A Copa Airlines Boeing 737-700 takes off from Miami International Airport en route to Panama City. Copa operates only narrow-body aircraft—737s and Embraer 190s—which is one of the main aspects of a business model that has seen the carrier become one of the top financial performers in the global airline industry. See profile, pp. 46-50. Photo by Joseph Pries.
Safran, a major risk-sharing partner on the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional airliner, is looking to reinforce its ties with Russia’s helicopter sector. Jean-Christophe Corde, senior vice president for Europe, Central Asia and Africa, says the company wants to set up a Russian-based joint venture to produce Turbomeca helicopter parts and subassemblies, patterned after an existing CFM56/CF6 aero engine venture, and to install flight controls and other avionics gear from its Sagem subsidiary on new Russian helicopter models.
A compromise deal will enable Thales Alenia Space (TAS) to supply two Yamal 400 satellites for Russia’s Gazprom Space Systems, but under conditions different from those initially envisioned.
Boeing is joining with Canadian industry to form the Canadian Composites Manufacturing Research and Development consortium to strengthen that country’s position in manufacturing advanced composite materials for aerospace and other industries. The consortium was formed in cooperation with the Composites Innovation Center in Winnipeg, home to Boeing Canada Operations, which is headquarters for composite parts-making for the 787 and other programs.
An article on European military space programs stated resolution figures for imaging satellites Helios II, Cosmo-SkyMed and SARLupe (May 3, p. 70). The figures were not supplied by the European Union Satellite Center.
Sky Airline, Chile’s second largest-carrier, plans to operate the two Airbus A320-200s it received last month on its expanding Latin American routes and on charter flights. According to the 2010 Airbus Global Market Forecast, Chile’s traffic growth rate is twice that of other Latin American carriers, increasing 47% compared with 2000 levels.
European Union emissions allowance (EUA) prices eased back slightly in late May after edging to a one-year high earlier in the month. EUAs for delivery in December 2010 closed at €16.19 ($19.75) per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent on May 6, the highest price since May 11, 2009, according to Platts’ assessments. Prices eased back during the remainder of the month to close at €15.13 on June 1.
About 300 representatives from industry, regulatory bodies and wildlife groups plan to discuss advances in bird-strike mitigation at the June 21-24 Joint Meeting of the Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada at Salt Lake City. US Airways Flight 1549 First Officer Jeffery Skiles will be the keynote speaker at the conference, which is held in collaboration with the American Association of Airport Executives. For details, go to http://events.aaae.org/sites/100610/agenda.cfm
Garuda Indonesia has marked a milestone in its business turnaround with the resumption of flights to Europe after being taken off a European Union blacklist of unsafe carriers last year. The launch of the Jakarta-Dubai-Amsterdam service by the Indonesian airline will be followed by flights to other European destinations including Frankfurt, London and Paris next year, says Chief Executive Emirsyah Satar, who took control of the Indonesian carrier in April 2005 when it was deep in the doldrums. Air freight is a big area of opportunity, Satar says.
The Pentagon reaffirms a Reagan-era policy that the products of “fundamental” science research should normally be unrestricted. However, according to the Federation of American Scientists, the policy also says if national security requires imposing controls on such research, then formal classification is the only permissible means of doing so—versus more nebulous control efforts like the “for official use only” designation seen often under the George W. Bush administration.
Copa Airlines’ reliance on the Boeing 737 has been a major feature of its business model, and the carrier sees no reason to introduce larger aircraft as it expands its international network.
Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Andy Nativi (Genoa), Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington)
A hefty financial guarantee from France will enable Iridium to proceed with a new low-Earth-orbit satellite system that is billed as the biggest commercial space deal ever, including a hosted-payload program potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the satellite operator.
Russian Technologies’ decision to build its leasing business through a large order of Boeing 737s raises new questions about the evolution of the Russian air transport sector. The state-owned industrial holding company, also known as Rostechnologii, has committed to buying 50 narrow-body transports with options for 15 more. The company says it will reveal the specific model split following discussions with Aeroflot.
Germany’s Infoterra GmbH. will begin selling the first element of its TerraSAR-X Elevation digital surface model (DSM) product line, based on its exclusive commercial rights to high-resolution satellite radar data from the TerraSAR-X spacecraft. This image of a diverse tropical forest in Sabah, Malaysia, shows how the automated elevation process produces “bare Earth” imagery even through heavy vegetation by applying radargrammetry techniques to TerraSAR-X data. The DSM features 10-meter (33- ft.) grid space and an absolute height accuracy of up to 5 meters.
Moscow and New Delhi are discussing the modernization of Su-30MKI multirole fighters being assembled in India under Russian license. Indian media report that the program, dubbed the Super 30, has already been approved by the government’s security committee. The upgrade will cover the inclusion of new radar, avionics and the integration of an air-launched version of the Brahmos supersonic missile, Brahmos-A.
The challenge of providing a solution to weapons systems acquisition (AW&ST April 26, p. 8) can be met via systems engineering. Performance capability (at an acceptable level) is achieved at a cost (affordable) with a timely schedule (typically 3-5 years). The solution would be a software simulation for a real program where three firms/individuals are all provided with the same information known as Pre-Milestone A decisions. Three contract awards of $1-5 million each (tax free—federal, state and local) would be for design, development and validation of the simulation.
The second and largest trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) for Japan’s Hayabusa asteroid explorer has been completed, keeping the seven-year-old spacecraft on target for a June 13 reentry into Earth’s atmosphere and parachute landing in Australia’s Woomera test range. TCM-2 was the third of five maneuvers that are gradually lowering Hayabusa’s orbit as it coasts toward reentry. In March, the Japan Exploration Agency (JAXA) terminated the propulsion that the 1,100-lb. spacecraft used to return from its touchdown on the asteroid Itokawa in November 2005.
Efforts to equip U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Harvest Hawks with precision munitions are taking another step forward. Northrop Grumman says it has received a contract from the Joint Attack Munition Systems project office for 65 Viper Strike glide weapons for use on the KC-130J. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, in charge of the Harvest Hawk development, recently completed a first round of testing of the Marine Corps gunship.
Airbus has signed a sole-source deal with Korean Air Aerospace to build the winglets for its A320s. The aircraft maker announced in November a firm plan to install the devices on A320s due to enter service in late 2012. The winglets, which Airbus calls “sharklets,” will later be installed on the A321 and A319. The 2.5-meter-high (8.2-ft.) devices will require wingbox stiffening, adding about 200 kg. (440 lb.) to the weight of the aircraft. Even so, Airbus promises an improvement in fuel burn of up to 3.5% at long ranges. Air New Zealand is the launch customer.
Thales Alenia Space will supply a bi-frequency altimeter for the U.S. Navy’s Geosat Follow-on (GFO) mission, intended to characterize the global ocean and tactical battlespace and complement data from the U.S.-European Jason altimetry satellites. GFO-2 will be built by Ball Aerospace and launched in 2014. The altimeter will be derived from the Poseidon instruments used on Jason, which Thales Alenia supplies. The present phase covers definition, design and system compatibility; the final contract is expected to be signed toward year-end.
EADS Astrium has completed testing of Hylas-1, an advanced broadband satellite intended to bring high-speed Internet services to rural areas across Europe. Avanti Communications, which owns the spacecraft, says Hylas-1 is to be launched in the third quarter by Arianespace, probably on an Ariane 5. The unit was initially set to be orbited by a Soyuz 2.1 launcher from its new pad in Kourou, French Guiana, but the pad is not expected to be ready until the fourth quarter.
The first 3D aviation film produced in a 15/70-mm. Imax format is scheduled to premier on June 8, and focuses on a behind-the-scenes the look at the design and development of Boeing’s 787 to illustrate key aerospace milestones over the past century. Legends of Flight is the latest Giant Screen Films feature from Canadian filmmaker Stephen Low, whose credits include Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag and Titanica.
The Euro Hawk unmanned aircraft being designed to fill a gap in the German air force’s signals-intelligence capability is imminently due to commence flight trials, kicking off a test campaign that should see the high-altitude, long-endurance system transfer to Germany this year.
The Russian air force has received the first full training device for its Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft. The simulator is in use with the air force’s 4th combat employment and training center at Lipetsk. The training device was developed by the Zhukovsky-based CSTS Dinamika. The system completed government evaluation tests at the end of 2009, with approval for serial production following.
Telesat will be the latest satellite operator to deploy a hosted payload for government and military use. The X-band payload will be installed on Anik G1, ordered last week from sister company Space Systems/Loral. International Launch Services was signed up for the launch, set for the second half of 2012. To be located at 107.3 deg. W. Long., G1 will also carry 16 extended Ku-band transponders to be operated by Shaw Direct, a leading Canadian direct-to-home television provider, along with 12 Ku- and 24 C-band transponders to serve the hot South American market.
