Fearful that the F-22 program could grind to a stop if it can't meet established performance milestones in the next two months, senior U.S. Air Force officials are asking lawmakers for help to keep the program going.
Bob Jacobs has been named chief of news and information at NASA headquarters in Washington. He was projects manager for the Washington-based Broadcast Technology Div. of Associated Press.
ADAM AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES PLANS TO BEGIN construction of four M-309 prototype aircraft for FAA certification to FAR Part 23 standards. The Englewood, Colo.-based company anticipates beginning production in 2003. The twin-engine Adam M-309, designed by Burt Rutan, features centerline thrust configuration and a composite airframe. Projected performance includes a maximum cruise speed of 250 kt., range of 1,500 naut. mi., and a 2,300-lb. useful load. No price has been set, according to the company.
Aer Lingus was forced to ground all of its flights last week due to a 24-hr. strike by cabin crews over pay. Officials at the Irish carrier said most operations were back to normal the following day. The dispute has been referred to the country's Labor Relations Committee, and a series of meetings between airline and union representatives were planned for late last week. Aer Lingus, which is set to be privatized, has been hit by a series of industrial disputes. Baggage handlers have staged a series of 2-hr.
A rush of revenues from strong third-quarter traffic growth allowed AirTran Airways to overcome a 96% increase in fuel costs, compared to the third quarter last year, and produce net income of $8.9 million. The earnings, an increase of 127% over the third quarter last year, represented the airline's seventh consecutive profitable quarter.
Air Afrique has chosen Pratt&Whitney Engine Services to maintain and overhaul PW4168A engines on the two Airbus A330-200 aircraft that the carrier is leasing from International Lease Finance Corp. Pratt&Whitney will provide off-wing overhaul and repair under a seven-year program.
Raytheon Aerospace Co. has received a one-year, $77.2-million contract from the U.S. Navy to provide contractor logistics support for 312 T-34C and 55 T-44A aircraft. The contract comes with four, one-year options to renew.
THE NEW JERSEY AVIATION ASSN., WHICH INCLUDES representatives from Honeywell, Boeing, Lucent Technologies, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and airport operators, has been formed to highlight positive economic contributions generated by airports and aviation businesses in the region. There are about 100,000 aeronautical jobs in New Jersey, which boasts a $1.8-billion aeronautical industry, according to the association.
CSA Czech Airlines is set to become the fifth member of SkyTeam in the spring of 2001, boosting the alliance's competitive position in Central and Eastern Europe.
NATO and European Union military officials are entering a critical phase as they try to iron out the details that would govern military coexistence and cooperation between the two multinational institutions. Some of the specifics to be negotiated in coming weeks are substantial. They involve intelligence sharing, how a EU-led military operation could use NATO military assets, and what the role will be of the deputy NATO commander, traditionally a European officer, in EU operations.
Senior U.S. Air Force officials have expressed concern that BAE Systems' proposed acquisition of Lockheed Martin's Sanders unit could jeopardize sensitive signals intelligence technology. For instance, Sanders builds the low-band component of the Pentagon's Joint Sigint Airborne Family, a suite of sensors that will be used on intelligence-gathering aircraft such as the RC-135 Rivet Joints, U-2S and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. ``We are a little bit concerned about possible ramifications downstream if this merger occurred,'' one service official says.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. (ret.) Thomas G. Rhame, who has been vice president-membership and meetings of the Assn. of the United States Army, has become vice president-administration and finance, succeeding Arthur S. Welch, who has retired but will be an AUSA consultant.
General Dynamics and Textron reported double-digit earnings improvements for the third quarter, while Honeywell International posted a 49% drop in net income, to $282 million. Meanwhile, Raytheon showed signs of being able to sustain its financial turnaround, posting income from continuing operations of $133 million, or 39 cents a diluted share. That compares with a net loss of $89 million, or 26 cents a share, in the same period a year ago.
In good times and in bad, labor unions have been successful at retaining members and organizing employees in the world airline industry. As globalization trends put jobs and wages at risk, labor will continue to grow in size and influence.
TAG Aviation has received approval for a series of runway, air traffic control and safety improvements at Farnborough airport designed to make the facility a key base for business aviation in Europe, according to Roger McMullin, CEO of the London-based company. The airport, currently operated under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense, would eventually undergo certification by the British Civil Aviation Authority in the third quarter of 2002.
The Aerochem Inc. Div. of Ducommun Inc. will supply finished detail parts for satellite battery assemblies for Hughes Space and Communications Co. under a $4.6-million work order over two-plus years.
GALAXY AEROSPACE PRESIDENT AND CEO BRIAN E. BARENTS said the company expects to begin marketing its Galaxy business jet and the Astra SPX through a major fractional ownership operator within the next 60 days. He said the Fort Worth-based manufacturer also is studying expansion of the product line, and is interested in pursuing development of a supersonic business jet (SSBJ).
Congress killed the Discoverer 2 space-based radar satellite demonstration all because of a big ``misunderstanding,'' opines Pentagon's acquisition czar Jacques Gansler. The Defense Dept. had no plan for out-year funding to actually buy a full constellation of the satellites. Congress read that as a lack of support for D2 within the Pentagon, Gansler believes. Still, he insists, this was one of the few projects that the National Reconnaissance Office, the Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) agreed on funding.
Despite a failed bid to provide the launch engine to Singapore Airlines for its Airbus A3XX mega-transports, the engine alliance formed by General Electric and Pratt&Whitney is looking forward to the next round of competition that will again pit its GP7270 against the Rolls-Royce Trent 900. Airlines likely to be shopping for A3XX engines in the near future are Emirates, Air France and possibly Qantas.
Airport planners and consultants are warning that today's air traffic delays will worsen in the coming decade as strong air transport growth continues to outpace runway-building projects in much of the world.
Japan is proposing a new policy for distributing and pricing remote-sensing data. The policy would create a single pricing mechanism offering raw imagery to all users based on reproduction cost, except for an additional royalty fee for commercial users. Value-added imagery would be sold at market prices, or made available to users on a task-sharing or cooperative basis. Web use would be free. The current two-tier pricing policy, which charges scientific users at cost and the general public at market rates, has failed to generate widespread demand for imaging services.
Singapore Airlines' selection of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 to power its Airbus A3XX aircraft has not only given Rolls-Royce the prestige of being the launch engine for the mega-transport, it also means that customers seeking delivery slots during the first six months of A3XX production may have no alternative other than to select Rolls' engines.
SALES OF NEW BUSINESS AIRCRAFT THIS YEAR will reach 555 units, according to AvData and The CIT Group. In addition, sales of used aircraft could increase to 2,400 before declining slightly to 2,375 next year.
The Joint Strike Fighter is still the front-runner to fulfill a U.K. requirement for a new carrier-based aircraft, although a final decision is not expected to come until later this year. The U.K. has to make a decision by January 2001, if it wants to take full advantage of being a full collaborative partner in the next phase of the JSF program.
