The U.S. Army and Air Force are continuing to field intelligence-collection equipment—especially for detecting and following individuals on the battlefield—to support intensifying operations in Afghanistan.
An unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the Mexican government crashed in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 14, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. An NTSB spokesman said officials received a call from a “concerned citizen” and recovered a “mini UAV.” A CBP spokesman said the agency is “working collaboratively with other federal agencies and the government of Mexico to return it.”
Test failures, budget cuts to the Missile Defense Agency and low worker morale at MDA are all indications that the Obama administration is weakening U.S. missile defense efforts, complains James Inhofe (R-Okla.) during a Senate debate on ratification of the New Start nuclear arms treaty with Russia. This is reflected, says Inhofe, “in MDA’s ranking of 223 of 224 for employee satisfaction and commitment in the 2010 Best Places to Work survey of Department of Defense agency subcomponents.”
Globally, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects 2011 to be much tougher for airlines than last year as fuel costs continue to rise and added capacity is beginning to affect load factors and yields. IATA predicts a combined industry profit of $9.1 billion for 2011, which is equivalent to a margin of just 1.5%. Director General/CEO Giovanni Bisignani believes airlines will be burdened with $17 billion more in fuel costs and can no longer expect the strong improvement in average yields experienced in 2010.
Southwest Airlines will substitute 20 of its Boeing 737-700 orders for the larger 737-800 aircraft, with the first delivery scheduled in March 2012. Southwest, which has 23 737-700 deliveries scheduled in 2012, says it expects to convert most of them to -800s as it replaces its -300 series aircraft. The carrier has another 19 firm orders for the -700 scheduled for delivery in 2013.
Thales has agreed to acquire SESO, a France-based supplier of very high-precision optical, electro-optical and opto-mechanical components with 80 employees and €12 million in annual revenues. SESO supplies key European space programs, including the CSO very high-resolution optical satellite network that will replace France’s Helios 2.
Mike Brand has been appointed VP-787/commercial airframe entry into service for Goodrich Corp. Dave Castagnola, VP and general manager-programs and manufacturing at Goodrich’s Aerostructures business, succeeds Brand as president of the company’s Landing Gears business.
As he pilots International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) into a new era, CEO Henri Courpron faces a myriad of challenges: a negative debt outlook, restocking an aging narrowbody fleet, fending off smaller, more nimble competitors, and a parent company that is looking to sell off non-core assets. On top of that, there is the long shadow of Steven Udvar-Hazy.
A broad-based, 19-member Future of Aviation Advisory Committee created by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood defies early expectations merely by reaching a consensus. Now, the question becomes how many of the 23 recommendations presented to LaHood on Dec. 15 will have an impact. The committee reached accord, in part, by punting on some of the most contentious issues.
Aeroflot is pressing ahead with fleet renewal plans even as the carrier faces the reality that one of its new aircraft, the Superjet 100, will miss its 2010 delivery target.
The German cabinet has approved a reduction of its military to 185,000 uniformed personnel and the scrapping of conscription starting July 1. The number of civilian employees also is due to be reduced. The plan still has to go to parliament for final approval. The government is still reviewing how to adapt its equipment plans to the new force structure.
For the first time, Brazilian carrier TAM’s maintenance and engineering arm can count more customer aircraft than TAM aircraft in its hangars outside Sao Paulo. In early December, it inducted five aircraft for service simultaneously, the majority for outside customers, and on Dec. 15, it had one LAN aircraft and one Netherlands Antilles Express Fokker 100 on site.
Eberhard Moebius has been named a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union . A professor of space plasma physics at the University of New Hampshire Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space and the Department of Physics, which he chairs, Moebius is being recognized for contributions during four decades in the field of solar, heliospheric and magnetospheric physics. His work includes the development of instrumentation for space missions that have probed fundamental aspects of how our solar system interacts with the interstellar medium.
The American Society of Aviation Artists joins Aviation Week & Space Technology for the 11th year in presenting art selected from ASAA’s 2010 Exhibition, in this annual special issue. AW&ST has determined its “Best of the Best” award winner and top choices for honors in the categories of Military, Commercial, General Aviation and Space, while ASAA’s prize winners were chosen by an ASAA-invited judge.
European leaders hope to work with the U.S. to build a global space-based surveillance network to provide early detection and identification of vessels engaged in piracy, contraband, illegal immigration and other sea-based threats.
The Italian defense ministry has issued first images from its Cosmo-SkyMed 4 radar imaging spacecraft, and announced that the four-satellite constellation has reached its full operating capability. The full system is capable of supplying 1,800 all-weather images per day and is said to have a spatial resolution of better than 70 cm.
Spirit AeroSystems has rolled out the first composite fuselage for the industry’s largest heavy-lift development effort, the Sikorsky CH-53K, planting the Kansas fuselage specialist firmly into rotorcraft development and giving Spirit its first dedicated military project.
John Jarrell has joined EMS Technologies as VP and general manager of the company’s aviation business unit. He has been at Sensis Corp., where he was VP and general manager of air traffic systems.
Vincent Zarrella (see photo) has been promoted to director of customer service at Piper Aircraft . He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with crew chief experience on Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters and was an FAA airframe and powerplant-certified mechanic. Piper also promoted Jim Slaton to senior manager of parts sales. He has worked in various capacities for Piper in production, technical support and warranty.
Reader Greg Lloyd of Spokane Valley, Wash., correctly points out that last week’s item on the Tiger Stripes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus overstated the temperature differential of the feature in degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the moon’s south polar region is 36F (20C) warmer than anticipated.
