2230 E. Imperial Highway El Segundo, CA 90245, USA Tel. (310) 535-5000; Fax (310) 535-5225 www.directv.com DirecTV 1R Direct-to-home TV broadcasting. Orbit location is 101° W. Carries 16 active and four spare Ku-band transponders. 2014 EOL. DirecTV 4S Direct-to-home TV broadcasting. Orbital location is 101° W. Carries 48 Ku-band transponders. 2016 EOL. DirecTV 5 Direct-to-home TV broadcasting. Orbital location is 72.5° W. Carries 32 Ku-band transponders. 2016 EOL.
Air Force Bell Helicopter Textron 430 (1) Bell Helicopter Textron OH-58A (8) Bell Helicopter Textron UH-1H (2) Bell Helicopter Textron UH-1H Huey II (8) CASA C-212-400 (3) Enaer T-35B (4) Piper PA-31 (1) Schweizer 333 (3) Army Bell Helicopter Textron OH-58A (9) Robinson Helicopter Co. R22 (4) Robinson Helicopter Co. R44 (2) Bell Helicopter Textron 206A (2)
Last year was one of the most challenging for the global airline industry, faced with record fuel prices and recession-induced traffic declines, notes Air Cargo Management Group in its International Air Freight and Express Industry Performance Analysis 2008. Freight traffic levels, which had a modest year-over-year increase at the beginning of the year, turned negative starting mid-year. The international express sector had average annual growth of 9.5% since 1992 and 6.3% since 1997. In mid-2008, the sector grew only 1.4%, to reach 2.1 million shipments daily.
Weakening demand in Asia’s two hottest markets, India and China, has prompted Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) to pull back on some services until springtime. ANA’s cutbacks begin in February and will continue “for the time being.” They include suspending services from Osaka’s Kansai International Airport into the northeastern Chinese cities of Dalian and Shenyang and decreasing the number of flights from Tokyo’s Narita Airport to Mumbai, India’s financial capital, and to Shanghai, China’s financial hub. JAL began slimming services Jan.
The Royal Air Force is introducing into service a dual-mode version of its Brimstone air-launched missile, following the resolution of technical issues that hit initial test shots of the weapon. Developed under a Defense Ministry urgent operational requirement (UOR), the Dual-Mode Seeker (DMS) Brimstone is already deployed with the Tornado GR4 force at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The first operational mission with the weapon was flown in December.
1500 Eckington Place, NE Washington, DC 20002, USA Tel. (202) 380-4000; Fax (202) 380-4500 www.xmradio.com XM-1 (Roll) Direct broadcasting. Orbital location is 85.1° W. Carries two S-band transponders. BSS-702 model. Launched 2001. XM-2 (Rock) Direct broadcasting. Orbital location is 115° W. Carries two S-band transponders. BSS-702 model. Launched 2001. XM-3 (Rhythm) Direct broadcasting. Orbital location is 85.1° W. Carries two S-band transponders. BSS‑702 model. Launched 2005.
USAF announced six possible candidate home bases for its new Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC): Barksdale AFB, La.; F.E. Warner AFB, Wyo.; Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; Minot AFB, N.D.; Offutt AFB, Neb.; and Whiteman AFB, Mo. USAF says each base must meet one overarching requirement: “current performance of a significant operational function associated with strategic nuclear forces” in addition to a laundry list of other capabilities. USAF intends to make a final decision by the end of June.
ACeS ASIA Cellular Satellite CYBER Building 5th Floor, JI. Kuningan Barat No. 8Jakarta 12170, IndonesiaTel. (62-21) 520-9810; Fax (62-21) 520-9811www.acesinternational.comACeS 1/Garuda 1 Mobile communications. Orbital location is 123° E geosynchronous. Carries 140 spot beam transponders, C-band and L-band. Satellite is jointly owned with Jasmine International Overseas Ltd., Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications, Philippines Long Distance Telephone Co. and PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara.
Business and long-haul leisure travelers in Europe are shifting to low-fare carriers, EasyJet management says, in reporting first-quarter financial results. “This is more than compensating for some softness in discretionary travel,” says CEO Andrew Harrison.
5 Limassol Ave. PO Box 22817 CY 1524 Nicosia, Cyprus Tel. (35-72) 246-2262; Fax (35-72) 234-1500 www.hellas-sat.net Hellas-Sat 2 Broadcasting, business services, direct-to-home TV broadcasting, Internet access, VSAT networks. Orbital location is 39° E geosynchronous. Carries 30 Ku-band transponders with eight additional backups. Services Europe and East Asia. 2018 EOL.
Despite some expected slowdown in business activity, Spanish aerospace and defense electronics provider Indra expects to book more orders in the coming year than deliveries. The company also is promising to maintain double-digit earnings margins. The focus will be on international markets. Total revenue should grow 5-7%, the company says, with business outside Spain stronger than that.
