The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. is expected to decide as early as this week whether Northrop Grumman or BAE Systems gets a contract to test their laser-jammer technologies as a defense against small surface-to-air missile attacks on passenger aircraft. Both contractors have been using cargo aircraft to test the feasibility of equipping scheduled commercial flights with countermeasures against heat-seeking missiles. The four-year program was due to end in March 2008, but Congress added $40 million to extend testing to passenger aircraft.
Stephen Baxter has been appointed U.K.-based BAA’s first chief operating officer. He was divisional managing director of BAA Scotland and will remain chairman of BAA Scotland. Terry Morgan, who was divisional director for Southeast England airports, has been named airport services director. He succeeds Donal Dowds, who has resigned. Malcolm Robertson, who has been director of communications for BAA Scotland and BAA’s public affairs director, also will be interim group communications director. He succeeds Duncan Bonfield and Mark Mann, who have resigned.
Telephonics Corp. of Long Island, N.Y., has received a full-scale production contract for 139 AN/APS-147 multimode surveillance radars from Lockheed Martin Systems Integration, the prime contractor for the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R helicopter program. The radar also incorporates an identification friend or foe (IFF) function, which saves about 60 lb. compared to a separate IFF connected with cables. The APS-147 correlates IFF data to radar returns in real time as well, eliminating the latency common with separate units. Telephonics President Joseph J.
Inspectors have conducted more than 350 audits of airline operations since the September 2003 rollout of the International Air Transport Assn. Operational Safety Audit program. As of May 31, 153 airlines had completed inspections, took corrective actions and were listed on the IOSA registry. Guenther Matschnigg, senior vice president, safety, and a former Austrian Airlines pilot, says that all IATA member carriers will have been audited by the end of this year. After corrective actions are completed, all member airlines should be on the registry by 2008.
In an era of packed airplanes, no meals, a la carte snacks, rationed blankets, gate delays, runway delays, enroute delays, landing delays and more gate delays, there still is nothing so aggravating as the “involuntary denied boarding,” a polite term for being bumped from a flight. It is the ultimate insult to a would-be airline passenger and the No. 1 cause of consumer dissatisfaction.
Bush-administration agencies leading the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (Npoess) program may put the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Limb (OMPS Limb) sensor back on the first operational Npoess spacecraft, set for launch in late 2012 or early 2013. The U.S. Air Force, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA jointly manage the civil/military Npoess weather satellite program. The OMPS Limb was dropped from Npoess last year along with several other climate sensors to reduce cost and risk.
Lunar-science planners are beginning to work out the hardware issues involved in using the Moon as a base for outward-looking radio astronomy, as well as a scientific specimen to study. The far side of the Moon is probably the most radio-quiet place in the Universe, shielded as it is by more than 2,000 mi. of rock from the cacophony of transmitters broadcasting from Earth’s surface. And the Moon lacks an ionosphere that prevents many interesting radio frequencies from reaching terrestrial radio telescopes.
European missile manufacturer MBDA will fly a prototype loitering munition before the year-end, but far more may be riding on its success than a simple flight test. The loitering munition program is also intended to be the first for Team Complex Weapons, the government and industry undertaking to try to sustain the U.K.’s guided-weapons sector. The loitering program will be followed by several other key choices on future guided weapons that will shape the sector.
South African Airways expects to meet its November goal of disposing of its Boeing 747-400s, either through sale or lease. The decision is part of a broader restructuring plan by the carrier aimed at nursing it back to financial health. The airline’s overhaul began in March and management expects to complete the turnaround next year. One major aim is to attain a 7.5% profit margin.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been pushing a more aggressive international role, including an offensive capability for the nation’s military, is resigning after less than a year in office. Apparently trying to forestall a rejection of Japan’s naval support for the U.S.-led military effort in Southwest Asia, Abe said, “I believe that my resignation will let Japan continue to fight against terrorism under a new prime minister.” What’s not known is the effect his resignation will have on bilateral defense agreements with the U.S.
The firefighting specialist 10 Tanker Air Carrier is starting work on air tanker components for a second McDonnell Douglas DC-10 conversion, which it plans to introduce into service around May 2008. The company’s first DC-10 tanker is currently on “strip-alert” at its Victorville, Calif., base and so far has flown more than 30 firefighting sorties during the 2007 fire “season,” says 10 Tanker Air Carrier managing partner, Rick Hatton.
The British Army has gained more than 1,000 hr. of in-theater operation with the Elbit Hermes 450 unmanned aerial vehicle since its introduction into service in early July. The UAV is being used in southern Iraq to provide support to British forces. The system is also believed to be deployed in Afghanistan in support of operations in Helmand province. Thales was awarded a contract under an Urgent Operation Requirement earlier this year that covered the supply and support of the Hermes 450 for ongoing operations.
Airbus trails Boeing in both orders and commitments through August. The European aircraft maker added 25 aircraft to its order book in August, and delivered an equal number of transports. Deliveries for the year stood at 294 aircraft, versus 295 for Boeing. In terms of order intake, Airbus reached 713 airliners by the end of the month, with Boeing ahead at 763. So far in September, Airbus has added 90 orders, mostly in the A320 family, for a total of 809 for the year.
Tiger Airways is enjoying 143% revenue growth this year but the unlisted Singaporean budget airline isn’t saying whether it’s making money yet. The company has announced a fifth Chinese destination, the southern port city Xiamen, and will begin flying to India next month and start Australian domestic operations in November.
Boeing warns that it and Airbus won’t dominate the big end of commercial aviation forever, and China’s Avic I seems to be making a long-term effort to be the third player. But the Chinese have a long way to go, and they know it. Our coverage starting on p. 76 describes how the Chinese are using their ARJ21 regional jet program to catch up, learning how to develop an aircraft to Western standards, work with suppliers, obtain FAA certification and establish an international sales and support network.
Business Fly, a French air taxi startup operator, expects to select an aircraft type soon and inaugurate operations 12 months later, says CEO Cyril Baert. The company is based at Toulouse-Blagnac airport, and is evaluating the merits of three very light jets—the Eclipse 500, Embraer Phenom 100 and Cessna Citation Mustang. “No short-term delivery slots are available and we plan to acquire slots from existing customers,” Baert says. Initially, Business Fly plans to buy only three or four of the small jets, but would gradually expand the fleet to 15 airplanes.
Pierre Sparaco is once again championing a no-fault aircraft accident policy (AW&ST Aug. 13, p. 61). He cites Flight Safety Foundation stressing that accident investigations “are conducted to advance safety, not to assign blame.” Sparaco says Han Ephraimson-Abt is certainly right in stressing “that society’s moral obligation is to determine causes for accidents and disseminate the truth.”
Although the new Sukhoi/Alenia Superjet 100 regional jet has yet to roll out, three new derivatives, including two stretched variants, are already on the drawing board. Sukhoi Holdings’ chief operating officer, Mikhail Pogosyan, says the rollout will take place at Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, on Sept. 26, followed by a first flight before year-end. He also expects 100 orders by then. The order book reached 73 last week.
L. Terry Bavaro (see photos) has been promoted to principal engineer in the Chantilly, Va.-based Imagery Programs Div. of The Aerospace Corp.’s Remote Sensing Systems organization. Sandor Z. Der has been promoted to principal scientist in the division’s Geo-Intelligence Systems Directorate. Bavaro was systems director of a new source-and-method remote sensing demonstration system. Der was senior project leader in the directorate’s Sensor Integration Dept.
Comair has taken delivery of two Bombardier CRJ 900 regional jets—the first of 14 scheduled for delivery through April 2008. The 76-seat transports are configured with a two-class cabin—a first for the 30-year-old carrier—12 seats in first-class, 64 in coach. The -900s will replace 50-seat CRJ100s that Comair’s owner, Delta Air Lines, plans to sell to Bombardier. Following the fleet transition, Comair will operate 14 -900s, 15 -700s and 100 CRJ100/200s.
Intelsat CEO David McGlade denies that the company’s $12-billion debt, which is due to grow by another $3.85 billion with the acquisition of the company by BC Partners, is necessarily a bad thing. “It makes us focus on highest return projects,” he says, noting that the operator recently increased its capital expenditures, despite weaker free cash flow. However, McGlade admits the stronger focus on returns and fill rate will lead to a major downsizing of Intelsat’s satellite fleet, which, following the acquisition of PanAmSat last year, has become inefficient, he claims.
China plans to relax regulations for the development of budget airlines, reports the Hong Kong Commercial Daily News, even though the country has said it won’t accept applications for new carriers until 2010 except under strict circumstances. The civil aviation administration is looking for locations for lower grade airports near big cities, according to its chief, Yang Yuanyuan.
The Airbus executive committee has shrunk to nine members from 12 as part of an effort by new CEO Tom Enders to streamline the aircraft maker. New management team members are Thierry Baril, executive vice president for human resources; and Klaus Richter as EVP for procurement. Enders also named Christian Scherer as EVP for strategy and future programs.
Chances are remote, at best, that the controversy over inclusion of aviation in emissions trading will be resolved at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s general assembly starting this week. However, at least one leading European proponent warns that the omission could undermine ICAO’s credibility. For more than a year, government and industry representatives have regarded the assembly meeting in Montreal as a pivotal juncture to hash out and overcome deep differences in environmental approaches among Europe, other countries and industry.
Joe Doherty has become president for Americas outsourcing for the Computer Sciences Corp., El Segundo, Calif. He was vice president-aerospace and defense industry within CSC’s Technology Management Group.
