Two demonstration Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites, built by Northrop Grumman, captured these infrared images of a ballistic missile intercept from their low Earth orbit. In 2009, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) lofted the two STSS satellites, developed under the then-Space-Based Infrared System-low program, to explore whether orbiting spacecraft could be used to track warheads in mid-flight.
Israel's aerial refueling requirements are moving to the forefront as the country mulls possible air strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, and although a U.S. offer of surplus KC-135s would help, it is not a long-term solution. The ingress and egress routes to distant Iranian targets present planners with enormous challenges, including several midair refuelings under hazardous conditions, tasking every single asset that the Israeli air force (IAF) can put in the sky. Keeping fuel-guzzling jets flying to their targets and back would depend on tankers.
The Italian government is proceeding with new measures to protect “strategic” companies against foreign takeovers, with aerospace and defense entities topping the list. The first companies to be protected are Finmeccanica, Avio and Fincantieri. Future decrees will take care of energy, transportation and telecommunications companies.
Timothy Walsh (see photo) has become director of aviation services for New Orleans-based GCR Inc. He was vice president in the Energy, Environment and Infrastructure unit of the Science Applications International Corp. and had been director of airports for San Diego County, Calif.
Jerry Grey has taught engineering at Princeton University and been science and policy director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transportation Association (ALTA), whose members account for 90% of the region's commercial air traffic, saw June passenger volume increase by 9.6% to a total of 11.6 million passengers compared to June 2011. With capacity up 8.1% over June 2011, the month's load factor also increased by 2.3 percentage points to 76%.
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has fended off a fierce primary challenge from Sandy Adams. Mica's electoral triumph follows two big legislative ones—passing multiyear FAA and highway bills. And now he has a new fight on his hands, as his next role on the Transportation Committee is unclear. To remain chairman in a Republican-led House, Mica would have to request an exemption from party term limits that prevent him from staying at the helm of the panel that sets policy for the FAA. Rep.
Aviation Week's 2012 Workforce Study data come from respondents that collectively employ 80% of the A&D industry's workforce of 624,000. Newcomers to this year's study include Alenia Aermacchi North America and Acutec Precision Machining.
Angela Gittens, world director of Airports Council International, has been named to receive the 2012 Aviation Award of Excellence from the Airport Consultants Council.
John Wojick (see photo) has been named vice president-sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He succeeds Ray Conner, who is now president/CEO. Wojick has been vice president-North America sales and will be succeeded by Brad McMullen, who has been head of Japan and Oceania sales. Bernie Dunn has been named to succeed Greg Pepin as president of Boeing Turkey. Pepin plans to retire in October. Dunn has been vice president of business development for Middle East and Africa for ITT Defense International.
Thomas L. Hendricks has been appointed president of the Alexandria, Va.-based National Air Transportation Association, effective Sept. 1. He will succeed James K. Coyne. Hendricks has been senior vice president-safety, security and operations for Airlines for America.
Northrop Grumman has completed close-formation flight tests with two RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft as it moves closer to an autonomous high-altitude aerial refueling demonstration for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under the KQ-X program.
It's an election year and Washington is running a high sequestration fever. Defense contractors worry about layoff notifications. Trade groups and think tanks are trying to measure the depth of pain to development programs and government operations should Congress not meet a year-end deadline to avoid automatic budget cuts.
The Joint Strike Fighter program achieved a milestone Aug. 8 when a short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (Stovl) F-35 was the first of the developmental, stealthy fighters to release a weapon during a test over the Atlantic Ocean. The inert, 1,000-lb. Joint Direct Attack Munition also was the first airborne weapon separation from the F-35 internal weapon bay. The event kicks off a lengthy weapons-testing campaign for the F-35.
Edie Hunt has joined RLC, Broussard, La., as VP-human resources. She has headed the human resources and information technology departments at Dynamic Offshore Resources.
Regarding the reader query about a spirit level, I would like to recommend watching the cockpit video (available via YouTube) of Bob Hoover's Shrike Commander acrobatic routine in which an open pitcher of tea remains perfectly level throughout barrel-roll maneuvers. What the Air France Flight 447 crew needed was an Angle-of-Attack gauge such as those Delta Air Lines installs on the primary flight displays of its Boeing 737NGs, 767-400s and 777s. Marietta, Ga.
Russian fighter producer Sukhoi has started flight tests of a T-50 prototype equipped with active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The AESA, developed by Tikhomirov NIIP, is installed on the third prototype of the so-called fifth-generation fighter. This aircraft made its first flight on Nov. 22, 2011, in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia's Far East, then it flew to Zhukovsky, near Moscow, where the radar installation took place. Besides the main X-band radar with a 700 X 900-mm array, T-50 will carry additional L-band arrays located in the wings' leading edges.
