John Sutton has joined Qinetiq North America, McLean, Va., as general manager and executive VP of its Mission and Information Solutions. He was senior VP-business development and general manager at Global Crossing.
Airlines in traditionally high-cost Scandinavia are watching their business models collapse and are struggling to find the right answers. Only Norwegian Air Shuttle, the fast-growing low-cost carrier, is still profitable.
USAF Lt. Col. (ret.) Jim Mullin and Chief Master Sgt. (ret.) James Perdue have joined Fairfax, Va.-based Salient Federal Solutions' Responsive Mission Support Solutions unit. Mullin will be program manager for the aviation and logistics training program, and Perdue project coordinator of client relationships and government liaison. Mullins was commander and Perdue chief enlisted manager of the 362d Training Sqdn. at Sheppard AFB, Texas.
A Lufthansa Technik technician installs FlyNet broadband connectivity as part of an evolution underway in airline cabin design to make them higher-tech and greener. The main thrust comes from customers demanding more connectivity and inflight entertainment, as detailed in a special report beginning on page 44. Lufthansa Technik photo by Sonja Bruggemann.
Wayne Rogers has been named VP-technical services for San Diego-based Kratos Defense & Security Solutions' engineering unit. He was Navsea's deputy for weapons engineering. HONORS AND ELECTIONS
Bob Kopas has been named VP-military programs at San Diego-based Z Microsystems. A former U.S. Navy surface warfare officer, he was commander of the USS Makin Island amphibious assault ship.
Russian Helicopters says it expects to deliver 301 aircraft in 2012, up from 262 in 2011, and 214 the year before. The trend marks significant growth from 2006 when deliveries topped out at 94 helicopters and represents a 15% year-on-year expansion, according to officials. It also underlines the continuing recovery of the country's helicopter industry from the steep declines seen after the end of the Cold War.
I agree with reader Hank Caruso that the “From the Web” portion of the Feedback page is a waste of space (AW&ST Feb. 6, p. 12). I can only wonder what comments of substance have been discarded in order to offer the floor to anonymous bloggers. If I want their input, I can look to the Internet. Portland, Ore.
Transport Editor Andrew Compart's “People Express Attempts to Return,” about the comeback plans of the long-defunct low-fare carrier, yielded: jacjetlag weighing in: Industry trailing wages in a pilot shortage era is a recipe for disaster, literally. Goforride noting:
A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra fires a pair of BAE Systems-designed, advanced precision-kill weapon system 2.75-in. rockets. The rockets, previously dumb, have been upgraded with screw-in, mid-body guidance systems that feature fold-out wings, flaperons and four optical sensors that quarter the field of view for faster, more accurate targeting. The missiles have hit a meter-wide, laser spot from a range of 3 mi. Seven-rocket pods are being prepared for several Marine helicopter models and the U.S. Navy's MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aircraft. BAE Systems photo.
Feb. 27-29—Defense Maintenance Sustainment Summit. Hilton Torrey Pines, La Jolla, Calif. See www.wbresearch.com/dms/ March 4—Tyabb (Australia) Airshow 2012. Peninsula Aero Club. See http://tyabbairshow.com.au/ March 5—Southern California Aviation Association's Safety Seminar. Airtel Plaza Hotel, Van Nuys. See http://scaa.memberlodge.com/
Charitably, one might say that the U.K.'s Defense Ministry is in a no-win situation regarding defense programs—damned if it cuts more and damned if it doesn't. A less charitable interpretation posits that after almost two years of trying to fix its military equipment plan, the U.K. is still left with a huge mismatch between funding and capabilities, with risk increasing of even greater imbalances as the nation's economy remains in a slump.
William Greenwalt has joined the Aerospace Industries Association, Arlington, Va., as VP-acquisition policy. He was deputy director for surveys and investigations of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.
Boeing Capital Corp. (BCC) says it is finding homes for the 25 717-200s it took back as a result of Mexicana's bankruptcy filing. Three are destined for Volotea, a Spanish low-fare startup that is to open services from Venice, Italy, in April to small- and medium-sized cities in France, Italy and Spain. Volotea's strategy is to offer low-cost services for cities not currently served with direct flights or that have high fares from existing carriers. All of the 717s will fly in a 125-seat, single-class configuration.
The Air Force garnered $2.4 billion worth of “savings” from the KC-46A aerial refueling tanker program owing to lower than expected contract costs, David Van Buren, the Air Force's top acquisition official, tells us. He says that the “restructuring” of the program described in the Pentagon's fiscal 2013 budget was a “poor choice of words.” Boeing remains poised to deliver 18 KC-46As in 2017 as agreed last year, Van Buren says. The tanker funding proposed in the fiscal 2012 budget was “notional” and submitted to Congress before the contract was awarded.
“Budget Cyber Threat” (AW&ST Feb. 6, p. 30) was an interesting and well-written piece that opened my mind to an area of cost overrun on the F-35 that I had not considered, but one that made some sense. I thought, “At least this is a plausible reason for some of the outrageous cost overruns we have seen on this project.”
Airbus is taking another run at building up its cargo aircraft portfolio, hoping the launch of the A330 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion will not suffer the same fate as other efforts. Airbus has long tried to build up its freighter offerings, an area in which it has trailed Boeing. But its A380 freighter and A320/A321P2F efforts stalled for disparate reasons.
“Finding the Pulse” (AW&ST Feb. 6, p. 22) highlights Boeing's drive for lean satellite manufacturing. However, its GPS-IIF has been anything but. General Electric (now Lockheed Martin) was criticized for taking seven years after contract award to launch the first GPS-IIR satellite. Well, Boeing took at least twice that long. Literally. It took them 15 years after contract award to launch the first GPS-IIF satellite! Please explain what part of that endeavor is “lean”?
Gene L. Stygles and Renee D. Palyo have been appointed chief and deputy chief, respectively, of the Facilities Div. at the NASAGlenn Research Center in Cleveland. Stygles worked on the advanced solid rocket motor program, and Palyo was head of the division's Program Management Office.
