Tweaks to the Standard Missile-3 and Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense interceptors, as well as air-launched weapons already in the U.S. arsenal, could show promise for the Missile Defense Agency’s hopes to field ascent-phase missile defenses.
Rob Peckham has been appointed vice president-business development for the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) , Hawthorne, Calif. He was president/general manager of Sea Launch.
Peter Bunce, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn., told European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (Ebace) attendees that the failure of the U.S. government to implement the Bilateral Safety Agreement with the European Union could cost jobs in the U.S. The sticking point seems to be the “outsourcing” of maintenance work by U.S. aircraft operators to foreign repair stations. But, Bunce notes, there are three times as many European Aviation Safety Agency-certified repair stations in the U.S.
May 25-29—International Quality & Productivity Center’s Network-Centric Warfare Europe 2009. Congress-Centrum OST Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany. See www.ncweurope.co.uk May 26-29—American Astronautical Society’s International Space Conference of Pacific Basin Societies. Holiday Inn Select Downtown, Montreal. See www.astronautical.org May 27Aerospace Components Manufacturers Inc. Trade Show. Marriott Hotel, Windsor, Conn. See www.aerospacecomponents.org
Europe’s pioneering Herschel and Planck telescopes, 20 years in the making, are finally en route to their orbital position 1.2 million km. (750,000 mi.) from Earth, following a high-stakes dual liftoff last week.
USAF Gen. (ret.) Charles F. Wald (see photo) has been named a senior adviser to Deloitte ’s aerospace and defense industry practice. He has been Washington-based vice president-international programs for the L-3 Communications and was deputy commander of U.S. European Command.
A life-cycle analysis of biojet fuel from camelina seeds has shown an 84% reduction in carbon emissions compared with conventional jet fuel. In a Michigan Technological University study conducted with process developer UOP, a Honeywell company, camelina-based fuel exhibited “one of the largest greenhouse gas emission reductions of any agricultural feedstock-derived biofuel” researchers had seen.
Safran affiliate Microturbo plans to begin bench-testing a second e-APU all-electric auxiliary power unit this month. It is intended to meet the needs of more-electric aircraft now coming onto the market. The modular e-APU, which will be available in 60- and 120-kva. models, will cover virtually the entire bizjet range, from light jets to ultra-long-range aircraft. The first unit has run more than 250 hr. on the bench. In the fall, a third prototype will join the bench-test campaign, which will continue through the end of the year.
With the Concorde’s retirement, the claim of world’s fastest civilian production jet transferred to the Cessna Citation X, which has a maximum operating Mach number (MMO) of 0.92. However, Gulfstream’s announcement of its G650 last year signaled yet another transfer, since its MMO would be Mach 0.925 when deliveries begin in 2012. Time enough, Cessna CEO Jack Pelton said at Ebace, welcoming the new Gulfstream challenge: “We’ll make sure it’s the second-fastest.”
Thales, under a contract announced May 13 for an undisclosed amount, will supply Turkish Airlines with two RealitySeven Full Flight Simulators (FFS). The new FFS is of modular design, having a common core independent of aircraft type. This allows operators to “swap” aircraft types to adjust to fleet or training needs without replacing the entire simulator or investing more money. One of the FFSs for Turkish Airlines will be used for Airbus A320 training, according to Thales. The other will be used interchangeably for the A330 and A340 aircraft types.
Philip A. Goodrich has become vice president-business development for the Kaman Corp. , Bloomfield, Conn. He was senior vice president-corporate development for the Barnes Group, Bristol, Conn. Robert D. Starr has been named vice president/treasurer and Donald Lownds senior manager of subcontract business development for the Helicopters Div. Starr was assistant treasurer of the Crane Co., Stamford, Conn. Lownds was a business development manager for the Goodrich Corp.
The Hubble Space Telescope should be in good shape for at least five more years of service—barring mishap—after the long-delayed final space shuttle mission to service the orbiting observatory achieved two of its top three objectives in the first of five spacewalks.
Thales is moving its laser development facility under its Optronics unit in Elancourt outside Paris to help shore up the business. The unit had largely focused on scientific lasers, a market that is currently struggling. The shift, which affects merely 53 employees, will also see the business focus more on lasers for defense applications. Work on a new laser for the French Damocles targeting pod is already underway.
Judy Tarver has become vice president-pilot career services for FltOps.com , Florence, Ala. She was manager of pilot recruitment for American Airlines.
Aurora Flight Sciences has flown a prototype solar-powered unmanned aircraft as a step toward development of an ultra-long-endurance surveillance platform. The 114-ft.-span SunLight Eagle flew twice on May 12 at New Mexico State University’s Physical Sciences Laboratory in Las Cruces.
Manfred Runkel’s letter (AW&ST Apr. 20, p. 9) concerning the heat energy generated by the F-35’s electrohydrostatic actuators (EHA) (AW&ST Mar. 30, p. 54) describes the problem of using more than one power source. The EHA converts mechanical power to electrical power then to hydraulic power back to mechanical energy with an efficiency- (heat-generating) loss at each power change.
In reporting first-quarter results, EADS once again has had to take a charge on the A400M military transport and warns more are likely. Last quarter’s earnings after the €120-million ($163-million) A400M charge and exchange rate adjustments came in at €232 million, with net income of €170 million (a 40% decline from last year’s first-quarter results). EADS notes it remains cash-rich, with €8.7 billion on hand, although that is €500 million less than at year-end.
John M. Hill has become vice president-human resources for New York-based L-3 Communications . He has held the same position at L-3 Communciations Systems-West and succeeds Kenneth W. Manne, who is now vice president-organization development.
BOC Aviation, having swooped into the sale-and-leaseback market in December, has readied more than $1 billion in capital from its Chinese parent to buy additional aircraft from airlines late this year. Good market timing as well as the backing of the Bank of China has given the lessor a rare ability to execute such deals amid the financial crisis, expanding its business as others struggle.
Eutelsat reported a 5.6% rise in revenue for the third quarter of the 2008-09 fiscal year, causing it to revise revenues for the full year to €925 million from €910 million euros (AW&ST Feb. 23, p. 27). New video contracts in Europe, Russia and Africa in particular drove company backlog up €300 million to €3.8 billion. The operator has also begun trials of 3DTV broadcasting, which is considered one of the industry’s next “killer applications.”
Boeing expects NASA to issue a draft request for proposals for its exploration ground launch services (EGLS) contract sometime by May 31. The contract “picks up where the space shuttle flights stop,” says David Bethany, Boeing Space Exploration Constellation Transition director. The RFP will cover a combination of eight ground system requirements including: command and control, launch platforms, payload processing and checkout, transportation and recovery systems.
A sharp rebound in the price of oil to more than $60 a barrel last week is putting new financial pressure on the airline industry, which already is hobbled by declines in passenger and cargo demand. The increase also has analysts scratching their heads. With the International Energy Agency and U.S. Energy Information Administration lowering their forecasts for demand amid a global recession, how could crude prices—which were less than $34 three months ago—rise so high, so fast?
USAF is likely to augment its AC-130H/U fleet with a MC-130W-based gunship, a move that will diminish the likelihood of fielding a C-27J-based Stinger II gunship. Schwartz says the “optimum path” forward may require Air Force Special Operations Command to pull some of its C-130s out of the fleet and outfit them with armaments. The command operates 12 MC-130Ws, which have specialized navigation and defensive systems, and pods suitable for refueling the CV-22. These Lockheed Martin variants may not get the variety of weapons as today’s AC-130H/Us, which contain 105-mm.
There was a time when regional carriers and their major airline partners signed long-term contracts and essentially filed them away until they were about to expire, viewing one another as partners who worked together and did not need to worry about scrutinizing every word.
