Look for the MV-22 to be heading to Afghanistan soon, now that the Marines have successfully rotated Osprey units in Iraq. The Pentagon is exploring when the Bell-Boeing tiltrotor will be sent to Afghanistan, where its ability to both hover and fly quickly point-to-point is ideally suited to support the influx of troops approved by President Barack Obama. But it’s unlikely the Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22—optimized for covert infiltration/exfiltration missions—will soon be heading to the troubled region, where its specialized equipment is in less demand.
The F-35’s ability to win an air-to-air engagement is drawing increased attention as the U.S. military and industry’s focus includes expanding the Joint Strike Fighter’s customer base beyond the core purchasing nations.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Robert Wall (Paris)
With the White House and Congress showing frustration over cost overruns, schedule slips and misdirected spending on major weapons programs, new Pentagon acquisition czar nominee Ashton Carter will have to move swiftly to decide which of them can be saved. Even before the date is set for his confirmation hearing, Carter also must begin generating a plan for reviving in-house, systems engineering skills, a shortage that congressional critics have identified as a major culprit in military acquisition fiascos.
Mar. 9—Aerospace States Assn.’s “Aerospace Agenda for the New Administration.” Cannon House Office Building Budget Committee Hearing Room 210, Washington. Call +1 (703) 533-0947 or see www.aerostates.org Mar. 9-11Speednews’ 23rd Annual Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference. Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles. See www.speednews.com Mar. 9-1213th Australian International Aerospace Congress. Melbourne Convention Center. Call +61 (39) 645-6311, fax +61 (39) 645-6322 or see www.aiac13.com
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $299-million contract for the C-5M Super Galaxy Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program (RERP) and a $25-million contract for the airlifter’s Interim Contractor Support (ICS) program. The RERP award funds installation on one aircraft, material and fabrication of three, and long-lead funding for five. Two C-5Ms have already been delivered, and current service plans call for 52 C-5Ms to be delivered by 2016.
The multinational Joint Strike Fighter program is at a critical period—a nexus amid the push to boost production rates, establish training bases and test three variants of the design. And this is taking place under new White House leadership and while program officials, also in a state of transition, are trying to keep costs and schedules stable.
The U.S. Army has purchased three standard commercial Model 407 light helicopters from Bell for conversion into prototypes for the armed configuration to be supplied to Iraq. Awarded “on urgency,” the contract is worth $7 million. The Army’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) in Hunstville, Ala., will fit the single-turbine helicopters with the sensors, weapons and survivability equipment specified by Iraq to ensure they meet airworthiness requirements.
The price of European Union emissions allowances (EUAs) under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme fell to an all-time low in the 2008-12 Phase II period in February, before staging a modest rebound as buyers returned. EUAs for December 2009 delivery on the over-the-counter market closed at €8.33 ($10.58) per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent on Feb. 12, the lowest closing price yet recorded in Phase II, according to Platts data.
Chinese aerospace conglomerate Avic is seeking foreign executives as its next step toward becoming a top-tier global aircraft builder. Foreigners are being sought even for the company’s Defense Div., as well as the specialist subsidiaries it is setting up to address civilian markets.
Georgia Institute of Technology and the FAA are evaluating results of continuous descent arrival (CDA) operations designed to save fuel and reduce noise and emissions at major U.S. airports. The 90-day test, conducted in collaboration with the FAA, Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways, involved more than 600 flights arriving into Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport. Although final results will not be known until late spring, preliminary estimates indicate that CDA could save carriers up to $80 million annually in fuel costs, or between 300-1,000 lb.
An Italian startup company hopes to complete first flight of a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered aircraft by year-end, marking one of the latest efforts to demonstrate technology to move aircraft away from burning fossil fuels.
The Australian parliamentary secretary for defense procurement, Greg Combet, said the government is looking for a “commercial director” for the Defense Materiel Organization (DMO), to manage strategic commercial issues and acquisition strategy for a more “business-like focus” throughout DMO.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace has completed its Boeing 757 conversion program for the Royal New Zealand Air Force with the delivery of a second quick-change freight-passenger aircraft. ST Aero also upgraded the avionics of both jets, which can be used for a variety of missions including VIP and medical evacuation. The two airplanes were formerly used in passenger service and later served as ministerial transports.
I’m one of those foreign students who came to the U.S. 36 years ago to attend graduate studies in aerospace engineering. I stayed after graduation and worked in the aerospace sector; 18 years ago, I opened my own small high-tech research and development company supporting NASA and the Defense and Energy Depts., among others.
Southwest Airlines says it will add service this fall to Boston’s Logan International Airport, which would become its third new city this year, and where it could be competing against airlines such as Delta, American, US Airways and low-cost carrier JetBlue. Southwest has not named routes but says service would begin with two gates and a “conservative number of flights.”
Stefaan Goossens has become vice president-simulation and Bruno Massa vice president-strategic planning and communication for LMS , Leuven, Belgium. Goossens was manager of the company’s CAE and Simulation Div., while Massa was head of international marketing and communications.
Edward M. Morris has been named executive director of strategic business development for the ITT Space Systems Div. , Rochester, N.Y. He was senior director of Washington operations for the Orbital Sciences Corp.
Kevin Poormon is the first line of defense between airplanes and bird strikes. The “weapon” of choice to fight this major aviation safety risk is a gas compressor gun. The senior research engineer and his team at the University of Dayton (Ohio) Research Institute (UDRI) use the gun to launch birds at airframe structures and materials as well as engine fan blades.
Airlines continue to place new orders for inflight entertainment equipment (IFE) despite the weak outlook for the air carrier industry. Thales recently reported it had been selected to supply TopSeries IFE suites for nine Airbus A320s being acquired by Wataniya Airways, a full-service, luxury carrier serving Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Wataniya earlier indicated that it would introduce onboard connectivity service provided by Airbus/Sita OnAir using Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband network on the A320s. The first airplane was delivered in January (AW&ST Feb. 9, p.
The Asian airline industry faces a risk of bankruptcies and an accelerated shift to the low-cost model after the global slowdown’s savage arrival in the region. Asian carriers that seemed largely sheltered from the Western economic storm for most of last year now find themselves battling a typhoon. A succession of statistics confirms that Asian air traffic is shrinking much faster than that of North America and Europe. And the contractions are becoming steadily more severe.
Airbus is developing a new generation of freighters, starting with the A330-200F, to be followed by passenger-to-freighter conversions of the A320 and A321 (see p. 48). But the aircraft maker is doing so as global air cargo tonnage is suffering steep declines. Cover design by the AW&ST Art Dept. using an Airbus concept of the A330‑220F.
Mary Ellen Keegan has become vice president-contracts for the Cincinnati-based component services facility of StandardAero . She was counsel for financial transactions for GE Engine Services in Cincinnati.
Airline industry forecaster Vaughn Cordle expects increased spending in the economy resulting from the stimulus, coupled with lower fuel costs, will allow the U.S. industry to turn a collective profit of as much as $4 billion this year despite a brutal economic downturn. But Cordle worries those profits could catch the attention of Washington when it begins to tackle the massive federal budget deficit: “The profitability of the airline industry will likely make it a convenient cash cow, ready to be milked.”
A group of 20 aviation industry stakeholders say commercial aviation in the U.S. (general aviation and airlines) contributes only about 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, and that the efficiency of aircraft in the past 40 years has “vastly improved” despite a six-fold increase in passenger and cargo traffic. The group says that the industry is committed to addressing its role in climate change as an ally with the U.S. government.
Saudi Arabian Airlines will use GE Aviation Services to service a fleet of 100 purchased or leased Airbus A320s powered by CFM56-5B engines under a 10-year contract valued at $300 million. The agreement was signed as Saudi completed purchase of 22 A320s and leased an additional 28. First deliveries are set for 2009 with deliveries continuing through late 2012.
