BOEING HAS SELECTED ROCKWELL COLLINS to provide systems for the USAF C-130 avionics modernization program. The project aims to equip the aircraft to operate in the global air traffic management environment, as well as to modernize hardware. The company will supply its Flight Dynamics Head-Up Guidance System, multifunction displays, ARC-210 radios, SAT-2000 multimode receivers and improvements to the high-frequency data link. About 500 aircraft are scheduled for modernization, in an effort that could be worth $400 million to Rockwell Collins.
India suffered its first terrorist attack last week that was linked to U.S. actions in Afghanistan when a four-member Mujahedin suicide squad posing as policemen attempted to breach a high-security Indian air force base at Avantipur's Quils airport in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. A number of IAF fighter squadrons are based there. The encounter took place about 2 km. (1.25 mi.) from the base's main roadway. In an exchange of gunfire, the Mujahedin were killed, as was a noncombatant Indian; five Indians were injured.
Bombardier Aerospace will formally launch development of a new super-large business jet called the Global 5000 by the end of the year. The first flight is scheduled for the first quarter of 2003, with type certification expected in the first quarter of 2004. It will be the company's 12th new aircraft in as many years. The Global 5000 will be a derivative of the ultra-long-range Bombardier Global Express, and will be powered by Rolls-Royce Deutschland BR710A2-20 engines--the same ones used on the Global Express.
THE KOREA AREA CONTROL CENTER is now in operation using Lockheed Martin's SkyLine air traffic management system, making the Inchon Airport facility, in Seoul, the largest SkyLine installation in Asia. The new facility is managing 860 aircraft movements daily in the Korea Flight Information Region. Capabilities include radar data and flight data processing, multi-sensor tracking, and human-computer interface tools to simplify controller tasks. Prime contractor for the installation was Samsung Data Systems, which also provided the consoles, installation and training.
The Bulgarian government is negotiating with EADS for the modernization of 20 MiG-29 fighters and associated ground logistics. The project, which follows a Council of Ministers decision in September not to acquire new aircraft, is expected to cost around $50-100 million, depending on the extent of the upgrade, and could get underway early next year.
In an emotionally charged atmosphere and lacking political consensus, the French government is scheduled to make its decision soon on the location of a third Paris airport. Forecasts show that traffic handled by the French capital's airports will grow to 140 million passengers per year by 2020, up from 73.6 million in 2000, or more than 50 million passengers beyond the limits set for operations at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly.
The Pentagon is considering buying more replenishment Predator unmanned aircraft and bolstering other intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) programs, taking advantage of a new funding climate in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
No ifs ands or buts about it, Lockheed Martin's victory in the Joint Strike Fighter competition is a huge win for the company and its teammates Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Now the jockeying begins to determine what to do with the losing team of Boeing and Raytheon.
Families of six of the 104 victims in the crash of a 737 in December 1997 lost their negligence suit against SilkAir, a Singapore Airlines subsidiary, last week in a Singapore court (AW&ST July 9, p. 51). From the start, Judge Tan Lee Meng appeared troubled by the lack of direct evidence showing that Capt. Tsu Way Ming deliberately put the aircraft into an unrecoverable dive as a way of committing suicide. In his 132-page ruling, Tan said the plaintiff's case ``rested on circumstantial evidence'' that was inconclusive.
Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings Inc., parent of Dulles, Va.-based Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA), reported a net income of $12.8 million (or diluted earnings per share of 28 cents) for the third quarter, which includes a $4.6-million pretax compensation from the post-Sept. 11 federal grant, and $10-million net income excluding the funding. For the same quarter last year, ACA reported a net income of $2.7 million (including nonrecurring tax credits and a charge for the early retirement of turboprop aircraft) or $6.5 million excluding credits and charges.
James P. Holden has been appointed to the board of directors of Sirius Satellite Radio of New York. He is former president/CEO of the DaimlerChrysler Corp.
A series of recent NASA research flights demonstrated the maturity of ``synthetic vision'' systems and their value in making safe approaches and departures at airports surrounded by mountainous terrain.
Joel Feldschuh, the former CEO of El Al Israel Airlines and onetime head of Israel Air Force intelligence, will lead an aviation security consulting firm being established in the New York area to serve the U.S. market. Plans to set up Ganden Security Services Solutions (GS3) were underway before Sept. 11, but the principals say there is a much greater need for its services now. The company will offer consulting, crisis management, advanced technology development, recovery planning and training for airports, airlines, government agencies and the aerospace industry.
Sirius Satellite Radio has pushed back its commercial launch date until next year to allow time for in-vehicle testing of its service in six more markets. Launch of the digital pay-radio service was most recently set for the end of 2001. The startup has been hampered by problems with the chipsets that allow car radios to receive signals from the three Sirius satellites in elliptical orbits set for maximum ``hang time'' over the U.S., and has seen its stock drop from $53.19 in January to less than $3.
Nicholas A. Sabatini has become associate FAA administrator for regulation and certification. He succeeds Thomas E. McSweeny, who is retiring Oct. 31. Sabatini was director of the FAA's Flight Standards Service.
The European airline industry's post-Sept. 11 downturn is exacerbating financial concerns, further weakening the most fragile players and intensifying the need for consolidation. The European Commission (EC), policy makers and analysts agree that the fragmented European airline industry should be restructured. However, national pride remains stronger than economy statistics, so governments continue to pour more bailout funding into ailing flag carriers despite the realities of the marketplace.
Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., director of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, and Neil de Grasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, have been named president and vice president, respectively, of The Planetary Society, Pasadena, Calif. Louis Friedman continues as executive director and a director.
Lockheed Martin has completed development testing of its PAC-3 ballistic missile and air-defense system and will now turn the system over to the U.S. Army for an independent assessment. So far the system scored 12 successes out of 13 tests. The first operational test is slated for January with a full-rate production decision planned for 2003. Moreover, the company is arguing that the international (U.S., German, Italian) Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) program should be accelerated.
Robert Garrymore has been appointed Woodbridge, N.J.-based senior vice president-aircraft management sales and Julie Diamond as Van Nuys, Calif.-based vice president-aircraft charter sales for Executive Jet Management of Cincinnati.
In a further sign of increased reliance on small spacecraft for Earth observation, French space agency CNES is fleshing out a new mission that would use a Ka-band microsatellite for altimetry applications.
U.S. defense contractors may reap fresh business from India as a result of the easing of Washington's sanctions against the subcontinent in the wake of the Sept. 11 disaster. Indian officials say the Bush Administration wants to explore cooperation in a number of long-delayed military programs, including the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft and the Advanced Light Helicopter. Both have languished for years for want of funding. The U.S.
Lufthansa is making even deeper cuts to its flight network and will ground more aircraft in an effort to reduce capacity and costs in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., which have hit the airline more seriously than anticipated.
AMR Corp., parent company of American Airlines and TWA LLC, suffered a record net loss during the third quarter of $525 million, or $3.40 per share, as senior officials warned of further bloodletting in the fourth-quarter due to weak traffic projections and persistent low yields. After special items, a government grant and two one-time charges, AMR's net loss was adjusted to $414 million compared to earnings of $313 million a year ago.
United Bizjet Holdings has concluded a contract to purchase 122 Falcon Jets from Dassault Aviation for its new fractional ownership program. The deal covers 46 aircraft firm plus 76 on option--significantly more than the 100-aircraft order placed under an initial letter of intent signed at the Paris air show (AW&ST June 25, p. 28). The difference is accounted for by 22 midsize Falcon 50 EXs not included in the LOI.
