Metals giant Alcoa is continuing its push into Indiana and the aerospace business, with the formal opening last week of “the world’s largest” aluminum-lithium plant in Lafayette. The company says its cast house there, next to its extrusion plant, can produce more than 20,000 metric tons of aluminum-lithium annually. The $90 million facility is capable of making aluminum-lithium ingots big enough “to make any single-piece component on today’s aircraft,” says Alcoa.
With EASA certification now in place for the A350-900, Airbus is shifting gears to prepare for first delivery of the aircraft and a steep production ramp-up.
To help smooth the way for follow-on 787 and 777X derivatives, Boeing is banking on using valuable and, in some cases, unexpected lessons learned during the test and development of the latest stretch model, the 787-9.
Russia’s Proton M/Briz M heavy-lift launch vehicle returned to flight Sept. 28, sending a Russian military satellite to geosynchronous orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The vehicle, which has been grounded since a May incident that led to the loss of Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) AM4R satellite, lifted off at 12:23 a.m. Moscow time, marking the fifth launch of a Proton rocket this year.
Lockheed Martin’s full-scale mock-up of its Unmanned Carrier Launched Surveillance and Strike (Uclass) contender was unveiled in late September when CNBC reporter Jane Wells tweeted a photo from the company’s Skunk Works unit.
Concepts for replacing the Russian-built RD-180 rocket engine presented to the U.S. Air Force last week include a solid-fuel concept developed by ATK, drawing on heritage from the company’s space shuttle and national security product lines.
After years of bitter competitions, Embraer has finally established a U.S. foothold for production of defense systems stateside with the rollout of its first A-29 Super Tucano for sale to the U.S. Air Force.
Oleg Ivanovsky, a Soviet space-technology pioneer who helped design Sputnik 1 and bolted Yuri Gagarin into the Vostok capsule he also helped to design before the historic first human spaceflight, has died, according to the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. He was 92. The time and place of his death were not announced.
Johannes Bussmann has been named chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Technik, effective April 1. He will succeed August Wilhelm Henningsen, who plans to retire. Bussmann has been the board member responsible for human resources, engine and VIP services.
Greg Marshall (see photo) has been appointed acting vice president-global programs for the Alexandria, Virginia-based Flight Safety Foundation. He was director of FSF’s Basic Aviation Risk Standard program in the Melbourne, Florida, office. Marshall succeeds Rudy Quevedo, who is now director of safety at the International Air Transport Association.
Bryan Zidar has become managing director of corporate communications for Alaska Airlines. He was director of corporate communications for T-Mobile U.S.
Phillip J. Cagnassola, a member of the board of directors, has become a minority partner in the Paramount Aviation Resources Group, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Silvano Cassano has been appointed CEO and Ariodante Valeri chief commercial officer of Alitalia. Cassano has been chairman/CEO of shipping company Grandi Navi Veloci, CEO of Benetton Group and CEO of Fiat Auto Financial and Consumer Services. Valeri has been general manager at Grandi Navi Veloci and president/CEO of Targa Services at Gruppo Fiat Auto.
Christian Blanc has become CEO of Tunisia-based Syphax Airlines. He is a former chief executive of Air France and later was an adviser to Middle East Airlines. Blanc succeeds Syphax founder Mohamed Frikha, who has resigned.
Mary M. “Meg” VanDeWeghe has been named to the board of directors B/E Aerospace, Wellington, Florida. She is president/CEO of Forte Consulting Inc. and a professor of the practice of finance at Georgetown University’s -McDonough School of Business. VanDeWeghe has been a senior vice president-finance at the Lockheed Martin Corp.
John Harpool has been appointed national sales manager for Houston-based U.S. Bank Multi-Service Aviation. He was director of sales and marketing for Air Training International, also in Houston.
Scott Harris has been named head of aerospace programs at Northrop Grumman Australia. He was head of customer business for Qantas Defense Services, which was acquired by Northrop Grumman.
