While privacy concerns bedevil efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft into U.S. national airspace, police departments across the country are pushing ahead with plans to field small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) operating under existing rules. The vehicle of choice appears to be a miniature rotorcraft, providing the ease of operation that comes with vertical-takeoff-and-landing and the ability to hover and stare. Canada's Draganfly Innovations has led development of the public-safety market with its 4.5-lb.
After its unveiling of the J-20 and J-31 stealth fighters, it is not unimaginable that Beijing could pull off another technological surprise in 2013. Could it up the superpower stakes by testing an unmanned combat air vehicle, an air-launched strike weapon or even a mini-spaceplane? Speculation abounds.
An inflection point is approaching for rotorcraft manufacturers and their customers, civil and military, where they must decide whether to invest in de-veloping and purchasing a step change in capability or continue on a path of incremental improvement. The decision is particularly pressing for the U.S. military, which by opting to repeatedly upgrade its existing airframes has fallen behind the commercial world in helicopter technology. The choice now lies between simply catching up with the commercial market, or boldly leaping ahead.
A “wait-and-see” banner flies over France's 2013 defense budget, which, like all others for EU defense ministries', has to contract to meet the government's goal of bringing the country's public debt down to 3% of GDP from the current 5.2%.
Routine aircraft-like spaceflight operations could begin in 2013, with Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace flying to the edge of atmosphere, but fully reusable air-breathing space access remains a dream. A crucial step forward could be tests of an air-breathing rocket engine component now underway in the U.K.
Andrew Compart (Washington), Darren Shannon (Washington), Madhu Unnikrishnan (Washington), Christine Grimaldi (Washington)
In North America, 2013 is shaping up to be another year of tests, transitions, challenges and uncertainties for commercial aviation, even after three big airline mergers in the U.S. in recent years, the bankruptcy of a major Mexican carrier and financial troubles at Canada's biggest airline. But a lot of the questions could finally be settled by the end of the year.
Bombardier's future as a major player in the passenger jet business could rest on its new CSeries aircraft. The first flight has been delayed from December until as late as next June, and a key Chinese fuselage supplier fell down on the job. In 2013, Bombardier needs the CSeries to fly and customers to buy. Chinese
Just as the aluminum industry profits by turning one soda can into another, aircraft manufacturers are waiting for the day when composite scrap from their assembly lines, or parts reclaimed at an aircraft's end-of-life, can be made flyable again.
Asian investors continue to take big stakes in the aircraft leasing market. A consortium of three Chinese investors plans to close on a deal to acquire the International Lease Finance Corp. That follows earlier sales of Jackson Square Aviation and the Royal Bank of Scotland's aircraft leasing business to Japanese buyers and Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise's acquisition by the Bank of China.
Two of the leading contenders for the $30 million Google Lunar X-Prize have merged, pooling their technical and marketing resources to push for a robotic mission to the Moon's surface early in 2015. Moon Express Inc., a Silicon Valley startup going after the X-Prize as its first step toward a commercial payload-delivery business, acquired the Rocket City Space Pioneers team in an agreement with Dynetics.
They have different approaches, but the same aim: to reduce significantly the fuel burned when commercial aircraft taxi. Whether it is a semi-autonomous tow-tug or electric taxiing via powered nose or main wheels, systems are being developed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions during ground operations. WheelTug and Parker Aerospace hope to certificate a powered-nosewheel taxiing system for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 in 2013, promising an 80% reduction in fuel burn over using engine power.
Unmanned vehicles able to accompany troops and alleviate their loads have made a debut in Afghanistan, but if autonomous systems are truly to carry the burden they must be able to go wherever the soldiers go. Darpa's Agency's Legged Squad Support System (LS3) program aims to develop a four-legged robot that can carry 400 lb. and follow soldiers over rugged terrain, interacting like a trained animal with its handler. After initial outdoor trials early in 2012, Boston Dynamics is refining its LS3 for a U.S. Marine Corps field exercise in 2014.
Responding to the dramatic inroads made by carbon-fiber compositesinto aircraft structures, metals suppliers say their latest lightweight aluminum-lithium alloys can fully replace conventional aluminum and rival the benefits of composites in clean-sheet designs. As direct replacements for traditional aluminum, the new alloys' lower density provides a 3-6% weight reduction, but in new designs that can take advantage of the material's greater stiffness and corrosion resistance, the savingcan reach 25%.
Nothing reveals the political nature of this year's debate over across-the-board budget cuts as much as the dramatic change of discourse in the weeks leading to the deadline for preventing them. After a year of hearings, press conferences and road shows clamoring for a stop to sequestration, lawmakers and the Obama administration are now met with the deadline. Late last week, they appeared to have rationalized missing it.
Defense budget negotiations in Israel are on ice until after the Jan. 22 elections. However, the costs of Operation Pillar of Defense—aimed at eliminating the rocket threat from Hamas—will complicate an already difficult situation.
In the run-up to November's election, the U.S. aerospace and defense industry and its lobbyists were in favor of any budget proposal that left defense expenditures free to continue growing. Republican candidate Mitt Romney promised to peg defense to 4% of gross domestic product, but his attempt to make defense a key issue gained little traction. As Stimson Institute senior fellow Gordon Adams put it: “This election was not about defense. A very large and expensive lobbying effort to make it about defense failed.”
In the drive to reduce aircraft fuel consumption and emissions, the traditional jet-fuel burning auxiliary power unit (APU) is being targeted for replacement by a clean-operating fuel cell, which only emits water vapor. In 2012, Boeing flew a regenerative fuel cell in its 737 EcoDemonstrator. Developed by Japan's IHI Aerospace, the fuel cell generated electricity and was “recharged” by the engines, surplus power being used to split water into oxygen and hydrogen, with the hydrogen then used in the fuel cell.
India's defense minister says the indigenously developed Kaveri jet engine, deemed unsuitable to power the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft for which it was designed, can power the Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle (USAV) that is expected to be ready for entry into service around 2020. Under development since 1989 by India's Gas Turbine Research Establishment, the Kaveri is well short of its afterburning thrust goal of 18,200 lb. But its unreheated thrust is close to the 11,500-lb. target and sufficient to power the USAV.
Asia-Pacific airlines are focused on tapping into the strong demand growth projected for their region. But the vast potential of these markets means competition is fierce, and while strategies vary, the common theme is that bold moves are considered necessary for airlines to prosper. China is still viewed as the major prize, although opportunities abound elsewhere in Asia. Even the more mature Pacific-Rim airline markets such as Japan and Australia offer growth prospects.
Many have wondered whether Air Berlin could survive the slow winter season without another capital injection and/or loan from its biggest shareholder, Etihad Airways. After all, the airline's reserves had been shrinking and another short-term restructuring program, Turbine 2013, was announced.
