020 8783 1940
Jeppesen International Trip Planning is offering a variety of security services. Under a new contract with Air Security International, Jeppesen customers can obtain ASI's pre-trip intelligence reports, and arrange for executive transportation and protection, as well as mobile phone capability.
The Pentagon has awarded the National Forge Co. of Irvine, Pa., a contract to build casings for 790 BLU-109/B bunker buster bombs. Production of the casings for the 2,000-lb.-class weapon should be completed this year and would help the military replenish its inventory of penetrator munitions, depleted during combat operations in Afghanistan.
Andy Nativi (Genoa. Italy), Douglas Barrie (London)
Italian politicians this week will likely begin to debate the proposed defense electronics joint venture between Finmecannica and BAE Systems, while at the industrial level the two incipient partners continue to attempt to thrash out a deal over their respective stakes in the proposed company.
The Navigator NV2-2400x is a bolt-in replacement for standard compasses found on glareshields of many production and experimental aircraft. It is filled with silicone fluid to damp movement of the compass card, thus reducing inaccuracies found in usual liquid compasses. Metal bellows compensate for expansion and contraction of the fluid resulting from temperature and altitude changes. It provides a 140-deg. field of view, and is TSO'd to specification C7d. SIRS Product Services, 25422 Trabuco Road #105, Box 436, Lake Forest, Calif. 92630.
The European Space Agency is investigating fallback scenarios for its Rosetta comet-rendezvous mission in the event the grounding of the Ariane 5 booster forces the flight to miss its launch window. Rosetta, initially due to be sent aloft on Jan. 12, must be launched by Jan. 31 if it's to reach its intended target, the comet Wirtanen, on the calculated rendezvous date during the summer of 2012. Project leaders will know on Jan. 14 whether this will be possible.
The Defense Dept. is preparing to develop a new air-launched decoy to spoof enemy air defenses after concluding the final element of a multi-year demonstration that included supersonic flight. The Air Force last year terminated the core Northrop Grumman decoy advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD), but allowed the evaluation of the supersonic interceptor derivative to be completed. The decoy program was cut short to focus on a more capable, multi-mission system, which will also be much more expensive.
Brazil's new government has postponed a decision on the acquisition of new combat aircraft, to give priority to social needs. Defense minister Jose Viegas said the $750-million purchase, involving a dozen or more aircraft, will be postponed at least one year, and that other alternatives, including lease or purchase of second-hand aircraft, may also be considered. Observers consider the delay a boost to U.S.
Phantom Works, Boeing's advanced research and development unit, has demonstrated that pictures of targets and updated threat locations can be transferred within seconds from a 737 command and control (C2) testbed to an F-15E1 advanced technology demonstrator. The test was conducted as part of the Weapon System Open Architecture program that began in 1999. The goal is to quickly exchange data between strike and C2 aircraft to speed the attack of time-critical targets.
Jagson Airlines, which has operated charter flights for 10 years, is to become India's third independent domestic carrier. Chairman Jagdish Gupta says Jagson is a "supplemental" carrier trying to develop alternative tourism destinations and isn't a competitor to independents Jet Airways and Air Sahara. Jagson has been offering regional charter services in North India but intends to strengthen its niche by pursuing what it sees as underutilized feeder routes in West India (Rajkot), and central and East India (Raipur and Nagpur). Jagson flies three Dornier 328s.
Gen. James L. Jones steps down this week as Marine Corps commandant and heads to Europe to take over as supreme allied commander. He says infantry units are well prepared for urban combat, if it comes to that in Iraq. But he acknowledges that such fighting is "very stressful, very dangerous and very hard." It's important to plan, think and train for it. And that's exactly what the Marines have been doing since his predecessor, Gen. Charles C. Krulak, started to focus on it.
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