Roger Rose has become chief executive of New Delhi-based Lockheed Martin India . He succeeds Douglas Hartwick, who is now special adviser to the corporation’s International Business Development Team. Rose was head of the corporation’s Electronic Systems.
The European Space Agency is expected this week to sign off on a €900-million contract, kicking off development of Europe’s next-generation geostatonary weather satellite system, MTG, according to Eumetsat, which will help pay for and operate the €2.4-billion system. Astrium and a Thales Alenia Space/OHB System are vying for the award. The first element of the system is to be launched in 2016.
On Dec. 1, Continental Airlines began allowing passengers at Frankfurt Airport to obtain boarding passes electronically on cell phones or PDAs. The carrier now offers mobile boarding passes at 35 airports and plans to add the service at more U.S. and international facilities.
Mervyn G. Fernando, a former manager of airspace policy and planning for Singapore’s Changi airport, has been named president of the Air Navigation Commission of the International Civil Aviation Organization as of Jan. 1.
Eumetsat has given member states until Jan. 31 to commit funding for the Jason-3 ocean altimetry satellite, to be launched in 2013. Eumetsat is prepared to contribute €63.6 million to the €252-million undertaking to ensure continuity of data with Jason 2, which was launched last year. Six of the 13 countries that have pledged to support the project have yet to commit, Eumetsat says.
Marv Vander Weg has been appointed vice president of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Customer Office of Space Exploration Technologies , Hawthorne, Calif. He was vice president for the Customer Program Office of the United Launch Alliance and director of the Atlas Government Program Office for the Lockheed Martin Corp.
MTU Aero Engines plans to spend up to $1.5 billion for acquisitions as it seeks to broaden its product portfolio so the company can participate in future international programs.
A slate of new medium-sized science missions being evaluated by the European Space Agency could reignite debate on the agency’s ability to keep within cost and schedule envelopes mandated by its member states.
Two industrial cooperation agreements were signed in the wake of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Paris last week. Safran and Rostechnologies agreed on a cooperation framework for several Russian light helicopter projects, notably reengining of the Ka-226, Ka-62 and Mi-34. Thales and Rostechnologies inked a pact to develop advanced technologies for military and civil aircraft. Thales already supplies hardware for the SuperJet 100 regional jet and Russian-built fighters sold abroad.
Airbus Military this week hopes to finally fly the A400M military airlifter, kicking off a three-year effort to get the transport into the first customer’s hands. Barring poor weather or technical issues, Airbus Military officials late this week expect to complete a roughly 3-hr. flight from the company’s facility here to demonstrate the aircraft’s basic handling characteristics.
Roger Bathurst has been named CEO of the Willis Inspace Div. of London-based Willis Group Holdings. As CEO, he succeeds Bill Lloyd, who will remain chairman. Bathurst was CEO of International Space Brokers.
U.S. and Japanese negotiators are poised to achieve a long-awaited breakthrough in aviation talks this week, further opening one of the most restricted airline markets and setting the stage for a major competitive shake-up.
Paul B. Gaines, former director of the Houston Airport System, has received the 2009 William E. Downes, Jr., Memorial Award from ACI-NA , for leadership in promoting the cause of airports and aviation in his community and 43 years of public and private airport management and consulting experience.
The Aerospace Industries Assn. (AIA) is ramping up its efforts in support of overhauling the export controls system. President Barack Obama has declared his administration will review the entire system, including economic and security issues. That comes after former President George W. Bush’s team managed to cut the backlog of State Dept. license applications while striking ground-breaking treaties with Britain and Australia. Hooray for all that, the AIA says.
San Antonio-based VMAG Technology’s operating system that closes airport perimeter security gates at 6 fps. operated flawlessly more than 200,000 times in tests at San Antonio International Airport. “You put your identification card in, the gate opens, [you drive through] and it closes right behind you,” says Rich Johnson, the airport’s communications director. The system virtually eliminates the opportunity for intruders to piggyback their way into an airport operating area.
No sooner had Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved to cancel the F-22, then we found out the F-35 is at least $16 billion over budget, and meeting the flight-test schedule is unlikely.
Gen. (ret.) Ronald R. Fogleman, a former U.S. Air Force chief of staff, has been appointed chairman of Minneapolis-based Alliant Techsystems . He has been a member of the board of directors and succeeds Daniel J. Murphy, who has also been CEO and will retire in March. John L. Shroyer, who is chief financial officer, also will be interim CEO.
David Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London), Robert Wall (Paris)
The White House plan for Afghanistan involves a faster-than-expected increase of at least 30,000 U.S. troops to be carried out by August, a surge in airborne intelligence gathering, more demanding training—but for fewer Afghan troops and police—and a call for additional sacrifices by allies. Factors that complicate its prospects of success include inter-service budget rivalry, the anticipated loss of some coalition forces and unresolved questions about whether the strategy to be pursued is counterterrorism or counterinsurgency.
SES has ordered four multi-mission satellites from EADS Astrium in a move that will expand its broadband and broadcasting capacity while underscoring spacecraft operators’ increasing reliance on bulk orders.
The Naval Research Laboratory’s Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell UAV, flew 26 hr., 1 min. with a 5-lb. payload. The unofficial flight endurance record for fuel-cell-powered flight was set during a Nov. 16-17 testing session. The UAV’s 550-watt fuel cell provides nearly four times the efficiency of a comparable internal combustion engine, and the system boasts seven times the energy in the equivalent weight of batteries. The recent flight improves on the 37-lb. UAV’s previous unofficial record of 23 hr., 17 min., set during testing sesions on Oct. 9-10.
Dec. 8-10—MRO Asia Conference & Exhibition. Hong Kong. Feb. 17-18—Defense Technology & Requirements. Washington. Feb. 28-Mar. 1—MRO Middle East 2010. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Mar. 17—Aviation Week Laureates Awards. Washington. You can now register ONLINE for Aviation Week Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only)
Dec. 7-8—Technology Training Corp.’s Space Security & Defense Conference. Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. Call +1 (310) 563-1223, fax +1 (310) 563-1220 or see www.ttcus.com
Independent research and development dollars are promising to help Northrop Grumman expand the customer base for its Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, with the U.S. Coast Guard slated to closely evaluate the aircraft. The Coast Guard is actively pursuing a vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV) to satisfy requirements for its National Security Cutter (NSC). In October, the service used Northrop Grumman’s company-owned Fire Scout, aircraft P6, for land-based tests from Webster Field at NAS Patuxent River, Md.
In a precedent-setting punishment and apparent warning shot for U.S. carriers, the Transportation Dept. fined Continental, ExpressJet and Mesaba a combined $175,000 for their roles in a tarmac delay that trapped 47 passengers on a diverted Continental Express plane for nearly 6 hr. overnight in August. “I hope that this sends a signal to the rest of the airline industry that we expect airlines to respect the rights of air travelers,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.
Capt. (ret.) R.C. (Rick) Bauer (Fleming Island, Fla.)
As a commuting airline pilot for 30 years to five different bases, I can say the unnamed letter writer is correct on all points (AW&ST Nov. 16, p. 10). Irregular operations, plus schedules that are legal but illogical, complicate the issue. In the letter that followed, Ted Ledbetter thinks pilots eat too much. Research will show that low blood sugar and bad nutrition are larger problems. Would Ledbetter really recommend not eating prior to and during a 16-hr. duty period?
