In some of the first fallout from the Oct. 12 bombing of a popular beach club in Bali that killed scores of Australians, Qantas will begin cutting capacity to Indonesia in November. It did not announce details.
Beginning in February, American Airlines and regional affiliate American Eagle will exchange terminals at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. American's flights will stage out of Terminals A and C, and Eagle will operate its jets to Terminals A and B instead of its satellite facility on the airport, which will continue to be used by Eagle turboprop aircraft, according to American. The change will save the airline about $4.5 million annually.
Anne Stevens has been appointed to the board of directors of the Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. She is vice president-North American vehicle operations for the Ford Motor Co.
Government and industry leaders weren't able to set a destination for future space exploration during a policy summit at the World Space Congress (AW&ST Oct. 21, p. 23), but they did agree that there is a ``crosscutting'' need for young people to replenish the graying space workforce worldwide. Those young people already have a pretty good idea of where they want to go. As the agency heads and CEOs met behind closed doors at Rice University, young space professionals from 47 different nations were in Houston hammering out a wide-ranging policy document of their own.
Next-generation stealth technology developed for the Bird of Prey demonstrator aircraft--or BOP as it was called by its pilots--helped Boeing win the low-observable part of the Joint Strike Fighter competition even though the contract finally went to Lockheed Martin. Some Boeing officials said the U.S. Air Force insisted on keeping the $67-million stealth and rapid-prototyping demonstrator aircraft classified until well after the competition so the company would have no advantage over Lockheed Martin.
Euan Baird (see photo) will become non-executive chairman on Feb. 1, and Michel Dubarry has been named director general for France, both of Rolls-Royce. Baird, who is is chairman/CEO of Schlumberger, will succeed Sir Ralph Robins, who is retiring. Dubarry, who was managing director of McAlpine Helicopters Ltd., succeeds Jacques Marchand, who has retired.
Chris Armao has been named vice president of the Space Systems Div. of SRS Technologies' Washington Group, Chantilly, Va. He was director of space engineering at SRS. Linda Jewell has become director of space operations for SRS in Colorado Springs.
Felix Kracht, a German aviation pioneer, cofounder of Airbus and advocate of a unified European aerospace industry, died in Kirchweyhe, Germany, on Oct. 3, it was disclosed last week. He was 90. After graduating from the Aachen technical university and becoming a pilot, Kracht joined the DFS research institute in the 1930s, where he was responsible for substantial advances in aerodynamics and developed innovative concepts such as a jettisonable pressurized cockpit and the DFS 228 powered glider capable of reaching a record 100,000 ft.
The European Space Agency is assessing a batch of Martian missions within its new Aurora space exploration program and discussing ways to integrate French Mars sample return initiatives, in partnership with NASA, into Aurora to enhance Europe's role. The assessment is part of mounting interest in a Mars sample return mission to replace the International Space Station as the leading application within the space community, and a growing awareness that this could only be done on a global basis (AW&ST Oct. 21, p. 25).
The Pentagon's decision to restructure the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program, but slash procurement, also forces the Army to develop an unmanned adjunct to Comanche and upgrade AH-64D Apaches. After more than 10 months of deliberations, the Defense Dept. has defined its seventh Comanche plan. It calls for production of 650, rather than 1,213 of the armed reconnaissance helicopters, a peak annual build rate of 60 aircraft versus 62, and a 73-aircraft buy during low-rate production.
William R. Howard has been appointed to the board of directors of the EyeTicket Corp., McLean, Va. He is a former chairman/CEO of Trans World Airlines, chairman/president/CEO of Piedmont Airlines and senior vice president of Eastern Air Lines.
President Bush has signed into law the Fiscal 2003 defense spending bill that provides $355.4 billion to the Pentagon, a $34-million boost over last year and only $1.6 billion less than the White House requested.
Meanwhile, the European Commission approved a move by the German postal service, Deutsche Post, to take full control of parcel express carrier DHL International. Earlier this year, Deutsche Post agreed to add a 25% DHL stake owned by Lufthansa to the 50% it already owns, and is seeking to purchase the remaining shares. DHL recently moved to take a 30% share in the cargo unit of Cathay Pacific's Air Hong Kong subsidiary and to invest $300 million in expanding the venture as part of a plan to beef up its Asian operations.
Economic pressure has seen Italy defer attempts to increase defense expenditure, with present funding liable to come under increasing strain as various government departments struggle to finalize the 2003 budget before year-end. The projected defense budget for 2003 is anticipated at 19.6 billion euros ($19 billion), representing a notional increase of 3.1% on 2002. However, this figure reflects paramilitary as well as pension costs. Actual direct defense funding is 14.02 billion euros, compared with 13.66 billion for this year.
Singapore Airlines Flight 006 cockpit crewmembers are eligible to apply for reinstatement of flying privileges, according to a recent decision by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). The three pilots' licenses were suspended the evening of Oct. 31, 2000, when their Boeing 747-400 collided with construction equipment during a takeoff roll at Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Airport (AW&ST Nov. 20, 2000, p. 46). The process requires the flight crew to undergo extensive flight proficiency training as well as medical and psychological testing.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's enrollment in its College of Aerospace Engineering Dept. is at its highest level ever. Total enrollment at the Daytona Beach, Fla., campus is 1,084 undergraduates. This compares with 556 students in 1995 and 940 in 2001. Entering students numbered near 350 and 40-50% are expected to graduate. The majority are enrolled in aeronautics courses; the balance are pursuing astronautics and propulsion studies.
Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has received the H.H. Arnold Award for most outstanding military contributions to national security, from the Air Force Assn. Myers was recognized for service and leadership and ``successfully communicating the military requirements to fight the war on international terrorism to military commanders, coalition forces, Congress and the American people.''
Bradley Shaen (see photo) has become vice president-sales and marketing for Triumph Air Repair in Phoenix. He was director of business development for Standard Aero of San Antonio.
By ROBERT WALLBy DAVID A. FULGHUM ( WASHINGTON NASHUA, N.H.)
The burgeoning interest in unmanned aircraft will trigger the demise, renaissance or transformation of self-protection--but which it will be is not clear. Without precise direction from the military, executives at major electronic warfare companies are scratching their heads about whether UAV growth will eliminate traditional self-protection requirements, prompt new research and development projects, or represent ``business as usual,'' with electronic countermeasures (ECM) devices used on manned aircraft simply being adapted to the new platforms.
Having chosen TRW to develop and build the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) spacecraft, the Pentagon is now starting to focus on modernizing the ground component of its future weather reporting system. In a request for information, the Air Force seeks industry ideas on system architecture and rough cost estimates for a system to receive, process, display and route real-time meteorological satellite data obtained from foreign, domestic, geostationary and polar-orbiting systems.
The Japanese air force will shrink its combat aircraft to 371 from 393 by fiscal 2006 as Mitsubishi F-1 and T-2 trainers are phased out. There are 25 F-1s and 23 T-2s now in service. In-service use of the Mitsubishi F-2 close air support fighter, which is based on Lockheed Martin's F-16, will nearly double, growing to 71 from 39. Some 120 are eventually to be fielded. The Boeing/Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ count will decrease slightly, to 199 from 202, as will the F-4EJ, to 101 from 104.
The AgustaWestland EH-101 is the front-runner to replace two Sikorsky/Mitsubishi S-61As for Japan's Antarctic expeditionary work. The Ministry of Education and Science hasn't officially selected a type, but it is seeking $78 million in the fiscal 2003 budget to begin its purchase. AgustaWestland made a breakthrough earlier this year when the navy picked EH-101s to replace aging Sikorsky MH-53 subhunters (AW&ST Apr. 29, p. 17). Two of an anticipated 10 helos for that role have been purchased.
Algiers-based Khalifa Airways has signed a five-year lease with Boeing Aircraft Trading to acquire its first two 777-200s for use on African, European and transatlantic routes. The aircraft will be powered by General Electric GE90 engines.
