Stephen D. Hogan (see photo) has been promoted to vice president-information operations/Electronic Attack and Integrated Product Team leader for the Northrop Grumman Corp. ’s Aerospace Systems Sector, Bethpage, N.Y. Hogan was program director for the Next-Generation Jammer.
All Nippon Airways’ late-December decision to switch its remaining Boeing 787-3 orders to the longer range -8 model is forcing Boeing to rethink the future of its proposed short- to mid-range variant. Boeing says it continues to “assess the market viability of the -3,” and added that no timeline for this assessment has been determined.
Sukhoi is planning to manufacture four production-standard Su-35 fighter aircraft by year-end to be used for air force acceptance trials. Two prototypes are being test flown. The air force ordered 48 Su-35S fighters last year, with deliveries to be completed by 2015.
Irrespective of continuing rumors surrounding long-term security in the equipment program, the U.K. Defense Ministry continues to spend significantly on its next-generation aircraft carrier program. The government has agreed to contracts worth £333 million ($544 million) bringing the amount allocated to £1.1 billion; the overall program for the two ships is now £5 billion.
A British Conservative government would revisit Royal Air Force transport and fighter aircraft basing plans—and intended closures—including a move to consolidate all U.K. fixed-wing airlift at one hub. Gerald Howarth, the shadow defense minister, says reconsideration of the present government’s decision to ax Lyneham—one of the RAF’s two main transport bases—would “absolutely” be part of a strategic defense review, were the party to be returned to power. A national election in the U.K. has to be held no later than June.
Madhu Unnikrishnan (New York), Robert Wall (Paris)
A passenger on a flight notices his reading lamp is broken, so, using his mobile device, he complains on Twitter. Within minutes, the airline’s ground staff has dispatched a flight attendant to fix the problem and has alerted maintenance at the destination airport. Corporate communications has passed the Tweet onto the customer service department, which contacts the passenger to apologize for the inconvenience.
The space shuttle Endeavour arrived Jan. 6 at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A from the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for next month’s STS-130 mission to the International Space Station after a 6-hr. trip. Endeavour is scheduled to lift off at 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7 for a 13-day orbital sortie to the ISS. Its six-member crew will deliver the third and final pressurized node to the orbital outpost. Designated “Tranquility,” it will carry the long-awaited station cupola, which will give crews a 360-deg.
The U.K. is considering modifying surplus AgustaWestland Merlin Mk1 helicopters as the basis for a replacement airborne search and control (ASAC) platform for the navy’s current Sea King Mk7, which is due to be withdrawn from service in 2016. A decision on whether to pursue converting spare Merlin Mk1s for the ASAC role is “subject to the [Strategic] Defense Review and investment approval,” Bill Rammell, the minister for the armed forces, told Parliament last week.
U.S. Strategic Command has officially assumed oversight of the Commercial and Foreign Entities (CFE) program, which is designed to improve sharing of space situational awareness data with satellite owners and operators. Though CFE, the U.S. government shares some data on the whereabouts and activities of its satellites, although commercial operators hope for more specific information despite government worries about security.
A recent engine acquisition and maintenance deal with Air Berlin worth several hundred million dollars marks Mubadala Development Co.’s first foray into financing in line with its maintenance, repair and overhaul subsidiary SR Technics, which is the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala’s European maintenance arm. This 10-year deal with Air Berlin is the first SR Technics has announced in conjunction with Mubadala that includes a financing aspect. The company will fund 12 spare engines, themselves worth $100 million, in a sale and lease-back agreement with Air Berlin.
In regard to the article “Street Smart” (AW&ST Nov. 23, 2009, p. 44), I have some misgivings about the levels of technology we engineers are offering as “improvements” to our aircrew friends. Do we really need to get rid of most buttons and knobs? Engineers are designing these things and offering them as improvements merely because we are able. The article refers to the car industry and satellite navigation systems that are growing in popularity. Most are touchscreen, so is it wise to make adjustments or ask questions on the move?
California Institute of Technology controllers are calibrating NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft, after commanding its telescope cover to open and using the instrument to capture this first-light image of about 3,000 stars in the constellation Carina.
Commercial aviation security will always be event-driven (hijackings, 9/11). It is sad but true. Neither the U.S. government nor the airlines want to admit there is a significant element of risk to travelers with the ongoing global war on terrorism. The terrorists know internal threats have little chance of succeeding. Passengers will not stand by while something bad is happening. The use of external weapons such as shoulder-fired missiles and rocket-propelled grenades is a serious threat to commercial aviation.
Lost in the national security news dominating the capital is an announcement of Obama administration plans for five new public-private investments totaling more than $250 million to help prepare more than 10,000 new math and science teachers, and retrain more than 100,000 who are already in the classroom. Boosting so-called STEM efforts—science, technology, engineering and math—has long been desired at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, regardless of political party, with strong backing from the aerospace and defense industry.
Lockheed Martin has completed two-thirds of the preliminary work leading up to a critical design review in August for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads), says Mike Trotsky, the company’s vice president for air and missile defense. Armaments directors for Germany, the U.S. and Italy have reaffirmed their commitments to the joint development program, though Germany has requested integration of its IRIS-T interceptor into the architecture. A contract is expected this year.
Positions in and around the capital are hardening over nuclear issues as the White House races to finalize its weapons policy and cement another round of reductions with Russia. Republican senators and their occasional ally Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Independent, warn President Barack Obama they might not support a follow-on deal to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start) unless he commits to improvements in nuclear infrastructure and possibly even a new nuclear-warhead design.
Japan is risking a rapid loss of fighter engineering skills, an official review of the industry warns, urging the government to avoid fully importing combat aircraft.
Northrop Grumman officials oversee a tow taxi test at the U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., of the company’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) designed for the U.S. Navy.
Troubled Sea Launch will face two vibrant, securely entrenched competitors, if and when it emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Arianespace, which turns 30 this year, conducted seven Ariane 5 launches in 2009—a new record. It also nailed 11 orders for the Ariane 5 and a record five for the medium-lift Soyuz, which it will begin lofting from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, this year.
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is preparing to start the final integration of its first Falcon 9 launch vehicle following a full-duration orbit-insertion firing of the second stage at its McGregor, Tex., facility.
The pilots of the American Airlines Boeing 737-800 (N977AN) involved in the Dec. 22 runway overrun at Kingston, Jamaica, had rejected an ATC advisory to land on alternate runway, and set down on Runway 12 despite reported tailwinds there, according to the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) preliminary factual report.
Michael Mecham (San Francisco ), Robert Wall (Paris)
Rebounding from a year marred by a machinists strike, Boeing hit its delivery target for 2009 but saw its worst year for orders since 1971. The Chicago-based manufacturer delivered 481 airplanes, meeting its 480-485 target. They included 372 737s and 88 777s, both records, reports Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing. It also delivered eight 747-400s and 13 767s.
A heavy rotorcraft that Avicopter plans to develop with Russian Helicopters should go into service in the second half of the decade, produced under a program partly justified by the need for rescue aircraft amid natural disasters.
Astronomers expect significant discoveries to emerge from the deluge of data coming from NASA’s Kepler planet-finder, now that researchers have had time to verify some of the first findings from the orbiting space telescope with optics on the ground. In its first observations, the spacecraft demonstrated that it will be able to find any Earth-like planets orbiting other stars in its field of view. In their first public release of Kepler results on Jan.
Ryanair says it is not looking to mount a third takeover attempt of Aer Lingus, in which it holds a 29.8% stake. With Aer Lingus’s share price continuing to sag, there has been an expectation that Ryanair may use its cash cushion to take over the Irish carrier. But Ryanair says nothing is in the works and as long as the Irish government retains its 25% stake, another takeover bid is “highly unlikely.”
