The high price of fuel—retail prices for Jet A and avgas exceed $8 and $7 per gallon, respectively, throughout much of the U.S.—is impacting business aviation and those who serve its operators. James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Assn., which represents fixed-base operators (FBOs) and business aviation charter providers, says the amount of fuel being pumped has declined across the country. He estimates the reductions in volume this year could be as much as 25% for avgas and 10% for kerosene.
Dish Network Corp. is receiving needed new capacity in orbit after a Sea Launch Co. Zenit-3SL orbited its EchoStar XI direct-to-home broadcast satellite early July 16 from its ocean-going launch platform on the equator in the Pacific. The Gnangara ground station in Western Australia received signals from the spacecraft shortly after it separated from its Block DM-SL upper stage, which had placed the satellite in the proper geostationary transfer orbit for eventual positioning at 110 deg. W. Long.
The Hawaii Air National Guard, slated to be the first F-22 unit commanded by the ANG, is scheduled to receive its first two Raptors in 2010, but clouds are gathering on the budgetary horizon.
Roger Fujii (see photo) has become vice president/general manager of the Network Communications Div. of the Northrop Grumman Corp. ’s Mission Systems Sector, Reston, Va. He was division vice president-communications and systems technology.
Information about the AN/TPS-79 radar program (AW&ST June 30, p. 62) shows that the old story of the U.S. Marine Corps getting what it needs very late (if ever) is still prevalent. Not only was the single USMC copy of this next-generation tactical radar snapped up by the Navy for test range surveillance, but 17 more units have gone to Romania. Perhaps the USMC might get better support and possibly some actual units of this radar by purchasing them from another country.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Douglas Barrie (London)
China is nearing the point of no longer needing Russian technology to support its quest for advanced weapons systems, a defining moment for relations between the two states and one that has wider ramifications for defense planners in the West.
Billion-dollar, one-time charges aside, what is apparent from the first batch of second-quarter results from U.S. carriers is that most cannot make a profit from their operations.
Thomas W. Mahr has been appointed CEO of SkyWorks Holdings , Greenwich, Conn., parent company of SkyWorks Capital and SkyWorks Leasing, and Steven T. Gaal has been named president/chief operating officer of Skyworks Holdings. Jeff Craine has become president/COO of SkyWorks Capital. He had been its managing director. Jens Dunker has been appointed managing director for Europe for SkyWorks Capital. He was founder of Jetline Consulting Ltd.
A podded radar designed to allow the U.S. Army’s General Atomics Sky Warrior unmanned aircraft to track vehicles and people has been flown by Northrop Grumman under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar (Vader) program. Flown on a Britten-Norman Islander testbed, the sensor collected synthetic-aperture radar and ground moving-target indication data that were processed on a ground station to show vehicle motion. The Vader program was launched in 2006 to fly the Hellfire missile-sized radar pod within two years.
SES Astra has awarded EADS Astrium a contract to build a spacecraft for its 19.2 deg. E. Long. neighborhood. The spacecraft, Asta 1N, will be launched in 2011 and carry 55 Ku-band transponders. Together with Astra 1M, to be launched later this year, the new spacecraft will complete a replacement program for 19.2 deg. that began two years ago with Astra 1KR and L.
Douglas Barrie (Farnborough), Amy Butler (Farnborough), Robert Wall (Farnborough)
Despite the more than $40 billion in fighter purchases up for grabs soon, governments are concerned about the long-term health of the industrial base for combat aircraft. Contractors have started to engage in a spate of hotly contested fighter competitions around the world, with decisions pending in the next 24 months.
Twelve years after the inflight breakup of TWA Flight 800, the FAA has issued final rulemaking aimed at eliminating the risk of fuel tank explosions—a rule that carries a staggering $1-billion price tag.
Introduction of Global Hawk, wringing out of an advanced operations center, and facing the reality of threats to the military’s fragile, long-haul communications are all integral to U.S. Pacific Air Forces’ intelligence portfolio. Attempts to strangle the Air Force’s communications here could come from anywhere. Both Global Hawk and the advanced operations center (AOC) could help the command avoid chaos by quickly opening new paths for intelligence collection, targeting, command and control.
The combat potential of the U.S. and its major partners in the Pacific is growing with an emphasis on range, networking, striking power and advanced intelligence gathering. But the pace of melding those pieces into a functional defense is affected by operational, manpower and financial demands of more traditional wars staged a half-world away.
The U.S. appears to be sending Asia some mixed signals. Adm. Timothy Keating says Taiwan’s request for 66 advanced Block 60 or better F-16s has been shelved by U.S. policy makers. They have “reconciled Taiwan’s current military posture, China’s current military posture and strategy,” and analysis “indicates there is no pressing, compelling need for . . . sales of [those] systems. I’m more comfortable today . . . than I was 15 months ago . . . that it is very, very, very unlikely there will be conflict across the [Taiwan] strait.
July 28-Aug. 1—Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s “Enterprise Strategic Analysis and Transformation.” Ft. Belvoir, Va. Call +1 (617) 253-2537 or see http://lean.mit.edu July 28-Aug. 3—Experimental Aircraft Assn. AirVenture 2008. Oshkosh, Wis. Call +1 (920) 426-4800 or see www.airventure.org July 29—International Aviation Club’s Luncheon: “Speech, Deregulation and other Challenges Facing the Aviation Industry.” Guest Speaker: Michael Levine. Marriott Metro Center, Washington. Call +1 (202) 274-2928 or see www.iacwashington.org/
Elbit and ATK have teamed to develop the Guided Advanced Tactical RocketLaser (GATR-L). It’s the latest entrant in the increasingly contested 70-mm. precision rocket sector. GATR-L uses a semi-active laser and builds on insensitive munitions technologies.
The British Defense Ministry has signed a contract with missile manufacturer MBDA for a nine-year support package for the Sea Wolf naval air-defense missile worth £177 million ($354 million). The Sea Wolf In Service Support program will run until 2017 and be withdrawn from service a year later.
Paul Doucette has become Washington-based director of congressional affairs for science and technology programs for Battelle . He was a senior adviser and legislative director for Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) of the House Science and Technology Committee.
Steven Tebbe (see photo) has been appointed vice president-environmental affairs for London-based NetJets Europe . He was an executive in environmental affairs for EADS.
Two big aircraft programs involving leading Russian and European aerospace contractors are moving past critical milestones toward credibility after shaky starts.
Airbus and Boeing face increasingly tough production decisions as they try to hone aircraft strategies for late next decade, made all the more difficult due to mixed messages from engine makers.
Inmarsat says it has received a signal from U.S. hedge fund Harbinger that the fund may attempt to take over the mobile satellite service (MSS) operator. Inmarsat cautioned that the move is “very preliminary” and “may or may not lead to an offer” for the company, the largest MSS player. Analysts have speculated for months that Harbinger will try to leverage its 28.8% share in Inmarsat with holdings in two U.S. hybrid high-speed mobile operators—TerreStar and SkyTerra Communications, owner of Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV).
Bobby Butler has been named vice president/chief compliance officer for Universal Weather and Aviation Inc. of Houston. He was senior compliance adviser for ConocoPhillips.
