Jens Flottau's “Blue Horizons” (AW&ST May 20, p. 44) provided an insightful look into the interesting strategic and operational challenges faced by JetBlue as it pursues the “tweener” strategy, which means leading in the “lifestyle” segment of the market. My perspective as a very satisfied customer is that they have succeeded so far, in no small part due to exercising tremendous discipline in saying “no” to various strategic choices that airlines regularly face.
Preliminary design review (PDR) for the next U.S. heavy-lift launch vehicle is underway and expected to be finished this summer, but work on the crew vehicle that is to ride atop it is lagging slightly. Engineers from NASA and its contractors on the Space Launch System (SLS) started PDR on the initial 70-metric-ton variant of the vehicle, conducting detailed reviews of the design concept. The project, mandated by Congress in the 2010 NASA authorization bill, is on track for a first flight in 2017, according to Todd May, NASA's SLS program manager.
Vietnam has a requirement for long-range maritime patrol aircraft, but is unwilling to buy the aircraft from the U.S. unless it lifts a ban on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam's ruling Communist Party government.
Too bad readers must delve deep into your June 17 issue to find out how the French have managed aerial firefighting since 1963—keeping 95% of wild/forest fires to less than 12 acres as a result of their ability to strike early. And, in an embarrassing irony, they are using many U.S. aircraft such as the PBY Catalina, early on, and now have nine modified Grumman S-2 Trackers along with 17 other fixed-wing aircraft.
A Lockheed Martin-led consortium developing the Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) is requesting approval from Italy, Germany and the U.S.—the program's three partners—to expand the scope of its second and final flight test before the partnership is set to expire later this year. A November 2013 trial was slated to pit Meads only against a theater ballistic missile (TBM) threat.
Air shows do more than trumpet commercial transport orders or dazzle visitors with noisy flight displays. They also provide a great opportunity to introduce new ideas and, even better, concepts that could lead to technology breakthroughs. Last week at the Paris air show, Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique, based in Lausanne, unveiled an all-new concept of modular aircraft—a three-engine flying wing able to carry three Airbus A320-size “capsules.”
Warren M. Boley, Jr., has become president of the new Aerojet Rocketdyne subsidiary of GenCorp Inc., Sacramento, Calif. Boley has been president of Aerojet since July 2012. Aerojet Rocketdyne was created on June 14, when GenCorp acquired Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne from United Technologies Corp. Boley was president of Pratt & Whitney's Military Engines Div. John Schumacher has been named vice president-business relations for GenCorp.
Lockheed Martin is examining the business case for a commercial version of the C-130J Super Hercules. While the company has been able to offer the C-130J for civil customers since 1998, it is now examining the potential of a dedicated civil variant called L-100J.
Heidi Hendrix (see photos) has been appointed vice president-human resources for the Falls Church, Va.-based Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Aerospace Systems. She was senior vice president and human resources executive for Bank of America Legacy Asset Servicing. Jeannie Hilger has been named vice president of the Network Communication Systems business for Northrop Grumman's San Diego-based Information Systems. She has been acting leader of the business since November 2012, and previously its director of enterprise engineering, operations and programs.
It has come as welcome news for Japan's major airlines that their customers do not seem to be worried about flying on Boeing 787s since the aircraft's return to service. Concerns have also eased regarding the effect of the 787's battery problems on their delivery schedules.
Gary Kenneth Toomey has been appointed CEO of India's Jet Airways. He will succeed Nikos Kardassis, who has resigned. Capt. Hameed Ali will continue as acting CEO, pending regulatory approval of Toomey's appointment. Toomey has been president/CEO of the Air New Zealand Group and CEO of Airlines PNG in Papua New Guinea, CFO/executive director of Qantas Airways and CFO of Australian Airlines.
EADS Astrium is preparing a bid for Italian space propulsion company Avio, the prime contractor on Europe's new Vega light launcher, a takeover that could give Germany a larger role in a French-led follow-on to the European Ariane 5. Astrium could enhance Vega's capabilities with a new German upper stage. Synergies could be found between the small-satellite launcher and the new Ariane 6, the design of which is set to be frozen by the 20-nation European Space Agency July 14.
Airbus Military's A400M airlifter was finally able to provide a flying display in front of the crowd at Le Bourget this year. Issues with the aircraft's TP400 turboprop engines limited the planned aerobatic display in 2011 to a mere flyby before it was relegated to the static park. The second aircraft at the show, which is destined for the French air force, appeared in the static display area.
In late April, the FAA trumped the National Transportation Safety Board by approving a redesign and return-to-flight plan for the Boeing 787's troubled lithium-ion batteries. It came the same week NTSB held an investigative hearing in which participants made it clear that the root cause for the smoking batteries had not been found. The usually loquacious NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman played it cool at the time, but public comments she provided in the FAA's airworthiness directive (AD) docket for the 787 fix earlier this month reveal she might yet have the last word.
John Croft's “Bomb Squad” (AW&ST June 10, p. 28) was interesting, but I am intrigued by the aircraft parked on the lawn in the large photograph at the bottom of the page. Although the resolution is not what one would like, the seven aircraft appear to have the shoulder-swept wing, single-engine, low-set tail and chin intake of the Vought A-7 attack aircraft, retired long ago.
The aircraft that made the news at last week's 50th Paris air show are largely enabled by advances in propulsion technology that allow their manufacturers to offer big reductions in fuel burn over the previous generation of airliners. The savings of 15% or more are driving the orders. Whether it is the Airbus A320NEO with the CFM International Leap-1A or Pratt & Whitney PW1100G, Boeing 737MAX with the Leap-1B, Bombardier CSeries with the PW1500G, Embraer E-Jet E2 with the PW1700/1900G or Mitsubishi MRJ90 with the PW12000G, the engines are critical.
Anthony Sweeney has become general manager of the RF and Microwave Components Group of Chelmsford, Mass.-based Mercury Systems Commercial Electronics unit. He was president of AC Executive Solutions and had been an executive with the Endwave Corp.
Governments have not always been good at dealing with the defense industry. Over history and probably in the future too, there have been and are likely to be a litany of delayed or canceled programs caused by overspecification, cost overruns or poor quality. Such affairs are typically part and parcel of defense life, but as fiscal belts tighten, these events are becoming increasingly politically untenable.
The U.S. military's so-called Pacific pivot has the Navy taking a big gamble on a little vessel—the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The Navy is betting the frigate-sized ship will provide just the right kind of presence without being overpowering as the U.S. struggles to boost its presence in the region without flexing too much muscle and infringing on the sovereignty of the Asian partners it wants to woo.
Argentine tensions with the U.K. over the disputed Falkland Islands have prompted the South American country's main aircraft manufacturer to change ejection seats in the latest version of the Pampa jet trainer. The IA-63 Pampa III will be equipped with a Russian-made NPP Zvezda seat rather than the British-made Martin-Baker seat. The switch will apply to aircraft destined for the Argentine air force, but foreign customers will still be able to have the Martin-Baker fitted.
