In a highly anticipated ruling, a German federal court has blocked night flights from Frankfurt airport. The move could have wider consequences, with anti-noise campaigners in other locations expected to use the ruling to press their cases. The Hesse state government had authorized 17 night flights from Frankfurt, but that will have to be revisited.
Boeing delivered 99 737s and 20 777s in the first quarter, beating market expectations and marking a record-setting pace that contributed to 137 commercial aircraft deliveries so far in 2012. The tally, which also included five 787s, six 747-8s and seven 767s, compares to 104 deliveries for the same period in 2011 and 108 in 2010, and reflects the first significant indications of Boeing's rising production and delivery rates across the 737, 747-8, 777 and 787 lines.
Russian aero engines maker Salut has completed the climatic bench tests of new Al-31FM2 turbojet engine, which is a further development of the Al-31FM that powers the Sukhoi Su-27 fighter family. These tests have confirmed the static thrust increase of 4,080 lb. to 32,000 lb., compared with the basic engine. It also produces 2,200 lb. more thrust than the Al-31FM1, an earlier upgrade. An improved low-pressure turbine and full-authority digital engine control system are behind the FM2 improvement. Also, the engine has an assigned life of more than 3,000 hr.
Expensive automobiles and the most advanced military aircraft share a common vulnerability to cyberattack. The overlapping weaknesses have fixed the attention of scientists and electronic warfare (EW) specialists who are trying to plan for future wars.
Within the next three weeks, the Air Force will release a modified request for proposals (RFP) for the botched Light Attack Support contract. The service selected Sierra Nevada/Embraer to build 20 Super Tucanos for use in Afghanistan over a Hawker Beechcraft AT-6-based design. But the $355 million contract was abruptly terminated earlier this year after Hawker Beechcraft filed suit in federal claims court. “We lacked confidence in the documentation available,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley says. “That was the basis for withdrawing the contract award.”
Taiwan is hoping improved relations with China, an upgrade to Taipei's international airport and a new aerospace park will help it establish itself as an Asia-Pacific hub. Better relations with China have led to the opening of flights across the Taiwan Strait, a boon for Taiwanese carriers that are now being welcomed into global airline alliances. Late last month, EVA Air signed an agreement that paves the way for it to formally join the Star Alliance in 2013.
NASA pilots will take the space shuttle Discovery for a spin over the nation's capital—and Capitol—before delivering it to the Smithsonian Institution's Udvar-Hazy Center later this month (see photo). The retired orbiter, known as the workhorse of the shuttle fleet, is due to leave Kennedy Space Center April 17 atop a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) en route to the National Air & Space Museum annex at Dulles International Airport. Two NASA T-38 trainers scouted photo angles over Washington last week, descending to about 1,500 ft.
Despite deep divisions in the U.S. Congress, lawmakers are not missing an opportunity to express their support for the defense of Israel. The question is just how much they will provide in the end. The Pentagon recently said it would ask for more cash to purchase Rafael's Iron Dome short-range rocket and mortar defense system for Israel. And while some lawmakers are so enthusiastic about Iron Dome that they have already introduced a bill toward that end, there is no consensus about the amount of the allocation.
Virginie Guyot and Birgitte Stalder-Olsen have joined the Paris-based Airbus Corporate Foundation as external board members. Guyot is the former leader of the Patrouille de France and a fighter pilot. Stalder-Olsen is head of logistics of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Samantha Sharif (see photo) has become interim director general of the Amsterdam-based Civil Air Navigation Services Organization, succeeding Graham Lake, who stepped down last month.
USAF Maj. Gens. James F. Jackson and Andrew E. Busch have been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general. Jackson has been appointed chief of Air Force Reserve/commander, Air Force Reserve (AFR) Command at USAF headquarters at the Pentagon. He was deputy to the AFR chief. Busch has been named vice commander of Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He has been commander of the command's Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah. Brig. Gen. Stephen A. Clark has been named deputy commander of Joint Special Operations Command, U.S.
MD Helicopters injected swirl of speculation around the U.S. Army's Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement when it unveiled the MD 540F light combat helicopter at last week's Army Aviation Association of American convention in Nashville, Tenn. MDHI says it will offer the 540F—its first new helicopter in 15 years—for the AAS requirement despite having already agreed to supply the airframe for Boeing's contender, the AH-6i, which is also a derivative of the original Hughes 500/OH-6 model.
Northrop Grumman's newly implemented Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) is now producing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter center fuselages at the rate of one every five days as the company continues to ramp-up toward a target of one per day. The first unit to roll off the IAL was delivered to Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth assembly line on March 16.
That the BrahMos high-speed anti-ship missile is a formidable weapon is not in doubt, but its air-launch suitability remains a question. Now industry is pursuing a dual path to ease those concerns.
Kenya Airways has selected General Electric's GEnx-1B engine for its forthcoming Boeing 787 fleet as the contest with Rolls-Royce heats up over the remaining customers yet to select an engine. The GEnx-1B will power the carrier's nine firm-order 787s and four options. The deal bolsters GE's claim to around two-thirds of the 787 orderbook and underscores the company's bullish outlook as it makes progress with the latest engine performance upgrade work. The uptick in the tempo of engine marketing comes as both GE and Rolls continue to perfect improvement packages.
James G. Brunke and Peter Bull have joined the advisory board of AirVault, Addison, Texas. Brunke is a consultant on commercial and defense aviation, and Bull was executive director on the board of Airclaims.
Relations between Thailand and its neighbors have been improving, but some border disputes with Cambodia and Myanmar remain unresolved. This means intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) will continue to be an important requirement. There were incidents last year in which Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged gunfire near the ancient Khmer temple of Preah Vihear. Thai and Myanmar troops, meanwhile, exchanged gunfire in 2001 along their border, near the Thai town of Mae Sai.
Sal Cipres has been named head of global programs at Smiths Detection, Edgewood, Md. He was general manager of the Edgewood facility and director of global chemical and biological programs.
The major tactical problems that analysts foresee in the Asia-Pacific theater are the anti-access, area-denial (A2AD) environments that could be created by the array of military products that China sells to other countries and incorporates into its own forces.
Boeing's decision to close its Wichita facility by the end of next year may be good for the company's books, but a senior U.S. Air Force official says it adds risk to its ability to execute the KC-46A aerial refueling contract.
Mary M. Miller, VP-industry and government affairs at Signature Flight Support, has been named the recipient of the Alexandria, Va.-based National Air Transportation Association's Distinguished Service Award. Kenneth C. Ricci, chairman of Flight Options and CEO of Nextant Aerospace, received NATA's William A. Ong Memorial Award.
