The latest speculation about potential choices for Obama’s Cabinet is that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is declining to stay on at the Pentagon with the new administration. At least two sources, citing Democratic insiders, say Gates let it be known he doesn’t want to serve in an Obama administration. What isn’t clear is whether the former CIA director and Texas A&M president has had enough of Washington, or had some policy differences with the Obama camp, which criticized the troop surge in Iraq during the presidential campaign.
Richard Leo (see photo) has become vice president-business management/chief financial officer for the Northrop Grumman Corp. ’s Integrated Systems Eastern Region, Bethpage, N.Y. He was director of business management for Airborne Early Warning Battle Management Command and Control programs.
USAF Col. (ret.) Michael R. Gallagher (Hillsboro, Ore.)
Outclimbing a developing thunderstorm as an avoidance strategy, as implied in the color diagram (AW&ST Oct. 27, p. 52), is not a great idea with or without radar guidance. Thunderstorms can grow at rates exceeding the climb capabilities of jet aircraft operating at normal en-route cruise altitudes. It’s far better to use the additional information available in the vertical view provided by the IntuVue radar display, to chart a lateral avoidance strategy.
Astronomers believe this Hubble Space Telescope image of the star Fomalhaut includes the first extrasolar planet ever detected directly in visible light (insets). A separate near-infrared image collected with the Keck and Gemini telescopes in Hawaii, also released last week, directly revealed what are believed to be three more planets in the extrasolar system surrounding the star HR8799, 140 light-years distant.
Orders from Grupo Marsans, BOC Aviation and Air Arabia have pushed Airbus gross bookings for the year above the 850-unit target. Grupo Marsans confirmed a long-standing deal, which includes four A380s, to bring the A380 order intake for more than 200 aircraft, eight years after commercial launch of the mega-transport.
Jean-Loup Picard, Thales senior vice president for strategy, research and technology, says a projected increase in development costs for the Airbus Military A400M airlifter’s flight management system will not affect plans to market derivatives for commercial applications. Further delays in the A400M will force Thales to take a writeoff in the second half of this year and could lead to further writedowns. Picard insists, though, that the company will adapt modular FMS technology used in the A400M for the commercial market, currently dominated by Honeywell.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has scheduled a Dec. 3 “Town Meeting” at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., so individuals can air concerns and question officials regarding the agency’s proposed Large Aircraft Security Plan for all Part 91 aircraft over 12,500 lb. The plan calls for criminal background checks of business aircraft pilots and flight attendants, screening of passengers, and third-party security audits, among other things.
Finmeccanica reported third-quarter revenue growth of 6% to €9.7 billion ($12.13 billion), with net profit of €396 million compared to €294 million for the same period in 2007. The bottom line includes a one-off payment of €54 million linked to the sale of 2.9% stake in STM. Additionally, Finmeccanica increased its order backlog, securing an additional €4.7 billion in orders in the third quarter. That brings the orderbook to €40.8 billion, the equivalent of almost three years of operations.
Saab began flight testing of the Gripen Demonstrator in May. The company so far has focused on assessing handling qualities and next year will begin installing new systems, including an active electronically scanned radar (see p. 50). The Demonstrator is designed to pave the way for the Gripen Next Generation, which could be fielded in 2014 depending on the outcome of several high-profile fighter competitions. Saab photo by Katsuhiko Tokunaga.
Loral Space & Communications says its Space Systems/Loral unit has landed a new satellite contract from an unspecified major operator. Together with an order revealed last month, also from an unspecified operator, SS/L has seven spacecraft awards for the year. SS/L revenues for the first nine months were $646 million, up from $618 million for the year-ago period, but adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were down to $24.5 million from $33 million, because of foreign exchange losses and higher R&D expenses.
The Air Force announced “operational acceptance” of a new missile warning payload in highly elliptical orbit (HEO). This payload, the first of the Space-Based Infrared System, built by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, was launched in 2006 and has undergone a rigorous trial period. U.S. Strategic Command, which will operate the system, must still certify it suitable for use to begin its official mission warning forces of ballistic missile launches.
Benet J. Wilson (Washington), Aileen Cho (New York)
While acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell is touting the benefit of three new U.S. runways opening Nov. 20, the agency is moving forward with a streamlining process that should ease future airport projects. The runways, opening at Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare and Seattle-Tacoma airports, will enable the U.S. aviation system to include 300,000 more annual operations, Sturgell tells Aviation Week & Space Technology. “That will allow us the capability to handle more traffic and have fewer passenger delays,” he says.
The European Commission has requested additional information on a planned merger between Astrium and U.K. small satellite specialist Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. SSTL officials say the request is only a technicality and does not call the takeover into question. Final approval, initially expected by mid-November, is still anticipated before Christmas, they indicate.
India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted flight tests of the Shourya surface-to-surface missile system for the Indian army last week. The missile, which has a range of 600 km. (373 mi.), was launched from a silo about 40 ft. deep at the Integrated Test Range in Balasore in the eastern state of Orissa. The test is part of an ongoing technology development process undertaken by the DRDO. The Shourya missile is capable of carrying conventional warheads with a payload of about 1 ton.
Obama administration nominees for Cabinet posts may be a little better prepared for Senate confirmation hearings than some of their predecessors come January. That’s because President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is creating review teams to do “a thorough review” of key agencies. The teams are also expected to ensure senior appointees have the information necessary to complete the confirmation process and hit the ground running after being sworn in, transition officials say.
DHL will no longer compete for U.S. domestic air and ground express business as of Jan. 30. The American arm of the Deutsche Post World Net parent will close both domestic air and ground networks to focus only on international air lift of express packages to and from the U.S. As a result, DHL U.S. Express will shrink to 3,000-4,000 employees from 14,900 and to 103 stations from 412. Negotiations for a lift contract are continuing between DHL and UPS.
German aerospace center DLR has kicked off development of a revolutionary hyperspectral imaging satellite. EnMap (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) will be the first non-experimental spacecraft to use high-quality hyperspectral imagery, which has been limited mainly to aerial surveillance applications, contractor Kayser-Threde says.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Amy Butler (Washington)
President Bush has not vacated the White House yet, but changes are already afoot for the Pentagon’s premier stealthy fighter program, the F-22 Raptor, which suffered waning support from his administration. The Air Force—long banned by the Bush administration from promoting more F-22s—is crafting a new requirement for total production of Raptors in the range of 250-275, a cut of more than 100 aircraft from the current requirement for 381.
Selex Galileo, a unit of Finmeccanica, is discussing possible coproduction of the Falco unmanned air vehicle with Libyan companies. The UAV is in service, but Selex Galileo will not reveal the name of the launch customer. Company officials, however, are hopeful that the entry into service will lead to sales to military and homeland security customers in other countries.
Boeing confirms that first delivery of the 777 Freighter to launch customer Air France has slipped by around two months into early 2009 as a result of the recently settled machinists strike, and is widely expected to announce an even more serious delay to the 747-8.
Crews at Kennedy Space Center are starting work on the first hardware for the initial flight test of a full-scale prototype of NASA’s next human space launch vehicle. A barge delivered boilerplate components crafted at NASA Glenn Research Center for the Ares I-X test that will simulate a fully fueled Ares I upper stage in a flight test next year. The test will use a four-segment space shuttle solid-fuel booster as its active element, to gather data on flight dynamics and ground-system compatibility.
The near total collapse of Iceland’s banking system has had a sharp impact on the Icelandair Group, with passengers canceling tickets and sharp drop in cargo traffic. The airline group, which already has reduced capacity 20%, is looking to scale back further. Nevertheless, management is holding out hope that the diversified company will be able to adapt. The group last week reported strong profit growth for the first nine months of the year, around triple the prior year’s level, but that was before the country was hit by the global financial crisis in October.
Efforts to field more than just terminal missile defense systems beyond the U.S. are starting to take hold, with interest in ship-based solutions growing in particular.
Potential competitors for the Army’s revised Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) are surprised not to see a reference regarding the aircraft’s suitability for transport on the C-130 airlifter. The Army issued a “sources sought” notice Nov. 7; the earlier ARH program, won and lost by Bell, included a key parameter for the C-130. A C-130 requirement was thought to disadvantage options from AgustaWestland and EADS in the earlier competition. Both companies are considering bids to become prime contractors for the new effort.
