The Russian air transport industry is showing signs of stabilizing, as results for 2000 showed an increase in passenger traffic for the first time since 1991. The number of passengers carried on scheduled and charter flights grew by 1.4% last year, to 21.76 million. The overall rise was fueled by a 17.5% increase in passengers carried on international services to 8.4 million. Domestic passenger numbers were down 6.7%, however, to 13.36 million. Cargo carriers saw their business increase by 7.3%, to 530,000 metric tons, with the largest gains on the domestic market.
FiatAvio and Italian Space Agency ASI have set up a venture to develop launch vehicles complementary to Europe's Ariane 5 heavy-lift booster. Owned 70% by FiatAvio, ELV Ltd. will manage the 360-million euro ($335-million) full-scale development contract to be issued next month for Vega, a light launcher intended to occupy the low end of the Ariane line (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 19).
British industry officials are protesting a surprise government decision to scrap guaranteed interest rate loans for purchases of commercial aircraft through the Export Credits Guarantee Dept. (ECGD) as of March 2002. Leaders warn that the move could hurt Airbus sales as the ECGD works closely with its counterparts in France and Germany to support the manufacturer's customers with loans in a manner similar to the way the U.S. Export-Import Bank helps Boeing customers.
It's going to be a tough year for military planners, with lots and lots of new studies they must do. For the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must assess any risks associated with whatever force the study recommends. Service leaders are lauding Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's decision to hold a strategic policy review before launching the QDR. ``We wanted to begin with an over-arching strategic look at what is going on before we delve into program evaluations,'' said Brig. Gen.
A leading senator hopes to overcome past House opposition and obtain Nunn-Lugar funds to dismantle literally millions of Russian chemical weapons, including Scud missile warheads, that are believed to constitute a grave proliferation threat.
Braathens has informed KLM that it does not want to continue its alliance, which runs through 2003, unless it is renegotiated on more favorable terms for the Norwegian carrier. Braathens said that while the partnership has helped KLM in terms of increased feeder traffic from the Nordic region to Amsterdam, the alliance has failed to boost its passenger numbers. Braathens and KLM, which owns 30% of the Norwegian carrier, began the partnership in 1997. Braathens returned to profitability in 2000, but due largely to the sale of assets.
In a bid to aid efforts to make information warfare more operationally relevant, researchers are devising new ways to conduct various forms of cyber, electronic and psychological warfare. But developing the technology to make information warfare effective is only part of the solution. Getting the proper people to conduct these missions, particularly in the emerging cyberwarfare arena, is proving as much of a challenge as the technology is.
The fog of information warfare that hangs heavily over this emerging field isn't likely to lift soon, despite the military's belief it has addressed most of the concerns that have so far stifled the broad-based conduct of cyberwar. Aerospace industry executives familiar with information warfare are optimistic about the field's future, but they point to key problems that continue to plague the present.
The field of bidders has been narrowed to two consortia in the competition to acquire a 46% stake in the U.K.'s National Air Traffic Services. The British government is intent on implementing its plan to partially privatize NATS by April despite continued opposition from the air traffic controllers' union.
The French air force is upgrading its four E-3F AWACS aircraft to comply with European air safety standards. Boeing will integrate systems for GPS satellite navigation and Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM) under a contract worth $25.5 million. Work on the project is scheduled to be completed by October 2002. The U.K.'s seven AWACS received GPS last year, and installation of RVSM equipment began last week.
Predator, the Pentagon's unmanned reconnaissance workhorse, is expanding its combat portfolio. Air Force researchers have completed three airborne live firings of Army Hellfire antiarmor missiles from the Navy-developed UAV.
After three months of beta (field) testing with a U.S. and European carriers, Pratt&Whitney will roll out in March its e-Spares network for new and used engine parts. The backbone of the system comes from Spaceworks Inc., which has been more involved in high-volume consumer goods manufacturing firms such as Maytag and New Balance. Spaceworks broke into aerospace by setting up a similar system for General Electric Aero Engines, but GE is using it to market new parts only.
Officials of the BE A PILOT program plan to implement a $1.8-million, learn-to-fly agenda this year aimed at increasing the number of student pilots. Drew Steketee, president and CEO of the BE A PILOT (BAP) initiative, said the organization's ``aggressive'' business plan will allow it to ``move ahead to new levels in 2001.'' A key point of the revised program will be ``reengaging'' the flight training community in an effort to increase participation, chiefly by improving communications with leading flight training providers.
MTR is offering to assemble, test and maintain MTR390 turboshaft engines for the Tiger helicopter as part of a plan for Australia's Air 87 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program. The work package, which could include manufacturing of tooling and provision for logistics support, would be performed by Turbomeca Australasia, a unit of Turbomeca. Eurocopter also is proposing a plan featuring substantial industry involvement.
Lockheed Martin Aircraft and Logistics has opened an office in Taipei and formed partnerships with several major companies operating in the region, including China Airlines. The move is aimed at turning Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific aircraft maintenance center.
MD Helicopters is showing signs of growth since the operation was purchased from Boeing two years ago by the Dutch firm RDM Holding N.V., with sales up 15% and profit in both 1999 and 2000. The company sold 41 helicopters in 2000 and brought in revenue of $115 million, up from 37 units and $100 million in 1999. The biggest seller--16 aircraft--was the top-end twin-engine MD Explorer, with a list price of $3.1 million.
Congressional auditors are chiming in with criticism of the V-22 Osprey. ``Documents we reviewed indicated that test waivers and limitations reduced testing for operational realism,'' the General Accounting Office (GAO) reports. For instance, testing of the tiltrotor's flying qualities during transition between helicopter and airplane modes was cut 66%.
The Destiny module is shown as a major new addition to the International Space Station in these views (right and below left) taken by the STS-98 Atlantis crew as they separated and flew around the ISS after installation of the 15-ton laboratory. A unique inverted view of the orbiter in space (below right) was also captured by the ISS crew during the flyaround.
Qantas Airways is suspending services to China and Canada and will cut other loss-making international routes. Some of the aircraft will be redeployed on domestic routes, where the Australian carrier is being challenged by low-cost, start-ups Impulse and Virgin, as well as Ansett. Qantas also plans to cut 1,250 positions in the next six months, plus 220 executive and middle management staff, to meet growing cost pressures.
Thomas K. MacGillivray has been appointed senior vice president-finance/chief financial officer of America West Airlines. He held the same positions at Central Newspapers Inc.
Hans-Heinrich Peters has been named vice president-supplier development, Robert Stecher 328JET program manager and Tobias Buck director of general purchasing and e-procurement for Fairchild Dornier, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Peters was head of procurement for equipment and systems in Hamburg, Germany, for EADS-Airbus, while Stecher led the six sigma quality program at General Electric. Jay Jenkins has become Herndon, Va.-based vice president-aircraft sales contracts. He was assistant general counsel for Northwest Airlines.
Next month, White Sands Technology Inc. of Canoga Park, Calif., breaks into the aerospace industrial sector with implementation of its ProActive DBA database diagnostics tool by Lockheed Martin to support its Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) program. LM's Management and Data Systems Div. will use ProActive with its numerous Sybase database systems. ProActive performs such tasks as mapping input/output functions for load balancing, analyzing the structure of a database and the I/O performance of subsystems. It also automates system maintenance.
This spring, EADS plans to begin operating an outdoor radar signature test range in Manching, Germany. Sized for aircraft up to 75 metric tons, the facility features 360-deg. slewing and full-elevation capabilities and is intended to measure electromechanical signatures of the Eurofighter, A400M and other new military aircraft.
Gerald Goguen has been appointed senior vice president-customer service for the Dassault Falcon Jet Corp., Teterboro, N.J., and Bettina H. Chavanne press liaison/senior writer for the company publication The Falconer. Jeffrey Habib has been promoted to vice president from director of international marketing, Ed Barker to vice president-purchasing at the Little Rock, Ark., facility from director of materiel and Robert Smith to vice president-industrial operations at Little Rock from director of commercial completions.
BOEING BUSINESS JETS HAS SIGNED CONTRACTS with Associated Air Center and Jet Management AG to perform warranty and maintenance on the company's line of 737-based BBJ airplanes. Dallas-based Associated Air Center and Europe-based Jet Management will become factory-authorized service and repair centers, and have experience with maintaining and outfitting Next-Generation 737s. There are 24 BBJs in service worldwide, according to the company.
