Boeing concluded a strategic alliance with Mitsubishi Electric covering space telecom, air traffic management, multimedia, navigation and launchers. The alliance included a block buy for Delta IV boosters that could amount to six satellite launches. Boeing said it was the fifth block buy from a foreign customer. The two companies also signed an agreement to jointly explore commercial space opportnities such as resupply of the International Space Station, scientific experiments and space manufacture.
Astrium has begun qualification testing on the first of three flight-standard vehicle equipment bays for the Ariane 5 Plus launcher upgrade program. The bay, being tested by Intespace of Toulouse on an engineering model of Astrium's Eurostar 3000 5-metric-ton class bus, is intended for the Ariane 5V. The 5V upgrade, equipped with a restartable upper stage and a geostationary-transfer-orbit lift capability of 7 metric tons, will make its first flight in May 2002.
A Russian-operated Antonov An-124 heavy-lift freighter arrived on Hainan Island, China, on June 16 and parked in front of a U.S. Navy EP-3 surveillance aircraft. The EP-3 was damaged in a midair collision on Mar. 31 with a Chinese interceptor. U.S. technicians will disassemble the EP-3 for airlift back to the U.S.
The FAA has long counted runway incursions--incidents in which an aircraft, vehicle or, occasionally even a person, is on, or too close to, a runway when it shouldn't be. Now it's going to categorize them, following an analysis that shows the number of serious runway incursions is not increasing, only the minor or inconsequential ones. The findings are based on a review by a government-industry team of 1,359 incursions reported at 297 tower-controlled airports in 1997-2000.
Angela Thomas has become director of public relations and Bob DeTrano director of reservations for American Trans Air. Thomas was manager of communications for Nuveen Investments in Chicago. DeTrano was senior director of central operations for the ANC Rental Corp.
It was a busy week for Arianespace, which received orders to launch three Panamsat telecom satellites, two spacecraft for an unidentified customer, Europe's Rosetta comet probe and the French third-generation military communications satellite Syracuse 3, in addition to the LOI from Inmarsat. Confirmation of the Inmarsat order would mean 11 orders for the year, just one shy of the company's lower-range forecast for the entire year, officials said.
The Swissair Group's troubled French affiliates and Ivory Coast-based Air Afrique, which is also struggling for survival, expect Air France to play a major role in urgently needed rescue plans. The French flag carrier, however, is expressing no interest in Air Liberte and AOM. But it owns a minority stake in Air Afrique, and the French government maintains close links with the multinational African carrier's owner states and could be required to support efforts to quickly devise a survival strategy.
Taiwanese army Patriot fire units shot down a surrogate tactical ballistic missile target and an MPQ 107 target drone simulating a cruise missile in the first live firings in Taiwan of the Raytheon-supplied weapon system. Both targets were destroyed by Patriot Advanced Capability Phase 2 (PAC-2) missiles. Taiwan is not equipped with the more advanced PAC-3 missile, a hit-to-kill weapon that is much more effective against tactical ballistic missile targets.
Toronto-based Spar Aerospace Ltd. was selected by Greece's Defense Ministry to undertake the C-130 avionics upgrade program for the Greek air force. The contract is expected to be worth in excess of $100 million over a three-year period.
Malaysia Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are planning to form an alliance that would align marketing and sales activities beginning with code-share flights between hubs at Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam. Plans call for establishment of a joint venture on the route, and sharing of costs and revenues. Airlines affiliated with KLM and Malaysia would be involved in the new initiative, according to both carriers.
Airlines are jockeying for position as U.S. and U.K. negotiators prepare to meet informally this week in London on liberalizing the world's most restrictive aviation bilateral. American and United are the only U.S. carriers allowed to serve Heathrow under the current agreement, but both support an open skies deal that would end their hegemony. The reason: both need open skies to seek antitrust immunity that would cement their transatlantic alliances, American with Oneworld partner British Airways and United with Star Alliance partner British Midland. But three big U.S.
Sweden's LFV civil aviation authority and U.S.-based Airis Corp. have formed a joint company to develop cargo business at certain airports. A $1-billion investment is planned for Cargo City Syd, a new facility at Arlanda Airport, and Gothenburg's Landvetter Airport is next on the agenda for expansion. LFV's director of group marketing, Dan Lundvall, said cargo volumes in Sweden are forecast to double from 300,000 tons to 600,000 tons by 2010.
The Turkish air force has stepped up plans for a $12-million simulation center for training pilots in the wake of the three recent CN-235 crashes that killed 41 people. To be built by Ankara-based Havelsan, the center is expected to be completed next year. The airplane that crashed 30 sec. after takeoff last month at the Turkish Aerospace Industries facilities was one of nine being modified for use by the navy and coast guard. A preliminary report indicates possible control problems with the aileron system. The final report is due in 6-8 months.
Alexis Livanos (see photo) has been promoted to executive vice president from senior vice president-operations of Boeing Satellite Systems, El Segundo, Calif.
The U.S. Navy plans to initiate a sweeping review of its role in space in the wake of decisions by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to reshuffle the military's space management.
An A400M contract is expected to be signed before the end of the year as European defense ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the program, pledging to acquire 212 of the military transports.
Delta Air Lines pilots ratified a five-year contract valued at $2.5 billion in wages, benefits and work rules, which sets a new post-deregulation standard. Wage increases of 24-39% for mainline pilots go into effect July 1 (AW&ST Apr. 30, p. 43). A Boeing 777 captain with 12 years' experience will make $319.61 an hour with the last raise on May 1, 2004, an increase from $258.11.
Flight testing has begun on the Avionics Capabilities Enhancement (ACE) F-16 being developed by a consortium of Israeli defense companies. The upgraded aircraft conducted several flight tests before being flown to France where it was on display at the Paris air show. Under the program, led by Israel Aircraft Industries Lahav Div. and Elbit Systems, the F-16's original avionics have been replaced with a number of Israeli-developed systems such as: -- IAI Elta's EL/M-2032 fire control radar with SAR modes.
THE CHINA (XI'AN) AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY Group will buy CAE's MAXVUE visual system for installation in a simulator for its new MA-60 turboprop regional aircraft. The MA-60 was unveiled in March 2000 to serve China's growing demand for regional aircraft transportation. Beijing Aviation Simulation Co. will add CAE's visual system to the simulator it is building for the MA-60, which is also known as the Xin Zhou 60. The sale is CAE's first to Beijing Aviation Simulation Co.
Raytheon Aircraft Co. sold at least 45 new business aircraft, including 11 Premier I jets and 22 Hawker 450s, during the first week of the Paris air show at Le Bourget, France. The sales are valued at more than $300 million.
Maintaining aging avionics in military aircraft is a complex and growing problem that is already hurting readiness and threatening to spin out of control unless some big changes are made, according to a study commissioned by the Secretary of the Air Force.
The European Space Agency is proposing to substantially increase spending in science, Earth observation and telecommunications. The proposal, submitted for comments to ESA's ruling council last week, is designed to benefit from a growing realization within Europe of the strategic value of space and the scope it affords for creating high-tech jobs and strengthening the economy (AW&ST June 18, p. 88).
Elettronica is developing a wing-mounted system to protect aircraft against radar-guided missiles that the company says could spell the end of towed decoys. If it proves sufficiently capable at decoying missiles, the wingtip-mounted Cross-Eye system would remove the maneuvering limitations of a towed decoy. Eliminating the need to replace all towed decoys deployed on a mission would produce significant life-cycle savings.
