I want to express my appreciation for your recognition of those who flew combat missions for the U.S. As a member of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society and a recipient of that award for service in World War II, I am delighted to see the recognition of others for their meritorious and heroic service to our country.
Bob Freiberg has become president and CEO of Herndon, Va.-based Cassidian Communications. He was VP and general manager for Cassidian's 9-1-1 Call Center Applications and the Notification Solutions & Services units.
Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) has filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement of its $355 million U.S. Air Force contract to supply 20 Embraer A-29 Super Tucano light air support (LAS) aircraft to Afghanistan. The company says the U.S. Court of Federal Claims action is in response to a lawsuit filed by disqualified bidder Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC), which led USAF to set aside the December sole-source award and reopen the competition.
With an array of competitors launching new aircraft, it's fair to ask why Embraer is waiting until the end of the decade to introduce its next-generation of E-Jets. The answer: Why make the current 70-122-seat family obsolete any earlier than need be?
Michael K. McLelland (see photos) has been promoted to executive director of the Space Systems Directorate in Southwest Research Institute's Space Science and Engineering Div. in San Antonio. He was director of the Space Systems Department, and has been succeeded by Kelly D. Smith, who was manager of the Electromechanical Systems Section.
Six huge, three-stage missiles on their giant 16-wheel transporter erector launchers (TELs) rolled through Pyonyang's Kim Il Sung Square on April 15, unleashing a blizzard of speculation in the West. Was this the fulfillment of former Defense Secretary Robert Gates's prediction of a new North Korean road-mobile ICBM? If so, this would vindicate the U.S. investments in the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system deployed in Alaska and California. No wonder some critics rushed to trivialize the parade and portray the missiles as crude props designed to impress the yahoos.
David K. Lang has been appointed VP and CFO of the United Launch Alliance, Centennial, Colo., succeeding Joe Potter, who has retired. Lang was CFO for Boeing's Integrated Logistics Div.
Airframe makers know a smooth entry-into-service is just as vital to encouraging new sales as a botched one is to putting them off. All the more reason for Boeing to be watching the debut of its 747-8 with Lufthansa with hawk-like attention as it pursues much-needed new orders for the stretched passenger model.
Emirates is pushing Boeing to make a quick decision on the next-generation 777. Emirates President Tim Clark says Boeing could “sell immediately 150-200” of them. Emirates alone has 174 777-300ERs in its fleet or on order and plans to retire the first of them in 2017. Clark says Boeing would make a mistake if it waited until the performance of the competing A350-1000 becomes clear.
The newly named MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aircraft system for the U.S. Navy was officially revealed at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., facility on June 14. Meanwhile, The Navy says it has yet to confirm the cause of an accident June 10 that led to the loss of one of five BAMS demonstrator Global Hawk Block 10 aircraft near NAS Patuxent River, Md.
Etihad Airways has decided to take some of its A320s on order with winglets that Airbus is developing for the narrowbody. Deliveries of A320s equipped with “Sharklets” are to start this year, with Etihad due to receive its first in the third quarter of next year. Of the 20 A320s the carrier has ordered, 17 will be using the devices. Airbus has promised around 3.5% fuel burn improvement on long-range flights, although flight testing suggests the benefit may be slightly higher. The winglets will be standard on the A320NEO reengined aircraft due to come into service in 2015.
NASA 's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is in orbit and sending back signals following its June 13 air-launch over the central Pacific Ocean on an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket dropped from the belly of an L-1011 Stargazer aircraft that took off from Kwajalein Atoll. NuSTAR separated 13 min. after the winged solid-fuel rocket ignited, and NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System picked up signals from the spacecraft a minute after that.
Nelson Krahenbuhl Salgado has been appointed president of Embraer subsidiary Visiona Tecnologia Espacial, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. He has been active in the airframer's strategic planning and financial sectors.
Airbus is already facing a huge bill to restore the A380 fleet to full life-cycle capabilities. But the cracks in wing rib feet are causing such huge operational disruptions that airlines want more than just repaired aircraft—compensation for lost revenues and profits is also sought.
Technicians at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will soon begin integrating the first instrument received there for the James Webb Space Telescope. The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), assembled by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the U.K., will cover wavelengths of 5-28 microns from the Webb's planned perch at the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrangian point.
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways is ruling out deferring aircraft deliveries even as it accelerates retirements of Boeing 747-400s in response to weak demand. Chief Executive John Slosar says that even if business is tough, an airline should always want to replace old aircraft. Cathay expects delivery of 24 Boeing 777-300ERs and 14-15 Airbus A330s during the coming three years. The company said in April that business conditions had continued to worsen.
DeEtte Gray has been named president of the Intelligence & Security sector at BAE Systems, Arlington, Va. She was VP for Lockheed Martin's Enterprise Information Technology Solutions business.
China is starting to globally market a new medium-range surface-to-air missile system called Sky Dragon. China North Industries Corp. claims an engagement range of 3-50 km (2-31 mi.), with a maximum engagement altitude of 20 km. The target set includes fighters, helicopters, unmanned aircraft and cruise missiles. A system comprises 3-6 launchers with four missiles each, an Ibis150 3D radar providing greater than 130-km detection range and a battle command system. The company says 12 missiles can be controlled at the same time.
Three decades after CFM International and Boeing revolutionized the single-aisle market by putting a high-bypass turbofan under the low-slung wing of the 737, the two partners are on track to evolve the combination to a whole new level.
Whether the U.S. Navy's first demonstration of a biofuel-powered fleet represents a one-off effort or the potential start of a new industry may now rest in the hands of the U.S. Senate. The Navy bought 450,000 gal. of fuel— made from algae or other crops—for about $27 per gallon to power its “Great Green Fleet” in the Rim of the Pacific exercises scheduled to start later this month. But if the defense authorization bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee stands, the biofuel-powered fleet will run aground next year.
