The proliferation of low-cost unmanned aircraft has driven Thales back to embracing the concept of gun-based air defenses. “You cannot afford to use very expensive missiles” against such targets, says Laurent Dupont, who is in charge of advanced weapon systems at Thales. Its RapidFire system looks to take advantage of improvements in sensor accuracy and ammunitions to enable the gun air defense concept.
I am a the president of the one of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society chapters. Our chapter, 128 members strong, encompasses Arkansas and has representatives from WWII to the Korean and Vietnam wars and all branches of the service. Pilots, navigators, flight engineers, load masters and more contributed to the cause of freedom. One of our members—Lt. Col. Bob Hite—was copilot of the B-25 #16 Doolittle Raider and was a prisoner of war. We all wear our DFCs proudly. Thank you for the great article.
USAF Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger (see photo) has become the service's first female four-star general and has assumed the top position at Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. She succeeds Gen. Donald Hoffman, who is retiring after 42 years.
George Maffeo has been named president of Boeing Japan, succeeding Mike Denton, who is expected to retire in October. Maffeo was VP of 787 supplier management.
Concerned about the growing influence of foreign business jet manufacturers, the U.S. Congress charged the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) with examining the status of what has been a U.S.-dominated business, albeit one suffering from a severe, years-long economic downturn. When disseminated recently, the resulting report surely brought relief to Embraer—which it detailed as a formidable, but fair, competitor—yet the document might give some would-be participants pause.
Pramod K. Varshney has been selected to receive the 2012 IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award, sponsored by IEEE Aerospace and Electronics Systems, Control Systems and Engineering in Medicine and Biology Societies, Piscataway, N.J. Varshney is being honored for pioneering work on data fusion methods that have driven the proliferation of multisensory networks for the aerospace industry and other applications.
With the 2012 Summer Olympics just a month away, the U.S. government is poised to set a world record of its own—pulling in more than $50 billion in foreign weapons sales for the fiscal year that is not over yet. The previous record was set just last year—a tad more than $30 billion—says Andrew Shapiro, the assistant secretary of state for political military affairs. Two key sales are driving the U.S.
USAF Maj. Gen. Kenneth D. Merchant has been named program executive officer for weapons at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center of Air Force Materiel Command, Eglin AFB, Fla. He has been commander of the Air Armament Center and Air Force program executive officer for weapons. Maj. Gen. Craig S. Olson is the new program executive officer for command, control and communications information and networks at the command's Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom AFB, Mass.
By Jens Flottau, Adrian Schofield, Bradley Perrett
India and Latin America, among the fastest-growing air transport markets, are catching the attention of the global airline alliances, and Oneworld is the one gaining in both of them.
Pramod K. Varshney has been selected to receive the 2012 IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award, sponsored by IEEE Aerospace and Electronics Systems, Control Systems and Engineering in Medicine and Biology Societies, Piscataway, N.J. Varshney is being honored for pioneering work on data fusion methods that have driven the proliferation of multisensory networks for the aerospace industry and other applications.
Colin McGregor has been appointed general manager for project operations for Algae Tec, Perth, Australia. He was director of a fuel efficiency program for a major international carrier.
Marco Laos has been named quality assurance manager for Heads Up Technologies, Carrollton, Texas. He was director of quality engineering at St. Jude Medical.
It is, without a doubt, a big win for an industry that has been waiting a long time for good news. In the largest business-jet order ever tendered, NetJets agreed to buy up to 425 new business jets from Bombardier and Cessna as part of a 10-year plan to overhaul its fleet. The value of the deals would reach $9.6 billion, if the world's largest fractional ownership operator exercises all of its options for Bombardier Challenger 300 series and 605s and Cessna Citation Latitudes.
Ralph Crosby, Jr., chairman/CEO of EADS North America, has been awarded the Tyson's Corner, Va.-based National Defense Industrial Association's James Forrestal Industry Leadership Medal in recognition of his corporate leadership and commitment to a robust defense-industrial base, in particular the development of the B-2 bomber.
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.
