China's government-owned foreign exchange investment corporation, now being formed, plans to invest $3 billion in the Blackstone Group, a private equity firm that is becoming increasingly active in the aerospace sector. Blackstone formerly owned New Skies Satellites, now part of SES, and is reportedly seeking to buy Intelsat from its private equity owners. It has also performed transactions with GE and Northrop Grumman.
Yah Satellite Communications, an affiliate of Abu Dhabi government-owned Mubadala Development, says it has selected EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space to supply a $1.4-billion dual-use satcom network to serve the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia. Neither manufacturer would comment on the deal, but based on past collaborations Astrium could supply the two spacecraft and Thales the payload and ground segment.
Budget pressures are forcing Pakistan to curtail plans for a fleet of airborne early warning aircraft. The government last year announced it would buy Saab 2000 turboprops fitted with the Erieye early warning radar. Now, Saab is reporting that the order has been reduced by 1.35 billion Swedish kroner ($195 million), or more than 10% of the total purchase price. Pakistan has been reluctant to release details about the scope of the original deal, which was believed to be for seven aircraft, and remains closemouthed regarding this new development.
The trend toward strategic partnerships between Asian airlines is gathering strength, with All Nippon Airways and Asiana announcing deeper cooperation as the Japanese carrier looks to making its next deal with Shanghai Airlines. ANA is also considering the establishment of a no-frills offshoot, a defensive step to answer foreign budget airlines expected to present a rising challenge to Japan's high-cost aviation sector.
The U.K. and Libya are discussing the sale of the MBDA Rapier/Jernas point-defense surface-to-air missile system to Tripoli. Details of the discussions emerged last week during a visit by Prime Minister Tony Blair to Libya.
France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have signed an agreement to prepare the way for a European Air Transport Command (EATC), which is intended to plan and deploy tactical and strategic airlift capacity for the European Union, and ensure the standardization, safety and interoperability of airlift fleets. The agreement aims to have an initial EATC operating capability--one of the EU's primary capability shortfalls--by 2009.
Rick Armstrong (see photo) has been appointed vice president-FlightSafety Simulation for New York-based FlightSafety International. He was vice president-sales and marketing for the Nordam Group, Tulsa, Okla.
Standard & Poor's has placed its long-term B-plus credit rating on Japan Airlines on watch for a possible downgrading, following media reports that the carrier is asking its major creditor banks for a debt-for-equity swap. Under the agency's credit ratings criteria, such a swap amounts to a default on debts. S&P and Aviation Week & Space Technology are both divisions of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Indian carriers have asked the ministry of civil aviation to seek a change in the country's International Civil Aviation registration code, VT, that is displayed prominently on aircraft tails. Some carriers claim the code is a relic from pre-independence days, and interpretations of its meaning include "Viceroy's Territory" or "Victoria's Territory." Air India Chairman and Managing Director Vasudevan Thulasidas says he addressed the concern with the government.
The letter from Dale Gibby expressing concern about engraved markings on diesel engines that experience extreme compression and tension stress constantly on all rotating parts is on target (AW&ST May 21, p. 6). Diesel detonation is instant and shocking to all metals pounding at a much harder rate than their gasoline cousins, therefore diesel marking is not a good thing.
It came as no surprise to CFM International that prospective customers of next-generation single-aisle aircraft rank reduced fuel consumption as their highest priority. But they also are awakening to a broadening of the clean planet debate that is likely to lead to a series of new regulations, such as carbon trading, from governments eager to respond to the growing clamor to do something about global warming.
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Irkut Corp. has reached an agreement with Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) on a cooperative venture if the Greek government selects the Be-200 as its future fire-fighting aircraft. HAI could be involved in maintenance and even take part in the manufacturing end. Vladimir Sautov, Irkut vice president, notes that the memorandum of understanding could open the door for further industrial/technological cooperation.
Ryanair once again has upped its order for Boeing 737-800s, buying 27 more of the single-aisle aircraft in a deal worth $1.9 billion. Ryanair is on track to have a fleet of 262 of the -800s by 2012. Firm orders for the type by Europe's leading low-fare carrier now total 308, but some of the -800s will have been retired by 2012.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin puts his own touch on the Bush administration's we-don't-have-enough-information approach to global warming. In a National Public Radio (NPR) interview, Griffin allows that the Earth has warmed by 1C during the past century, give or take 20%, and that much of this change is manmade. But he's not sure whether this is a long-term concern or a "problem we must wrestle with"--it's "rather arrogant" for anyone to decide for everyone else what Earth's temperature should be.
David A. Fulghum & Douglas Barrie (Washington & London)
The U.S. Navy is considering how it might defeat a foe that fields an arsenal of submarines, advanced strike aircraft and conventional ballistic and cruise missiles that could keep American carrier strike forces at bay—perhaps 600-1,000 naut. mi. from a critical area such as the Taiwan Strait.
French armaments agency DGA announced that on Apr. 23 it carried out the first complete firing of the Sagem AASM precision standoff weapon (see photo) on the new Rafale fighter. The mission involved several standoff firings--including one 90-deg. off-boresight, and a three-weapon salvo--from an undisclosed standoff range. Sagem notes that all targets were hit with required precision. The Rafale OSF forward-looking IR tracking system provided real-time observation and video debrief of the strikes.
Japan's All Nippon Airways is requesting government approval to increase the fuel surcharge on international ticketing $2-9 beginning July 10. When jet fuel prices decreased in late 2006, ANA lowered its surcharge, but the rising price of jet fuel is driving ANA to ask customers to "share the increased cost burden." For example, the current $91 surcharge for flights from Japan to Europe, North America and the Middle East would increase to $100; the surcharge to South Korea would increase by $2, to $14. The new charges will remain in force until Sept. 30.
After a near-death experience last December, when it lost two of its reaction control wheels, the Goddard Space Flight Center/Johns Hopkins University's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite has come roaring back to life. In April, its five-year mission was extended, and it recently returned spectacular images from the Large Magellanic Cloud, including this one of what astronomers call an "O" star--the hottest, most luminous and massive of normal stars.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has launched a $34-million customer service program in preparation for summer traffic. Some 30 million travelers are expected to pass through its major airports, John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia. The authority's plan includes increasing its customer service staff 50% to 200, replacing ground transportation counters with welcome centers and opening about 70 new concessions. In 2006, the three airports combined handled 104.1 million passengers.
South Africa's Denel Optronics has been awarded a 200-million-rand ($28-million) contract to supply 450 pilot head tracking systems for the Eurofighter Typhoon. BAE Systems is letting the contract as part of a defense industrial participation program resulting from South Africa's purchase of the BAE Systems Hawk jet trainer and Saab Gripen fighter.
Air Force Undersecretary Ronald Sega's office says he doesn't plan to leave his post any time soon, though rumor to the contrary has been circulating here. As undersecretary, Sega is responsible for oversight of the Air Force's space portfolio and heads the service's executive agency for space-systems acquisition. When his predecessor, Peter Teets, left the job in March 2005, Pentagon acquisition chief Kenneth Krieg assumed oversight of the Air Force's top space programs, reversing a decision made only a few years earlier to give USAF acquisition authority.
Some advanced technology for long-term human space exploration is already getting on-orbit checkout as NASA targets about $350 million from its tight exploration budget this year on the long-lead items that may enable a return to the Moon en route to Mars.
The U.S. Navy wants to upgrade its F/A-18E/Fs with an infrared search-and-track system out of concern that increasingly sophisticated electronic jamming systems could thwart the fighter's radar system, leaving pilots "blinded" in air-to-air combat.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency thinks robotic technologies already used in factories, humanoids and micro-robots could be adapted for space missions, including satellites, rovers and equipment for supporting human life in space. Robotics is deemed essential in space particularly because of the time limits on astronauts working outside of spacecraft. One goal is to support establishment of an international Moon base by 2025. JAXA is considering construction robots and radio-controlled humanoids for the project.
