The crucial new technology for both the Air Force's planned ``smart tanker'' and new intelligence-gathering aircraft is something no one has talked about yet, says a top Pentagon official. ``It's a communications systems called `Jitters.''' The name comes from joint tactical radio system. It's planned as the baseline roll-on, roll-off communications relay package. ``That data link will provide networking across all frequencies and all bandwidths for tactical battle management,'' the official said.
The steep drop in airline traffic following Sept. 11--and the devastating impact the sudden decline had on carriers and aerospace suppliers--is testing the skills of aviation analysts whose job is to forecast the market for new commercial aircraft. ``We're in uncharted territory, which means traditional models are apt to be less reliable,'' Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia said.
Inadequate government funding of research and technology will jeopardize Britain's future as a preeminent player in both the defense and commercial aerospace markets, according to the U.K. industry association. The concern reflects wider European malaise. While the warnings may smack of special pleading, the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) echoes other European industry groups. If their assessment is correct, the assertions have obvious economic implications.
Boeing is encouraged by some initial signs of improvement in the airline industry six months after the terrorist attacks that crippled a large segment of the company's commercial customer base. Gradually increasing airline load factors and a leveling off of the number of aircraft being placed in storage each month are viewed as positives, although airline revenues are still off and overcapacity continues with underutilized operational fleets and a ``desert fleet'' totaling more than 2,000 aircraft.
U.S. special operations forces' critical role in the war on terrorism is not without cost. In addition to the loss of life in accidents and confrontations in both Afghanistan and the Philippines, the Pentagon sees emerging shortages in critical special ops aircraft. The impact has been broad-based, affecting several different types of aircraft, a reflection of the scope of special ops activities. And the situation could worsen before it improves. The U.S. plans to expand its counterterror operations to support governments in Yemen and Georgia.
Aviation Daily, an Aviation Week-affiliated newsletter, reports the NTSB has adopted the final report on the October 1999 crash of EgyptAir Flight 990, concluding that the relief pilot put the plane into an unrecoverable dive for undetermined reasons. The final report, approved unanimously by the five-member board, is expected to be released in a few days. It differs little from a draft circulated to the Egyptian delegation 11 months ago. The Egyptian delegation has maintained that an elevator system failure could have caused the nose to drop, leading to the crash.
Michiko Lisa Lindsey has become associate counsel for Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures, Long Beach, Calif. She was an associate at the San Diego law firm of Luce, Forward, Hamilton&Scripps.
A ``green'' airport development in the Thames Estuary is being touted as a potential solution to Great Britain's growing requirement for runway capacity. National press reports identified a marshland site in southeast England as a possible location for a new London airport. However, it is in an area where environmental concerns run high. A U.K. government consultation paper to be published in May is likely to weigh the provision of additional runways.
Jacqueline Yeaney has been appointed managing director for marketing of Delta Air Lines and Susan Judson district manager of Delta's Reservation Sales Contact Center in Cincinnati. Joan E. Spero has been named to the board of directors. She is president of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and a former undersecretary of State.
The first U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin Atlas V evolved expendable launch vehicle has been rolled out to Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral for propellant loading tests. The transfer to the pad of the first EELV flight vehicle after seven years of planning and development marks the beginning of a new era for U.S. unmanned booster operations.
Charles Broman, former general manager of the Tucson (Ariz.) Airport Authority and a former president of the American Assn. of Airport Executives, has received the AAAE's Lifetime Leadership Award.
A blue-ribbon panel of Japan's Transport Ministry has requested the minister to provide slots for Japan's small domestic carriers for new routes when Tokyo's Narita Airport's second runway opens Apr. 18. The new 2,180-meter (7,150-ft.) runway and the distribution of 882 weekly international slots are to be decided by the end of March. Narita's existing 4,000-meter runway is the nation's busiest for international services. Local opposition to noise forced the airport to accept a shortened second runway, limiting its usefulness for international services.
Spot Image has concluded a three-year partnership deal with ImageONE that will give the Japanese company exclusive rights to sell Spot products for security applications in Japan, Spot Image's largest Asian market. The accord, which follows a five-year agreement with DigitalGlobe of the U.S. in January, will focus heavily on 2.5-meter very-wide-area images and high-resolution 3D ortho-imaging data to be provided by Spot 5, set for launch in April (AW&ST Jan. 28, p. 33).
William R. Moreu has been appointed director of flight operations for the Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp. of San Antonio. He was director of engineering for The New Piper Aircraft Co.
UAL Corp.'s Avolar subsidiary may yet salvage its venture into the burgeoning fractional ownership market, but the prospects for success appear to have dimmed considerably.
This electrostatic oil cleaning system removes insoluble contaminants, including tars and varnishes, from hydraulic oil system. The system uses electrostatic principles to draw contaminants out of the oil, trapping them on the surface of the collector. Only insoluable contaminants are extracted. Use of the system reduces the need for repeated oil changes and system downtime, according to the company. Each unit has a modular design, and can be field mounted as a dedicated unit. They can also be used on a rotational basis.
Despite last year's heavy losses, Lufthansa German Airlines executives say the carrier expects to become profitable again in 2002. Traffic is expected to reach pre-Sept. 11 levels, and some parked aircraft would be returned to service. Last year's loss of 591 million euros ($520 million), which was worse than financial analysts had predicted, included the dire straits of catering subsidiary LSG SkyChefs. Lufthansa's operating profit, although a low $17.6 million, reportedly was in line with in-house expectations.
Hubble Space Telescope engineers are spending this week activating an advanced mechanical refrigeration system that they expect will restore the telescope's infrared vision, but without the vibration that could blur images of some of the most distant objects in the universe.
Jerry Agee has been appointed vice president/general manager of TRW Systems' Missile Defense Div., Reston, Va. Patrick Caruana has been named vice president of TRW Space&Electronics' Missile Defense, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Summary of U.S. Regional Airline Service Changes January 2002 vs. January 2001 Alaska America Airlines West American Continental Partners Express Eagle Express Number of Hubs: 2 2 9 3 Regional Route Type: (1) All-New: - Regional Jet (RJ) exclusive 0 4 25 5
The importance of long-term preferential relationships between prime contractors and suppliers is growing and is likely to be reinforced by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, industry officials say.
If ongoing efforts to devise a rescue plan and secure more funding fail, Fairchild Dornier could be the first post-Sept.-11 industrial casualty. The Munich-based company, the third-largest regional twinjet manufacturer behind Bombardier and Embraer, is reportedly talking with potential partners to provide some major funding and a revised business plan.
NASA's Kennedy Space Center and USAF's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station continue to maintain tight security for potential terrorist attack against unmanned launch vehicles and the space shuttle--both especially vulnerable when fueled on their launch pads. During the Mar. 1 launch of the shuttle Columbia for its Hubble servicing mission, F-15s patrolled the immediate Kennedy area while F-16s flew over central Florida. A USAF air defense radar, especially suited to low-altitude threats, was also positioned at the Cape and used in connection with FAA radar surveillance.
MTU Aero Engines of Germany has boosted revenues by 18% in its financial year 2001. Revenues totaled 2.5 billion euros ($2.2 billion) mainly because of increased civil sales. Managing Director Klaus Steffens said sales were likely to decrease in 2002 and 2003, but the company would outperform the competition and gain market share. MTU has not yet disclosed profit figures.
The ST3400 terrain avoidance and warning system (TAWS) will add interface capability for Goodrich's Skywatch traffic awareness system and Stormscope lightning detection system. Pilots operating aircraft equipped with either of the Goodrich systems, along with the ST3400, will be able to view traffic and/or lightning data on the ST3400 display. It mounts directly in the primary field of view of the pilot, and is offered as an optional dual-redundant system for both pilot and copilot.
