Air Force Aerospatiale AS365N (6) Agusta AB205 (5) Agusta AB212 (24) Agusta AB412EP (8) Agusta AS61A4 (2) Airtec-Aircraft Tech Ind. CN-235 (4) BAE Systems Hawk 65 (25) BAE Systems Hawk 65A (15) Bell Helicopter Textron 412SA (8) Boeing 737-700BBJ (2) Boeing 737-800 (1) Boeing 747SP (2) Boeing 757-200 (1) Boeing E-3A (7) Boeing F-15S (69) Boeing KE-3A (6) Boeing MD-11 (2)
Mitsubishi Aircraft said Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. will design and manufacture slats, flaps, belly fairings, rudders and elevators for the 70-90-seat Mitsubishi Regional Jet.
Air Force Aerocomp Comp Air 7SI (6) Bell Helicopter Textron 206 (5) Bell Helicopter Textron UH-1H (16) Cessna 172 (8) Hawker Beechcraft 350ER (3) Jordan Aerospace Indus. (JAI) Sama Ch2000 (8) Lockheed C-130E (3) Mil Mi-17-1V (9) Mil Mi-171 (4) Seabird Aviation Australia SB7L-360 (2)
The crystal ball is especially cloudy as this industry cycle begins its downward turn. It is hard to forecast the fortunes of one sector of the wider market when governments around the world are trying to save their economies from collapse. Call it momentum or inertia, the velocity aerospace has built up in the past four years should carry the industry past the middle of this year and perhaps into 2010. But what happens next in government and commercial markets depends on factors beyond the industry’s control.
Altair Gos NPO (Moscow) produced for nearly every Soviet ship-mounted surface-to-air missile (SAM) and missile-artillery system, including the Rif, Shtil, Klinok, Kashtan and S-300F Fort (SA-N-6). It continues to be the main integrator for naval air defense missile systems. Its recent products offered for export are the Gibka turret with Igla SAMs and the Rif-M.
Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Alexey Komarov (Moscow)
A pair of satellite purchases by domestic and overseas operators, both involving Thales Alenia Space, highlight the increasing integration of Russia’s satcom industry into the global marketplace.
1221 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020, USA Tel. (212) 584-5100; Fax (212) 584-5300 www.sirius.com Sirius FM-1/-2/-3/-4 Direct broadcasting. Orbital location is 96° W. Each carries one S-band transponder. FM-4 is a backup. LS-1300 model. Launched 2000. Sirius FM-5 Under development with Space Systems/Loral using the company’s LS-1300 platform. Will carry an S-band transponder and operate from geostationary orbit. Launch scheduled for second quarter of 2009.
The air force is planning infrastructure improvements to its flight test ranges in preparation for state trials of the Sukhoi T-50 prototype for the country’s PAK FA next-generation fighter program. The T-50 is expected to fly by the end of 2009 and—notionally, at least—enter service in 2015. A meeting was held recently at the Ahktubinsk flight test center to discuss the infrastructure requirements. The defense ministry also continues to plan for a replacement for the Saki naval aviation training center in Ukraine.
2-8 Higashi-shinagawa 2-chome Shinagawa-ku Tokyo 140-0002, Japan Tel. (81-3) 5462-1350; Fax (81-3) 5462-0520 www.superbird.co.jp Superbird A Broadcasting, business services, Internet access, telecommunications, VSAT networks. Orbital location is 158° E geosynchronous. Carries three Ka-band and 23 Ku-band transponders. Launched 1992. 10-year design lifetime.
Russia’s aircraft industry is undergoing what seems to be endless restructuring, with practical results yet to be seen. Central to the restructuring is the establishment of the United Aircraft Corp. (UAC), sometimes referred to by its Russian acronym, OAK. Following a February 2006 presidential decree, it was hoped that the new corporate structure would be up and running in about a year, but by the end of 2008 the new corporation was still not fully established.
