Skybox Imaging plans to use a commercial version of the Orbital Sciences Corp. (OSC) Minotaur 1 rocket to launch six of its cubesat-derived high-resolution imaging satellites in 2015, potentially clearing the way for an OSC launch of seven more of the Space Systems/Loral spacecraft. Orbital is developing a dispenser for the Skybox satellites, which measure 60 x 60 x 95 cm each (2 x 2 x 3 ft.) and weigh about 120 kg (265 lb.), and is buying the rocket's solid-fuel stages commercially from ATK instead of using government-furnished variants.
Following several articles in the Feb. 17 issue devoted to electronic warfare (pages 42-50) and increasingly bloated defense budgets (pages 52-54) is a one-page Viewpoint (page 58) outlining how a few man-portable missiles could have a catastrophic impact on the world's economy by bringing down one or more commercial airliners.
Herman Wacker has been appointed vice president-legal for the Alaska Air Group. He was deputy general counsel/managing director of legal. Shannon Alberts has been named corporate secretary. She was managing director of corporate affairs and assistant corporate secretary, and has been succeeded by Kyle Levine.
Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd., known as Aerothai, is a state enterprise with about 90% owned by the government and 10% by the airlines. It is operated on a cost-recovery basis as a non-profit organization. Any annual surplus is returned to airlines, and they are also charged for any deficit. The organization was founded by airlines in 1948, and the government acquired a majority stake in 1963. It now has about 2,800 employees.
The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry is gearing up to service an increasing number of airliners employing a much higher share of composite materials. The introduction of the Boeing 787, the Airbus A350 and—less expectedly—the A320neo and the 737 MAX is causing MRO service providers to invest in new equipment and technician training. The changes, however, remain evolutionary rather than revolutionary, as many MROs have developed a high level of expertise since the 1970s.
Alongside the spending blueprint for fiscal 2015-19 coming out this week, the Obama administration is expected to publish its latest Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). It will lay out a painful course change for a nation accustomed to having a military sized to go anywhere and do anything, simultaneously in different places.
The U.S. Air Force plans to launch two new, secretly developed satellites this year to spy on activities in the densely populated geosynchronous orbit belt, according to Gen. William Shelton, who leads Air Force Space Command. The spacecraft, classified until Shelton revealed their existence Feb. 21, were developed by the Air Force and Orbital Sciences Corp. under the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), service officials say.
Eddy Zervigon has been named to the board of directors of DigitalGlobe Inc., Longmont, Colo. He was a board member from 2004-13 and is a principal of the investment firm Alta Loma Energy.
Stephanie C. Hill (see photo), vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Information Systems & Global Solutions Civil business, has been named the 2014 Black Engineer of the Year for her leadership during a 27-year engineering career and commitment to promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
March 14-16—Valiant Air Command 2014 Tico Warbird Air Show. Titusville, Fla. www.vacwarbirds.org March 18-19—2014 Precision Strike Annual Review (PSAR-14). Waterford Conference Center. Springfield, Va. www.precisionstrike.org/Events/4PSAR/4PSAR.html March 18-21 and 24-27—Fatigue Concepts Courses in Fatigue, Fracture Mechanics and Damage Tolerances of Aging and Modern Aircraft Structures. Perth, Australia. Call +1 (916) 390-5000 or see www.fatcon.com/s March 25-30—FIDAE. Santiago, Chile. www.fidae.cl/portal_fidae.aspx
Bonnie J. Cook has been promoted to executive vice president-business operations for its Mission Solutions & Services Group from head of financial operations and the integration of acquisitions for the Mantech International Corp., Fairfax, Va. Ulrich Storchle (see photos) has been named managing director of MBDA Deutschland subsidiary TDW GmbH. He was managing director of Bayern-Chemie GmbH and succeeds Helmut Hederer, who has been appointed managing director of Taurus Systems GmbH.
U.S. national security officials are sorting through intelligence collected about North Korea's latest missile test. South Korean media reported that Pyongyang fired four short-range ballistic missiles on Feb. 27. They “appeared to be of the Scud variety [and] were fired in a northeasterly direction and landed off [North Korea's] coast,” a spokesman says. Top national security lawmakers are not yet commenting on the apparent test.
Gene V. Flenke has been appointed vice president-quality and continuous improvement of PAS Technologies Inc., Middletown, Conn. Keith Bennett has rejoined PAS as Kansas City, Mo.-based director of business development. He was head of business development for the OEM Aviation and Energy Markets of Southwest United Industries.
Developed with a Cold War mind-set, communications for stealthy aircraft were largely intended to be limited. But that has become a hindrance to operating the F-22 and F-35 on the modern battlefield.
Rachel Ehrenfeld's Viewpoint, “Protect Airliners from SAM Threat” (AW&ST Feb. 17, p. 58) is dead-on. One of the clearest lessons learned from the events of 9/11 was the failure to imagine risk. Airline executives make risk decisions—both business and safety related—every day and those decisions are informed by hard facts concerning the likelihood and consequence of an event. Clearly the likelihood of a surface-to-air missile (SAM) attack against an airliner is growing, but are the airlines and their insurance companies prepared for the consequences?
USAF Maj. Gen. John B. Cooper has been appointed director of logistics at Headquarters Air Combat Command (ACC), Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. He has been director of logistics/deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support at USAF Headquarters at the Pentagon. Cooper has been succeeded by Brig. Gen. Kathryn J. Johnson, who has been director of system integration, at USAF Headquarters. Col. Brian T.
It may be decades away, but the U.S. Army is working to protect the plan to replace its massive fleet of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks from near-term budget cutting that could derail the program. While facing major reductions in force structure, the Army is spending money to develop the technology, define the requirements and decide what is affordable in a future rotorcraft.
By printing the recent Viewpoiont on SAMs, Aviation Week has reached a professional low: running an unpaid advertisement for a specific piece of equipment. Oxnard Calif.
Flight-simulator manufacturer CAE is to receive a C$250 million (U.S. $225 million) repayable investment from the Canadian government to support its Project Innovate program to develop modeling and simulation technologies. Investment in the research and development program, which will continue into 2020, is being made under the government's Strategic Aerospace and Defense Initiative. CAE received a similar C$250 million repayable investment in March 2009, for its previous Project Falcon R&D program to develop technologies for civil and military simulation.
Ron Anderson-Lehman has been promoted to executive vice president/chief administrative officer from senior vice president/chief information officer of Hawaiian Airlines.
Aurelien Blanc has been appointed managing director of the Turbomeca Asia Pacific subsidiary of Safran. He had been commercial director for Southeast Asia for Airbus Helicopters.
As composite structures become larger, more integrated and more critical, guaranteeing the integrity of a major repair when the aircraft returns to service is a growing imperative. Research into methods of checking repairs in situ could pave the way for wider structural health monitoring.
