When Marenco Swisshelicopter unveiled the mock-up of its radical-looking, single-engined light helicopter at Heli-Expo in 2011, critics were quick to pass judgment. They questioned the business model and the ability to keep costs low while building the aircraft in a country considered to be the most expensive in Europe.
The world's strongest carbon fiber is Toray Industries' T100G, says the Japanese manufacturer. Now China, denied access even to lower grades from foreign suppliers, is working on matching it.
Christine Fox, the former director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation at the Defense Department, took over as acting deputy secretary Dec. 5. Fox has gained renown in a number of roles. These include her leadership on the recent scrub of the Pentagon budget called the Strategic Choices and Management Review, as well as her role as president of the Center for Naval Analysis (CNA).
London has held the responsibility for the defense of the British Isles since the Act of Union in 1707, but if Scots opt for independence on Sept. 18, 2014, that will come to an end, and Scotland will assume responsibility for its own defense.
USAF Brig. Gen. Catherine A. Chilton is one of five of her rank to be nominated for promotion to major general. She is the mobilization assistant to the military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition at the Pentagon. The others are: Paul S. Dwan, mobilization assistant to the surgeon general of the Air Force; Stayce D. Harris, mobilization assistant to the commander of the 18th Air Force of Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB, Ill.; William B.
European aerospace manufacturers are turning up the pressure on governments to develop a pan-European approach to the continent's medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle requirements. But their protests appear to be falling on deaf ears as another European nation signs up to purchase the MQ-9 Reaper. The Netherlands announced plans Nov. 21 to introduce four General Atomics MQ-9 Reapers into full operational service by 2017.
BAE Systems flew the first Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoon on Dec. 2 at BAE Systems' facility at Warton, England. The Tranche 3s are set to be the most advanced versions of the Typhoon and have the capability to provide more electrical power in readiness for installation of the planned E-Scan radar as well as ability to potentially fit conformal fuel tanks on top of the rear fuselage. All three of the manufacturers in the Eurofighter consortium—Alenia Aermacchi, BAE and EADS Cassidian are building Tranche 3 aircraft.
Amy Butler (Washington), Bill Sweetman (Washington)
A large, classified unmanned aircraft developed by Northrop Grumman is now flying—and it demonstrates a major advance in combining stealth and aerodynamic efficiency. Defense and intelligence officials say the secret unmanned aerial system (UAS), designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, is scheduled to enter production for the U.S. Air Force and could be operational by 2015.
With Congress nearing a deadline this week to forge a short-term budget agreement, suggestions for what to protect and what to cut are coming from all corners. Republicans are trying to protect three high-priced NASA programs from the budget ax and free up more than a half-billion dollars for the projects at the same time. And Rep. Mo Brooks (Ala.), a frequent critic of government spending, is leading the charge, introducing legislation drawn from the stalled NASA reauthorization bill.
The Chang'e-3 spacecraft, which represents China's first attempt at a robotic lunar landing, is safely en route after a Dec. 2 launch on a Long March 3B. The rocket placed the spacecraft, with its lander/rover combo, into an initial lunar transfer orbit with an apogee of 380,000 km. (240,000 mi.), following liftoff from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Controllers later adjusted the orbit to set up a Dec. 14 soft landing in the Bay of Rainbows (see page 18). That will be the most difficult part of the mission, says Wu Weiren, the program's chief designer.
With the U.S. Senate expected this week to pick up its stalled version of the defense authorization bill for fiscal 2014, most headlines out of the Capitol will be about debate over sexual assault in the military, the Guantanamo Bay prison, the Iranian nuclear deal, budget cuts or the possibility that no annual law will be enacted for the first time in 52 years.
Qantas Airways has announced a new cost reduction goal of A$2 billion ($1.8 billion) over three years, including 1,000 job cuts in the next year. The move is prompted by a new warning from the carrier that it will report a pre-tax loss of up to A$300 million for the six months through Dec. 31. The airline says it is launching a review of its capital spending and may consider selling assets.
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.
