Dassault Aviation executives are counting on a sharp boost in military activity and strong business jet sales to remain independent, despite renewed calls for consolidation of the European combat aircraft industry, most recently from EADS, which owns 48% of Dassault shares.
Boeing has received $270 million in contracts to initiate the lease of four C-40s (737-700s) for the U.S. Air Force. The first two aircraft were delivered last week to Andrews AFB, Md., where they will be based. The deal was seen as a trailblazer for the more complex lease of 100 767-200 tankers, but those negotiations have stalled.
Bae Systems and others who had their eye on the Navy's Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) may get another shot at involvement in the program, even though Boeing and Lockheed Martin were the only competitors to receive concept-development contracts. The Navy is considering awarding additional study contracts. BAE Systems wants to interest the Pentagon in the MRA4 Nimrod patrol aircraft that the U.K. is buying. The company is still looking for a U.S. industrial partner to serve as a prime contractor. But others also are interested in a piece of the action.
Meanwhile, Turkey awarded Thales a $400-million contract to supply maritime patrol and surveillance systems for navy and coast guard units. The award will cover nine systems for existing CN-235s, together with 10 additional systems for new platforms. The purchase marks renewed cooperation between Paris and Ankara, which had canceled or deferred a number of weapons deals following French parliamentary actions to protest against Armenian genocide.
Bruce Runnegar has been named as the next director of NASA's Astrobiology Institute, which is at the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. He will succeed Nobel laureate and NAI cofounder Baruch S. Blumberg, who plans to step down. Runnegar is a professor in the UCLA Earth and Space Sciences Dept. and the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.
Pratt & Whitney's F119-PW-100 engine for the F-22 Raptor received initial service release approval from the U.S. Air Force, signifying that USAF agrees the F119 is ready for operational service. ISR approval is granted only after testing demonstrates that a powerplant meets the maintainability, performance, operability and structural integrity requirements for which it was designed.
Alitalia executives are hoping that the strong recovery engineered in the first half of the year will not be jeopardized by a growing disagreement over a recent capital increase. The Italian flag carrier reported a reduction in operating losses of one-third, to 119 million euros ($116 million), in the first half of the year, before extraordinary items. Revenues also sank to 2.38 billion euros from 2.71 billion as the carrier cut capacity by 22% to reflect demand.
This is getting confusing. The Air Force is working hard on its Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A)--a next-generation surveillance, intelligence-gathering and battle-management aircraft built into an airliner design (see p. 48). A command-and-control demonstrator installed in an aged Boeing 707 aircraft was dubbed the Paul Revere MC2A-X. Meanwhile, the service asked Congress for $500 million in the Fiscal 2003 budget to fund a Boeing 767 MC2A testbed aircraft, so researchers could get a head start on integrating the system into its ultimate airframe.
On the other hand, the Air Force has leaked what the heart of the MC2A design is all about. In addition to its other tasks, the MC2A's Northrop-Grumman/Raytheon MP-RTIP radar will make it the central element of a ``three-dimensional, high-definition cruise missile defense system.'' A multi-element radar can search, jam and listen at the same time.
China Airlines is delaying its decision to buy up to 16 Airbus A330 transports in the wake of intense lobbying pressure by Boeing in favor of its long-range 777. The Seattle-based airframe manufacturer is attempting to convince the airline that the 777 is better suited for its operations than the A330s, which would replace aging A300-600Rs. Although in August China Airlines was prepared to move forward on the deal with Airbus, Boeing made an offer that includes acquiring the carrier's existing fleet of five A340-300s plus another two on order.
Angela Gittens, director of the Miami-Dade Aviation Dept., has been named to receive the Wright Brothers Memorial Award from the Greater Miami Aviation Assn. The annual award honors an individual whose contribution to aviation has gained national recognition. Gittens has been cited for redeployment of personnel to ensure security after Sept. 11, 2001, and the revalidation of her department's capital improvement program to preserve and encourage revenue streams.
Robert L. Del Boca (see photo) has become vice president-infrared countermeasures and laser systems for the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Systems Sector of Baltimore. He was director of the company's Apopka, Fla.-based Laser Systems Unit.
Daniel Maiden has been named managing director of London-based Bombardier Flexjet Europe Ltd. He was commercial director and succeeds James Hoblyn, who has become vice president-marketing, sales operations and asset management of Bombardier Regional Aircraft.
The Rand-led Space Shuttle Competitive Source Task Force proposed several new management options that could be used to restructure the space shuttle program (SSP). If adopted, the options could move shuttle cost and safety management toward an operational, competitively sourced structure away from the more expensive research and development mode used for the first 21 years of the program. Among the options are: -- Functional Consolidation Model (see chart, p.
New software from ViaSat broadens options for computer users who want to establish an Internet protocol (IP) network over a network of radios. Instead of being restricted to a single radio type and protocol, ViaSat's PDC/IP software allows radios from different manufacturers to be used, as well as different IPs. Supported radio types include HF, VHF and UHF Satcom, and a variety of encryption boxes may be used.
Researchers saddled with putting together Paul Revere--the flying laboratory for investigating advanced command and control concepts for a next-generation, wide-body surveillance and intelligence-gathering aircraft--were handed a daunting task. They were provided an empty Boeing 707 in January and told to ``jump start'' development of the next-generation platform, decide who should be on board, what they should do and where they should sit.
Taiwan's Eva Air is requiring its pilots to speak English in the cockpit as well as during training to ensure there is no miscommunication. In addition, the airline uses only flight manuals and other cockpit publications written in English, chiefly to avoid bias in translation or interpretation, according to the carrier. Eva Air embarked on its ``English-only'' campaign as part of its overall economic development plan.
Maureen P. Cragin (see photo) has become vice president-communications for Boeing's Washington Operations. She was assistant secretary of Veteran Affairs for public and intergovernmental affairs.
Kevin Ficco has been promoted to vice president-airline distribution and business development for the Worldwide Travel Supplier Services Div. of Atlanta-based Worldspan. He was director of corporate initiatives in the Business Services and Strategic Planning Group. Niel Bainton has been named vice president-strategy and new business development within the Business Services and Strategic Planning Group. He was staff vice president for e-commerce marketing.
After abandoning the hugely expensive, ultra-secret stealthy Quartz and TR-3 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft projects in the 1990s, interest is beginning to revive for a very survivable, long-range unmanned surveillance system. In an attempt to attract interest in filling this long-standing Air Force requirement, Lockheed Martin's advanced development program has unveiled study plans for a Penetrating High-Altitude Endurance UAV. Company officials say they could have a prototype in a year.
The British Royal Air Force is now ready to operationally deploy the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile, despite a prolonged gestation period. The air force's Tornado F3 air-defense units are now beginning to explore changes in tactics given the leap in performance over AIM-9L/M Sidewinder. Deliveries of the MBDA-manufactured Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (Asraam) are underway to all front-line F3 units, with sufficient missile stocks to support operational deployment.
The European Commission's competition directorate is adopting an increasingly flexible stance on global airline alliances. Last week, EC Commissioner Mario Monti indicated that the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines/Northwest Airlines partnership would be approved as well as the proposed United Airlines/Lufthansa German Airlines/Scandinavian Airlines agreement.
