The U.S. Army is finally expecting its first delivery—due next fall—of new equipment designed to help correct the problem of fratricide in its air and missile defense forces that has persisted since the Persian Gulf war in the early 1990s.
Nov. 5-6—University of Westminster Aviation Seminars: “Market Research for Air Transport” and “Practical Techniques and Strategies.” Also, Nov. 7-9—”Demand Analysis and Capacity Management: The Air Transport Issues.” London. Call +44 (203) 506-6559, fax +44 (207) 915-5410 or see www.westminster.ac.uk/airtransportshort Nov. 8—Royal Aeronautical Society's Washington Branch Lecture featuring: Tom Burbage and Al Norman of Lockheed Martin. British Embassy, Washington. See www.raeswashington.org
NASA's vision for deep-space exploration may be missing an opportunity to re-fortify the agency's long-running but sporadic ties to nanotechnology, according to an assessment from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. Breakthroughs in nanotechnology could hasten bold missions, while fostering advances in energy, medicine and other fields crucial to U.S. economic health, according to the study report, which urges more focused oversight of U.S.
Preliminary results show that the Missile Defense Agency scored three of five attempted missile intercepts in the first integrated flight exercise to combine engagements from three different defense systems.
Michael Iuro has joined Schaumberg, Ill.-based Dekra's Safety Consulting Engineers Div. as business operations manager. He was VP of architecture and property development company Iuro & Associates Corp.
Slashing its requirement by a third, the Indian air force (IAF) says it will induct only 144 of the originally ordered 214 Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) that it is co-developing with Russia.
Airbus A350 customers have been reassured by the sight of a Trent XWB engine strapped to the wing of an A380 flying testbed. However, to Rolls-Royce this outward display of progress is just the tip of the iceberg as it works on certification and ramping up production of the first flight-test engines for the new twin.
Despite leaning out its 777 final assembly line about seven years ago, Boeing considered its goal of producing 100 of the widebody jets per year unrealistic without a significant capital investment. But a combination of automation, process improvements from its mechanics and a push on hiring is making that goal possible.
Israel's Elta is presenting new tactical radar options for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), to meet a need for ultra-rapid response to mortar attacks. Although the IDF is quite capable at detecting outgoing rockets with highly sensitive sensor systems, crude and inaccurate enemy mortars still have terrorized the Israeli population in settlements along the Gaza Strip border.
Guy Snelgar (see photo) has been promoted to managing director from business development manager of Southlake, Texas-based GetThere's business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory plans to fly the fourth and final Boeing X-51A WaveRider hypersonic engine demonstrator in mid-2013. Tests began on Oct. 26 on an actuator suspected to have caused the early end to the third flight in August. If confirmed, the fix should be “pretty simple,” says the X-51A program manager. The fourth flight will be the last chance for the X-51A to prove that a hydrocarbon-fueled, fuel-cooled scramjet engine can accelerate a missile-class vehicle to near Mach 6.
Rob Bishton has been named operations director of London Gatwick Airport-based FastJet. He was head of flight operations at EasyJet. Kyle Haywood, former CEO of Air Uganda, is the new general manager for Africa, and Harun Cordan has been named chief pilot and head of flight operations. He was a chief instructor at Ryanair.
The first Airbus A321 with sharklets (winglets) took off on its maiden flight from Hamburg last week. The aircraft flew to Toulouse and will start its flight-test program. Certification is planned for the middle of next year, and deliveries are expected to begin in the third quarter. The A321 is the second in the A320 family to be equipped with sharklets.
Blue Origin will use test results with its suborbital New Shepherd crew vehicle of the pusher-type launch-abort system it developed with NASA funding to “inform” the design of its planned orbital space vehicle. The Oct. 19 test at the company range near Van Horn, Texas, used a commercially procured solid-fuel rocket to boost a full-up New Shepherd to an altitude of 2,307 ft., with thrust vector control during powered flight, separate attitude control during coast and a parachute recovery 1,630 ft. away from the starting point.
Offshore operators of Eurocopter AS332 and EC225 Super Puma helicopters are reviewing health and usage monitoring system data before determining whether the aircraft can be returned to flight. Some AS332Ls were to begin flying on Oct. 26, but flights of EC225s remain on hold. The suspensions, and a European Aviation Safety Agency airworthiness directive mandating that vibration data be checked, follow the Oct. 22 ditching of an EC225 in the North Sea.
Northrop Grumman is prime contractor on the James Webb Space Telescope, but its most notable play in the human-spaceflight arena was the Lunar Excursion Module that landed six crews on the surface of the Moon. Now, as NASA awaits the outcome of the upcoming U.S.
Dale Keller (see photo) has been named CEO of the London-based Board of Airline Representatives. He has held management roles with Air Mauritius and Air Malta, and was a BAR U.K. board member. Honors And Elections
Central Asia has the potential to be the next boom market for international air travel, but the European Union's blacklist is keeping a damper on the market.
Innovation has long been integral to aerospace and defense. Generations of engineers and managers have been attracted to an industry synonymous with overcoming daunting technical challenges. Heavier-than-air flight, vertical flight, supersonic flight, spaceflight, precision-guided weapons, radar, sonar, night vision—examples abound of disruptive technologies that have created new capabilities and spawned whole new markets.
Lockheed Martin is self-funding work to generate software that will allow for the AN/TPQ-53 radars being fielded to detect air-breathing threats as well as those in a ballistic trajectory, according to Lee Flake, director of counter-fire radar programs. These X-band radars are designed to provide 360-deg. detection of rockets and mortars. The U.S. Army has 65 under contract. The new software will provide data on the whereabouts of airborne threats, such as unmanned aircraft and cruise missiles.
Malaysia's navy is generally last—behind the army and the air force—when it comes to securing budget approval for new aircraft, but the government may be end up giving the navy priority over the other armed services, because anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability is becoming critical. The deputy chief of the navy, Vice Adm. Mohammed Noordin bin Ali, says ASW has increased in importance because there are now many more submarines in Asia. He says the navy needs to boost its capability by buying six more ASW helicopters.
