By 2020, 97 additional airports will be operating in China to bring the country’s total to 244, according to its civil aviation authority. Construction of a second international airport for Beijing is due to begin within the next couple of years.
The Iraqi vision is grand: build one of the Middle East’s premier air forces flying F-16s, attack helicopters and modern airlifters. But years of neglect, combat losses and domestic turmoil mean that attaining this goal will be an enormous challenge. Trying to create a new air force in what’s effectively still a war zone may be an unprecedented undertaking. Nevertheless, such efforts are gaining momentum as a new generation of systems, pilots, maintenance personnel and processes starts coming into its own.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is now the 14th in the U.S. with an operational Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) system that allows air traffic controllers to see all aircraft moving on the airport surface on an electronic display. Sensis Corp. is installing ASDE-X systems at 35 airports in the U.S. In an unrelated contract, Sensis has provided its Aerobahn Service to Continental Airlines so the carrier can see all aircraft moving on the surface at Newark Liberty International Airport.
A severe shortage in aircraft delivery financing is threatening to leave Airbus and Boeing stranded with perhaps 200 “white-tail” aircraft they can’t place with customers. The aircraft financing crisis comes on top of fears by analysts that 20-30% of Airbus and Boeing backlogs may be at risk as airlines go bust. Exacerbating the situation is that the leasing sector—which both aircraft makers were hoping would help them ride through the storm—also has entered a period of upheaval and restructuring.
A worldwide recession may be near, but Boeing is bullish on air freight, assigning it a 5.8% average annual growth rate in its latest 20-year forecast. As they have for almost a decade, Asian air cargo markets are expected to lead growth, with domestic Chinese and intra-Asian markets growing 9.9% and 8.1%, respectively. Boeing’s analysts expect the world freighter fleet to nearly double to 3,892 aircraft in 2027 from 1,948 last year. Biggest growth will come in mid-size and large freighters, which will see their market share increase to 65% from the current 61%.
Shenyang is planning yet another upgrade of the F-8II fighter aircraft, dubbed the F-8T. The upgrade would cover avionics, the flight control system and weaponry. Likely candidates for the latter include the SD-10 (PL-12) radar-guided air-to-air missile, as well as a supersonic anti-ship missile.
After gaining 60 commercial customers worldwide, Pratt & Whitney has picked up the first military client for its EcoPower engine wash system. The company will wash 800 engines in the U.S. Air Force’s C-17 fleet as a subcontractor to Boeing, which was selected last month to provide fleet-wide overhaul and repair support for the C-17’s PW F117-PW-100 engines. The F117 is the military version of Pratt & Whitney’s PW2000 for Boeing 757s.
A USAF CV-22 has flown over Africa during its first overseas deployment. U.S. military officials confirm that “several” CV-22s, recently delivered to the Air Force Special Operations Command (SOC), have arrived in trans-Saharan Africa to participate in Flintlock ’09, a regularly scheduled training exercise with nine African nations.
Avic displayed a model of its proposed MA700 turboprop at Airshow China, confirming that the aircraft will be an all-new design unrelated to the MA60 and MA600, which are derivatives of the Russian Antonov An-26. Avic’s new Transport Aircraft Co. is negotiating exclusively with Pratt & Whitney Canada for an engine for the aircraft, which an executive says would seat about 80 passengers in a four-abreast cabin. The exterior is not expected to change much from the model.
The aerospace journals have been dominated recently with articles addressing the future of space exploration and expansion onto other planets. With NASA’s 50th birthday, the planned U.S. missions to the Moon then Mars, and yet another space tourist visiting the International Space Station (ISS), the future of human expansion far beyond Earth seems much more forthcoming.
The U.S. Navy is hailing as a success its intercept of a short-range ballistic missile target with an SM-3 launched from the Aegis destroyer Paul Hamilton on Nov. 1. This was the first fleet operational firing of the SM-3 Block IA against such a target; previous trials used test assets. By contrast, a second intercept attempt by the fleet failed. The Aegis destroyer Hopper engaged a second ballistic missile launched during the test but did not intercept. The goal of the demonstration was to achieve two intercepts in series.
Russia and Italy have concluded a bilateral agreement that will see the license production of AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters in Russia and the joint production of advanced composite materials.
The latest conflict in the remote and ungoverned area between Pakistan and Afghanistan is focusing attention on a problem older than either nation-state: controlling national borders. From the concrete walls dividing the crowded neighborhoods on the West Bank near Jerusalem to the “virtual fence” being built in the American Southwest, governments concerned about intruders are spending billions of dollars on fences, security cameras, gates and guards.
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Germany is pondering alternative paths for the direction of its satellite surveillance systems, decisions that could have a major impact on the country’s long-term spending in this area. Choices made now will be critical in shaping the country’s satellite industry, and are of particular interest to OHB Technology and EADS Astrium; both entities have a lot riding on future spending and system architectures.
David E. Anderson has been appointed controller of SkyLink USA , Dulles, Va. He was a project director for the NeoSystems Corp. and vice president-finance and accounting for DCA Management Services Inc.
The Russian air force is due to receive its first batch of Kamov Ka-52 Hokum-B dual-seat coaxial-rotor combat helicopters in 2009, says its chief, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin. “We are planning to acquire up to 12 Ka-52s in 2009” as long as acceptance trials are completed and performance requirements met, he says. The air force selected the Mil Mi-28N Havoc as its basic attack helicopter to eventually replace the Mi-24 Hind. The Ka-52 is to be used as a reconnaissance-attack helicopter for special missions. Full-rate production was launched in late October.
Aermacchi MB-339 The MB-339 was developed as a follow-on to Aermacchi’s MB-326. The first prototype flew in 1976. Propulsion is provided by a Rolls-Royce Viper Mk 632-43 engine (4,000 lb. thrust) or a Viper Mk 680 (4,400 lb. thrust). Over 220 aircraft for flight-training and light air combat have been produced to date. The MB-339CD variant serves as a lead-in trainer for Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon pilots in the Italian air force.
Boeing is planning to submit a proposal for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Counter-Electronics High-Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (Champ), a three-year Joint Capability Technology Demonstration that is expected to begin in mid-2009. Boeing has previously looked at direct-attack or cruise-weapon variants that could emit an HPM pulse and disable or destroy the electronics of its target.
The acquisition of Tapestry Solutions, a San Diego-based company that specializes in services and software for tracking and distributing equipment, will bolster Boeing’s desire for deeper penetration of the logistics and sustainment market.
Airshow China was graced for the first time by two Chengdu J-10 fighter aircraft, but both were parked well away from the static display area, with no close access., but one of the aircraft did participate in the flying dispays. The aircraft were fitted with fixed air-to-air refueling probes. Other People’s Liberation Army Air Force aircraft included the Xi’an H-6U tanker, a Xian JH-7A strike aircraft and two Shenyang J-8II fighters. A Plaaf CHAIC Z-8 and Harbin Z-9 helicopter also flew during the daily display.
China’s Taihang turbofan engine was on display at Airshow China, but which platforms the engine will power remain under wraps officially. The engine program, however, is closely associated with the J-11B development of the Su-27 Flanker. As well as the J-11B, the Taihang—which may also be known as the WS-10—could be used to reengine the Chengdu J-10. The Russian AL-31F currently powers the Su-27 and J-10.
NASA has awarded United Space Alliance (USA) the Integrated Mission Operations Contract, signaling a continuing partnership between the agency and the company for operation of the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The award is valued at $206.5 million for the three-year base period, which could grow to $371 million if a fourth option year and variable work content are fully exercised. The sole-sourced contract will support JSC with flight operations work for the Constellation and International Space Station programs.
The U.S. and the European Union have taken a major step toward harmonizing cargo screening standards while the U.S. edges closer to a deadline for much stricter security measures. The Transportation Security Administration and the EU’s Directorate General for Energy and Transport have signed a joint statement of purpose that establishes common standards for screening cargo on passenger aircraft.
Under an open skies accord concluded last week, Singapore and Kuwait carriers may operate any number of flights between the countries and points beyond.
