The Israeli air force has resumed operations with its Israel Aerospace Industries Heron TP unmanned aerial vehicle after lifting a grounding order imposed following a Jan. 29 crash. The decision came after a successful test, clearing the aircraft for safe operation. The aircraft, also known as Eitan, is the largest unmanned system in air force inventory. A combined investigation by IAF and IAI concluded the accident was caused by a wing structural failure, probably due to a manufacturing process.
It was disrespectful to opt not to feature Neil Armstrong on the cover. You correctly gave Scott Crossfield pride of place when he died. Only a few aviation and space pioneers are cover-worthy. Armstrong was certainly one of them. Elk Grove, Calif.
The first end-to-end test of Israel's Arrow air defense system carrying the new advanced-performance Arrow 3 interceptor was canceled Sept. 16, during preflight preparations “a few days” before the actual launch date. Due to the Jewish holidays in September, the launch date will not be rescheduled until October when industry and government officials return to work.
USAF Brig. Gen. John K. McMullen has been appointed deputy chief of staff for operations for Allied Air Command at Headquarters Allied Air Command, Allied Command Operations (NATO), Ramstein AB, Germany. He has been commander of the 325th Fighter Wing of Air Education and Training Command, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
Peter Bols (see photo) has been named CFO of Paris-based MBDA, succeeding Julian Whitehead, who has moved to EADS Cassidian. Bols was CFO of the AirTanker consortium at EADS.
The Irkut MS-21 is a twin-turbofan, narrowbody airliner family that comprises the 150-seat MS-21-200, 181-seat MS-21-300 and 212-seat MS-21-400. All three are to be available in both basic and extended-range versions; the -200 is also to be available in a long-range variant. Power will be provided by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G or Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines. First flight is planned for 2015, with a service entry target date of 2017. Primary competition is likely to come from the Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and Comac C919 families.
The French Polynesian island of Bora-Bora gleams in 1.5-meter (5-ft.) resolution in this image collected by the new SPOT 6 Earth-observation satellite three days after its Sept. 9 launch from the Satish Dhawan space center on Sriharikota Island on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21). Built by Astrium Services, the 800-kg (1,765-lb.) spacecraft images a 60-km (37-mi.) swath and can be complemented by 50-cm (20-in.) data from the very-high-resolution Pleiades 1A satellite, Astrium says.
As Tom Enders tells employees in a letter, he is convinced that the planned merger of EADS and BAE Systems offers a “singular chance.” But there is a problem: Investors are notably uninspired and European governments lukewarm. There is a real possibility that the deal may still fall through.
The An-148 is a twin-engine regional jet designed to serve the 70-80-seat market. First flight took place in 2004, with type certification by Russia and Ukraine following in 2007. The An-158, a stretched, 99-passenger version, first flew in 2010. Power comes from two Ivchenko-Progress D436-148 turbofan engines. Ten An-148s were built through 2011, and an additional 143 are forecast for production through 2021.
The C212 made its first flight in March 1971, and deliveries began in May 1974. It is built under license by Indonesian Aerospace (IAe). Some 476 C212s (of all versions) were built through 2011. The C212 is an unpressurized, 21-28-passenger regional turboprop. The -200 model is powered by two Honeywell TPE331-10R-511C or -512C turboprop engines rated at 900 shp each. The -300 used two TPE331-10R-513C turboprops, also rated at 900 shp each. The latest model, the -400, uses two TPE331-12JR-701C engines rated at 925 shp each.
In the remaining months of 2012 and first part of 2013, attention in the commercial aircraft sector will be focused on narrowbodies, as Airbus and Boeing continue to rack up orders for their reengined A320NEO and 737 MAX families and Bombardier works to get the CSeries into the air.
Initially, the new ARJ21 regional jet from Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac) is to be available in the ARJ21-700 78-90-seat variant, while later introduction of the 98-105-seat ARJ21-900 is a possibility. Power is provided by two General Electric CF34-10A turbofans producing 18,500 lb. thrust each. Rollout of the first ARJ21-700 occurred in December 2007, followed by first flight in November 2008. The ARJ21 faces competition from Bombardier and Embraer.
Many a Western airline or airport manager, begging for better infrastructure, must gaze wistfully at China. There, it is so often said, “the government just gets things done.” And it often seems that when any level of government in China sees a need for roads, power stations, airports and the like, not much time passes before trees are crashing down and excavators are at work. A “Nimbyism” stance does not stand much chance.
Teri G. Marconi (see photo) has joined Northrop Grumman, Linthicum, Md., as sector VP and general manager of the Naval and Marine Systems Div. within the Electronic Systems sector. She was VP-business development and has been VP of combat avionics systems.
Teri Bristol and Maurice Georges have been named to the executive committee of the Amsterdam-based Civil Air Navigation Organization. Bristol, chief operating officer at FAA-ATO, was co-opted as a member at large, following the retirement of Rick Ducharme.
Last December, Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) bought labor peace with its machinists when it quietly negotiated a contract extension that will see it through a big buildup in deliveries of its popular 777 and 787 widebodies, peak deliveries in its 737 Next Generation narrowbodies and initial production and certification of the NG's successor, the reengined 737 MAX.
Aiming to remove politics from space policy—and attempting to get the attention of the presidential campaigns all but mute on space—some House Republicans introduce a bill that would overhaul the way NASA is funded and overseen.
Think tanks, analysts and politicians have been predicting the rise of Africa's economies and subsequent opportunities for air travel for many years. The forecasts, for various reasons, have often not turned into reality. But now it seems that foreign airline investors are gaining confidence in the region's growth potential.
The TBM 850 is a single-engine, 4-6-passenger turboprop-powered aircraft that replaced the earlier TBM 700 in 2006. Power is provided by a single 850-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine. The aircraft has a range of 1,585 nm. Through 2011, production totaled 260 aircraft; 418 more units are forecast for the 2012-21 period.
If the proposed EADS/BAE Systems linkup becomes a reality, the biggest aerospace and defense group in the world will be European. Although it would signify the culmination of a long consolidation process, such a milestone will be startling. Establishing a dual civil-military group significantly bigger than Boeing is no easy undertaking and should be assessed beyond the numbers alone: U.S. analysts tend to forget that Europe, despite solid achievements in the past 50 years, remains a complex mosaic of 27 EU members and additional nations such as Switzerland.
Cecilia Leung (see photo) has been named general manager of corporate communications at Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways. She was general manager of inflight services and general manager-international affairs at Dragonair.
Viking Air owns the manufacturing rights to a number of out-of-production de Havilland aircraft, including the DHC-6 Twin Otter. The Series 400 is an all-metal, non-pressurized, high-wing, twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft. In April 2007, Viking Air launched a program to restart production of the 19-passenger Twin Otter. The updated Series 400 incorporates more than 800 changes to the Series 300 and is now powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34s or optional PT6A-35s.
A Boeing 747-400 takes off from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, one of many Asia-Pacific hubs where capacity constraints could be a major challenge to air traffic growth, as discussed in a special report beginning on page 40. Demand for flights is forecast to continue to rise in Southeast Asia, but airports in Singapore, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta face congestion issues. In both Beijing and Sydney, new airports have been proposed to relieve the pressure on the primary facilities, but progress on these plans has been slow. Sydney airport photo.
Boeing says it is looking across the industry to develop systems installations for inflight cell phone, Wi-Fi connectivity and Internet access on 747-8s and 777s by the end of 2013
Launched in 2007, RUAG Aerospace's Do 228NG (Next Generation) is an updated version of Dornier's original Do 228 twin-turboprop. The aircraft is powered by 776-shp TPE331-10 engines and features other improvements such as a new glass cockpit, five-blade propellers and aerodynamic changes to the wing. The first RUAG-produced Do 228NGs were delivered in 2010. A total of 62 aircraft are forecast to be built during the 2012-21 period.
