It is growing more likely that July 1, 2015, will not mark the initial operational capability (IOC) declaration for the F-35B desired by the U.S. Marine Corps, according to Pentagon procurement chief Frank Kendall. Also in jeopardy is the U.S. Air Force’s ability to declare its F-35A operational by Aug. 1, 2016, due to an impending shortfall in maintainers to repair the single-engine, stealthy jet.
The Antares rocket explosion over a Virginia launch pad last week may yet have its most profound reverberations on Wall Street next month. That is because shareholders of rocket provider Orbital Sciences Corp. and Alliant TechSystems are scheduled to vote Dec. 9 on the companies’ April proposals to split up ATK and merge its aerospace side under Orbital.
Mending Fences If Republicans win control of the Senate in the Nov. 4 congressional elections, the outspoken Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is likely to head the Senate Armed Services Committee. While he is generally well-respected in national security circles, the defense industry remembers his aggressive pursuit of Boeing’s Air Force refueling tanker missteps and his criticism of the Joint Strike Fighter and Littoral Combat Ship.
The Pentagon’s latest pact for 48 F135s from Pratt & Whitney for the single-engine F-35 program will cost $1.05 billion, according to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, program executive officer for the F-35. This is 4.5% lower than for the previous lot, he says. The Pentagon announced the deal on Oct. 30 as a $793 million modification to an earlier contract. “Pratt & Whitney has shown a commitment to getting back on the ‘war on cost’ curve,” Bogdan said.
Bell Helicopter is to carry out live-fire trials of guided rockets from the V-22 Osprey later this month. The self-funded program, will see the company’s Osprey testbed launch guided. rockets from a single pod mounted on the starboard forward fuselage of the tiltrotor, at the Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona. Forward-firing weapon capabilities for the V-22 are of particular interest to Air Force Special Operations Command.
The Slovakian government has ordered a pair of AleniaAermacchi C-27J Spartan airlifters as part of the modernization of the country’s air force. The type will replace aging Antonov An-26s. The first Slovak C-27 is scheduled to be delivered in 2016, and the second in 2017.
Robots In The Cockpit For the last several issues, Aviation Week has devoted substantial space on the Viewpoint and Feedback pages to pilot pay. Perhaps the long-term answer is unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Robots don’t need pensions, bathroom breaks or sleep, nor do they need to adjust their income for inflation. Robotic control systems can be placed nearly anywhere on a large aircraft, allowing more seats to be squeezed in and a much better view from first class (surely increasing the ticket price and bottom line).
Airbus A318 The A318 is a twin-engine, 107-132-passenger narrowbody jetliner. Initial flight occurred in January 2002. The European Joint Aviation Authorities certified the A318 (with CFM56 engines) in May 2003, followed by FAA certification a month later. A318 deliveries began in July 2003; 79 aircraft were produced through 2013. A318s are powered by two 21,600-23,800-lb.-thrust turbofan engines, either the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 or CFM56-5B.
Aquila, a consortium of Thales and air navigation service provider National Air Traffic Services has secured a 22-year £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion) contract to modernize air traffic management services at military airfields operated by the U.K. Defense Ministry. The project will fit new workstations and equipment into air traffic control towers, as well as new airfield radar systems and navigation aids with work beginning in April 2015, prioritizing on new radio systems. £400 million will be spent on new equipment.
The Russian navy plans to enhance its antisubmarine warfare (ASW) capability by upgrading about 50 of its Kamov Ka-27PL (Helix-A) antisubmarine rotorcraft fleet after the trials of the modernized Ka-27M version are completed this fall. The major advantage of the upgraded variant is that it is equipped with the new Kopye-AA radar designed by Moscow-based Phazottron-NIIR. It will replace the aging Osminog search-and-sighting system. With the Kopye-AA, the Ka-27M can operate 100-150 km (62-94 mi.) from its ship at an altitude of 4-5 km. The new radar also provides a 360-deg.
India’s next national communication satellite, GSAT-16, is scheduled to be launched in December to augment its communications capability and boost existing services. The 3,150-kg (3.5-ton) satellite will be dual-manifested on a European Ariane 5 rocket along with another satellite, DirecTV-14, says a senior scientist at the Indian Space Research Organization. The liftoff of GSAT-16, initially slated for next year, has been advanced by six months to meet the rapidly growing demand for GSAT services.
Engility and Tasc announced Oct. 28 that they will merge in a $1.1 billion stock-and-debt deal, creating an expanded and diversified engineering services company for U.S. government customers. After the deal closes, which is expected in January, Engility’s overall defense market concentration will fall to 48% from 64%, with 28% of total business stemming from intelligence agencies and the last 24% from the Homeland Security Department, FAA and NASA combined.
In nearly identical affirmations last week, both Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services and Moody’s Investors Service assigned “A” and “A2” ratings, respectively, to Boeing’s upcoming $850 million debt issuance. The rating agencies gave high-ranking credit scores to Boeing’s unsecured notes despite a newly forecast softening in so-called free cash flow, which could pinch near-term returns to shareholders and investors. A revised cash-flow forecast came as part of Boeing latest quarterly report Oct.
Cobham’s new 12-year, $563 million contract to provide an airborne search-and-rescue capability for Australia should add 1% to the British-based company’s top line, RBC Capital Markets analysts said Oct. 24 after the deal was unveiled.
In a recent Up Front column (Oct. 13, p. 16), Richard Aboulafia misattributed a quote to Boeing Senior Vice President Tim Keating. The comment was made by Ray Goforth, executive director of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.
Airbus A319/A320/A321 These models, along with the A318, make up the Airbus A320 family of twin-turbofan, narrowbody airliners. The initial model was the A320, which made its first flight in February 1987. A320 deliveries began in 1988, followed by the stretched A321 in 1994 and the shortened A319 in 1996. All three original models are available with CFM56 or International Aero Engines V2500 engines. The A319 typically seats 124 passengers, the A320 carries 150, and the A321 seats 185. Through 2013, Airbus produced 1,395 A319s, 3,544 A320s and 877 A321s.
Airbus A330 Airbus developed the A330 twin-engine, widebody commercial passenger transport to replace aircraft such as the A300, DC-10-10 and L-1011. An A330 prototype first flew in November 1992, with customer deliveries following in December 1993. Customers have a choice of turbofan engines in the 64,000-72,000-lb.-thrust class: the GE CF6-80E1, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700. Three A330 models are available. The A330-300 seats 335 passengers in two classes, or 295 in three classes. The A330-200 seats 293 in two classes, or 253 in three.
The A340 is a four-engine, intercontinental, widebody commercial transport aircraft. A prototype flew in October 1991, and deliveries began in January 1993. The A340-200 and -300 were certificated by the European Joint Aviation Authorities in December 1992 and the FAA in February 1993. Both models are powered by four 31,200-34,000-lb.-thrust CFM56-5C4 turbofans. Two newer models, the longer-range -500 and the stretched -600, are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 500s. Typical seating for the -200, -300, -500 and -600 is 262, 295, 313 and 380 passengers, respectively.
Currently in development, the A350 is a twin-engine, widebody jetliner intended to compete with Boeing’s 787 and 777. The A350 is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines rated in the 75,000-97,000-lb.-thrust range, and will have a cruise speed of around Mach 0.85. Three basic versions are being marketed: the -800, -900 and -1000. Depending on the version, the A350 seats 276-369 passengers, and will have a range of 8,100-8,500 nm. The maiden flight occurred in June 2013. Type certification is expected in late 2014, -900 service entry in the same timeframe.
Investigation team says 2 sec. before beginning to break up in midair, the vehicle's two moveable tail booms unexpectedly began to deploy into a feathering position.
The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments paper details the roles of new and existing systems in the Third Offset strategy; a larger role for the Long-Range Strike Bomber is one of several systems listed.
