Boeing says a simple wiring change will solve a persistent issue that operators of its 737 next-generation models have been experiencing with pitot probes—the external sensors that provide crucial airspeed readings to pilots and onboard systems.
The In Orbit column of Jan. 13 (p. 16) incorrectly described the service module for the first flight test of NASA's Orion multipurpose crew vehicle as “European-built.” It will be manufactured by Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin.
Timing is everything, and the chronology of signatures President Barack Obama provided Dec. 26, 2013, to a couple of A&D-related laws has lowered and reformed a key tax benefit that federal contractors received. Under the Bipartisan Budget Act—the so-called Ryan-Murray budget deal that helps avoid another shutdown and allows fresh appropriations—federal reimbursement of certain contractor compensation packages applied to cost-type contracts has been capped at $487,000. That is down from more than $952,000 under an automatically adjusted regulatory formula.
Joel H. Benkie has been named president of Los Angeles-based Ducommun Inc. He has been executive vice president and will remain chief operating officer. As president, Benkie succeeds Anthony J. Reardon, who will continue as chairman/CEO.
Michael T. Strianese, who is chairman/president/CEO of L-3 Communications, has been elected chairman of the board of governors of the Arlington, Va.-based Aerospace Industries Association for 2014. He succeeds Wes Bush, who is chairman/CEO/president of the Northrop Grumman Corp. The new vice chairman is David L. Joyce, president/CEO of GE Aviation. The board reelected Marion C. Blakey as AIA president/CEO and Ginette C. Colot as secretary-treasurer.
Col. (ret.) Jacob Galifat (see photo) has been appointed general manager of Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Air and Missile Defense Systems Div. He succeeds Boaz Levi, who has been named corporate vice president/general manager of the Systems, Missiles and Space Group. Galifat was head of that group's Marine Systems Directorate. Avital Schrift (see photo) has been named general manager of the Missiles Div. She succeeds Ariel Malchi, who is now associate vice president-business development in the Systems, Missiles and Space Group.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Michael A. Hamel has been appointed president of the Newtown, Pa.-based commercial ventures unit of the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. He succeeds Linda Reiners, who has become vice president-corporate ventures. Hamel was senior vice president-corporate strategy and relations for the Orbital Sciences Corp.
BAE Systems has begun flight trials of three-dimensional printed metallic components on the Panavia Tornado combat aircraft, as the company explores the potential benefits of the method. A one-off component—a bracket made from printed stainless steel and designed to carry a fixed thermal-imaging camera—has been fitted to a U.K. Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 the company uses for flight testing. The bracket was produced in a fraction of the time and cost that similar items would have previously taken.
Today's International Space Station has roots extending back more than 30 years, to the Cold War competition when the Soviet Union orbited Mir, and NASA, Canada, Europe and Japan planned a bigger outpost dubbed Space Station Freedom. 1987 concept for Space Station Freedom. Mir-2 concept from 1993. Some elements of the follow-on Soviet station found their way into the ISS.
Investigators have begun seeking clues into the cause of a crash of U.S. Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter during a night-time low-level training mission on the North Norfolk coast of the U.K. Four airmen from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath died in the accident on Jan. 7. Air Force officials said no warning or mayday calls had been made prior to the accident, which happened near Cley-next-the-Sea.
South Korea has selected Rafael's Spike NLOS (Non-Line Of Sight) missile as the primary weapon for its new fleet of AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat helicopters. AgustaWestland will be responsible for the integration, testing and clearances for the Spike and is expected to work with Rafael on the program. Flight trials with the weapon will be undertaken in 2015.
Worsening the plight of airlines suffering unexpectedly weak demand, the Chinese government has limited most of its employees to flying economy class. Air China is likely to suffer the most from the new rules, which are part of President Xi Jinping's campaign against the efforts of millions of Chinese bureaucrats to divert public funds to their own benefit. The limits took effect on Jan. 1 and apply to the vast majority of Chinese officials.
In “Fight and Train” you say “the F-35 remains the world's leading combat aircraft” (AW&ST Dec. 30, 2013/Jan. 6, 2014, p. 58). This is a bit of a stretch for an aircraft that has not yet reached squadron service, much less flown in combat.
Craig Lee (see photo), an electronic warfare systems architect for the Northrop Grumman Corp., has received the 2013 Joseph W. Kearney Pioneer Award from the Association of Old Crows. He was honored for “his notable pioneering activities in, and long service to, the discipline of electronic warfare.” Lee has been a lead systems engineer/architect for more than 25 years.
Tom McCabe has been named senior vice president/general counsel/secretary of the Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Va. He was senior vice president/general counsel of the Alion Sciences and Technology Corp. of Washington and previously vice president/deputy general counsel at XM Satellite Radio.
