The U.S. Marine Corps expects to wrap up a formal analysis of alternatives on the service's options for a vertical takeoff unmanned aerial vehicle, according to Capt. Paul Morgan, UAV program manager for the Navy and Marine Corps. The system must be able to operate from a variety of ships and provide intelligence from long distances, relay communications from forward soldiers back to a ship and, possibly, designate targets remotely. A competition is expected to follow.
The annual Helicopter Assn. International show held in Orlando, Fla., last week drew more than 15,000 people and hundreds of exhibitors. Key news at the event included . . .
The Block 20 Global Hawk flew for the first time on Mar. 1. The Northrop Grumman unmanned aerial vehicle flew from the company's Palmdale, Calif., plant to nearby Edwards AFB to begin a flight test program there.
BAE Systems and the British Defense Ministry last week took the first step to hammering out a strategic partnership in the defense aerospace arena. They signed a foundation agreement intended to pave the way for a long-term partnership. The foundation document provides a framework for the next steps, with the aim being to conclude a full partnering agreement by the end of 2007. Part of the work will likely include plans for rationalization of some BAE sites.
The Israel Air Force plans to unveil its big, new long-range unmanned aircraft within the next few weeks. The Eitan, also known as the Heron II, has the wingspan of a Boeing 737. The aircraft has flown clandestinely several times. IAF will announce its introduction to military service. It also may be displayed at the Paris air show in June.
The Middle East may be just ahead of Africa as the second-smallest region in the world in terms of available seat miles, but that's set to change by 2010 when that corner of the globe surpasses Latin America and garners a 7% share, up from its current 4.5%.
Third time's a charm--at least that's what Airbus management is hoping as it embarks on its most ambitious effort to date to overhaul the company. History doesn't favor the manufacturer, though. When Airbus became an integrated company in 2000, melding its French, German, British and Spanish constituents, it remained saddled with structural and cultural problems. Next came the Route06 cost-cutting program, which fell short of its financial goals. Will the latest effort, Power8, with its proposed 10,000 job cuts and structural overhaul fare any better?
Herman Chai has been named vice president-sales for China, Japan and South Korea, and Peter Hoi vice president-sales for Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the Philippines, for Gulfstream Aerospace, Savannah, Ga. Chai was director of completion design for Gulfstream, while Hoi was director of engineering and certification for Alliant Techsystems in Fort Worth.
More Asian airports are complying with standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that prohibit passengers carrying liquids, gels or aerosols more than 100 ml. (3.3 oz.) in hand luggage on board aircraft. The recommendations, which are in response to threat of liquid explosives, are to come into force in March. Countries not complying risk having passengers stopped at destination airports. Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan began implementing the rules on Mar. 1.
Senior Space Technology Editor Frank Morring, Jr. (left), interviews New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, in the mission operations center at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Feb. 28. They spoke moments after controllers confirmed the spacecraft survived its closest encounter with Jupiter en route to Pluto (see p. 31). The encounter gave the nuclear-powered probe a 9,000-mph. gravity assist for the eight-year cruise to Pluto, and Stern's science team picked up some lessons as it started planning for the 2015 encounter.
Embraer and M1 Travel, a subsidiary of Dubai-based M1 Group, contracted to buy five Embraer 190 aircraft with options for five of the 190s or the larger 195s. The aircraft, which will have steep approach capability, will be leased to Geneva-based Flybaboo, in which the M1 Group is a major shareholder. Flybaboo began operating in May 2004 and flies Dash 8-Q315s to European destinations, including Florence, Italy; Ibiza, Spain; Nice, France; and Prague.
So the FAA wants to institute "User Fees" to access our airspace infrastructure (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 24)? That is a grand idea! But why stop there? Why not turn unemployment checks, welfare checks and agricultural subsidies into loans? Why not institute a user fee system for access to every other government service? For example, why not have a prompt to input your credit card number whenever you call 911 or any of the government offices listed in the phone book? The possible ways to fund the government are endless.
NASA has shifted its letter contract with United Space Alliance for space shuttle and International Space Station operations support to a fully defined agreement worth $6.34 billion. The final contract covers the period from Oct. 1, 2006, to Sept. 30, 2010--the planned retirement date for the shuttle fleet--and includes five one-year options after that.
When aerospace procurement decisions are based on political factors, rather than objective engineering criteria, smart and capable engineers move to an industry where the successes of their efforts and organizations is correlated. In this context, Reagan's "Star Wars" program helped win the Cold War by forcing the Soviet Union to spend money on an impossible task, but damaged the U.S. aerospace industry by removing the correlation between engineering realism and political success.
With an order for three Boeing 787-8s, Azerbaijan Airlines becomes the first airline in the former Soviet republics to buy the twin-engine jet. It also signed up for two 737-900ERs.
The Bush administration for the first time says it has intelligence proving detailed and ongoing collaboration between Iran and North Korea in the development of new ballistic missiles. The Pentagon has also just released previously secret intelligence data on new Iranian and North Korean ballistic missiles under development. North Korean and Chinese missiles already threaten the Middle East, Asia and Europe and could eventually target the U.S.
UNITED STATES Editor-In-Chief: Anthony L. Velocci, Jr. [email protected] Managing Editor: James R. Asker [email protected] Assistant Managing Editor: Michael Stearns [email protected] Senior Editors: Craig Covault [email protected], David Hughes [email protected] NEW YORK 2 Penn Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10121 Phone: +1 (212) 904-2000, Fax: +1 (212) 904-6068 Senior News Editor: Nora Titterington
The Antonov An-148-100 regional twinjet has received its airworthiness certificate from the Interstate Aviation Committee, which governs such issues in former Soviet countries. The flight test program began in 2004, with two prototypes performing more than 600 flights for the certification. The An-148-100 can carry up to 80 passengers in an all-economy-class layout, with a maximum range of 3,600 km. (2,250 mi.). Airlines from Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia have ordered more than 40 aircraft. The first two are to be delivered by year-end.
Faced with a Government Accountability Office decision sustaining protests by the losing bidders in the $10-15- billion CSAR-X combat search and rescue helicopter competition, the U.S. Air Force is looking for ways to comply with the spirit while avoiding the letter of the GAO recommendations. The bid-protest decision disrupts Air Force leadership attempts to put past procurement scandals behind it. How the service responds will be closely watched, in Congress and industry, and may trigger unwanted scrutiny in future acquisitions.
In "Vanishing Act" (AW&ST Feb. 5, p. 44), Rockwell Collins CEO Clayton Jones comments: "So while we're losing experience, we're gaining some innovation and entrepreneurial spirit." Translation: "We will find creative, new ways to make old mistakes."
The Defense Ministry is contracting with BAE to provide flight-line support for its Hawk TMk1 jet trainer aircraft. The £74-million ($144-million) Hawk integrated operational support project will see BAE maintain the Hawk to 2011. The ministry is also seeking a support contract for the Hawk 128 advanced jet trainer now on order.
Norway intends to extend the service life of its P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft by 20-25 years. Oslo has signed a deal with Lockheed Martin for life-extension kits.
Flat sales failed to dent preliminary results of British-headquartered engineering group GKN, with pre-tax profit up 8%. Sales for 2006 stood at £3.634 billion, £14 million less than in 2005. Aerospace sales, however, were up 11%, while profits climbed by 30%.
David Hughes' article "Glass for the Masses" (AW&ST Jan. 29, p. 58) missed its mark when he stated "but until recently avionics companies haven't focused as much on soup-to-nuts refits of older cockpits" and did not mention Chelton Flight Systems.
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