Ten years and $38 billion into the development of the Joint Strike Fighter, the program is still fighting to stay intact. This is as much about changing times as it is about unmet expectations. A decade ago, Washington had a budget surplus. Today, it is saddled with debt. As the single-largest Pentagon procurement, the $380 billion F-35 cannot escape unprecedented scrutiny. The F-35 should now be an adolescent in the Pentagon's portfolio. Instead, it has been stuck at the toddler stage.
F-35 program overseers had hoped in 2011 to finally determine how much the stealthy fighter would cost to buy and operate, but it has turned out—once again—to be a year riddled by debate and unanswered questions associated with the price of the multinational Joint Strike Fighter.
Feb. 1-2—MRO Middle East 2012. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Feb. 14-16—Aerospace & Defense Technology and Affordability Requirements. Arlington, Va. March 7—54th Annual Laureate Awards. Washington. March 13-14—Innovation Supply Chain Showcase. Orlando, Fla. April 3-5—MRO Americas 2012. Dallas. April 3-5—MRO Military Conference & Exhibition. Dallas. April 23-25—NextGen Ahead: Air Transportation Modernization. Washington. May 8-9—Civil Aviation Manufacturing. Charlotte, N.C.
Jan. 11-13—Association of United States Army's ILW Aviation Symposium and Exposition. Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, National Harbor, Md. See www.ausa.org/meetings/2012/symposia
Aviation just passed a remarkable anniversary. It has been 10 full years since any passenger has been killed in the crash of an aircraft of a major North American airline. The remarkable level of safety achieved in advanced nations should be the envy of all industries. But even as we celebrate we should pause to reflect on how this achievement has come to pass. Many forces constantly work to undermine safety, and we must resist complacency.
Air forces rarely get what they want. Instead they get what the government determines they should have. Malaysia's air force has a requirement for 18 fighters and at least two airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. The navy, meanwhile, is in need of six anti-submarine warfare helicopters. The armed services have been evaluating the technical specifications of the platforms on offer and calculating life-cycle costs. But the government looks at the bigger picture.
As another turbulent year for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter draws to a close, Pratt & Whitney is optimistic that 2012 could prove a potential watershed for the program and its F135 engine.
Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer may get the lion's share of attention, but the airplanes they build are the sum of systems and parts that are procured from hundreds of suppliers around the globe. So it is not surprising that United Technologies Corp.'s $18.4 billion deal to acquire Goodrich is generating a lot of speculation about the future of the aerospace supply chain. Will others move to counter a new aircraft “super supplier” that will sell everything from Pratt & Whitney engines and Hamilton Sundstrand electronics to Goodrich brakes and landing gear?
Bill Ashworth has become president of Aviation Partners Boeing in Seattle. He was president of Goodrich Aviation Technical Services and had been manager of the FAA's Seattle Aircraft Certification Office.
Get serious, get together or get clobbered—this is the message from Nicholas Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris and the top U.S. representative to the U.N. on the issue. The world's space-faring nations must forge a cooperative strategy for the costly and technically challenging elimination of orbital debris that poses a growing threat to strategically important robotic as well as manned spacecraft, Johnson says.
Northrop Grumman has won two 12-month contractor logistics support contract modifications totaling $91.2 million for the U.S. Army's MQ-5B Hunter program for the tactical common data link (TCDL) Reset. The contracts cover resetting current C-Band systems with TCDL technology, as well as air vehicles, ground stations and data terminals.
With major questions looming over the future of many military rotorcraft efforts, Reps. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Mark Critz (D-Pa.) are forming a Congressional Army Aviation Caucus. It has close to 30 members already. Brooks, whose district includes the Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command, says the caucus will make sure Congress “stays focused” on resetting war-torn equipment after Afghanistan and Iraq.
Science chiefs from the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos have begun laying the groundwork to revamp a two-pronged robotic Mars mission to accommodate participation by Russia. The joint ESA-NASA ExoMars mission has been upended twice in the past year by uncertainty surrounding the U.S. space agency's ability to fund its commitments to the martian expedition.
The F-35B, which only a year ago faced a premature termination, appears to be poised for release from its probationary status for good technical behavior.
Three years into flight trials, the Lockheed Martin-led F-35 test program, which has been plagued by delays, is showing clear signs of turning around. All flight-test jets have finally been delivered, and the sortie rate is on track to meet design-validation goals.
An Aviation Week survey of senior aerospace and defense executives highlights concerns about the efficiency of the industry's supply chain, but also sees strengths in the collaboration, competence, compliance and supplier capabilities that are needed to make it work.
One of the award recipients was identified incorrectly in the caption for lower-left photo on page S2 of the Nov. 14 issue. The caption should have read: Receiving the Program Excellence Award in the Sub-System Level Production Category were Kerry Bush (left), Boeing program manager for Joint Direct Attack Munitions; and Mark Lakner, integrated product team leader for precision guided munitions for the Naval Air Systems Command. Aviation Week Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., looks on.
James B. Ream (see photo) has been named senior VP-operations at American Airlines in addition to his current role as VP-maintenance and engineering. He was president and CEO of Express Jet Airlines and before that chief operating officer of Continental Express Airlines. Denise Lynn will move to VP-employee relations from VP-flight services, and Maya Leibman has been promoted to senior VP and chief information officer from president of the AAdvantage program.
Stretched between growing operational space demands and shrinking budgets, the U.S. Air Force is funding the first major research phases of a reusable booster system (RBS) intended to replace its costly expendable launchers.
Jessica Kuney has been named shows and expositions coordinator for Helicopter Association International, Alexandria, Va. She has a background in planning meetings for associations and small businesses, including the Georgetown University Law Center. Honors and Elections
This past summer, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) alleged that the sale of aviation gasoline violates California's Proposition 65, also known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, since avgas contains lead. The group wants to halt further distribution and use of avgas in the state and see the FBOs and other companies involved pay fines.
Randy Bolinger (see photos) has been named director of marketing services at Savannah, Ga.-based Gulfstream Aerospace. He was president and creative director at AMPT Associates. Roy Ng has been appointed a regional manager-international sales. He was director of business development at Metrojet Ltd. in Hong Kong.
Rick Crider has been named airport general manager at Kelly Field in San Antonio. He was VP-airport development and management services at RW Armstrong, Austin, Texas.
“Airbus Expects United To Place A380 Order” generated a lively exchange, including: 123xyz opining: Airbus desperately needs more A380 sales and must do everything possible to break even on the program. Surely package deals [will be made], even if it means jam-fitting it into an airline's fleet.
