Selex Galileo is aiming for first flight of a beefed-up version of its Falco unmanned aerial vehicle—Falco Evo —by the end of the second quarter of 2010. Attempting to gain maximum improvement in performance for a comparatively modest outlay, the company is using the Falco fuselage, but it is wedded to a larger wing and extended tail booms. Four prototype shipset kits for the Falco Evo upgrade are being manufactured. The design is intended to increase the basic Falco’s maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) by 330 kg. (728 lb.). The Falco MTOW is 420 kg.
Technicians at the Goddard Space Flight Center put the finishing touches on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter before shipping it to the Kennedy Space Center for a scheduled May 20 launch. In addition to producing accurate terrain and resource maps, the orbiter and a lunar impactor riding piggyback will be expected to help settle the question of whether there is water ice in the Moon’s deep polar craters. NASA/Debora McCallum photo.
Peter B. Teets (see photo) has been named chairman and USAF Gen. (ret.) Thomas S. Moorman, Jr. (see photo), vice chairman of the board of trustees of The Aerospace Corp. , El Segundo, Calif. Teets succeeds USAF Lt. Gen. (ret.) Donald L. Cromer, who is retiring from the board. Teets is the retired president/chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin Corp., while Moorman was Air Force vice chief of staff before retiring.
General Electric and Rolls-Royce have temporarily halted tests of the first F136 engine to investigate the source of debris in the oil system. The F-35 alternate engine, which first ran in production configuration on Jan 30, had reached 98% power and was nearing the end of initial tests, when the problem hit. GE Rolls-Royce halted tests when data levels dropped off.
Douglas Barrie (London), Andy Nativi (Abu Dhabi), Robert Wall (Paris)
The United Arab Emirates is pursuing the acquisition of two strategic signals intelligence-gathering aircraft. The most likely platform is the Airbus A320. The program is estimated at $1.2 billion, according to European industrialists with interest in bidding the project. The aircraft is likely to be fitted with communications and electronic intelligence systems. It could also be outfitted with a long-range oblique photography system to provide imagery intelligence.
LAN Airlines expects its unique business model to get it through the current industry downturn in good shape, as the carrier benefits from the diversification strategy it developed during the past 10 years. “The first quarter of 2009 will still be reasonably good and we will still grow this year,” says President/CEO Enrique Cueto. Last year, LAN managed to significantly grow revenues and profits. The carrier is one of few worldwide with an investment-grade rating, which makes loans cheaper for it than for most of its competitors.
While welcoming the publication of the British Defense Technology Plan, industry is already pointing out that its real value will only be determined by adequate funding support. On Feb. 26, the Defense Ministry released a technology development road map covering the future requirements of all three armed services. It is the first time the ministry has made such a document public. The plan covers a range of research and development objectives, including in air systems, weapons and radar and electro-optical senor technologies.
Despite travel declines, recent aviation events have had surprisingly strong turnouts. The Helicopter Assn. International’s annual gathering in Anaheim, Calif., Feb. 22-24 attracted a record 17,995 attendees, and the Women in Aviation, International conference in Atlanta Feb. 26-28 was deemed a success, drawing more than 3,000. And even the National Aircraft Resale Assn.’s special market review session, held Feb. 25-26 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, pulled in 200+ somewhat shell-shocked attendees—double the number anticipated.
Atlanta’s Numerex and Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Savi have combined their global satellite positioning and radio frequency identification (RFID) expertise in a hybrid device for continuous tracking of assets. Though aimed primarily at a military market, it is also applicable in commercial maintenance, repair and overhaul, and emergency relief operations.
A changing of the guard is underway at the Experimental Aircraft Assn. (EAA). Paul Poberezny became the new group’s founding president/CEO in 1953, when he was a Wisconsin Air Guard pilot, and he remained in that position for 36 years. He was succeeded by his son, Tom (right), in 1989, and became chairman of the board. On Mar. 2, the board voted to make Tom its chairman and began a search for a new president/CEO.
Gulfstream Aerospace is cutting production of its large-cabin aircraft by more than 20% this year, reversing management’s earlier contention that a steep decline in global demand for business jets would not have a severe impact on its higher-end models.
Delta Air Lines is subtly telling investors that it may drop the $2.2-billion order for 18 Boeing 787-8s that the carrier inherited last year when it acquired Northwest Airlines.
Acting NASA Administrator Chris Scolese says NASA is already “largely in line” with much of Obama’s government-wide contracting reform effort, including the emphasis on fixed-price contracts. NASA uses them “as often as possible,” and “we require a justification when we do not use competitive bids,” he adds. Meanwhile, Scolese expects recent efforts to improve program cost control will bear fruit in the next two years.
Chinese airlines will renegotiate aircraft delivery schedules while sticking by contractual commitments, the civil aviation administration says. It has urged the carriers to cut 2009 deliveries and now says airlines will negotiate directly with the airframers.
As political wrangling over the future of the Marine One replacement helicopter continues, Navy officials are crafting a plan to keep today’s VH-3D presidential fleet flying. President Barack Obama drew unwanted scrutiny to cost overruns for the Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland program to build a new system last month when he said his current fleet is good enough (AW&ST Mar. 2, p. 26). A decision on the replacement effort’s fate could come in the Fiscal 2010 budget request, expected in April.
Ship-based trials with Singapore’s navy using long-endurance fully autonomous unmanned aircraft system (UAS) ScanEagle were completed last week. Tests were conducted on both an LST (landing ship, tank) and a frigate. The UAS was launched and recovered from the ships’ helicopter decks. Day missions were flown using an electro-optical camera payload; night missions employed an infrared camera payload.
Jean Kayanakis has become vice president of Falcon worldwide spares for France-based Dassault Falcon Jet . He was director of Eastern Hemisphere sales and succeeds Frank Youngkin, who was promoted to vice president-Western Hemisphere customer service.
Despite Australia’s abrupt withdrawal from a Pentagon-led unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft project, the U.S. Navy says it is still on course for deliveries in the middle of the next decade. Australia announced last week that it would not provide the $300 million required to participate in the development of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned air vehicle, citing competing budget demands. The Royal Australian Air Force’s focus now is fielding the manned Boeing 737-based P-8A Poseidon to replace its AP-3C fleet.
As the Mexican government cracks down on the narcotics trade there, criminals are moving their operations south to Central America, posing significant challenges for security forces in a region that lacks state-of-the-art radar surveillance and aircraft. However, regional air chiefs took a small step last month that could pave the way forward for procurement of new cargo aircraft for military operations, helicopters and, potentially, interdiction platforms.
Lightweight composite parts for the hot section of future military and commercial engines will take a step closer to reality through tests now underway on the General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 for the Joint Strike Fighter.
Initial reports of “pilot error” in NTSB findings on the cause of the Feb. 12 Q400 crash at Buffalo, N.Y., are perplexing. If any pilot were to respond to an incipient stall warning from a horn or stick-shaker by pulling back on the stick, the most important issue for the NTSB should be to find out exactly what happened and why—before the media publicizes such an incredible conclusion. Ice protection technology is probably the least well developed of all aircraft technologies conceptually, by implementation, and by certification procedures—and not without reason.
A Proton K rocket launch and a new Proton M contract have Proton prime contractor Khrunichev and launch provider International Launch Services off to a solid start in 2009. The Proton K launch, at 7:10 a.m. Moscow time on Feb. 28, successfully orbited a Raduga-1 military communications satellite. It was the first Proton K mission of the year and the second government launch for the Proton vehicle. On Feb. 11, a Proton M Block M lofted a pair of civil telecom satellites, Express AM44 and Express DM-1, into orbit for Russian Satellite Communications Co.
To combat current weakness in the air cargo market, International Air Transport Assn. (IATA) CEO Giovanni Bisignani says that as air cargo security costs continue to rise, world governments need to realize that different sets of requirements and definitions from country to country are not the answer (see p. 50). Instead, he says “we need a globally coordinated approach that looks at the entire supply chain.” IATA’s director general also called for a strong industry campaign to convince the U.S. that plans to implement screening of 100% cargo in 2010 are misguided.
Brian T. Hunt has been appointed vice president/general counsel of the Pinnacle Airlines Corp. He was senior vice president/general counsel/secretary of ATA Airlines.
Joel T. Raymond has been appointed executive vice president and Marysue Kelsen vice president-finance of Champlain Enterprises Inc. , Burlington, Vt., parent of Continental Connection and CommutAir.
