Moscow and New Delhi may have finally struck a deal on a future fighter partnership, but exactly what input India will have, and what it will eventually receive, remains to be hammered out. Russia Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov met with India’s Defense Minister A.K. Antony last week to discuss the collaboration. India has been interested in participating in Russia’s fifth-generation fighter for several years. The country has been courted by both Sukhoi and MiG.
Airbus and Boeing may have to hold off on a fundamental propulsion decision for the next-generation of narrowbodies until as late as 2013 to allow open-rotor technology to mature sufficiently. Opting for a more refined iteration of a high-bypass ratio turbofan or a geared turbofan would allow an earlier decision and entry into service. But neither offer the same extent of potential environmental benefits as open-rotor technology to address increasing concerns about carbon-dioxide emissions.
When Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) complained last week that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) still isn’t doing security checks at foreign aircraft repair stations—as Congress mandated three years ago—Administrator Kip Hawley explained the necessary rulemaking still is making its way through the regulatory bureaucracy.
El Al has been in existence since 1948—as long as the state of Israel—and has played a major role in the nation’s development. The airline’s first aircraft were a pair of DC-4s, and its all-Boeing fleet now includes eight 737-700/-800s, six 757s, nine 767s, six 777-200s, four 747-200 cargo aircraft and four 747-400s.
Emirates Airline President Tim Clark is urging aircraft and engine makers to push ahead with the development of the “next major evolutionary step—the design and manufacture of the blended-wing-body airliner”—in the interests of improved environment performance.
Saab has received a 3.9-billion-kronor ($608-million) contract from the Swedish defense materiel administration to proceed with plans to upgrade 31 Swedish air force JAS 39A/B Gripen aircraft to the latest C/D standard and launch Gripen development activities. The upgrade, starting later this year, will leave the air force with a common fleet of 100 JAS 39C/Ds. The demonstrator program consists of one aircraft and a ground-based avionics rig. It includes a new, more powerful engine, new radar and the capability of carrying more payload and fuel.
Once, the combination of stealth and active radars was no more than a dream. Then it became merely difficult. Now, researchers say the combination is an operational standard for new designs. In fact, the combination of passive intelligence (electro-optics, infrared and electronic surveillance) with low-probability of intercept (LPI) radars and critically tailored radomes (that allow only certain frequencies in and out) have put U.S.
Greg Caires has become director of public relations for BAE Systems Inc. , Rosslyn, Va. He was communications manager for the US101 helicopter program for Lockheed Martin and had been communications manager for the F-22 Raptor program.
Giovanni Bisignani is the director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Assn. (IATA). He spoke last week on “sustainability” at the World Air Transport Forum in Cannes, France. The following is adapted from his talk.
Michael Rousseau has been named executive vice president/chief financial officer of Air Canada . He was president of the Hudson’s Bay Co. and succeeds Joshua Koshy.
Boeing researchers believe that they have set a new record—12.1 hr.—for helicopter flight endurance. Moreover, because of the Oct. 16 flight, they claim the title for both manned and unmanned helicopters. The A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft’s record is not expected to stand for long, though. Company planners expect to fly an 18-hr. mission soon, carrying a 300-lb. payload.
History and geography combine to give Israeli commercial airlines a set of operational challenges faced by few others. Carriers here have for many years been burdened with extra costs due to expensive security measures and overflight restrictions. Many neighboring Arab nations do not allow Israeli aircraft to cross their airspace, causing extensive re-routes, particularly for east-bound flights. For example, El Al must detour south around Saudi Arabia on its flights from Tel Aviv to Mumbai and Bangkok, an extension that adds up to 90 min.
The Italian air force will bring its 14 remaining MB-339CDs of the first production batch to the same standard as the 15 aircraft procured in a second lot by the end of 2009. The air force has awarded a €41.2-million ($58.4-million) contract to AleniaAermacchi to carry out the retrofit, which will affect mainly the avionics and cockpit. The aircraft were originally ordered under a contract signed in 1995 and entered service around 1997. The updated MB-339CD will be deployed with the 61st Wing, based in Lecce, in southern Italy.
The Air Force Research Laboratory has cleared Lockheed Martin to start the second phase of its advanced composite cargo aircraft flight demonstration. The idea is to use advanced composites on next-generation tactical transport aircraft where small-field, hot-and-high airfield capabilities are in high demand. The advanced development group will replace the mid and aft fuselage and empennage of a Dornier 328JET with advanced composites, to meet a 12-month schedule. Researchers want to cut parts count by up to 90% and reduce corrosion and fatigue.
China’s civil aviation bureau isn’t encouraging airline mergers and says that while the three main carriers can make their own decisions to merge, any such combinations would create difficulties. The remarks back up reports that Air China’s state parent company and its Hong Kong affiliate, Cathay Pacific Airways, encountered official hostility while attempting to buy into China Eastern Airlines last month. The bureau also says construction of another major airport for Beijing will begin in 2010.
Safran affiliate Messier Services Americas has opened a 100,000-sq.-meter facility in Queretaro, Mexico, to service landing gear and hydraulic units built by the group’s Messier-Dowty and Messier-Bugatti subsidiaries and other manufacturers. The facility was completed in January and certificated in April by FAA, EASA and the Mexican civil aviation agency.
Gail K. Warner (see photo) has become senior director of communications of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products , Charlotte, N.C. She was director of media relations for the Goodrich Corp., also in Charlotte.
Israel’s missile house, Rafael Armament Development Authority, has changed its name to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It will operate as three divisions: missiles and network-centric warfare (including C4ISR), ordnance and protection and advanced defense technologies (space and propulsion).
Cessna Aircraft Co. officials say orders for the new Model 162 SkyCatcher light sport aircraft have exceeded 850 in a backlog worth more than $90 million. A two-seat airplane features a Garmin fully integrated avionics package and is powered by a Teledyne Continental 0-200D engine rated at 100 hp. First flight of a pre-production prototype is scheduled for the first half of 2008, followed by FAA certification and customer deliveries in 2009. Cessna plans to build as many as 700 SkyCatchers annually when full-rate production is achieved.
Eurocontrol and the European Joint Aviation Authorities will work together to improve aviation safety in Europe through the creation and distribution of joint training programs. The two organizations have signed a memorandum of cooperation that outlines six major areas where the initiatives will be focused.
Avro Vulcan B.2 XH558 made a 34-min. flight on Oct. 18 at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, England, the goal of years of work by volunteers and contractors at The Vulcan Operating Co. XH558 is the first large restored military jet to achieve this milestone.
General Electric is assembling the first shipset of CF34-10A engines for flight tests on China Aviation Industry (AVIC 1) ARJ21-700 regional jet, following the successful start of ground tests on the first engine at its outdoor test site in Peebles, Ohio. The engine, which is about 80% in common with the -10E version already powering the Embraer 190/195 family, reached around 14,000 lb. thrust during its initial runs and eventually will be tested at, and slightly beyond, its maximum rating of 20,000 lb. thrust.
BAE Systems CEO Mike Turner is to leave the company in August 2008. Turner has worked for the company for more than four decades, and for the last 5.5 years has been CEO. His relationship with the U.K. Defense Ministry occasionally has been tense as a result of clashes over procurement programs and industrial strategy. There have also been disagreements with company Chairman Dick Olver.
John Selvaggio (see photos) has been appointed president of Comair . He succeeds Don Bornhorst, who has been appointed senior vice president of Delta Connection . Selvaggio was founder/president of Delta Air Lines’ Song and had been senior vice president-airport customer service for Delta.
