Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Cygnus demonstration resupply capsule departed the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to Earth with 2,850 lb. of trash, concluding a 24-day stay that brings the Dulles, Va.-based company's participation in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems (COTS) program close to its conclusion. Orbital plans to begin regular cargo deliveries to the ISS in December under the terms of a $1.9 billion, eight-flight Commercial Resupply Services contract signed with NASA in late 2008. The resupply ship carried out a delayed berthing on Sept.
Digital imaging was more than just a replacement for photographic film. It enabled a revolution in how images are captured, stored, shared and manipulated. Night vision is beginning a similar metamorphosis, with digital devices emerging to replace the analog goggles now in use.
This week, Aviation Week publishes two editions. On the cover at the far left, at GE's 7,000-acre Peebles, Ohio, test site, CFM's Leap-1A undergoes tests for the Airbus A320neo. Versions of the Leap family, CFM's first all-new design since the first CFM56 of the early 1970s, will also power Boeing's 737 MAX and the Comac C919 (page 42). CFM photo by Rob Butlet. Our MRO Edition contains additional coverage of maintenance, repair and overhaul. The cover shows CFM56-3 and CFM56-5B engines at AeroTurbine's Miami facility.
It's not just that the USAF wants to get rid of the A-10 Warthog, it seems as though it wants to get rid of the A-10 community. “Hog Drivers” just don't behave with Aim-High correctness. They seem to relish improvising Plans B and C when Plan A goes awry. This degree of shared independence flies in the face of “prudent” institutional constraint. USAF, and certainly the U.S., need the venerable Warthog's unmatched firepower and resilience, but administrative angst will see to it that this does not happen.
Doug Gerull has been named chief operating officer of Surrey Satellite Technology U.S., Englewood, Colo. He was cofounder and a director of DigitalGlobe and had been executive vice president of the Intergraph Corp.
Eclipse Aerospace has delivered its first Eclipse 550 very light jet to Fred Phillips, president of Petrolift Aviation Services of Shreveport, La. Phillips has owned two Eclipse 500s. The upgraded EA550 features a synthetic vision, XM satellite weather, dual flight management systems with WAAS LPV and antiskid brakes.
USAF Maj. Gen. (ret.) Douglas Raaberg (see photo) has become the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s chief executive for the United Arab Emirates. He was director of the battle management command and control campaign within Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems Sector.
The Mexican air force has a follow-on order for a second batch of six Beechcraft T-6C+ turboprop trainers to continue replacing its Pilatus PC-7s. An initial six aircraft ordered in January 2012 are to be delivered soon, pending export licenses. The T-6C+ has a glass cockpit and wing hardpoints for external stores and practice weapons.
Mark Tucker has been named senior vice president-Enterprise Operations and Engineering and Clyde Woltman executive director of advanced programs for the Defense Business Development Div. of Aerojet Rocketdyne, Sacramento, Calif. Tucker was vice president-special programs for the Aerospace Systems Sector, while Woltman was director of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps programs at Pratt & Whitney.
The last-minute Oct. 16 law to restart U.S. government spending and debt authority mentioned few programs specifically, but did aim to protect two weather satellites that are nearing key phases of development. Since Congress could only pass a stopgap measure, which continues funding at fiscal 2013 levels until Jan. 15, 2014, the law does not allow necessary approvals for changes to programs, or new ones to start.
Norwegian Air Shuttle is slowly lifting the veil on its global expansion plans, and the next steps are bold. Just months after beginning long-haul operations from its bases in Scandinavia to Bangkok and the U.S., the Oslo-based low-cost carrier (LCC) confirmed it will launch transatlantic services from London Gatwick Airport next summer. Norwegian was the first of the current generation of European LCCs to enter the long-haul market, and now will be the first to do so from a base outside its home market.
Martine Ohayon has become director communications and events for Montreal-based Airports Council International. She held a similar position at the International Air Transport Association and was director of communications at Canada Steamship Lines. Ohayon succeeds Cheryl Marcell, who is now deputy director for business development at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose (Calif.) International Airport.
Aviation Partners Inc. (API) is offering to refit any Boeing Business Jets with its split scimitar winglet (see photo). The modification is already being adapted by airlines operating the Boeing 737, from which the BBJ is derived. The modification is said to improve fuel burn by 2.5-3% and thus increase range by 200 nm. Gary Dunn, API's vice president of sales and marketing, says he expects operators of “a very healthy percentage” of the roughly 130 delivered BBJs to adopt the signature modification.
Jim Meier has been named vice president-government business development for the Greenwich AeroGroup of Wichita. He was senior vice president-aviation services for the Sabreliner Corp.
One of the unintended consequences of the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) and its annual threat of sequestration—the automatic, widespread budget rescissions plaguing federal agencies since March—is the turnabout that will occur in the ratio of Defense Department procurement to research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E). According to analyst Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments think tank here, since fiscal 1955, the ratio has averaged 2.1, meaning the Pentagon was spending more than $2 in procurement for every $1 of RDT&E.
The Center for New American Security (CNAS) recently released a report entitled “Game Changers: Disruptive Technology and U.S. Defense Strategy.” That study considered additive manufacturing (3-D printers), autonomous vehicles, directed energy, cyber capabilities, human performance modification and other emerging technologies that the center believes need to be factored into U.S. security policy and planning.
