In what is described as a ``deeply classified'' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency initiative, the U.S. is exploring micro-satellites of 220-330 lb., said officials here. They are ``big enough to do useful things'' like intercept communications, relay data or provide an antisatellite capability. Baseline technology has evolved from kill vehicles designed for missile defense. Advantages of the small satellites are that they are hard to detect and track and they can be launched in the shrouds of bigger space vehicles.
The FAA, with the strong backing of the chairman of the House Transportation appropriations subcommittee, has selected Louisville International Airport as a national model test site for next-generation airport surveillance technologies and traffic procedures. Rep. Harold Rogers (R.-Ky.), the subcommittee chairman, placed $5 million as jump-start funding for the project in the Fiscal 2002 transportation appropriation.
About a month ago, Raytheon's NetFires, a loitering, missile-like unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), made its first flight from NASA's Wallops Island test range powered by a small, 30-lb. thrust-turbojet. The engine, Hamilton Sundstrand's TJ-30, at 12 in. high and 18 in. long, can drive a miniature missile or unmanned vehicle at near-supersonic speeds for more than 250 mi. For the NetFires test, it flew 11 min. and made two racetrack circuits.
Shanghai Little Eagle Science and Technology Co. and Sikorsky expect to receive a license in the third quarter from the Civil Aviation Administration of China to establish a joint venture in Shanghai to produce 2-3-seat helicopters for sale to individuals or businesses, according to China Aero Information, an affiliate of Aviation Week & Space Technology. China has only about 100 civil helicopters, so it's regarded as a large untapped market. Little Eagle is to hold 51% of the company, Sikorsky the rest.
General Electric is executing a wide-ranging technology development and maturation effort to acquire and bank the technologies that will be needed for widebody transport engines entering service between 2008 and 2015. The efforts are being conducted under two programs, the Generation X project, which is seeking 2008 engine technologies like those needed by Boeing's Mach 0.98 Sonic Cruiser; and Generation Y, a longer-term endeavor aimed at powerplants coming into service around 2015.
Gulfstream is using SimAuthor's FlightViz data visualization program in its flight test, maintenance, training and safety departments for better understanding of complex dynamic events. Windows-based FlightViz gives an animated and interactive 3D view of the aircraft with the actual runway and terrain, cockpit instruments, navigation aids, and approach plates, based upon information from a flight data recorder or simulator (right). Airport scenes are derived from an Evans & Sutherland database for full-flight simulators (AW&ST Feb. 25, p. 23).
Northrop Grumman's Pegasus drone started taxi tests earlier this month, and officials hope to make a first flight by the end of the summer. The X-47A Pegasus demonstrator is part of Northrop's bid for the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV-N) program to build an autonomous carrier-based surveillance and attack drone, for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Navy.
Air taxi and charter operators are grappling with how or if they can meet a mid-September deadline for putting into place a Transportation Security Administration (TSA)-dictated slate of crew and passenger security measures for aircraft weighing 12,500 lb. or more. The measures will affect a large cross section of the flying public--from sports teams to corporate employees--many of whom turned to air taxis and private charters both before and after Sept. 11 to bypass congested airport terminals or overflowing security checkpoints.
The Army is backing a U.S. Special Operations Command proposal to procure an additional 25 MH-47 and 10 MH-60 helicopters to support regional commanders, according to an Army official. The subject was first mentioned last week by Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Keane at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. He talked about an additional aviation battalion and said the idea is now working its way through the current POM (program objective memorandum) process, adding that the Army agrees with the proposal in principle.
Chad Thorne (see photo) has become manager of weight and balance systems for Crane Aerospace, Lynnwood, Wash. He was head of the Crane Aerospace Wichita (Kan.) Regional Center.
Six airline unions took aim last week at aviation industry attempts to develop political support for baseball-style arbitration of airline labor disputes. They urged senators to oppose an August 2001 bill introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), legislation that is all but dead for the 107th Congress. An official of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Dept. said the unions are concerned about an extensive pro-arbitration lobbying campaign underway by airlines, bill or no bill.
Alaska Air Group, parent company of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, reported a net loss of $4.5 million or $0.17 per share in the second quarter, compared with a net profit of $3.9 million or $0.15 per share in the same quarter last year. Group Chairman and CEO John F. Kelly said the increase in capacity and traffic was ``encouraging,'' but decreased yields ``continued to reflect a lower mix of business versus leisure travelers.'' Alaska Airlines passenger traffic was up 2.5% on a capacity increase of 5.2%, and its load factor decreased 1.9 points to 68.4%.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded Boeing's Phantom Works a $92.4-million contract to design, develop and test-fly a Mach 6, hypersonic demonstrator missile. Eight powered test flights of the demonstrator weapon, which will rely on a dual combustion ramjet for sustained hypersonic speeds, are planned between 2004 and 2006 under the HyFly program.
A new waveform technology developed by Rockwell Collins in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research and Naval Air Systems Command increases the data rate of information that can be transmitted over UHF satcom channels. The Bandwidth Efficient Advanced Modulation (Beam) waveform technology provides data rates up to 80 Kbps. over a standard 25-KHz. channel. The conventional rate for such channels is 16 Kbps., and the highest without Beam has been 56 Kbps., but that required three times more signal power than Beam.
British Airways has selected Goodrich to supply cockpit-door video surveillance systems for its long-range aircraft, including Boeing 747s, 767s and 777s, as well as BA's Concorde aircraft. A large Asia-Pacific carrier also has given Goodrich a purchase order. Goodrich was selected earlier this year by Airbus to provide the systems for all new-production Airbus aircraft models, and Virgin Atlantic also plans to retrofit its entire Boeing fleet. Altogether, the company expects to deliver 500-600 of the $25,000 systems by mid-March 2003.
Faced with a transportation security supplemental budget request that's been slashed by more than $1 billion, the Bush administration is waffling on its heretofore staunch commitment to federalize screeners at 429 airports by Nov. 19 and to begin probing all checked bags for bombs by Dec. 31. ``The extraordinary delay in approving funding and new restrictions have dramatically undermined our ability to get the job done,'' said Transportation Secretary Norman Y.
Aviation Technical Services, an aircraft heavy maintenance shop at Everett, Wash., is using handheld wireless devices, scheduling programs, and the Internet to speed work and keep customers in touch with what's happening to their aircraft. Quality inspectors carry the handhelds as they inspect the aircraft to report what they find, and the system automatically generates work orders. A critical-path scheduling tool optimizes the work flow and calculates when the aircraft will be delivered based upon work completed. This information is updated every 4 hr.
In what might be her final public appearance as administrator of the FAA--her term expires Aug. 4--Jane Garvey warned against letting security overwhelm aviation progress. One of successor Marion Blakey's greatest and most difficult challenges will be ``staying focused on modernization and safety in the face of new security pressures,'' Garvey said on July 23 in a speech in Washington. Security concerns ``demand our attention [and] deserve our vigilance,'' she said. ``But the FAA's mission is just as important as ever.''
U.S. Defense Dept. research and development--exclusive of classified programs--is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.9% in the 2002-07 period, according to a new Frost & Sullivan (F&S) forecast. In contrast, anticipated classified R&D efforts through 2003 will grow 27.4%, and will probably continue to increase at the same steep rate, based on budget projections.
Northern Air Cargo (NAC), Alaska's largest all-cargo carrier, has entered into an agreement with Aeronavali as part of an initiative to roll out large cargo-door modifications, expected to lead to a new generation of freighter aircraft. The airline will be phasing out its Boeing 727 jet freighters.
United Airlines and US Airways, unsuccessful merger partners a year ago and the largest airlines to apply for a federal loan guarantee, are back in tandem, this time as code-share allies. Announcing the marketing agreement July 24, the two carriers said feeding passengers to each other in complementary markets will increase traffic and revenue for both.
Scott Bradbury has been named a senior consultant for Sinex Aviation Technologies, Duluth, Minn. He has been a specialist in aircraft maintenance program development and customer support for Boeing and Fairchild Dornier.
Bangkok Airways has ordered nine new-generation ATR 72-500s. Bangkok selected ATR in 1994 and now operates 10 72-500s. Deliveries are to begin in the latter half of 2003. Toulouse, France-based ATR is a joint venture of Finmeccanica/Alenia Aeronautica and EADS.
U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Jones, newly nominated to become Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said reorganization of the Marines' 10 aircraft-carrier-based strike squadrons will make them completely interchangeable and interoperable with Navy squadrons. However, as the Stovl version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter replaces the eight squadrons of AV-8 Harriers, they will drop to 20 aircraft each from 24. Jones said the Marines intend to maintain a tactical jamming capability.
