As concerns about privacy and security begin to weigh on the launch of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in civilian airspace, the Senate is forming a bipartisan UAS Caucus to help smooth the industry's takeoff. Aviation enthusiast Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are heading the push to move the industry out of the civilian world and into the hands of businesses and state and local governments.
EADS and BAE Systems are scrambling on several fronts to put together their proposed merger, and while decisions in favor or against the deal are being made in Paris, London and Berlin, Washington is playing an important role, too. BAE Systems executives believe any threat from the merger to its special security agreement (SSA) with the U.S. government would be a “deal breaker,” says an industry official close to the talks. Each SSA is tailored to the specific business of a particular company.
Women in Aerospace has recognized nine women for their contributions to the aerospace industry and the advancement of women in the field with its 2012 awards. The Outstanding Achievement Award went to Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX; Aerospace Awareness Award to Susan Anderson, public affairs specialist at NASA's Johnson Space Center; Aerospace Educator Award to Shella Condino, advanced-placement physics and chemistry teacher; Leadership Awards to Simonetta Di Pippo, ASI European Space Policy Observatory, and to U.S. Sen.
BRUSSELS — Astrium Services will procure military satcom services on behalf of five European nations as part of a three-year agreement with the European Defense Agency (EDA), the first such contract awarded under EDA’s new European Satellite Communications Procurement Cell (ESCPC) initiative.
Careful succession planning is the hallmark of any well-managed company. Chris Kubasik may be taking over as CEO of Lockheed Martin at the beginning of 2013, but the company telegraphed his ascent back in 2010, when he was elevated to president. Louis Chenevert was eased into the position of chairman and CEO of United Technologies over several years. And General Dynamics has long been grooming Phebe Novakovic, who plans to succeed the retiring Jay Johnson as CEO on Jan. 1. Now Rockwell Collins has chosen an heir apparent for its longtime chairman and CEO, Clay Jones.
Irkut, a subsidiary of Russia's United Aircraft Corp., began flight tests of the twin-seat Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighter with two aircraft in late September.
Michael Merk has been named manager of real estate and business development at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. He was director of real estate for BAX Global.
TOURS, France — An Australian-led high-speed propulsion research team is preparing to begin assembly of a scramjet-powered hypersonic demonstrator, following design changes to improve vehicle stability during its upcoming attempt at a Mach 8 flight test.
USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Dick Newton has been appointed executive VP of the Arlington, Va.-based Air Force Association, succeeding David T. “Buck” Buckwalter. Newton was assistant vice chief of staff/director of the air staff at USAF headquarters at the Pentagon.
Tom Roche (see photo) has been appointed VP-customer support at Tempe, Ariz..-based StandardAero. Alain Berube succeeds Roche as VP-turboprops and fleets from his previous role as VP-operations.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is developing the chemistry to convert seawater into jet fuel. The most promising process, the Navy says, would catalytically convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas directly to liquid hydrocarbon fuel used as JP-5, a process being developed and honed by the NRL. If such a process can be practically developed, the effect on Navy fuel logistics would be significant.
Ginger Wierzbanowski (see photo) has been named VP-space, missile defense, advanced technology and ground programs at Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church, Va., succeeding John R. Landon, who is scheduled to retire at year-end. Wierzbanowski has been VP-government relations and was legislative assistant to the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Von Gardiner (see photos) has been named senior manager for Defense Department programs, and John Wallace VP-market management of Vienna, Va.-based NJVC. Gardiner was director of communications and information with USAF Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and Wallace has been sales director for capital markets and banking corporate accounts, as well as VP-financial services industry at Hewlett-Packard.
Securely transporting data is proving to be a costly mission for the U.S. Navy, and a recent government report says the service needs to do a better job. “Telecommunications services,” which include data storage on tapes, compact disks and other devices, ranked 12th among all Navy expenses between 1999 and 2009 with about $8.2 billion in contracts and contract modifications, according to an exclusive Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis of contracting data aggregated by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.
Nearly everyone knows that the U.S. is the largest arms exporter in history, selling or donating more weapons and defense services abroad than any other nation. But did you know that the U.S. also is the world's single-largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction? Since 1993, the State and Defense departments, the U.S.
Academic exercises about whether Congress will allow a nearly $1 trillion in across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration to take effect in January are taking on an entirely new reality. Aerospace and defense companies are already beginning to announce plant closures, layoffs and cutbacks, and at least one of them is citing sequestration specifically.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian unveiled a 2013 budget Sept. 28 that freezes defense spending at the 2012 level of €31.4 billion ($40 billion) while awaiting completion of a forthcoming defense strategy and new military program law early next year. Launched in July 2012, the new planning document “will end the gap between strategy and unrealistic spending,” the ministry stated in a news release.
It's official: President Barack Obama last week signed into law a measure that confirms full ownership rights to artifacts received by Apollo-era astronauts from their missions. According to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, NASA managers routinely allowed astronauts to keep mementos, pieces of hardware and personal equipment from the spacecraft during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. But beginning in the mid-2000s, NASA began to challenge the ownership of these artifacts.
David Davenport (see photo) has been promoted to VP and regional operations manager of New York LaGuardia Airport-based FlightSafety International from manager of the Savannah (Ga.) Learning Center. Fabio Miguez was promoted to manager of the Columbus (Ohio) Learning Center from manager of the Detroit Metro/Toledo Center. He succeeds Chip White, who moved to the Gulfstream Learning Center. Daniel MacLellan has been promoted to regional operations manager and will continue as manager of the Dallas/Fort Worth Learning Center.
Dean Foley has become sales manager of the aerospace division of West Springfield, Mass.-based Atlantic Fasteners. He has more than 25 years of experience in aerospace metals distribution.
