Jan. 5-8American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ 47th Annual Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition. Orlando (Fla.) World Center Marriott. Call +1 (703) 264-7500 or +1 (800) 639-AIAA, fax +1 (703) 264-7551 or see www.aiaa.org Jan. 12-20—State University of New York at Binghamton Continuing Education Short Course: “Flight and Ground Vehicle Simulation Update.” See www.wtsn.binghamton.edu/coned/FS09main.htm
Four U.S. Air Force CV-22 tiltrotors returned to Hurlburt Field, Fla., last week following their first foreign deployment, which was for one month to Bamako, Mali. The aircraft were used to transport Malian and Senegalese special operations forces long distances in Africa during Flintlock 2009, a training exercise with participation from 15 countries. USAF officials say the Bell-Boeing aircraft were able to fly more than 500 naut. mi. to infiltrate a team and return without a fuel stop. MH-53s, which used to conduct this mission, would have required more time and support.
A French senate committee says it will review the financial and industrial conditions governing the Airbus A400M in light of new delays in the airlifter program. France has said it may be necessary to reconsider penalty payments in return for a firm commitment to a new delivery schedule while other nations, notably Britain, are balking and looking at possible alternatives.
Pakistan is emerging as the launch export customer for Brazil’s MAR-1 anti-radiation missile (ARM). Brazilian press reports quote Defense Minister Nelson Jobim as confirming that agreement was provisionally reached in April for a deal worth $108 million. The sale of 100 missiles appears to have been approved by the Brazilian government last week. Development of the MAR-1 medium-range ARM has likely been underway for at least a decade. Brazilian guided-weapons manufacturer Mectron and the Brazilian air force’s technical development center are working on the program.
Lawmakers and their staffs say they don’t yet know the details of a clause in Lockheed Martin’s F-22 contract with the Pentagon that could cost taxpayers $147 million. The clause would be applied if production of the Raptor is stopped because senior civilian defense officials refuse to spend congressional funds appropriated for long-lead production of 20 additional aircraft. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has not protested the stealth fighter squeeze, but the program’s death could quickly become an issue with the Obama administration.
Another sobering report presents the incoming administration with the nightmare scenario of a possible bioweapon attack within the next five years. A congressionally appointed commission headed by former Sens. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Jim Talent (R-Mo.), says it is “more likely than not” a weapon of mass destruction—probably a bioweapon—will be used by terrorists somewhere in the world by 2013.
Jim Parker has been appointed to the board of directors of Jetera Inc. , Danbury, Conn. He was CEO of Southwest Airlines and now serves on the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant Co. board and the Advisory Council for the MIT Sloan Business School Leadership Center.
As the National Reconnaissance Office prepares to launch one of the largest satellites in its history, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is calling into question the wisdom of solely pursuing large, sophisticated spacecraft procurements.
EADS Astrium Services and DCNS have been selected to supply satellite telecom services for the French navy’s Telcomarsat program. This program is intended to connect 54 vessels in the French Navy around the globe 24 hours a day using commercial IP-based satellite communications and off-the shelf hardware. The four-year €25-million ($31.8-million) contract follows two previous deals between Astrium Services and the French forces—Amstel-S and Passarel.
Flying the space shuttle three times a year through Fiscal 2015 to close the gap in human access to space would cost $13 billion more than NASA is already planning. One option of three more shuttle flights after 2010 would cost an extra $4.5 billion, and still leave a gap of about three years before the planned shuttle follow-on is ready. Those are just “draft predecisional” estimates distributed in October to give the incoming Obama administration some policy choices to consider.
For a large segment of the air transport sector, even bleaker times may lie ahead. But some carriers are starting to look for ways to fine-tune their operations and profit from the ongoing turbulence. “Undoubtedly, there are opportunities out there” to exploit the downturn, says Virgin Atlantic Airways Chief Executive Officer Steve Ridgway.
U.S. Army aviation incidents and accidents have been growing deadlier and costlier since the beginning of this decade, an exclusive Aviation Week analysis of service mishap data shows. Since post-9/11 operations started ramping up, the chance of those involved in Army aviation mishaps being killed was roughly 1 in 2, or even almost 1-1. Meanwhile, one reason for cost increases, military aviation experts say, is because Army aircraft are more technologically complex and expensive, making even minor mishaps costlier compared with previous years.
A hot-fire test of a 7.5-year-old reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM) for NASA’s space shuttle program also produced acoustic data for the Ares I crew launch vehicle program, which is using a five-segment version of the four-segment RSRM as its first stage. ATK Launch Systems ran the 2-min. test at its facility in the Utah desert, tracking 385 instrument channels to meet 55 test objectives. Among them was the use of 31 microphones to validate previous acoustic data for Ares I or fill in blanks left by earlier tests, the company says.
The deepening recession is curtailing air travel, but not enough to deflate U.S. airlines’ confidence that a return to profitability is just around the corner. The industry’s determination to slash capacity should allow carriers to prosper in 2009 even as other U.S. sectors face a bleak future.
Thales says the first EADS/CASA CN-235 intended for the antisurface/antisubmarine warfare portion of Turkey’s Meltem II maritime patrol aircraft program has made its first flight. Thales is outfitting six CN-235s with its Amascos airborne maritime situation and control system for antisurface/ASW applications and another three units for surveillance of Turkey’s exclusive economic zone. Another 10 ATR 72 aircraft will be equipped under Meltem III. Turkish Aircraft Industries, Havelsen, Aselan and Milsoft are also participating in the program.
Lockheed Martin’s missile-defense Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV-L) has been hover-tested at Edwards AFB, Calif., demonstrating the ability to maneuver while tracking a target. The vehicle is designed to allow a single interceptor to engage a ballistic missile equipped with multiple warheads or countermeasures. In the MKV-L design, the seeker-equipped carrier vehicle is expected to maneuver into the path of the missile, then dispense and guide several small, kill vehicles. Raytheon is developing the competing MKV-R.
Military planners responsible for finding space resources to support troops on the ground wonder if a convergence of events may give new life to an old idea that could dramatically reduce the logistics train behind forward-deployed forces.
Lockheed Martin has resumed test flights of its Boeing 737-300 Cooperative Avionics Test Bed that will validate fusion of the mission systems suite for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
Business jet manufacturers are hoping strong demand from the Middle East will cushion them as the global financial crisis bites deeper around the rest of the world.
NASA will pay $47 million a seat to send three astronauts to the International Space Station on Soyuz vehicles, under the first contract extension covering missions after the shuttle fleet’s scheduled retirement at the end of 2010. That is up from the $27.8 million NASA had agreed to pay for the last Soyuz seat it needs before the planned shuttle retirement (and from the reported $30 million Richard Garriott, a Texas-based computer-game designer, paid to visit the station in a Soyuz as a tourist in October).
Frozen bond markets could force Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to suspend construction on a new international terminal, warned General Manager Ben DeCosta. “We’ve already spent over $300 million on the project. The site was not ready for an international terminal,” he says. Airports need help moving forward with infrastructure projects because the markets are frozen, he says.
Eurocopter is teaming with the French public health system, French Assn. of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (AFHSH), the DGAC civil aviation authority in France and a hospital in Dreux to conduct a series of flight trials to evaluate the feasibility and safety of transporting critically ill patients between hospitals during instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Currently, medical helicopters fly only in visual meteorological conditions, thereby limiting the ability to deal with emergency situations.
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has launched a competition to demonstrate a multi-shot, multi-target aerial high-power microwave (HPM) platform capable of degrading or destroying enemy electronics. Proposals for the 36-month, $40-million Counter-Electronics HPM Advanced Missile Project (Champ) technology demonstration are due by Jan 15. The winner will supply five unmanned air vehicles for ground and flight testing.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the debate over fielding the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW), a new nuclear weapon for ICBMs, is “a problem that may not get solved on my watch,” even though he’s been tapped to stay on. He’s for the program, but some lawmakers are concerned it could spark a new arms race and countermand nonproliferation programs. Obama also has reservations. Proponents cite the need to preserve the fragile nuclear weapons industrial base. Sen.
NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale has resigned from NASA, effective Jan. 17, prior to the U.S. presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. Having served as NASA’s second-in-command under Administrator Michael Griffin since November 2005, Dale was the agency’s first female deputy administrator.
