Meanwhile, as debate continues in and around the Pentagon about potentially delaying the next-generation CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, or canceling the next ship in the class—to be dubbed the John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)—recent contract awards from the Navy may indicate otherwise. The armed service in late July awarded a $504 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification to continue engineering associated with the Ford's construction.
A massive narrowbody order by Qantas is destined to shake up the Asia-Pacific airline industry, even though none of these aircraft will operate under the famous flying kangaroo brand.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is planning to establish a new full-service carrier and, in a separate development, to reposition its low-cost carrier, Firefly. Firefly Managing Director Eddy Leong is quoted in The Sun Daily newspaper as saying Firefly's Boeing 737s will be transferred to Sapphire, the short-haul, full-service carrier MAS is establishing, which will be managed by Firefly. He says Firefly will stop operating jets and become purely a full-service turboprop operator.
Amy Butler (Huntsville, Ala.), Robert Wall (Moscow)
European missile defense proponents have long feared they will face a so-called Hobson's choice—gain a missile shield by signing up to U.S. technology, or do without.
Two long-awaited intercept tests are slated for U.S. terminal and ship-based defenses in the coming months, but the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) campaign remains stalled for at least another year while engineers sort out a problem with the kill vehicle.
Russia's tactical missile industry is enjoying a revival in development funding. Still, that does not mean defense companies are being allowed unbridled leeway in their research that led to many breakout products during the Soviet era. Far from it. The situation has “become much better in the last three years” when conditions were quite severe, says one senior industry official. But additional support is still needed, he suggests.
Money alone cannot reinvigorate an air force after years of neglect—that is the painful lesson the Russian military is learning as it and the domestic industry work to modernize the country's air force. The influx of funding in the past two years has undoubtedly benefited industry, triggering a reversal of fortunes. But it also has brought to the forefront a raft of new problems, including how to meet the timetable for replenishing the air force fleet.
Taiwan could emerge as a competitor in the military jet trainer market. And with this goal in mind, the state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) intends to design and build the XAT-5.
Senators who have been pressuring NASA all summer to produce a design and procurement strategy for the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) that Congress ordered last year cannot agree on just exactly what that design should be. As is usual with big-bucks space programs, constituent jobs play a big role in lawmakers' positions. Given the current tight-money environment, senators with a jobs-stake in the final design are pushing harder than usual on its specifics, adding weight to SLS opponents who have dubbed the whole idea the “Senate Launch System.”
Following two consecutive launch failures in as many years, NASA welcomed the successful delivery of an Earth-science satellite to orbit in June when it lofted the Aquarius/SAC-D ocean-monitoring spacecraft to orbit. The joint U.S.-Argentine spacecraft, however, experienced technical difficulties that prolonged its initial commissioning phase.
China and India may be viewed as hotbeds for emergent space programs, but Russia is not quite ready to play second fiddle. Instead, industry is pushing the government to stay at the forefront of both rocket launcher and human spaceflight design activities. What is more, the efforts are focused on consolidating the country's hold on space activity, including launch facilities. Self-sufficiency is stressed, as is the lessening of dependence on the Baikonour, Kazakhstan launch site.
Russia's airline industry appears to have learned the important lesson that even though traffic is rising, caution is warranted because many fundamentals may still not be right.
There will be no let up in Boeing's frantic development schedule this summer, in spite of completion of flight tests for the Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 787 and certification of the 747-8 freighter, approval for which was expected as early as the end of last week.
With crucial Boeing 787 fuel-burn assessments under way and first aircraft deliveries approaching, engine makers are stepping up efforts to win more than $7 billion of unclaimed orders from airlines that signed for the aircraft without making a propulsion choice.
Air travelers to Laos will soon have a uniquely Libyan inflight experience, thanks to Airbus. The European aircraft maker and Lao Airlines agreed on the sale of two A320s, built for Tripoli-based Afriqiyah Airways, says Noudeng Chanthaphasouk, head of planning for the Laotian carrier. These two CFM-powered transports are configured with 126 economy- and 16 business-class seats, he says. “Libya was supposed to buy these two aircraft, but they can't buy them now, so Airbus is selling them to us.”
With numerous legacy commercial, civil and military aircraft in operation worldwide, continued support of these platforms is a critical part of the overall aviation marketplace. Ontic, part of BBA Aviation plc, is one of the fastest growing players in that field. Editor-in-Chief Anthony L. Velocci, Jr., recently sat down with Peg Billson, president of BBA Aviation Legacy Support, to talk about Ontic and its direction and business model.
Pratt & Whitney's Bob Saia, who heads engine development, is seeing results in the PW1524G's performance that builds his confidence that a $2 billion bet on a geared turbofan design will provide the company with the engine of its future.
It is not as if Pratt & Whitney Canada, the smaller of the manufacturer's commercial engine divisions, is undistinguished in innovating turboprop, turboshaft and turbofan engines. PWC introduced 13 new helicopter engines in the last 10 years and a total of 70 new products over the past 14, President John Saabas notes.
North Charleston, S.C., is 400 mi. from Cape Canaveral, but as far as aerospace workers are concerned the two places are a world apart. At the Cape, NASA's space shuttle program dropped 3,200 contract workers the day after the final mission ended. Many of these are engineers who have little hope of finding similar work in Florida. The picture couldn't be more different in North Charleston, where Boeing has hired 4,000 workers for an assembly line that opened last month for its 787 jet. Suppliers feeding the new plant are expected to hire hundreds more.
What makes a job hot for today's young professionals? It's a mix of challenge, excitement and opportunity. These nine jobs fit the description—whether it's finding a way for an aircraft to be both manned and unmanned; developing an exoskeleton that makes a person run faster and lift more; helping an emerging economy; contributing to the next-generation environmentally friendly engine; or sifting through data and intelligence and finding the nugget that will save lives.
What makes a job hot for today's young professionals? It's a mix of challenge, excitement and opportunity. These nine jobs fit the description—whether it's finding a way for an aircraft to be both manned and unmanned; developing an exoskeleton that makes a person run faster and lift more; helping an emerging economy; contributing to the next-generation environmentally friendly engine; or sifting through data and intelligence and finding the nugget that will save lives.
Christina St. Clair BAE Systems North America Average Pay Level 1 $55,000 Average Pay Level 4 $102,000 Background Christina St. Clair began working with BAE Systems a little over a year ago. Previously she served in the U.S. Army's military intelligence branch. She earned a B.S. in psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University where she was in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
Wanda Austin, CEO, The Aerospace Corp. Marion Blakey, CEO, Aerospace Industries Association Alfred Grasso, CEO, Mitre Corp. Paul Graziani, CEO, Analytical Graphics Inc. Greg Hamilton, President, Aviation Week Clayton M. Jones, Chairman, President and CEO, Rockwell Collins Marshall Larsen, Chairman and CEO, Goodrich Corp. Scott Seymour, CEO, Aerojet Rick Stephens, Senior VP-Administration & Human Resources, The Boeing Co.
