Developing the C-130J as a private venture, Lockheed Martin had to use FAA certification to prove its airworthiness to prospective customers. The earlier C-130E had been certified and produced as the L-100 civil freighter, but when Lockheed began delivering C-130Js for military customers in 1999, it did not see a commercial market for the aircraft.
An irony is playing out here over the U.S. government's fiscal 2015 budget: Not since the last recession ended has there been such widespread acknowledgement in Washington of where federal spending is headed, thanks to the so-called Ryan-Murray budget deal in December and 2014 appropriations, which became law Jan. 17. But Congress increasingly will be unable to do anything about it as 2014 continues.
I regard Aviation Week as the publication of record for a world that I have always been an enthusiast of, but never a part of. You sit on the mother lode of the nuts-and-bolts history of every major aerospace program since at least post-WWII. I would love to read more archival coverage of some legacy programs such as the F/A-18, the X-15 and so many more. Also, complete histories of engine development could be compiled that just might affect future designs.
This year, a Boeing-led industry team plans to demonstrate a multi-platform, multi-spectral sensor fusion technique that would allow F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters and EA-18G Growler electronic-attack aircraft to detect, track, identify and strike hostile aircraft from long distances, with low or zero reliance on active radar. The idea is to make the Hornets less detectable and reduce or eliminate the impact of hostile jamming. The tests build on the results of an air-to-surface targeting demonstration last summer (AW&ST Aug. 26, 2013, p.
Aviation Week Naval Editor Michael Fabey is the winner of the 2014 Timothy White Award, given by the American Business Media (ABM) association to a journalist who demonstrates “bravery, integrity, passion and quality of product.”
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House of Representatives Small Business Committee, has been named to receive the Alexandria, Va.-based National Air Transportation Association's William A. Ong Memorial Award on March 3. Marian Epps, CFO of Epps Aviation of Atlanta, is to receive NATA's Distinguished Service Award. The Ong award is named in memory of NATA's co-founder and first president.
The rover of China's Chang'e 3 lunar mission is showing signs of life after being almost declared dead. Jade Rabbit, as the rover is known, is again receiving signals from Earth, Chinese media report. But engineers are still sorting through possible origins of a mechanical fault that appeared to cause the rover to cease functioning when it was supposed to go into hibernation mode for the punishing lunar night that began on Jan. 25. The mechanical fault, blamed on the “complex environment of the lunar surface,” is described only as a structure-control anomaly.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Bob Marion has been appointed head of the Program Executive Office for Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. He succeeds Maj. Gen. William “Tim” Crosby, who has retired.
Airbus and Singapore Airlines are setting up a new pilot training center that will eventually be based at the Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore. Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC) is a joint venture in which Airbus will hold a 55% stake and Singapore Airlines the remainder. The combined investment is S$80 million ($63.2 million). The initiative reflects a new strategy for Airbus as it introduces Airbus-branded training for the first time. The partners expect regulatory approval in time to start operations by the end of the year.
Operations in the last decade in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa have taught the Marine Corps that it needs more of its own “organic” electronic-warfare capability, and the service is crafting an ambitious plan to build a one-of-a-kind distributed network of systems for the future.
Amy Butler (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
An edge in developing and producing gallium-nitride (GaN) semiconductor material is behind Raytheon's hard-fought win of the U.S. Navy's Next-Generation Jammer contract and could set a benchmark for competitors seeking to take on the company in future sensor competitions, Raytheon officials say.
Rep. Frank LoBiondo's (R-N.J.) bill to require the FAA to conduct a formal rulemaking process before imposing sleep-apnea testing requirements awaits Senate consideration after the House passed the measure by voice vote Feb. 11. LoBiondo, who chairs the House aviation subcommittee, introduced the bill last November after FAA Federal Air Surgeon Frederick Tilton outlined plans to require pilots and air traffic controllers with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more to undergo testing for obstructive sleep apnea.
Canada's Conservative government will continue to focus on the space technology niches where it excels and to look for new ones, but with a shift toward more commercial partnerships in step with the U.S. tilt in that direction.
U.K. trials to develop a common architecture for aircraft defensive-aids systems could help to push down the cost of aircraft protection. Drawing lessons from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, commanders have realized they might not be able to rely on or have time to buy such equipment through the urgent operational requirement procurements system in the future. As a result, engineers from the U.K.'s Defense Science Technology Laboratory (DSTL) have been working on a new model for delivering defensive aids to large fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Editor-in-Chief Joseph C. Anselmo recently requested readers to weigh in on the direction of AW&ST. Some suggestions follow. Add yours to the list via e-mail to [email protected]
In the skies over the Australian Outback, the U.K. is testing technologies it hopes will not only shape the future of the Royal Air Force but also help it retain key skills and grab a lead in defense exports. With the first flights of the £185 million ($300 million) BAE Systems Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) last August, the U.K. has become only the third sovereign state to develop the capability, after the U.S. and China. The Neuron UCAV demonstrator flown in France in 2012 is a joint international effort.
At first glance, not a great deal is remarkable about the black-and-white photograph (below) in which one can see the Queen Mary, portside at Long Beach, Calif. The luxury liner is clearly visible in the large-format image, with a degree of detail showing portholes, lifeboats, balconies and balustrades. Yet the image's exceptional qualities lie in where it was taken: from an aircraft flying at 40,000 ft., 72 nm away.
Airbus is at a crossroads. It needs to address its major twin-aisle product line disadvantage to Boeing, while simultaneously implementing organizational reforms that could leave the company with less cash for new product development.
