Eleven years of war have built unmanned-aircraft manufacturing into a lucrative business. Operational demands have also created a market for companies to operate the aircraft and provide full-motion video as a service. As war winds down and budgets follow, interest in UAVs is expanding beyond the military into other government and civilian missions. The industry is anticipating a shift from manufacturing to operating aircraft, but some companies are finding that fee-for-service is a business model with pitfalls.
The Army's top man in Europe says U.S. forces will have fewer tanks and more cyberweapons as they prepare for post-Afghanistan operations. Visiting Washington, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said that U.S. Army Europe has created a deployable anti-cyberforce from the 5th Signal Command and the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany. Explaining the decommissioning of two armored brigades, “We're not lined up against the Warsaw Pact,” he says. “We're fighting a lot of stuff, but it ain't the Cold War.”
NASA plans a Nov. 1 spacewalk to address a long-standing cooling system leak outside the International Space Station that has gradually increased since June. Earlier concerns about an external electrical short on Sept. 3, which compromised one of the station's eight power channels and prompted the preparations for a possible second near-term spacewalk, have eased with troubleshooting this week.
Emilio Romano, president of Telemundo Media and former CEO of Mexicana, has been named to the independent panel of judges for the Federico Bloch Award, presented by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association.
The Oct. 15 Washington Outlook item “Satellite Showdown” (page 25) misidentified Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), who is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
After weeks of dissidence, Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace reported progress on Oct. 24 in their four-year contract talks. “Today's negotiations were marked by a new spirit of collaborative problem solving,” said Speea. Union President Tom McCarty said he was “pleased to hear that the Boeing pension is so well-funded the company does not need to make any contributions in the next year,” after the company's third-quarter earnings report.
“I'm not Richard Branson,” says Tony Fernandes, co-founder and CEO of the AirAsia Group, when asked about the similarities between him and Branson. “I have zero interest to go to the Moon. My sense of adventure is more down to Earth.” Fernandes, who worked for Virgin Records in the U.K. and counts Branson as a personal friend, says the Virgin Group boss is a serial entrepreneur. Branson establishes a business, then finds people to manage it for him so he can move onto the next venture; says Fernandes, noting, “I like to manage the business.”
The U.S. Army has officially designated the AH-64D Block III attack helicopter the AH-64E and is preparing a contract with Boeing for full-rate production, according to Col. Jeff Hager, Army Apache project manager. The Army anticipates that Boeing will build seven per month—four for the service plus three for foreign customers such as Taiwan, Indonesia, Qatar and India. The Army plans to buy a total of 690.
Marc Gordien and Ralph Anker have joined Manchester, England-based ASM (Airport Strategy and Marketing) as VP-consultants. Gordien was project director at Sabre Airline Solutions, and Anker was part of the network planning teams of Go Fly Air, Maersk Air and EasyJet.
J. Randolph “Randy” Babbitt has become senior VP-labor relations for Southwest Airlines. He was FAA's administrator through December 2011 and has been president and CEO of the Air Line Pilots Association.
The C212 is an unpressurized, twin-turboprop lift military transport with room for 25 fully equipped troops or a payload of 6,504 lb. The aircraft is also used for maritime patrol. Developed by Spain's CASA as the Aviocar, the C212 made its first flight in March 1971. Approximately 476 C212s (of all versions) had been built through 2011. Airbus Military now builds only the C212-400, with two Honeywell TPE331-12JR-701C engines rated at 925 shp each; this version received Spanish certification in 1998.
The Boeing T-45 Goshawk is a variant of the BAE Hawk, designed specifically for aircraft carrier pilot training. The twin-seat aircraft is powered by a single Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour 871 (F405-401) non-afterburning turbofan (5,845-lb.-thrust), also known as the F405-RR-401. First flight occurred in 1988, and the first aircraft carrier landing in 1991. The final version was the T-45C, equipped with a digital glass cockpit. Approximately 221 production T-45s were built through 2009.
Development of this two-seat advanced jet trainer was formally launched in 1997, with Lockheed Martin as a participant, responsible for avionics, flight controls and wings. The first prototype flew in August 2002. Two versions have been developed: the T-50 and weapons-capable TA-50 lead-in fighter trainer. T-50s and TA-50s are powered by a single General Electric F404-102 augmented turbofan (17,700-lb.-thrust). A new light fighter variant, the FA-50, is being designed, with the South Korean air force planning to acquire about 150.
The An-70 transport is a high-wing military transport powered by four 14,000-shp ZMKB Progress D-27 “propfan” engines with six-blade counter-rotating propellers. Maximum payload is 103,615 lb. Two An-70 prototypes were built and flown: one in 1994 and a second in 1997. Each was involved in an accident, but both were repaired. In 2006, Russia pulled out of a deal to acquire 164 aircraft, leaving Ukraine as the sole customer. With the project facing difficulties, Russia reentered the program in 2009, with a plan to purchase 60 aircraft through 2020.
The Yak-130 is a Yakovlev-designed subsonic advanced trainer and light attack aircraft powered by two 5,512-lb.-thrust ZMKB Progress AI-222-25 or Soyuz RD-2500 turbofans (prototypes used Klimov RD-35s). The first flight of a prototype took place in 1996, followed by the first production aircraft in 2004. Twelve Yak-130s were produced through 2011. From 2012 through 2021, Irkut is forecast to build 163 Yak-130s.
The Fuji T-7, also known as the T-3 Kai or KM-2F, is a tandem two-seat trainer derived from Fuji's earlier piston-engined T-3. It is powered by a 450-shp Rolls-Royce 250-B17F turboprop. First flight of a prototype, converted from a T-3, occurred in 1998. In 2000, the T-7 was selected over the Pilatus PC-7 as the new primary trainer for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Deliveries began in 2002, with 49 produced through 2008, when the final aircraft was delivered. The T-5 remains in production, with 50 produced through 2011.
Tianyi Ding (see photos) has joined the Middle East team of Swiss Aviation Consulting, Huenenberg/Zug, Switzerland, in the continuing airworthiness management organization division, and Rocco Sero will support the division as airworthiness review staff and head of the rotary-wing section.
Dan Keady (see photo) has been tapped to become senior vice president-special missions at Hawker Beechcraft Corp. in Wichita. He was vice president-international for China, Asia-Pacific and India.
The H-92 is the military variant of Sikorsky's S-92 civil model. It is powered by two GE CT7-8C turboshafts rated at approximately 2,550 shp each. When configured for the land assault mission, the H-92 provides a 200-nm radius of action and the ability to carry 22 troops at 3,000 ft on a 91.5F day. The first version is the CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter for Canada. Seven H-92s were produced through 2011, with 22 units forecast for production from 2012 through 2021.
The SH-2 Seasprite is a multipurpose naval helicopter. First flight was in 1959, and 191 were built. No new aircraft have been produced since the early 1990s. The two variants still in use are the SH-2F, powered by two GE T58-8F turboshafts rated at 1,350 shp each, and the modernized SH-2G, powered by two GE T700-401s rated at 1,690 shp each. The Seasprite is still marketed by Kaman.
The Hawk is a single-engine, two-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft. A single-seat light fighter variant (the Hawk 200) also was built. All versions are powered by a Rolls-Royce Adour turbofan, the latest Hawk 128 AJT variant using the 6,800-lb.-thrust Mk 951 variant. Excluding the related Boeing T-45 Goshawk, approximately 663 Hawks were produced through 2011, with an estimated 67 forecast for delivery in the 2012-21 period. Competition includes the Aermacchi M-346 and the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
The A-10 is a single-seat ground-attack aircraft powered by a pair of General Electric TF34-100 turbofans rated at 9,065-lb.-thrust each. First flight occurred in 1972, and production ended in 1984 after a total of 713 A-10As had been built for the U.S. Air Force. Conversion of a portion of the A-10 fleet for use in forward air control resulted in the OA-10 configuration. More than 300 A/OA-10s have been upgraded to the A-10C standard through the Precision Engagement program, for which Lockheed Martin was the prime contractor.
