U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers based on Guam on Nov. 25 flew through airspace that China had declared two days earlier to be an air defense identification zone. The ADIZ, covering most of the East China Sea and overlapping Japan's existing ADIZ, includes islands that are the subject of a long-simmering territorial dispute between the two countries. In August and September, Japanese fighters were scrambled against Chinese bombers and reconnaissance aircraft in the area.
New strategic accords between the U.S. and South Korea, focusing on plans to destroy North Korean nuclear missiles on the ground before they can be fired, may have influenced South Korea's decision to abandon the F-15 for the F-35.
Ken Frank, chief engineer within the Exelis Electronic Systems Div., Amityville, N.Y., has been inducted into the Association of Old Crows Technology Hall of Fame. It recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves as innovators and have contributed to the advancement of electronic warfare. Frank has performed roles in hardware development as well as systems engineering on dozens of EW projects. His induction stems from his role in the development of EW technology, the AN/ALQ-161A radar jammer in particular, which provides the U.S.
The historic move to transfer key export-controlled aerospace categories for aircraft and gas turbine engines from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List in reality has “created many new problems and challenges for exporters and their counsel,” say partners in the law firm Barnes and Thornburg. Since the reforms took effect Oct.
Ken Sewell has been named head of aircraft transactions for the International Bureau of Aviation, Surrey, England. He has been marketing and portfolio manager for the Allco Finance Group and was aircraft trading manager for British Airways. Honors And Elections
Also at Rome Fiumicino, Vueling intends to take advantage of Alitalia's financial problems and develop the airport into its second largest base in Europe. The airline will base eight Airbus A320s there and inaugurate full transfer service outside of Spain. The airline says passengers will have access to 550 “Vueling-to-Vueling” city-pairs through Fiumicino.
A U.S. Navy pilot guides his MH-60R “Romeo” helicopter onto a virtual aircraft carrier in this photo by Chris Stellwag of CAE. Synthetic training for the Navy is becoming increasingly immersive and mission-oriented, with crews using tactical operational flight trainers (TOFTs) to prepare for deployments. At the Jacksonville, Fla., MH-60R training facilities, the CAE-built TOFT links pilots in a cockpit simulator to a back-seat sensor operator in a separate simulator. That trainer can then be linked to other TOFTs and simulators for a large-scale virtual mission.
I am glad Aviation Week is helping to build a pipeline for technical talent into the aerospace and defense (A&D) world (AW&ST Nov. 11/18, p. 68). I have realized how important magazines have been to opening my eyes to careers, technology, hobbies and special interests.
The price of EU carbon-dioxide allowances (EUAs) under the EU Emissions Trading System sank to a three-month low in November, coming under pressure from the sale of surplus permits by the European Investment Bank (EIB) that started mid-month. The price of EUAs for delivery in December rose to an intra-month high of €4.80 per metric ton ($6.49) on Nov. 7, a day before a meeting of EU diplomats where carbon market intervention was on the agenda.
Lawrence E. “Ed” Dickinson has been appointed president of the LMI Aerospace subsidiary Valent, Kansas City, Mo. He has been St. Louis-based LMI's chief financial officer. Dickinson will be succeeded by Cliff Stebe, who has been LMI's corporate controller and was a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Robert Kernahan has become London-based vice president-charts and navigation data production/general manager in the U.K. for Navtech Inc., Waterloo, Ontario. He was Frankfurt-based head of dangerous goods and special solutions for Lufthansa Cargo.
MiG Corp. has delivered the first MiG-29K ship-based fighters to the Russian navy under a contract for 24 aircraft signed in February 2012, the Russian defense ministry announced Nov. 25. The first batch included two single-seat MiG-29Ks and a pair of MiG-29KUB two-seat variants. The deliveries will last until 2015. The MiG-29K is an updated version of the Soviet-era fighter with the same name.
Airbus Military has retired Grizzly 1, the first prototype A400M airlifter, from flight tests. MSN1 made its final flight early last month, having completed 1,448 flight hours in 475 flights, manned by the same crew as on its maiden flight on Dec. 11, 2009. The aircraft is now in storage at Toulouse while Airbus decides what to do with it, with discussions about a final display site ongoing. Airbus has also placed MSN3 in long-term storage, although it will be retained in flyable condition.
Andrew Palowitch has been named CEO of Tenax Aerospace, Ridgeland, Miss. He was chief technology officer/vice president of the Center for Innovation and Technology Development and Corporate Planning at ITT Exelis Geospatial Systems. Appointed to the board of directors have been former CIA director and USAF Gen. (ret.) Michael V. Hayden, USAF Gen. (ret.) Charles Holland and John Young, former undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.
David Green's summary of the abject failure of the European cradle-to-grave entitlement, with the U.S. rapidly following that trajectory, is spot on. However, the groundswell of anger at the assault on the “American Dream” that he suggests as the way out of the slide to Third-World status requires sufficiently informed voters to make that assessment and to act on it. And that is something we sorely lack. Oro Valley, Ariz.
