Italian engine maker Avio has signed a memorandum of understanding with General Electric to become a 12% risk-sharing partner in development of the GEnx-2B. That version of the GE turbofan is to equip the Boeing 747-8. Avio is already involved in development of the GEnx-1B to power the 787 twin-widebody. Avio is expected to spend up to €250 million ($327 million) on the program and hopes to see revenue of at least €2.5 billion. Avio will develop and produce several components, including the stator of the low-pressure turbine and the gearbox drive system.
Saudi Arabia is planning a large upgrade to its Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) system for its air force. The overhaul is slated to provide the kingdom's military a better control of surveillance systems and aid the move to an open-systems architecture that can be upgraded with greater ease. Plans include building a primary air operations center (AOC) with backup AOCs available. The program also calls for deploying an advanced tactical data-link network for ground and airborne assets.
USAF Reserve Col. Frank E. Anderson is among nine of his rank to be nominated for promotion to brigadier general. He is mobilization assistant to the director of operations and training at USAF Headquarters. The other eight are: Patrick A. Cord, commander, 442nd Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, Whiteman AFB, Mo.; Craig N. Gourley, mobilization assistant to the director of operational plans and joint matters, USAF Headquarters; Donald C. Ralph, mobilization assistant to the director of global operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.; Wil- liam F.
Latest financial results suggest a turnaround plan is fixing Malaysia Airlines. The company reports a loss of 134 million ringgit ($38.1 million) for 2006, but that's a vast improvement on the 1.3 billion ringgit that the company lost in 2005. More tellingly, the fourth quarter delivered a second straight quarterly profit. One of the carrier's biggest problems is the extreme efficiency of budget competitor AirAsia, which reported a 150-million-ringgit profit (37% of revenue) for October to December, itself up 61%.
Iberia, in ongoing restructuring, is seeing strong financial growth, with pre-tax earnings up 13% to 790.5 million euros ($1.043 billion). The net-earnings came in short of 2005 results, but mainly because that year saw the divestiture of two businesses that bolstered accounts. Perhaps most importantly, the carrier saw a 6.2% unit passenger revenue increase. The 2006 results mean Iberia has turned a profit for 11 straight years, despite some challenging periods recently with high oil prices. Fuel last year was up 36%, representing 22.4% of expenses, versus 14.2% in 2004.
Joseph A. Muklevicz has been named vice president-sales for the Americas for the Pacific Scientific Aerospace Group, Duarte, Calif. He was president of its Miami-based Aviation Services Cos.
Later this year planetary scientists will begin planning history's first spacecraft encounter with Pluto, now that NASA's New Horizons probe has passed through a risky gravity boost from Jupiter with flying colors. Lessons from last week's encounter are already being applied as the 1,000-lb. nuclear-powered spacecraft hurtles down Jupiter's magnetotail, the leeward stream of charged solar-wind particles escaping the planet's magnetic field.
Midwest Airlines, dismissing AirTran's merger overtures, is moving on with its strategic growth plan. The latest round of enhancements includes the addition, beginning July 1, of a second daily nonstop round trip between main hub Milwaukee and Los Angeles. On May 1, Midwest plans to add a second six-times weekly round trip to Tampa, Fla. News of the enhancements came after CEO Timothy E. Hoeksema told shareholders "it was time to set the record straight" about AirTran.
William F. Ballhaus, Jr. (see photo), president/CEO of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., has received the Peter B. Teets Award from the National Defense Industrial Assn.'s Space Div. He was recognized for "championing the cause of national security space" over a 37-year career in aerospace. Ballhaus, the award citation stated, has made "contributions that have led to strengthening of our national security by direct application of space capabilities and to the enhancement of our industrial technology base with application to space technology."
British Airways is aiming to substantially beat its long-standing target for a 10% operating profit margin when economic conditions are good, setting a goal that would put it far ahead of most full-service carriers, which have typically earned about a third of that.
We are on the cusp of a new paradigm in air travel made possible by the convergence of four technologies. Advances in avionics (WAAS), aircraft and engine manufacturing (very light jets and small turbofans), engineering and software technologies (real time optimization and logistics), and Web 2.0 concepts such as open-sourcing have catapulted us to the verge of a new frontier in aviation.
A European space policy is nearing completion, which should give a more unified voice to activities promoted by the European Union and European Space Agency (ESA) members. At the same time, member states are wrestling with program and funding decisions related to several international activities, particularly potential cooperative endeavors with Russia and the U.S.
Six weeks after he was brought in to turn around Textron Inc.'s struggling Bell Helicopter business, CEO Richard J. Millman is making his first big move. The company last week confirmed it is scrapping development of the Model 417 light helicopter, a derivative of its best-selling Model 407, because of performance shortfalls. Bell had taken 130 orders for the 417, which was launched a year ago and was supposed to enter service in 2008 (AW&ST Mar. 6, 2006, p. 36).
With "going green" all the rage, let's hear it for the Pathfinder Plus, the unmanned solar-electric flying wing that was setting altitude records nearly a decade ago. The fourth of the Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment's creations to enter the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, (its Gossamer Condor "soars" next to the Wright Flyer), the Pathfinder Plus will be housed at the museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. The 694-lb., 121-ft.
AIRSERVICES AUSTRALIA AND HONEYWELL HAVE OFFICIALLY launched two new products intended to bring advanced navigation capability to commercial users worldwide similar to that provided by the U.S. Wide Area Augmentation System, in operation with the FAA, and Local Area Augmentation System, still in development. All of these systems augment GPS to make navigation guidance more precise. The Airservices Australia-Honeywell partnership was announced last year, and has FAA approval.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] Mar. 13--Aerospace States Assn. Hearing. Rayburn House Office Building, Washington. Call +1 (202) 257-4872 or see www.aerostates.org Mar. 13-14--RTCA Inc. Symposium 2007: "OEP-The Bridge to NextGen." Ronald Reagan Building, Washington. Call +1 (202) 833-9339, fax +1 (202) 833-9434 or see www.rtca.org
US Airways and America West units of the Air Line Pilots Assn. (ALPA) on Feb. 28 filed a suit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, demanding that US Airways stop plans to merge the airlines until a single collective bargaining agreement is reached between two pilot groups. This past weekend, US Airways was scheduled to eliminate America West's "HP" code from its reservation system, which in effect merges the carriers.
The Royal Air Force will begin taking delivery of the Lockheed Martin Sniper targeting pod this month. The Sniper is being procured in response to an urgent operational requirement for the Harrier GR9. The RAF has procured two types of laser targeting pod to meet urgent requirements: the Sniper, and the Litening III for its Tornado GR4s. Both types of aircraft now operate with the Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designation pod. The GR9s will use the Sniper in Afghanistan, while the GR4s will fly with the Litening in Iraq.
Last month's surprise visit of a 12-ship F-22 formation to Hickam AFB, Hawaii (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 23), is prompting lots of questions at the Pentagon. It turns out that when the four lead ships crossed the International Date Line en route to Japan, their navigation computers were rendered unusable, though the aircraft continued to have "thrust and lift," according to Col. Tom Bergeson, operations group commander at the 1st Fighter Wing. The Raptors were directed to Hickam to await a fix, which was delivered via a software update.
Elected AAS Fellows were Mark Craig of the Science Applications International Corp., Jonathan Malay of the Lockheed Martin Corp., Ronald Proulx of C.S. Draper Labs, Robert Tolson of North Carolina State University, David Vallado of Analytical Graphics Inc. and Lyn Wigbels of RWI International.
The Navy is exploring the addition of a radar system and weapons for its MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV, according to Capt. Paul Morgan, UAV program manager for the Navy and Marine Corps. A specific maritime radar and weapons package is yet to be determined. Morgan says the service is interested in developing these items as a spiral upgrade--perhaps for inclusion in the Fiscal 2009 budget--to the four-blade system that will be used on board the Littoral Combat Ship now in development.
Stan Sloane has been appointed president/CEO of SRA International, Fairfax, Va., effective with the Apr. 1 retirement of Renny DiPentima. Sloane has been executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions, Gaithersburg, Md.
Flow International of Kent, Wash., has boosted the pressure in its latest waterjet cutting machine to 87,000 psi., up from the 60,000-psi. machines common to aerospace manufacturing of engine components, landing gear parts, aircraft bins and, most recently, the composite fuselage and wing components of Boeing's 787. Flow says this boost in pressure increases cutting speeds by 20-30%.
Edward C. Freni has been named director of aviation, David M. Gambone director of human resources, Danny Theodat Levy director of strategic marketing and communications, and Thomas J. Butler director of external affairs, all for the Massachusetts Port Authority. Freni and Gambone were acting directors. Levy was promoted from director of communications and Butler from director of government and community affairs.
Space shuttle Atlantis and its hail-damaged external tank are to be rolled from Pad 39A into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center by early this week for inspection of 7,000 divots and blemishes in the tank's foam that have delayed STS-117 to April-May and could push liftoff into June.
