The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are beginning to implement a plan to cooperate more closely on fighters, but many of the details are unresolved and funding shortfalls for other elements of the aviation force remain unaddressed. Short the money they need to buy the aircraft the two services want, the senior leadership recently signed an agreement to integrate more of their fighter force and thereby reduce their need for aircraft. The two sides had been mulling the move all summer as a way to reduce procurement to an affordable level and maintain military effectiveness.
Ironing out 2004-08 budget plans was the subject of President Bush's confab with senior defense officials at his Crawford, Tex., ranch. F-22 supporters want to increase the buy beyond 339 and reach a high-end production rate of 48-52 aircraft per year so they can start maturing the core engine that will eventually also power the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. However, fiscal realities appear to be pushing toward a buy of about 280. F-22, V-22, Comanche and the CVN-X aircraft carrier are all under fire.
Thales said plans to merge its Information Systems group with GFI Informatique of France have been abandoned. Citing ``an overall downturn in the market,'' the defense electronics giant will pursue other means to grow the business, which generated 485 million euros ($475 million) in sales last year.
Laurie Lofgren has become general manager for China for Northwest Airlines. She succeeds John Watkins, who is now on special assignment for the airline's operations in China. Lofgren was general manager for the Philippines, Guam and Saipan. She has been succeeded by Ray Nishihira, who was director of marketing for Asia.
FLS Aerospace has signed a three-year maintenance contract with Aer Lingus Commuter for its BAE 146 components. Also, India's Blue Dart Express has contracted with FLS for work on nose and main landing gear for its Boeing 737-200s.
After a couple of years of working to solve the problem in-house, Boeing has captured a $315,000, 3-6-month contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to design a fuel cell-based propulsion system. The ultimate plan is to produce an energy source for extremely long-endurance--at least two weeks--unmanned surveillance or communications relay aircraft. The company plans to begin with currently available automotive fuel cell technology and adapt it for use at 60,000-75,000 ft.
Nils Haupt has been named head of corporate communications for Lufthansa Cargo. He held the same position at Landesbank Sachsen. Haupt succeeds Dietrich Seidl and Bettina Stock, who had been acting department managers.
The Chinese government has lowered caps on foreign investment in airlines--contradicting earlier goals and leaving Chinese carriers confused--even as it has relaxed rules on airport investment. In a new airline ruling, the government has said a single foreign company can hold a maximum 25% in a Chinese carrier, whether the majority stock of that carrier is held privately, by a local or provincial government, or by the national government.
Jeffrey Erickson has become president/ chief operating officer of Atlas Air, succeeding Jim Matheny, who is retiring. Erickson has been president/COO of Midway Airlines and president/CEO of Trans World Airlines. Stanley Wraight has been appointed senior vice president-marketing and commercial strategy. He was senior vice president-sales and marketing. Wraight has been succeeded by Robert Van de Weg, who was vice president-sales for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
Adam Aircraft Industries might easily be dismissed as just another small company trying to design, build and sell a new general aviation airplane. That also might be a mistake. Only time will tell, but the low-key company could be quietly establishing new standards for rapidly developing and manufacturing aircraft at reasonable cost. If its strategy and systematic processes are validated in the marketplace, Adam Aircraft could have a major impact on the cost-versus-performance measures of general aviation, business and military air vehicles.
Air France was scrambling late last week to minimize the impact of a looming pilot strike. Pilots called the strike for Sept. 6-9 in what threatens to be the beginning of renewed labor strife in France, following the election of a center-right government last spring. Short- and medium-haul flights run by two subsidiaries, Regional and Britair, were to be maintained, Air France said.
Deliveries of new business aircraft will decline modestly in 2002 and in 2003, with order rates in the same period slow to rise above current levels, provided the U.S. economy cooperates, according to Honeywell Aerospace's latest annual business aviation outlook. While this near-term picture of business aviation may seem tenuous, if not downright disheartening, the industry--and especially suppliers to the airframe primes--can take some consolation in the fact that manufacturer backlogs are as high as they've ever been.
Jennifer Pollino has been promoted to president of the Troy, Ohio-based Aircraft Wheels and Brakes Div. of the Goodrich Corp. from president/general manager of the Turbomachinery Products Div., Chandler, Ariz. She has been succeeded by Jeff Yaker, who was president of Goodrich subsidiary Universal Propulsion Co. of Phoenix.Yaker, in turn, has been succeeded by Mike Heidorn, who was vice president-general manager for the passenger restraint systems business.
Germany is fast becoming one of Europe's focal points for low-fare airline growth, after three more carriers unveiled plans to enter the market in the next few weeks. The no-frills boom in one of Europe's biggest air travel markets was initiated by Ryanair which set up a large base at Hahn airport--serving nine European destinations--and the relaunch of British Airways subsidiary Deutsche BA as low-fare airline DBA.
If HTML and XML aren't enough for you, now there is BPML--Business Process Modeling Language. BPML models how transactions should execute--with customers, within the company or with business partners. Business processes are represented as the flow of control, data and events, operating under a scheme of business rules and security roles. It provides a top-down execution model for existing software as components of a process.
After nearly 10 years sampling the upper atmosphere for greenhouse gases, Japan's Meteorological Research Institute reports that carbon dixoide generated mainly at ground level is carried into the upper atmosphere, CO2 generated mainly in the middle-to-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere is carried into the Southern Hemisphere, and carbon monoxide reacts with other atmospheric substances to affect ozone concentration in the troposphere.
After meeting with federal mediators in Washington, Boeing officials say they are not open to changing their offer of a new three-year contract for the nearly 26,000 members of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who are employed at the company's commercial aircraft factories in Seattle, Wichita, Kan., and Portland, Ore. After a 5.5-hr. meeting with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) on Sept.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Everett H. Pratt, Jr., (see photo) has been named vice president-electronic warfare programs for the Northrop Grumman Corp. Electronic Systems Sector, Rolling Meadows, Ill. He has been a consultant for Northrop Grumman since retiring from USAF. Raymond Neidl has become a senior airline and transportation analyst in the equities research group of Blaylock & Partners of New York. He was a director and airline analyst with ABN-AMRO Securities, also in New York.
A new presidential policy on access to space may be in the offing. NASA, the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) will report their plans for developing reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) to the White House this month. Options studied include staying the course with NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI) technology program; building a small reusable crew transfer/return vehicle and launching it on expendable Atlas Vs or Delta IVs (AW&ST July 1, p.
Midway Airlines may soon resume operations, this time as a US Airways Express carrier, as a result of a tentative contract agreed to last week between the carrier's pilots' union and management. Morrisville, N.C.-based Midway filed for bankruptcy protection Aug. 13, 2001, ceased operations Sept. 12 and was revived by the federal government Dec. 19. On July 17, it suspended services a second time to reconfigure its fleet of six Boeing 737s and adjust its business model. According to the Air Line Pilots Assn., the carrier could resume operations as early as Nov.
Alberto F. Fernandez, retired chairman/CEO of Spain-based Construcciones Aeronauticas S.A. and senior executive at the EADS, has been appointed to the board of directors of Aviall Inc. of Dallas.
Fuji Heavy Industries expects to deliver the first two T-7 primary trainer prototypes to the Japanese air force's Flight Development and Experiment Wing late this month. The T-7 shares about 60% commonality with the aircraft it is to replace, the Fuji T-3, so the air force will save by not having to duplicate maintenance tooling. The aircraft is set to replace the T-3 now in service with the 11th and 12th Flight Training Wings on a one-for-one basis. That would require about 50 aircraft; so far, the air force has ordered 23 at 5.4 billion yen ($45.1 million).
The Kuwait Defense Ministry has signed a letter of offer and acceptance with the U.S. Defense Dept. for the purchase of 16 AH-64D Apache Longbow combat helicopters. When the Foreign Military Sales agreement is complete, the U.S. Army will contract, on behalf of Kuwait, with Boeing and other Apache industry team members for the aircraft and equipment. The estimated $900-million program includes acquisition of the Longbow fire control radar, ordnance--including Hellfire missiles--spare parts, training and maintenance support.
Gen. (ret.) Michael E. Ryan, former U.S. Air Force chief of staff and commander-in-chief of USAFE and Aircent, has been nominated as an honorary member of the Assn. of Former European Air Chiefs.
