German military forces recently completed the 1,000th launch of the CL-289 reconnaissance UAV during a training exercise at the Bergen training range in Lower Saxony, Germany. The Franco-German CL-289 has operated for three years in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, flying 237 missions from December 1998-July 1999, for example. NATO has awarded EADs' Dornier unit a contract to equip 140 of the UAVs with ADA operational software as part of a plan to develop a crisis management and conflict prevention capability.
Southwest Airlines has become the launch customer for a CFM56-3 core engine upgrade kit that will increase the durability and temperature capability of the U.S.-French powerplant. Under the agreement reached by the companies, CFM International will certify the upgrades in early 2002 and begin delivering kits to the carrier several months later, around the middle of the year. Southwest plans to buy about 300 upgrade kits and should receive its last one in 2005. The cost of each kit is about $1 million.
Keith Mordoff has become senior vice president-communications of the Frederick, Md.-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. A former bureau chief for Aviation Week&Space Technology, Mordoff was last director of communications for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Ga.
Jeffrey H. Ehlers (see photo) has become vice president-finance/chief financial officer of Galaxy Aerospace of Fort Worth. He was vice president-project management for the NTS Virginia Development Co.
The UAL Corp. board of directors has voted to authorize United Airlines to establish a business jet fractional ownership program. United Airlines will start negotiating with manufacturers for orders and options so it can have a fleet of 200 business jets by 2005.
Capt. William Hagan and his crew have won the IFALPA Polaris Award for airmanship and professionalism. They were crewmembers of a British Airways Boeing 747 that plunged 10,000 ft. after an armed intruder broke into the cockpit and tried to take control of the aircraft during a flight to Nairobi, Kenya. Hagan and his crew subdued the intruder and regained control of the aircraft.
In six months, the FAA plans to review procedures used by U.S. airlines to schedule pilot duty and rest time, and will deal ``stringently'' with any violations of federal requirements.
Morrie Goodman has become vice president-communications for Boeing Air Traffic Management in Washington. He was press secretary/director of public affairs at the U.S. Commerce Dept.
Despite the aerospace/defense industry's fast-moving consolidation, which recently reduced the number of major players in the U.S. and Europe, participation in next month's Paris air show will exceed the level of two years ago.
Whether NATO will ever have a free-flowing transatlantic arms market hinges mainly on allowing economic rationality to prevail over alliance politics, which is enmeshed in broad controversies ranging from government research subsidies to arms control and the structure of strategic forces.
Raytheon Co. could hardly be under more pressure to deliver on performance goals it promised to the financial and investment community--perhaps more so than for any other major aerospace/defense contractor today.
Barely four months into his first term, President Bush finds himself surrounded by opposition to his missile defense plan in Europe, Asia and North America, with little sign of headway in the Administration's diplomatic offensive to allay fears of a new arms race.
John Greet has become vice president-finance/chief financial officer, Thomas Bosshard vice president-aircraft completions, Kay Ardalan vice president-product support, Piotr (Pete) Wolak vice president-customer programs, Johanna Avery vice president-organization development and Jim McGowan vice president-government and fleet sales, all of Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd., Broomfield, Colo.
Messier Services has chosen Intentia's Movex Aviation enterprise resource planning system for its maintenance, repair and overhaul business. Intentia is now defining Messier Services' commercial, production and financial processes under a 3-million-euro ($2.6-million) contract, and expects the system will become operational in mid-2002. Messier said it selected Movex Aviation because it is proven in the MRO field, and Intentia's expertise provides good support. Messier Services handles Messier-Dowty landing gear and Messier-Bugatti braking and hydraulic systems.
ITT INDUSTRIES AEROSPACE/Communications Div. will upgrade 12 GPS Block IIR satellite payloads already under contract, adding a second civil signal and two new military signals. Lockheed Martin Space Systems awarded a $38.9-million contract to ITT for the effort. Under the new contract, modernization will begin in 2003, with all 12 improved IIRs in service by 2006, instead of 2015 as previously planned.
The National Transportation Safety Board is renewing its calls for the FAA to rapidly deploy new in-cockpit anti-collision technologies to stem the growing number of runway incursions at U.S. airports. The message was part of the board's annual ``Most Wanted'' safety recommendations meeting that included aviation, highway, railroad, research and cross-modal areas of concern as well.
Rolls-Royce has added Volvo Aero as a risk- and revenue-sharing partner on the Trent 900 engine, being developed for the Airbus A380, and the Trent 500, for the A340-500/-600. Although no financial details were revealed, the companies said the contract represents the largest cooperation between the two engine makers to date. The Swedish company will be responsible for design, development and manufacture of the intermediate compressor case for both powerplants. Volvo said it would start delivering components for the Trent 500 in the first quarter of 2002.
Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman's unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, may be the beneficiary if Operation Northern Watch over Iraq is abandoned--which is looking likely, so that more defense spending can be put into modernization. The long-endurance UAV could keep an eye on the Iraqis. Anticipating Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's longer range priorities, Pentagon officials are considering accelerating Global Hawk production to 4-6 per year from two. They also are eying making Global Hawk capable of performing the U-2's more varied roles by 2005 instead of 2009.
Aeropostale, France's historic postal airline jointly owned by Air France and the French postal service, is being succeeded by Europe Airpost, a newly formed affiliate of Sofipost, a subsidiary of La Poste. Europe Airpost operates 54 nighttime flights between Paris and 20 regional points to ensure nationwide next-day delivery of first-class mail. Its 30-aircraft fleet includes three Airbus A300Fs and 16 all-cargo and Quick Change Boeing 737-200/-300s. To boost overall efficiency, up to 10 737s are scheduled to operate daytime charter flights.
Rolls-Royce and South African Airlink have completed a $100 million, 10-year agreement to maintain and support AE3007 engines that power the airline's twin-engine Embraer ERJ-135 jets. Airlink, which is owned in part by South African Airways, recently took delivery of its first -135 and has orders for 30 more of the airplanes plus options for another 40. Deliveries are scheduled to end in 2008. Airlink is the first carrier in Africa to operate the AE3007, according to Rolls-Royce.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer reported first-quarter 2001 net income of $94.5 million, which the company said was 124.2% greater than for the first quarter of 2000. Total revenues were $756.4 million, a nearly 30% increase over the $582.6 million reported for the year-ago period.
Air New Zealand and Pratt&Whitney will jointly provide overhaul and repair services for Pratt JT8D, International Aero Engines V2500 turbofans and Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops.
NASA has awarded 22 contractors a total of $767 million for the first phase of its $4.8-billion Space Launch Initiative (SLI) program to push technologies that will be needed to develop a space shuttle replacement later in the decade.
Lufthansa pilots walked out again last week as the airline moved to head off labor action by other unions and a threatened rejection of an alliance with Austrian Airlines by European government authorities. The pilots union called a one-day work stoppage for May 17--the second in as many weeks and the third since the union staged a warning strike earlier this month--despite a sweetened offer by Lufthansa management. Late last week, there was no sign that talks were ready to resume.
William F. Ballhaus, Jr., has been named CEO of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif. He was president and succeeds Edward C. (Pete) Aldridge, Jr., who is now under secretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Ray F. Johnson has been promoted to vice president of Space Launch Operations from general manager of the Launch Programs Div. He succeeds John F. Willacker, who has retired. Linda Drake has been promoted to general manager of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Div.
