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.
The FAA has issued a letter of intent to acquire 21 Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE-X) systems and services from Sensis Corp. for $100 million. The letter signals the agency's plan to begin development of the system in a program to enhance surface safety and efficiency at 21 airports. ASDE-X fuses data from surface movement radar, transponder and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast sensors. Aircraft positions, labeled with flight call signs, are portrayed on air traffic controller displays. Sensis partnered with Raytheon in the ASDE-X contract.
The Flight Safety Foundation and the Society of Automotive Engineers/Aerospace are sponsoring the first annual North American Aviation Safety Conference, scheduled for Feb. 4-5, 2003, in Atlanta. The meeting will focus on security issues, ramp damage to aircraft, ultralong-range flight operations, runway incursions and criminal investigations associated with commercial aircraft accidents. Additional information on the conference is available at www.sae.org/calendar/aas/index.htm.
The first of two test vehicles in Japan's spaceplane development program flew Oct. 18 on an abandoned runway on Christmas Island in Kiribati. The 3.34-meter-long (11-ft.) unmanned vehicle, jointly developed by Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory and National Space Development Agency, was powered by a single 450-kg. (990-lb.) thrust Teledyne Continental Motors J69-T406 turbojet engine on a 9-min. 30-sec. flight that achieved an altitude of 550-600 meters.
Fabrice Bregier has been named deputy to the president of Eurocopter, effective Jan. 1, and its president/CEO effective Apr. 1. He will succeed Jean-Francois Bigay, who will be reassigned within EADS. Bregier has been CEO of MBDA and will be succeeded there by Marwan Lahoud. He has been senior vice president-mergers and acquisitions for EADS.
Eight months ago, some satellite industry observers put the odds at 50-50 that the U.S. government would approve EchoStar Communications Corp.'s high-stakes bid to create a satellite-broadcasting behemoth by acquiring Hughes Electronics Corp, owner of DirecTV. It now looks increasingly as though the odds are considerably longer. Neither company was able to persuade the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Justice Dept.
China is fielding new airborne electronic warfare platforms and may have an operational electronic pulse weapon by 2010, according to U.S. and Taiwanese military officials. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been working on EW systems for years, but now appears to be making important advances that are sparking concern among outside military analysts. China is developing ``new electronic equipment to form a partial dominance in wars and seize electromagnetic superiority in wartime,'' contends a recent assessment by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry.
Japan Airlines signed a ``multiyear, multimillion-dollar'' contract with Burlington, Mass.-based Enigma for Version 8 of its 3C documentation software to support JAL's MRO operations. To be deployed globally via the Web in support of 5,000 mechanics (with CD-ROM as backup), the software will provide maintenance support for JAL's 150-aircraft Boeing fleet (747s, 767s, 777s and MD-11s), including manuals, illustrated parts catalogs and JAL's specific modifications to Boeing's basic fleet configuration data.
There are signs that the mission of the U.S. Air Force's EC-130H Compass Call communications jammer is slowly starting to migrate to unmanned aircraft and space, although experts maintain a human must remain in the loop. Compass Call has been the backbone of the Air Force's electronic attack aircraft mission, although in recent years it also has become one of the service's premier information warfare tools for penetrating enemy air defense computer systems.
