Rolls-Royce and Snecma will study development of next-generation combat aircraft engines under an Anglo-French bilateral agreement led by the U.K. Defense Ministry and announced late last month. The contract calls for Rolls-Royce Snecma Ltd., a joint venture formed in 2001, to consider derivatives of existing military propulsion systems as well as the potential to develop novel engine concepts during the study, which are expected to require a little more than one year to complete.
What began with building a model helicopter during an innovation workshop has led to a company startup, a chance to work closely with Sikorsky and the opportunity for a make-to-print supplier to grow into a design-build partner. Pankl Aerospace Innovations, formed by California-based Pankl Aerospace Systems earlier this year, is the first winner of Sikorsky's online Entrepreneurial Challenge, designed to identify small, innovative firms it can help incubate.
I have to disagree with reader Mike Jolley's assertion that Air France Flight 447 would not have crashed had the aircraft been equipped with a conventional yoke instead of a sidestick controller (AW&ST July 23, p. 10). I am an airline captain who is new to the Airbus A330, although I have logged thousands of hours in Boeing 767s and other yoke-equipped aircraft. Like many pilots, I have a few reservations about the Airbus flight control system.
“Joining Forces” regarding Rocketdyne (AW&ST July 30, p. 22) takes a somewhat aerospace-centric stance when stating that Boeing “acquired Rockwell International in 1996.” More accurately, Boeing purchased Rockwell's Aerospace and Defense businesses, leaving Rockwell International with annual sales of about $10 billion in avionics, automation, semiconductor and automotive businesses. This divestiture by Rockwell was an early step in a carefully executed program which has created enormous added value for shareholders.
An Ariane 5 ECA set a new record for mass injected into geostationary transfer orbit Aug. 2 with the launch of a pair of telecommunications satellites that weighed 10,082 kg (22,447 lb.) with their deployment hardware. It was the 50th successful Ariane 5 launch in a row, according to Arianespace. Liftoff from the European space center near Kourou, French Guiana, came at 4:54 p.m. EDT, with the Intelsat 20 and Hylas 2 spacecraft on board.
There is an implication in situations such as the Air France Flight 447 accident that there has been a software/hardware malfunction which required aircrew to override the aircraft's attempts to regain stability. Would it be advantageous to install a three-axis spirit level close to the pilot's line-of-sight that would provide instant, unarguable and rudimentary information about pitch, roll and inversion? Dorset, England
Manufacturers want to know the regulations before they build a product; regulators want to see a product before they write the rules. That is the Catch-22 facing the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into national airspace.
When the 2008 recession engulfed the general aviation industry, Diamond Aircraft was hit particularly hard by the sales downturn in the light aircraft market. CEO Christian Dries wasted no time in finding new markets for Diamond's products. Soon, he had adapted or created several models for government and special missions use.
I applaud your recent focus on small satellites. As a dedicated supporter of the small satellite community, I believe that smallsats are a key enabler for the development and revitalization of innovation in space technology. However, Frank Morring, Jr., overlooked one very important individual in “More With Less” (AW&ST July 30, p. 36): Prof. Robert Twiggs, the father of the cubesat. He developed the cubesat standard at Weber State University in Utah and further expanded its applications while at Stanford University. Prof.
Foreign airlines are being allowed to lock in loan rates in a new prefunding guarantee program from the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) that grants carriers a greater flexibility to manage their fleet acquisitions.
Boeing expects India's P-8I order to increase to as many as 30 aircraft, due to expected Indian navy and coast guard interest. “With 7,500 kilometers of coastline, and with three aircraft carriers, the Indian navy is going to have a tremendous need for . . . maritime and surveillance aircraft,” says Carl Lang, Boeing's P-8I program manager. Under a $2 billion contract signed in 2009, Boeing will deliver eight of the maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft starting in the first half of 2013, with an option for four more.
Northrop Grumman's X-47B unnamed combat aircraft system demonstrator is a step closer to landing on a carrier after its first flight from the U.S. Navy's test center at NAS Paxutent River, Md. During the 36-min. flight over Chesapeake Bay on July 29, Air Vehicle 2 reached 7,500-ft. altitude and 180-kt airspeed. The next step is for ground-maneuvering trials. Air Vehicle 1 is being readied for carrier-suitability testing with the next block of software, with shore-based catapult launches and arrested landings at Pax River beginning later this year.
A little more than one year after its revolutionary KA-SAT broadband satellite entered service, fleet operator Eutelsat is lowering its revenue expectations. The Paris-based company says the all-Ka-band spacecraft is still expected to generate €100 million ($122 million) in new business, but not until 2015, one year later than projected.
In April 2009, President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious vision in Prague about moving to a world without nuclear weapons. The speech won him friends among present and past heads of state and across the arms control community, and criticism from Republicans. But these days, the president's nuclear policy is under attack from all sides.
Koay Peng Yen has been named group CEO of Tiger Airways Holdings of Singapore, succeeding Chin Yau Seng, who will return to Singapore Airlines. Honors And Elections
As a passenger, it's evident that airlines are doing a much better job at managing their capacity. It's rare to find an empty seat next to you. Frequent fliers also know many airlines offer ancillary services—from onboard food to checked baggage—for a fee. New revenue streams are visible. What is invisible to passengers is that airlines also are getting smarter about managing life-cycle costs.
How do you fight off a swarm of small UAVs? Answer: With another swarm. That's the thinking behind the Aerial Battle Bots project masterminded by Timothy Chung, assistant professor of systems engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Chung is planning to stage an airborne gladiatorial contest between two fleets of 50 UAVs by 2015, to demonstrate how the swarm defense might work.
Aurora Flight Sciences' Centaur optionally piloted aircraft flies over northern Virginia with Tom Washington, chief pilot and Centaur chief engineer, as safety pilot in the left seat. The unmanned-aircraft ground station and operator are in the back seat, while a flight-control servo package occupies the normal space for the right front seat. Aviation Week & Space Technology was on board the Centaur as it flew an autonomous mission, from takeoff to landing. Aurora photo by Martin Gomez.
There is no single “smoking gun” that caused breathing trouble for USAF F-22 Raptor pilots, but rather a “mosaic” of inter-related cockpit equipment issues that led to a chain reaction of problems resulting in symptoms similar to hypoxia, says Maj. Gen. Charlie Lyon, Air Combat Command's director of operations. The Air Force said last week it believes it has resolved the breathing issues for now, with a plan to replace a valve in a vest that was not meeting Raptor oxygen-supply requirements, Lyon says.
Hans J. Langer, founder and CEO of technology company EOS, has been named one of the Top 20 Most Influential People by the U.K.'s TCT Magazine. The list recognizes individuals for their contributions to the additive manufacturing industry in the past 20 years.
