BAE Systems is conducting wind-tunnel trials on a Eurofighter Typhoon model fitted with the Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. The trials, being conducted in the U.K. are intended to help de-risk the clearance process for the weapon to be integrated onto the Typhoon. Malaysia is one of the countries interested in an anti-shipping capability for its future multirole combat aircraft program to replace aging MiG-29s, for which the Typhoon is a candidate.
Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works is proposing a stealthy, tailless flying-wing design for the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (Uclass) program. The 66-ft.-span, 30,000-lb.-gross-weight aircraft strongly resembles the Skunk Works private-venture P-175 Polecat and once-classified RQ-170 long-endurance UAVs.
A state that sees expanding its aerospace footprint as a “no-brainer” and an airplane maker that wants diversification are coming together in a new $1 billion deal that could bring another 2,000 jobs to South Carolina.
The National Business Aviation Association's Safety Committee's just-issued “Refined Top 10 Areas of Risk” for business aviation: 1-Professionalism; 2-Safety Culture; 3-Airmanship Skills; 4-Light Business Airplane Safety; 5-Talent Pipeline; 6-Impact of Technology; 7-Public Policy; 8-Airport Safety; 9-Fatigue; and 10-Task Saturation.
In regard to “Running Aground” (AW&ST/DT edition March 25, p. DT3), there is a disturbing consistency in the U.S. Navy's ebb-and-flow budgeting process. During periods of crisis, maintenance suffers in order to meet the demands of the moment, and operational requirements become all-consuming.
French Prime Minster Jean-Marc Ayrault says there is no conflict between a new Europeanized variant of Soyuz and France's plan to introduce a lighter, more modular successor to its Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher, which will ultimately eliminate Europe's need for the Russian medium-lift rocket.
Over the next decade, Warsaw expects to spend nearly $50 billion to strengthen its military via a sweeping modernization effort that includes air and missile defense, new helicopters, unmanned reconnaissance systems air transport, anti-tank missiles and trainer aircraft.
After a decade of multibillion-dollar cost overruns and delays in delivering satellites, it seems the U.S. Air Force can claim that it has finally averted a potential disaster—at least for now—on its next big satellite program.
The order-and-delivery see-saw tipped Airbus's way in the first quarter because of its continuing strength in the market for its single-aisle transports. The European manufacturer delivered 144 aircraft through March, of which 114 were A320s. For its part, Boeing delivered 137, including 102 737s.
Luxembourg Airport-based PowerJet Aviation specializes in aircraft sales and recycling, spare parts and airline consulting. Its disassembly and recycling facility is located at Chateauroux Airport, France. Aviation Week Contributing Editor Heather Baldwin spoke with CEO Karl Rickard, who is involved in the overhauled engine and engine parts business daily, to understand the market for engines coming off parked aircraft. Aviation Week: Which engine parts are moving most quickly out of the shop today after an engine is dismantled?
The new darling of the Obama administration's fiscal 2014 budget request just may be the FAA's NextGen. The president is asking Congress to approve nearly $2 billion for the air traffic modernization system. The FAA's facilities and equipment accounts would grow by 7% over the past year. And $212 million of that would fund the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast program. Plus, NextGen would receive an additional $1 billion from a Transportation Department effort to fund infrastructure improvements and create jobs.
Bonhams, the British auction house, moves a good bit of art, jewelry, coins, special road vehicles and similar collectibles. It handles aircraft occasionally, but, explained one of the company's representatives, those must be “quite special” and likely to generate a successful sale.
Tom Hartmann Vice President-Customer Business Rolls-Royce Defense (Indianapolis, Ind. )
Bill Sweetman's recent Commander's Intent column on UAVs (AW&ST March 18, p. 14), offers some peculiar observations, including an oblique reference to the Rolls-Royce AE 3007 engines on the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk.
Over the last decade, the French government's equity interest in several large defense companies has been questionably managed, according to a new report by France's auditing arm, the Cour des Comptes, which says the state's shareholder interest in companies such as EADS, Thales and Safran is often at odds with its role representing the French taxpayer. And in a couple of cases, according to the audit, the government has shown itself to be incompetent.
On this, the eve of the reemergence of the Eclipse, the original very light jet (VLJ), Diamond Aircraft has put its little jet on indefinite hold pending further infusion of cash into the program.
