When Congress began to cap Pentagon budgets in 2011, the process of recovering from a decade of failed, delayed and over-budget major procurements was only starting. Ever since, lawmakers and defense officials have been tussling over how to cull older systems to pay for future ones. And more of the same type of wrangling looks likely for 2015.
Much hinges on the outcome of the 2015 elections. In Stephen Harper’s nine-year run as prime minister, his team has attempted a number of ambitious procurements, but overall budget stringency has delayed these efforts. New faces at the helm could help or hinder the procurement process.
The renewal of Germany’s rotary-wing fleet is being given a top priority as the country resumes spending on defense equipment. Officials have been charged with closing an €8 billion ($10 billion) deal, pending since March 2013, with Airbus Helicopters.
The push to have more defense industry-related manufacturing built indigenously is hurting India in the short run, but the benefits could outweigh the pain.
Increasing commercialization, the growing popularity of small satellites, and human spaceflight are factors that will drive the launch industry and result in production of a projected 759 launch vehicles worth $67 billion over the next 10 years.
According to company officials, the T-X Hawk is likely to feature an F-35-style single screen display in both the front and rear cockpits. It will also have a structurally different wing with fewer pylons—five instead of the current seven
The long shadow of China is having an affect on all other nations in the region. This looming presence bolsters the need for aircraft and submarines and is a key element in all defense budget planning.
Jan. 27-29—Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working Meeting, The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, California. See www.cvent.com/d/9rqnfl Feb. 1-3—Routes Americas. Denver. See www.routesonline.com/events/172/Feb. 1-3 Feb. 3-6—National Business Aviation Association Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. San Jose, California. See www.nbaa.org/events/sdc/2015/
Tom Williams has been named chief operating officer of the Airbus Group. He has been executive vice president-programs and succeeds Gunter Butschek, who has left the company. Didier Evrard, who has been head of the A350 program, has been appointed to follow Williams. Klaus Richter, chief procurement officer of Airbus and Airbus Group, has been promoted to a member of the Group Executive Committee. He also will be the national representative for Airbus in Germany.
Airlines are showing by their orders that they are willing to accept the reengined derivative concept for narrowbodies as well as widebodies. And manufacturers in Asia are edging further into the civil aircraft production field.
Orbital Sciences Corp. will buy a new rocket engine to replace the surplus Russian engines tentatively implicated in the Oct. 28 failure of an Antares launch vehicle with a load of cargo for the International Space Station.
IAG eyes Aer Lingus, which would broaden its reach into Ireland and the U.K., but even more attractive to the group is the Irish airline’s 3% share of London-Heathrow slots. With these, IAG could stage more profitable long-haul flying.
Beautiful, But Misidentified The aircraft “coming slowly together within the doors of the WWI-vintage hangar,” in the beautiful photograph taken by Richard Mallory Allnutt on page 67 in your annual photo issue ( AW&ST Dec. 15/22, p.
First flight of the Dassault Falcon 8X is set for the first quarter of 2015 following the Dec. 17 rollout of the ultra-long-range business jet at Merignac, France. Powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307D engines, the aircraft has a projected range of 6,450 nm (11,950 km) with eight passengers and three crew and an expected maximum speed of Mach 0.9. The cockpit will feature Dassault’s EASy flight deck, based on Honeywell Primus Epic integrated avionics with optional wide-angle head-up displays.
Russia’s drive to reestablish a super-power-like weapons industry continues to pay off, as arms sales there continue to grow. A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) on annual trends and data in worldwide arms production and sales—excluding China, due to a lack of data—shows Russian companies’ business surging, while sales for those in leading NATO member states mostly dipped or remained the same for 2013 and 2012.
An incorrect biography was published in the Dec. 15/22 article about winners of the 2014 Aviation Week Photo Contest on page 70. The winner of second place in the General Aviation category is Ricardo von Puttkammer of New York. To see this biography and those of other winners, go to AviationWeek.com/photowinners
Brazil’s plans to field an operational air wing on the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo has passed another milestone with the issuing of a $106 million, five-year contract to Elbit Systems of America to complete the upgrade work on four U.S.-surplus Grumman C-1A Trader aircraft. They will serve as carrier on-board delivery (COD) aircraft and refueling tankers.
