The U.S. and other nations studying changes in the Arctic should investigate using UAVs and other unmanned systems to gather data on nearly inaccessible areas of the region, says a recent report from the National Research Council of the National Academies. The report also highlights the need for more data on the region and a more coordinated international and technological effort to gather information about climatic changes.
Amy Butler's “Countering the Raid” (AW&ST Nov. 5, p. 37) is a fine description of what may be a minor triumph of integrated air and missile defense. As a non-aerospace professional, may I suggest that the scenario used to test the defense is also completely unrealistic.
Charles Booker, captain and safety program manager for The Coca-Cola Co., and Elizabeth Clark, executive director of Women in Corporate Aviation International, have been elected to the Orlando-based National Business Aviation Association's Certified Aviation Manager Governing Board. Also appointed were MaryJo Smith, assistant professor of aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Blair Robson, manager of aviation maintenance for ExxonMobil.
Two Boeing 787-8 deliveries last week marked the composite jet's entry into the Middle East and Europe and raised Boeing's total for the year to 32. Qatar Airways took the first of 30 787s it has on order, and LOT Polish Airlines received the first of eight. Meanwhile, Boeing has added six 787 orders, all unidentified, to bring total 787 orders to 843.
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Jennifer Hardcastle has been appointed sales manager and air medical specialist at Seattle-based American Eurocopter. She was VP of business development for Health Services Integration.
Parker Aerospace and GE Aviation have formed a joint venture, Advanced Atomization Technologies of Clyde, N.Y., to make nozzles for GE and CFM engines. Parker is a long-time nozzle supplier for GE engines.
Indonesia's defense minister is adamant that the country will be getting anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters. Purnomo Yusgiantoro says the country's defense budget, passed by parliament, includes money allocated for the purchase of the helicopters, which are to be stationed on the navy's Sigma-class corvettes.
An effort to shield the nation's computer networks and critical infrastructure may be tipping too far into trade protectionism, experts say. In trying to balance the need to protect sensitive computer networks with the cost of verifying the safety of the components that find their way into the supply chain, a House Intelligence Committee report recently recommended that the U.S. government and businesses steer clear of two Chinese telecommunications companies.
I am a long-time subscriber who appreciates Aviation Week & Space Technology's sometimes exclusive insights on aviation technology. However, I wish the articles under the Middle East Conflict banner in the Oct. 22 issue were available to a wider audience than your usual purview.
Research into alternative jet fuels grabs the headlines. Delta Air Lines, justifiably, is drawing a lot of attention for its decision to acquire an oil refinery to alleviate the rising cost of jet fuel (AW&ST May 7, p. 24).
Once spy agencies drove development of advanced investigative cybertechnology, but now banks, credit card companies, PayPal, Google and Yahoo are driving development. The change is benefiting intelligence, military and law enforcement agencies because this new generation of investigative platforms is designed to deal with massive amounts of data. Elbit's Intelligence and Cyber Solutions unit is aiming its Wise Intelligence Technology (WIT) data manipulation platform at the growing dual-use market that this trend has created.
The House has approved a bill to extend for two years an indemnification program allowing the government to share the cost with industry of injuries or property damage suffered by the public in a commercial space launch. Industry had sought a longer extension, but just ensuring the program remains alive is also critical, says Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), who leads the Science, Space and Technology Committee's space subcommittee.
USAF Gen. (ret.) Carrol “Howie” Chandler (see photo) has become VP of business development and aftermarket services for East Hartford, Conn.-based Pratt & Whitney's Military Engine business. He was Air Force vice chief of staff and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and Deputy Advisory Group.
Joe Allman has been promoted to VP-financial planning and analysis and treasurer at Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings. He will be succeeded as VP and corporate controller by Ryan Willman, who held the same title at BrightPoint Americas.
That Bombardier's CSeries would not fly this year, as promised, has been the expectation of essentially the entire aerospace industry—except for the manufacturer. Now Bombardier has finally acknowledged the aircraft will not take off on its initial flight before the end of June 2013, but the reasons remain cloudy.
Terry Palmer has joined Shreveport, La.-based Metro Aviation as director of training. She has been a member on the International Helicopter Flight Safety Team and at FlightSafety International.
Reader S.J. Deitchman (AW&ST Oct. 29, p. 10) makes the valid point that limiting new weapon systems to incremental changes in existing systems would have excluded some of the most effective ones currently in the inventory. On the other hand, many relatively advanced systems, after they become operational, undergo substantial incremental upgrades in subsequent procurement and modification programs. The Chinook, now 50 years past its initial operational date, has undergone several such upgrades.
Ground control stations and the Fury tactical unmanned aircraft are the key reasons behind Lockheed Martin's Nov. 13 acquisition of small Huntsville, Ala.-based defense company Chandler/May. It builds the OneSystem ground control station (GCS) for AAI Corp., which is used with AAI's RQ-7B Shadow tactical and General Atomics' MQ-1C Grey Eagle medium-range UAVs. Chandler/May company AME Unmanned Air Systems is developing the Fury 1500 large-payload, long-endurance tactical UAV for deployment to Afghanistan.
SAS has been one of the world's best-known airline brands for decades, but if the carrier does not succeed in a quick turnaround, it could soon be gone forever. CEO Rickard Gustafson pointed out in a dramatic statement last week that “the company's existence is dependent” on the fast implementation of its latest restructuring plan. The board was due to convene for an extraordinary meeting on Nov. 18 for final approval of the plan.
Indonesia is building a squadron of locally developed UAVs for air surveillance in border areas. Each UAV will reportedly be 4 meters (13 ft.) long, with a wingspan of around 6 meters.
