Russia is continuing its comeback effort in the commercial narrowbody market with the new MS-21, in production and aimed at domestic, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Southeast Asian markets.
J ack Smith has been promoted to senior vice president-operations from vice president-ground operations for Southwest Airlines . He will be succeeded by Steve Goldberg , who has been promoted from managing director of ground operations.
French lawmakers said July 8 that the nation’s €190 billion ($258 billion) military spending plan for 2014-19 is short €1.5 billion for next year, owing to an anticipated gap in revenue expected from the sale of radio-frequency spectrum allocated to the nation’s military. These exceptional resources, gleaned from the one-time sale of real estate, spectrum allocation and other state assets, will be used to fund €6.1 billion of the France’s defense budget, including €1.77 billion in 2014, €1.77 billion in 2015 and €1.25 billion in 2016.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and U.K. Defense Minister Philip Hammond are expected to sign an agreement July 15 to study joint development of a future combat air system (FCAS). The memorandum of understanding, to be signed during Le Drian’s visit to the Farnborough air show next week, follows a January summit between U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande, where they agreed to fund a feasibility study toward an unmanned combat drone that could form the basis of an FCAS.
Boeing’s planned maintenance services partnership with SIA Engineering Co., of Singapore represents the manufacturer’s most aggressive push into the commercial aftermarket and tracks with the company’s strategy of teaming with partners that add value as it seeks to grow its services revenues. The deal, slated to close this year, would create Boeing Asia Pacific Aviation Services. Boeing would hold 51% and SIA 49%.
Lockheed Martin, the F-35 manufacturer, and Israeli Elbit Systems’ Cyclone subsidiary are in advanced negotiations on developing an external fuel tank to be used by all Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) customers to extend the range of the aircraft. The two companies are working on designing a 600-gal. external fuel tank, which could be carried in the non-stealth part of a mission, so after disposing the tank, the attachment pylon could be stored in an internal compartment, restoring full-stealth capability.
Pratt & Whitney’s ambitious plan to re-enter the mainstream commercial engine market with the geared turbofan is facing its sternest test yet as Airbus -readies the first PW1100G-powered A320neo for flight, and Bombardier prepares to resume CSeries testing after the recent PW1500G failure.
N o doubt there was a lot of eye-rolling at NASA headquarters back in May when the Government Accountability Office faulted the agency for its lack of rigor in estimating life-cycle costs for the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS). Certainly no one there who wants to see the big booster built is eager to draw attention to its price tag. But no one knows the costs of SLS or any of the other hardware NASA needs to fulfill its mandate to explore space.
A year ago, the future turboprop market seemed cutthroat, with possibly many overlapping competitors that could ruin each other’s profitability. Now competition for the next decade looks likely to be less fierce, since only one of five projects for new aircraft has moved ahead.
The coming year is likely to be time of change for the U.K.’s military services—on land and in the air—with the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, the introduction of new equipment and a significant defense review slated after the general election in 2015. Leading the air arm through this period will be Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford who has led the Royal Air Force (RAF) since July 2013.
A s the U.K. looks to invest in a replacement for its Trident-based nuclear deterrent and to restore its carrier strike capability, there is a growing realization that it will have to bring back some sort of maritime patrol aircraft capacity in order to help keep them safe. The U.K. lost its maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) back in 2010 when the Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) controversially concluded that the armed forces should not bring the long-delayed Nimrod MRA4 aircraft into operation.
A s Airbus showcases the A350-900 for the first time at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow, the aircraft’s exclusive engine provider, Rolls-Royce, is poised to begin tests of the higher-thrust Trent XWB-97 version for the stretched A350-1000.
The Textron AirLand Scorpion made its international debut at last week’s Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in the U.K.; it sat a mere several feet from the F-35B mockup brought in by Lockheed Martin in place of the F-35Bs that were no-shows, thanks to a fleet-wide grounding. The twin-engine jet made seven stops en route to its appearance July 10 at the event; it arrived at the air field July 9. The aircraft flew 4,607.9 mi., logging a cumulative 15.7 hr. for the journey; it was accompanied by a Cessna Sovereign+ business jet.
Although Boeing has played down the disruption to its 737 production system caused by the July 3 derailment of a BNSF train in Rivulet, Montana, the crash was an eye-catching example of how even the most robust and redundant supply system can be severed by an interruption to something as small as a 4-ft., 8.5-in.-gauge railroad track.
T wo years ago at the Farnborough International Air Show, defense companies were optimistic about generating export sales to offset declining government support at home. Now Western defense executives are worrying about the rapid spike in competition from companies in China, Israel, India, Brazil and South Korea.
Business jets, one of the White House’s favorite symbols of corporate excess, are back in the administration’s crosshairs. The White House is threatening to veto a bill that would make permanent a 50% bonus depreciation measure on certain capital equipment, including biz jets. The bill is among a series drafted by the House Ways and Means Committee that would make permanent tax breaks that for years have been approved on a temporary basis.
The composite backplane structure designed to support the 18 beryllium mirrors that will give the planned James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) a 21-ft. primary aperture has completed static testing, clearing the way for its integration with the deployment mechanisms that will unfold it in deep space and the mirrors themselves. ATK, which designed and built the backplane structure, joined JWST prime contractor Northrop Grumman in the test, which determined that the 2,180-lb. structure can support loads totaling 12 times its weight during its 2018 launch.
Public and private organizations worldwide will be able to use hyperspectral imagery collected on the International Space Station, following a collaboration agreement between the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the U.S. Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (Casis) to develop a new sensor. Casis, the non-profit organization established to promote the use of capabilities offered by the U.S.
