As if aerospace/defense companies didn't already have enough to worry about--between a major downturn in commercial aviation, increasingly demanding customers, delivering on commitments to investors, and a host of other issues--here's a sobering thought: they probably run a higher risk of being targeted by terrorists than most other companies. That's according to L.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has tapped Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Systems Development and Technology Div. to investigate innovative concepts for lightweight, space-based, deployable radar antennas designed to track moving targets on the ground. In addition to analyzing various antenna designs, the $2.5-million, 12-month contract calls for engineers to demonstrate the technology, according to Taylor W. Lawrence, president of the division.
The $10-billion Aviation Loan Guarantee Program isn't going on the chopping block just yet, much to the relief of U.S. airlines, US Airways in particular. In its version of the Fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriation bill, the Senate refused to go along with the House measure, which would shrink the loan guarantee funds voted last September to $4 billion. The House and Senate will have to work out their differences in a conference committee before June 28 if Congress is to keep its commitment to the U.S. airline industry.
The U.S. Navy suspended carrier operations on all its F-14s after it found that a component failure in the nose gear of one of the aircraft led to a crash on Mar. 2 in which the pilots died. Before being returned to flight status, the nose landing gear cylinder has to be inspected. If corrosion is found, the entire strut needs to be replaced.
Although Congress last year drastically scaled back a Pentagon project to develop a space-based laser, the Pentagon is reinvigorating the concept in the hope of having a limited operational capability as early as 2008. The technology thrust is one of several new efforts the military is considering for boost-phase intercept. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) also is exploring whether to tweak its sea-based midcourse defense system to handle new missions and to field an operational capability soon.
Last week's column misstated Joseph Cirincione's estimate of casualties in a India-Pakistan nuclear exchange. It should have said the Carnegie Endowment scholar estimates that hundreds of thousands of people could be killed.
Raytheon and MBDA have been downselected by the British Defense Ministry in its Precision Guided Bomb competition. A bid by France's Sagem and South Africa's Denel Aerospace unit, the Kentron guided-weapons division, was eliminated. A final choice between the two remaining competitors is anticipated by the end of 2002, with a contract award during early 2003.
Once all civil aircraft had been cleared from U.S. skies following the Sept. 11 attacks, a small group of Air Force reservists and FAA air traffic experts started working on the inevitable next phase--how to restore the National Airspace System. Without question, many aircraft and people--starting with President Bush--had valid needs to fly, but all the rules had changed. Getting a civilian airliner or an emergency-services helicopter to its intended destination was no longer a matter of simply filing a flight plan and requesting FAA clearance.
David C. Behrens has been appointed director of Asia-Pacific operations and infrastructure for the International Air Transport Assn. He succeeds Tony Laven, who has retired.
The search for victims' bodies is occupying the limited recovery resources at the China Airlines Flight 611 crash site, and slowing the retrieval of wreckage and the ``black boxes.'' The flight data and cockpit voice recorders were located on May 29, but had still not been recovered as of late last week. Investigators are anxious to retrieve them as their beacon batteries may get weak around June 14. Ocean currents and weather also have been hampering recovery from 130-260-ft. depths. The Boeing 747-209B crashed on May 25, 20 min.
Years from now, when Stars (the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System) is a widely used, taken-for-granted part of air traffic control, the Transportation Dept. inspector general and the FAA administrator will have to find something else to squabble about. Until then, Stars will do nicely.
Six of the seven biggest U.S. airlines--all but Southwest--continued in May to hold down capacity in the face of their stubborn post-Sept. 11 downturn in traffic. Each of the six increased its load factor during the month, compared with May 2001, but none of them made a profit. Continental Airlines, whose 5% year-over-year traffic decrease was the lowest among the six, said its revenue per available seat mile (RASM) was down 10.3% year-over-year in April and 6-8% in May.
U.K. airport authority BAA will help bail out the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), but first wants to see the government commit to match funding and allowed NATS to increase charges. The BAA last week confirmed it is in discussions to provide some 50-60 million pounds ($73-86 million) to NATS to help its financial stability.
Surface operations will be a required topic for practical test standards for both initial and recurrent certifications, U.S. pilots learned last week from a runway-incursion information packet mailed to them by the FAA. Written exams will also contain an increased number of questions related to the subject. Along with a pilot guide to airport signs and markings, the packet includes two advisory circulars, Nos. 120-74 and 91-73, for Part 91, 135 and 121 and 125 operators. The ACs outline the best operating practices that can be incorporated into current procedures.
Mark Ronald, president of BAE Systems North America, Rockville, Md., and chief operating officer of BAE Systems plc of London, has been named to its parent company's board of directors.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington has upheld existing rules established by the FAA that limit how long an airline pilot can legally be on duty irrespective of mechanical problems with an aircraft, weather delays and air traffic control restrictions. Although the decision is viewed as a victory for pilot groups, it is a setback for the Air Transport Assn. (ATA) and the Regional Airline Assn. (RAA), which filed petitions last year challenging a clarification of the duty-time regulations made by the agency in November 2000.
Jim Mason has become vice president/general manager of the mission electronics unit of BAE Systems' Information and Electronic Warfare Systems, Nashua, N.H.
WILLIAM B. SCOTT ( HERNDON, VA., AND COLORADO SPRINGS)
This is Part 2 of a special report on Homeland Security & Defense. Part 1, convering the military response to terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. 2002, appeared last week In the days following terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, U.S. and Canadian military service personnel worked round-the-clock, trying to balance two objectives: protecting the North American continent from more attacks and rebuilding a functional U.S. airspace system. Typically, they were working in uncharted territory.
Low-cost airlines are expected to account for 20-25% of the deliveries of new commercial jets by 2005, compared with about 10% in 2002, according to a Bear Stearns aerospace analyst (see p. 43). About 70% of all orders have originated with these carriers thus far this year. This bodes well for Boeing's production of 777s and new-generation, which could make up approximately 80% of that company's production volume in 2005, versus 55% in 2002.
Mark Baier has become director of sales and Stephen Sheridan director of marketing for London-based NetJets Europe. Baier was director of sales and marketing for TAG Aviation Switzerland, while Sheridan was cofounder/CEO of 9feet.com.
The U.S.' seven network airlines are underfunded in traditional employee pension plans by $12 billion, a consequence of stock market losses over the last two years and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. At least several of the seven airlines face decisions in coming months whether to make payments or to defer them in the industry's darkest period of the last decade. As a group, the U.S. major carriers lost more than $2 billion in the first quarter. And after only gradual improvements in passenger and cargo traffic since Sept.
NASA is creating an unmanned aerial vehicle center to foster science and commercial use of the systems with high-resolution digital imaging technology. One of the challenges to be undertaken is operating UAVs in FAA-controlled airspace; the rules to fly these vehicles in the airspace used by civil airplanes are ill-defined. NASA's Ames Research Center, for instance, plans to operate a solar-powered UAV in commercial airspace, which the organization says would be a first.
Bombardier Aerospace is mulling an offer to acquire Fairchild Dornier's 728 regional twinjet program. A Canadian team last week completed a technical evaluation of the aircraft and the proposed stretched-fuselage 928. ``There is a basis for a commercial analysis,'' Bombardier Chief Executive Robert Brown said. ``Chances [to acquire the 728] are positive but there is much work to do and we are far from a decision,'' he cautioned.
FiatAvio has joined the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 engine team that is developing the powerplant for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Under a memorandum of understanding signed with GE, FiatAvio will be responsible for design, development and manufacture of low-pressure turbine structural components for the engine. Fiat already has a separate agreement with Rolls-Royce to participate in the design, development and manufacture of the accessory gearbox for the F136.
Paul J. Wiedefeld has become executive director of the Maryland Aviation Administration. He has been vice president/manager of the Baltimore office of Parsons Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas Inc.
