Not everyone on Capitol Hill is talking about acquisition reform. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), for example, says he’s lost confidence in the intelligence community for failing to recognize Pakistan as the biggest threat to the nation.
One industry executive proposes an option to reform the procurement system’s inability to quickly field technologies. John Cronin, president of Alliant Techsystems’ Mission Systems, suggests building off of the “cost-as-an-independent-variable” concept, which allows trades in all areas of a program in order to preserve cost. This model, applied to the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, could include easing requirements. Cronin proposed to the Precision Strike Assn. assembly a “time-as-an-independent-variable” construct.
Measat Satellite Systems of Malaysia says its new Measat-3a satellite has been rescheduled for a June launch. Initially planned for launch last August atop a Land Launch booster, Measat-3a was damaged in a crane accident at the launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, requiring it to be returned to Orbital Sciences Corp. for repairs.
Ryanair will drop airport check-in with a shift to 100% web check-ins starting Oct. 1. Passenger will also have to pay £5 ($6.95) or €5 ($6.40) for the service. The first step in the process begins Mar. 19, when web-based check-in will be rolled out. Bookings made beginning May 1 will require web check-ins although during the transition period check-ins can still be completed at the airport for £20 or €20.
An American Airlines 767-300ER introduced blended winglets into revenue service Mar. 8 on a transatlantic flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to London Heathrow. Winglets save fuel by reducing drag, thereby offering range and payload advantages. Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) has sold about 2,500 sets for Boeing 737s and 757s, but American is the first to install them on a wide-body transport. Plans call for modifying all 58 of the airline’s 767s, aiming to save up to 29 million gal. of fuel annually.
An ambitious initiative to redraw Europe’s airspace boundaries is gathering momentum, as new legislation increases the pressure to turn plans into reality. Proposals have been drafted to create nine functional airspace blocks (FABs), covering most of Europe. A new Single Sky legislative package is aimed at boosting the FAB initiative, and has imposed a 2012 deadline for governments and air navigation service providers to have the FABs established.
Michael Bruno (Washington), Bettina Chavanne (Washington)
A collaborative effort by Lockheed Martin and U.S. Army program leaders won the 2009 Laureate for military technologies and operations for a revolution in bringing the benefits of military unmanned aerial vehicles to helicopter cockpits.
As legacy carriers continue to falter worldwide and low-fare carriers strengthen their niches, Aviation Week recognizes one of the most successful and innovative airline founders—AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes. The Malaysia-based airline has faced many obstacles, from cultural differences among its Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian staff to protectionist governments and a dearth of aircraft financing, not to mention its launch in 2001.
Over the last 19 years, the Defense Dept. has made some progress in implementing reform of its troubled acquisition programs, says House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), including “an almost uncountable number” of fixes recommended by the Government Accountability Office. But problems persist. “It is unacceptable that the department’s business systems remain . . . incapable of generating the decision-quality information that senior leaders need,” says Skelton.
Despite a massive downturn in the global air transport business, Airbus and Boeing believe they can survive the year without their order books being eviscerated. But in 2010, they may not be so lucky. What’s more, there are indications the market is deteriorating more quickly than thought only two months ago. In January, Airbus estimated it could secure 300-400 orders this year. That’s still the goal, but reaching it “is becoming more challenging,” says Louis Gallois, chief executive of EADS, Airbus’s parent.
Delay in the completion of safety modifications is forcing the U.K. to withdraw Nimrod MR2 and R1 support from ongoing combat operations for several months. Aircraft awaiting modification will not be flown after the end of March. The modification work resulted from the loss of a Nimrod MR2 and its crew during an operation in Afghanistan in 2006. The modifications—involving hot-air ducting and seal replacement—were due to be completed at the end of this month.
European carriers are coming to terms with the prospect that their market will not recover before 2011 and the slump in premium traffic could continue even longer. The outlook is driving airlines both to adapt their premium product offerings and look for other ways to trim capacity. Premium traffic can be expected to grow again eventually, but it may never reach its strength of recent years, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh tells investors. The airline’s premium business has experienced six straight months of declines.
So, the U.S. Air Force is looking for a new bomber in the 2018 timeframe. This new aircraft is envisioned as a stealthy, subsonic, manned penetrator with a large payload and global reach. Almost certainly it will be a flying-wing design. Don’t we already have such an aircraft?
France is preparing to reintegrate into the full NATO high command, provided the move passes muster in the country’s parliament this week. Full reintegration, which would culminate in a 15-year rapprochement with the Atlantic alliance begun by earlier governments, was announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy a year ago. Government leaders initially resisted putting the plan to a vote.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace has won its first Boeing Integrated Defense Systems maintenance, repair and overhaul contract. It will be an MRO center for General Electric GE T58-engine transmissions for CH-47 helicopters.
The fires of U.S. military acquisition reform are burning brighter this year in Washington than they have in decades. Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have drafted a package of process improvements at precisely the time President Barack Obama is brimming with initiatives and itching to reduce the cost of national security. The political momentum behind these events is impressive.
Russia’s Reshetnev ISS and Thales Alenia Space have contracted to build a 1.6-metric-ton Ku-/C-band satellite for Telekomunikasi Indonesia. To be launched in 2011, Telkom-3 is the second non-Russian spacecraft to be built by the ISS/Thales Alenia team.
NASA and the U.S. Air Force have named three national hypersonic science centers to conduct jointly funded research into materials and structures, combined-cycle propulsion and boundary-layer control for vehicles flying Mach 5 and faster. Each university/industry team will receive $2 million annually for up to five years to conduct research and train hypersonic researchers. The University of Virginia will lead work on modeling supersonic/hypersonic flow physics and controlling combined-cycle mode transition.
The FAA is quietly approaching a notable milestone in its effort to modernize the U.S. air traffic control network. The agency expects within the next month to debut a new system to handle en route traffic, a project that is a crucial precursor for the FAA’s long-term NextGen plan.
Finmeccanica expects major new military projects in the U.S., the U.K. and Italy to continue driving strong growth, though the prospect of cuts in these programs, compounded by the global financial crisis, could darken the outlook.
Goodrich and Boeing plan to test carbon brakes for the 737 in this year’s second quarter, followed by FAA certification in the fourth quarter, but the schedule depends on availability of an airplane for testing, according to Boeing. Goodrich competitor Messier-Bugatti, whose carbon brakes weigh 700 lb. less than the 737’s original equipment steel brakes, reports orders for 241 shipsets, including one this month from Norwegian Air Shuttle for its 42 737-800s, scheduled for delivery beginning in August.
Surrey Satellite Technology has delivered two of three suites of satellite avionics and software for Russia’s family of Kanopus Earth-observation satellites, the first two of which are to be launched in late 2009/early 2010. The third set is to be handed over later this year. Deliverables for the project—SSTL’s first major undertaking in Russia—include power management and batteries, onboard computers, data handling for subsystems and operation and system design support. The U.K.
North Korea has notified the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization that it plans to to launch an experimental communication satellite in early April.
Efforts to transform Europe’s air traffic system are also prompting big changes at Eurocontrol, as the agency takes on new roles and cedes a stake in its governance to industry.
