Reader Comments On Commercial Space Crew Push, Web Readers
Aviation Week's “New Bomber Force May Need 200 Aircraft,” about the requirement for the Long Range Strike-Bomber program elicited: warrant9 opining: With the current USAF program management track record, one can have little faith that a capable stealth bomber can be developed at a reasonable cost. This project will require leadership and vision, not management skills.
With a pared-down fiscal 2013 budget request on Capitol Hill and delays in the massive Joint Strike Fighter program, the U.S. Air Force is having to abandon a decade's worth of modernization plans for its workhorse airlifter and fighter fleets. Instead of buying hundreds of new F-35s early this decade and retiring F-16s and A-10s, the service is trying to avoid a possible gap. And, rather than embracing an ambitious, decade-long $6.4 billion upgrade for its C-130 fleet, the service is taking an appetite suppressant.
Intelsat General will provide satellite communications to the Iraqi defense ministry under a subcontract to 3DI Technologies, with almost a full transponder on Intelsat's IS-901 satellite and an iDirect network of 150 terminals served by Intelsat General's Mountainside teleport in Maryland. 3DI, a subsidiary of L-3 Communications Corp., won an $80 million contract from the direct military sales branch of the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Command.
China plans to perform its first manned space docking operation this year, with the Shenzhou 9 capsule and three crewmembers due to be launched between June and August. Following what national space contractor CAST calls the “thoroughly successful” Shenzhou 8 unmanned and automated docking trial last year, the Shenzhou 9 crew will use manual control to join their craft to Tiangong 1, an orbital laboratory and docking target launched last September.
In this city where politics and policies collide, some put their faith in the executive branch, while others bet on Congress to provide the last word. A multinational missile defense program finds itself yet again in a tussle between both branches. The U.S., Italy and Germany have agreed to provide funding for development of Lockheed Martin's Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) in fiscal 2012 and 2013. Any unilateral exit from that agreement would bring with it steep termination fees. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledges the U.S.
Joseph C. Downie (see photo) has been appointed site director of Falls Church, Va.-based Northrop Grumman's Amherst Systems unit. He was simulation systems director.
A U.S. Air Force C-5 has delivered the second Lockheed Martin Advanced Extremely High-Frequency communications satellite to Cape Canaveral in preparation for launch on a United Space Alliance Atlas 5 on Apr. 27.
Trials of end-to-end performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures on a busy Latin American route mark another incremental step in global PBN development. LAN Peru launched the trials Feb. 23 using flights between Lima and major tourism gateway Cusco. General Electric Aviation has installed required navigation performance (RNP) procedures at both airports, which cover the entire flight of almost 1 hr. RNP is an advanced type of PBN that allows aircraft to fly precise—and more efficient—routes using aircraft flight-management systems.
In 2009, Southwest Airlines unveiled an ambitious plan to switch out its original Boeing 737 cabin in favor of a sustainable one called the Green Plane. Two years later, the airline has finished rigorous tests of lighter, recyclable aircraft components and tallied survey results from passengers who commented on the new amenities. The project has culminated in Evolve, an interior design that includes newly engineered seats, carpets and bulkheads.
The U.S. Air Force, in its ongoing battle with cybertheft, is concerned about industries that are victimized by digital attack, but it is unwilling to subsidize those losses by allowing those costs to be added to its weapons programs.
Malaysia has too few military aircraft, but the shortage of military pilots poses an even greater threat to the country's defense capability. The shortfall has been exacerbated by the fact that some air force pilots, particularly those who operate helicopters, have been assigned to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the country's fire services. Overall, there is a general shortage of helicopter pilots throughout Malaysia, largely as a result of the nation's booming oil and gas industry, which uses helicopters to serve offshore rigs.
In The World section in the Feb. 13 issue (p. 14), the name of software developer Ultramain Systems was misspelled in an item about its use with the Boeing Electronic Logbook.
A foliage-penetrating radar developed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Army has been deployed to South America by U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom) to support anti-terrorism and other operations. Mounted under a Beechcraft C-12 King Air, the Tactical Reconnaissance and Counter-concealment-Enabled Radar (Tracer) has replaced an earlier foliage-penetration radar, which has been operational since 2005.
Sandwiched between Malaysia and Indonesia, and a short hop from the Philippines, the city-state of Singapore has built itself into a transportation hub on the strength of its airport, the world's busiest shipping port and its renowned national carrier, Singapore Airlines. But now the island nation is seeing its regional dominance in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) challenged as first-world wages threaten to price it out of the market.
Gary Drossel (see photo) has been named VP-product strategy for Virtium Technology, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. He was VP-product planning at SiliconSystems and a developer of STEC's solid-state drive portfolio.
An interesting quid-pro-quo military equipment deal between Israel and Italy may jeopardize Israel's future contracts with South Korea, but it has also solidified Jerusalem's relationship with Rome. Israel is opting for the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 advanced jet trainer over Korea Aerospace Industries' T-50 in an estimated $1 billion deal that will cover 25-30 aircraft plus ground-based training systems. This month, the director general of Israel's defense ministry, Maj. Gen. Udi Shani, recommended his government authorize the order.
Washington has assumed a prime position among U.S. cities likely targeted for attack—cyberattack, that is. The capital city leads the list in a new annual report on cities with the most cybercrime risk factors. The city's ranking, compiled by Symantec's Norton in partnership with research firm Sperling's BestPlaces, is up from third place last year, because of the region's hyper-connected denizens.
Interior modification is a hot segment of the maintenance, repair and overhaul market, and MRO and airframe companies are coming up with novel ways of dramatically reducing turnaround times for installation of interior components. At the MRO Middle East conference this month, ICF SH&E Vice President David Stewart said interior upgrades and modification and demand will be responsible for growing heavy maintenance at a compound annual growth rate of 3.3% through 2021, even in the midst of new aircraft platforms and deliveries to airlines.
Armed with new funding tools recently approved as part of the FAA reauthorization act, Kent Statler, executive vice president for commercial systems at avionics supplier Rockwell Collins, sees airlines beginning to phase in NextGen on a regional basis. High-density airports, possibly in the Northeast, could begin to require aircraft flying in and out to be compliant with certain NextGen technologies, Statler tells Aviation Week editors on a swing through Washington.
Brad Tilden (see photo) has been named CEO of Seattle-based Alaska Air Group, parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. He will remain as president of Alaska Airlines. Tilden succeeds Bill Ayer, who will continue as chairman. Mark Eliasen has been appointed VP-finance and treasurer.
Orbital Sciences Corp. estimates it will take a $10-15 million hit this year with NASA's decision not to fly its replacement Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) on the Taurus XL launcher. Orbital hopes to recycle the solid-fuel rocket motors it acquired for the mission, says CEO David Thompson. But after fairing-separation failures sent the first OCO and NASA's Glory satellite to watery graves, he concedes there are no more launch contracts for the Taurus XL.
The partnership between major airlines and regional carriers has long been based on the premise of “seamless service,” although the only thing seamless about it has been a common reservation system and a shared airline International Air Transport Association code. For passengers transferring to a regional airliner from an intercontinental jet, cabin comfort and amenities often defy comparison. But that could be changing, as global carriers vie for the lucrative first and business classes and some coach passengers show a willingness to pay more for greater room in economy.
To bolster Norwegian industry content on the F-35 program, Oslo has established a funding pool to help companies secure production workshare. The funding program will run during 2012-15 and has a budget of around 50 million Norwegian kronor, or $8.8 million. The Norwegian defense ministry notes that other governments, notably Canada and Australia, have created similar funding support mechanisms. Companies are expected to provide at least an equal amount when they tap the government's subsidy.
