In just the latest example of National Guard proponents seeking to influence weapons programs and Pentagon planning, the National Guard Association is calling for the modernization of Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Stars aircraft. The Air Force has yet to stake out a position in a long-running debate about whether to pour money into reengining the 17 aging J-Stars and upgrading their ground-surveillance radar or find some other solution—such as buying the Northrop Global Hawk UAVs or a Boeing 737-based design—for the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission.
James Snitker (photo) has been appointed VP-corporate proposal operations for McLean, Va.-based Qinetiq North America. He was VP-proposal and production operations at NCI Information Systems.
I was bemused to read about the successful test for the five-segment ATK rocket motor, which is claimed to generate 30% more thrust than the four-segment version used on the space shuttle (AW&ST Sept. 12, p. 16). Adding an extra segment should on its own generate 25% more thrust, and of the remaining 5% actually due to performance improvement, 1% would be due to performance improvement in the extra segment. This leaves ATK responsible for a trivial 4% improvement over a design that dates back to the '70s.
In the race to influence the bipartisan congressional “super committee,” Lockheed Martin's political action committee is No. 1. The Sunlight Foundation says the PAC has been the biggest donor—providing $2,500 to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.). The PAC also donated $2,000 to campaign accounts of Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). FedEx has been a big giver as well, spreading $9,000 among the campaigns for Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Camp.
How does a maker of military aircraft systems, with roots in a command economy, transform itself into a profit-oriented business that can win the trust of the world's airlines? With a little help from its friends. Avic Electromechanical Systems, part of the Avic conglomerate, aims to become part of the global civil aviation supply chain. But it has a serious problem in corporate culture, partly because of its defense heritage.
Members of Congress arguing for more civil-space spending frequently raise the specter of a Chinese flag flying proudly on the Moon while the American flutters listlessly on Earth. But a Chinese official says, even though the Chang'e-1 and -2 lunar orbiter data is being studied carefully, Beijing has no plans to send humans to the Moon. Instead, China will focus on building and flying a 60-ton space station for the next 20 years.
In 2006, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) waged a 34-day war against the Iranian terrorist proxy organization Hezbollah in response to a well-planned incursion by a Hezbollah hit team from southern Lebanon into northern Israel to violently abduct two Israeli soldiers. Although the ensuing campaign featured the most elaborate air operation ever conducted by the Israel air force (IAF), it ended up being the country's most inconclusive combat performance—the first time that a major war ended for Israel without a clear-cut military victory.
Amid preparations for key demonstrations of commercial cargo and crew operations to low Earth orbit, Boeing has revealed studies of scaled-up, mini-space shuttle-like variants of the reusable X-37B orbital test vehicle (OTV) which could be used to return to a runway landing.
Pleased by early deliveries and performance of the aircraft in recent operations, the Indian air force (IAF) is actively considering acquiring more than the 12 Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules tactical special mission aircraft already expected.
In Pierre Sparaco's recent commentary, he says “Deep down . . . Boeing . . . still sees Airbus . . . [as] a 'subsidized' challenger making good use of European taxpayers' deep pockets to buy market share.” I sense that this opinion is shared by most of the Aviation Week editors, as well as by Boeing and the majority of U.S. citizens, not only when it comes to Airbus, but also on the rest of the world. Perhaps we could have some less patriotic, more objective reporting in the future.
John Eichten has joined Georgetown, Del.-based PATS Aircraft Systems as VP-sales and marketing, succeeding Matt Hill, who becomes VP-business development. Patrick Mouley has been selected as managing director for commercial business at Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth. He was VP-marketing and sales at Eurocopter. Honors and Elections
In response to an Aerospace Daily and Defense Report post: Lockheed Once Again Predicts Lower F-35 Cost: Hardcore writes: We'll find out the cost when the last F-35 leaves the production line—in 2034.
It began life as a maker of cast-off airplanes and at one point was near collapse, but Bombardier Aerospace is demonstrating enviable resilience during the market downturn—due in large measure to its top-end business jets—while investing billions in new models.
Marcus Flagg (Southlake, Texas ), President, FFDO Association (Southlake, Texas )
On behalf of the Federal Flight Deck Officers Association, thank you for your mention of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program in “Assessing Risk” (AW&ST Sept. 12, p. 48). The program is one of the most successful yet seldom acknowledged components of post-9/11 national aviation security strategy. Volunteer FFDOs provide more than four times the flight coverage of the Federal Air Marshal Service at 4% of the cost. For the outlay entailed in placing two air marshals on a single flight, 440 commercial flights can be protected by FFDOs.
Kristin Brown has been promoted to general counsel from deputy general counsel of Zurich-based Gategroup. She succeeds Hooman Yazhari, who has left the company.
Researchers hope to learn more about one of the oldest known objects in the Solar System in the coming weeks, following the descent of NASA's Dawn spacecraft closer to the surface of the proto-planet Vesta. After observing Vesta since its arrival in July from an initial 1,700-mi. orbit, Dawn began a spiraling descent in August and stabilized in a 420-mi.-high mapping orbit almost four years after its launch on a Delta II from Kennedy Space Center. At the end of October, the spacecraft will be commanded to approach to a 110-mi. orbit with a period of just 4 hr.
Russian engineers are studying what it would take to operate the International Space Station (ISS) alone unilaterally after 2020, if NASA and the other station partners cannot continue to work on the orbiting facility after their current funding lines expire. “From our point of view, this station will be used for experimentation with new technologies for beyond-Earth exploration, and secondly it could be used like an assembly point for different modules for a space ship for our travels,” says Vladimir Popovkin, newly named head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
After three decades in the automotive industry as a top executive with General Motors and Delphi in the U.S. and Europe, Guy Hachey returned to his native Quebec in April 2008 as president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Aerospace. Five months later, the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a global financial crisis that decimated the business aviation industry. In a recent interview with Aviation Week editors William Garvey and Joseph C.
The fight between Europe and the U.S. over aircraft hushkits a decade ago is one of the epic battles in aviation regulation, but it may pale in comparison to what is about to unfold over European Union plans to include non-EU carriers in its emissions trading system.
In response to the AviationWeek.com article: F-35B Lands On U.S. Navy Amphibious Ship: Goforride states: If anything should be cut to balance the budget, its the F-35B. The chance it will ever be deployed autonomously, as part of a free-standing Marine expeditionary force, with no help from naval carrier aviation (“C” models), let alone from the Air Force, is very small.
Avianova's bankruptcy leaves Russia without any domestic low-cost carriers as of Oct. 10, when the carrier stops operating. Its bankruptcy also highlights the difficulty of implementing a low-fare airline business model in Russia, with its few high-density populations that can afford to fly located relatively near one another and fought over by airlines. In its official statement to the Russian aviation authorities published Oct. 5, Avianova explained that it decided to stop operating because of its deteriorating financial status.
Commercial air-to-air refueling provider Omega Air is procuring three former Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 707 tanker-transports. The aircraft were converted into tankers in the 1990s but retired from the RAAF in 2008 and have been in storage ever since. The acquisition follows the loss of an Omega-operated KC-707 tanker in a takeoff accident at Naval Base Ventura County, Pt. Mugu, Calif., in May. Frequently chartered to the U.S.
George Puthoff and Glenn Gray have joined the Parts Department at Jet Source, Carlsbad, Calif. Puthoff was parts manager at Air Resorts and Crownair, and Gray is returning to Jet Source with a background in corporate aircraft procurement.
