Like all budgets the executive branch crafts, President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 plan is but a proposal that begins a discussion with the legislature (see p. 23). Typically, Congress adds back funding for some projects cut from previous “future years” spending plans. But this year, the rules of the game have changed, especially for defense. For starters, Congress has sworn off earmarks, the mechanism by which lawmakers direct funds to specific recipients.
I read with dismay the revelations about classified programs compromised by Internet hacking as outlined in “Budget Cyber Threat,” and wonder whatever happened to security to prevent unauthorized access to information during the communication process? I cannot understand how any classified program is not protected by either encrypted communications, non-Internet communications, or both. Corona del Mar, Calif.
The Federal Communications Commission is changing its mind on LightSquared, or at least its initial waiver granted to the broadband company. The move last week came as the agency continues to take heat in Washington for bypassing the normal step of intra-governmental notice of proposed rulemaking that might have addressed GPS interference issues in an orderly matter (AW&ST Feb. 13, p. 26). In turn, the FCC said Feb.
Any remaining doubts over whether the recovery in the civil helicopter market is for real were dispelled in a whirl of record orders, new product announcements and building backlogs at this year's Heli-Expo. As if to underscore the rising tide of optimism, the show itself was busy, with attendance topping 19,200, eclipsing 2008's record of almost 18,000. More than 650 exhibitors covered nearly 1 million sq. ft. of floor space; manufacturers brought in 60 helicopters for the show.
Japan Airlines is reconfiguring its Boeing 787 lineup with a greater emphasis on the long-range 787-9 because it offers lower seat-mile costs than the -8. JAL has switched 10 of the 35 787-8 orders it holds to -9s and added 10 others, raising its total commitment to 45. JAL is to begin operating 787-8s this year and plans to bring the -9s into service after March 2016.
Concerns are being aired by military analysts in the U.S. and bloggers in the Middle East about Syria sending surface-to-air and long-range ballistic missiles to Lebanon's Hezbollah-controlled Bekaa Valley for safekeeping. U.S. defense officials say such moves might be “plausible” if the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is truly threatened, but so far no significant shift has been observed.
Jamco's costs are mainly in yen and its sales contracts are mainly in dollars. With the yen now 60% higher than it was five years ago, that hurts. The root of the problem is the same Western economic weakness that is hurting defense manufacturers. Transmitted through low U.S. and European interest rates and the risk of the euro zone breaking up, it turns up in Japan as an excrutiatingly high exchange rate. And it affects mainly civil aerospace exporters like Jamco, one of the world's biggest makers of airliner interiors.
Mike Fetcko has joined Elliott Aviation, Moline, Ill., as avionics manager for the Quad Cities team. He was a systems design engineer with Great Lakes Aviation and a private contractor. Randy Davis has been promoted to accessory shop sales manager from sales data administrator.
Robert G. Semelsberger (see photo) has joined Rincon Research Corp., Tucson, Ariz., as director of the Procession and Development Div. He was a senior officer at the CIA.
Safety in numbers could be the catchphrase of the aviation industry as it pursues alternative fuels. The more feedstock-to-fuel pathways that are developed and commercialized, the more chances aviation has of securing lower-emission jet fuels at prices competitive with petroleum.
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Ajit Hari Gadre has become CEO of the Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying, Bengaluru, India. He was director-general of army aviation of India.
Congressional auditors say the FAA needs to do a much better job of managing the big modernization programs that are essential to NextGen air traffic management. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that although the FAA is improving in this area, there are still many cases where the agency is not following best practices in cost estimate and scheduling. Specifically, the FAA should do more to obtain independent cost estimates.
In the U.S., the aerospace and defense industry has not been subtle in preparing for a leaner spending era: L-3 Communications is looking to sell assets, ITT Corp. has spun off its defense activities, as did Northrop Grumman with its shipbuilding business. In Europe, the signs are much less obvious, but they are there.
Managers of Europe's new Vega rocket plan to ask European Space Agency (ESA) ministers to approve modifications to the launcher that would anchor it more solidly in Europe by replacing its Ukrainian-built upper stage with European hardware, preferably from Germany. The Feb. 13 debut flight (see photo) qualifies the Vega system—including the four-stage launch vehicle, ground infrastructure and operations—to operate alongside the Ariane 5 and Europeanized Soyuz rockets from the recently expanded spaceport in French Guiana.
Amy Butler (Washington), Andy Nativi (Rome and Fort Worth)
Another new year brings another new price tag for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II. Italy, one of nine partners for the single-engine, stealthy fighter, announced last week it will slice its buy to 90 from 131 only days after the Pentagon unveiled yet another new procurement profile that gutted 179 of the aircraft from its buy in fiscal years 2013-17. Last year, the Pentagon also sliced more than 100 aircraft from its near-term buy.
Larry Lawson has been named executive VP for the aeronautics business at the Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md., succeeding Ralph D. Heath, who plans to retire April 1. Lawson is VP and general manager for the F-35 program and will be succeeded by Orlando Carvalho. Lorraine Martin will follow Carvalho as VP and deputy for the program.
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.
Launch of the replacement Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) will be delayed at least into mid-2014 while NASA finds a new launch vehicle and fixes a problem in the spacecraft reaction wheel assemblies. After two launch failures with Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus XL solid-fuel rocket, NASA has decided to try to launch its replacement on another vehicle. Possibilities include the Pegasus XL, Falcon 9, Delta II and Atlas V, according to Jim Norman, director of launch services at NASA headquarters.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association of Atlanta has presented the Archie League Medal of Safety to controllers Kristina Kurtz, Anchorage Tracon; Todd Mariani, Kansas City Center; Matt Reed, Potomac Tracon; Guy Lieser and Steve McGreevy, Chicago Center; Chris Henchey and Ryan Workman, Boston Center; Charlie Rohrer, Denver Center; Ken Greenwood, Josh Haviland and Ryan Herrick, Seattle Tracon; Alvin Kent, Atlanta Center; Frank Fisher and Greg Fleetwood, Corpus Christi Tower/Tracon; and Kevin McLaughlin, Southern California Tracon.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have finalized the letter of acceptance for the sale of 36 Boeing AH-6i helicopters, marking formal launch of the program. The AH-6i program was initially kicked off with a memorandum of understanding with Jordan to buy the helicopter, but that deal has not been concluded. Boeing says it still sees an opportunity for that contract to come to fruition. The Philippines is seen as another potential AH-6i buyer. Meanwhile, Boeing is upgrading its AH-6 demonstrator to prepare for this summer's fly-off as part of the U.S.
Jeff Chalupa (see photo) has been named general manager-domestic operations for Tulsa, Okla.-based Nordam's transparency division. He was senior director-global engineering and quality for the repair division.
Richard DeFatta has joined Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in San Diego, as VP-engineering support services for the Madison Research Business Unit of the Weapon Systems Solution Div. He was VP of Teledyne Solutions.
Michelle A. Scarpella and Stephen D. Hogan (see photos) have been appointed Falls Church, Va.-based VPs for the F-35 and F/A-18 programs, respectively, for the Northrop Grumman Corp. Scarpella has worked on the B-2, Joint Stars and E-2C Hawkeye programs, and Hogan was EA-18G and EA-6B program director.
When GE Aviation spearheaded its drive to qualify the F136 as a second powerplant choice for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, it naturally emphasized the project's jobs potential. Southern state political leaders, eager for new, well-paying manufacturing jobs, offered incentives to win a share of the Defense Department's biggest procurement program. In the end, GE Aviation and its partner, Rolls-Royce, lost their JSF bid; Pratt & Whitney's F135 retained its role as the fighter's sole powerplant.
