Snow swirled around the hangars and aircraft at Morristown Municipal Airport as we taxied out for takeoff in a Gulfstream G450 to see what Honeywell’s newly certified synthetic vision system (SVS) can do for business jet pilots. The night flight, from New Jersey to Vermont and back, convinced me that the days of conventional primary flight displays, or PFDs, are numbered on bizjets.
The Rockwell Collins acquisition of tiny Athena Technologies Inc. may be one of the most important ones in the company’s history if its vision of the future of air navigation proves correct. Athena, which employs just 70 people, makes navigation and control systems for unmanned air vehicles. Its equipment is gaining a lot of combat experience on platforms such as Luna (see photo) in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq.
China Southern Airlines, now profiting from a decision to hedge some of its exposure to jet fuel prices, is taking steps toward further increasing its trading in oil derivatives. The state-owned airline, China’s largest by fleet size, launched a limited hedging program in 2005 after a series of heated debates by its board. Since then, China Southern has typically hedged up to 15% of its fuel needs, chief economist Su Liang told a jet fuel conference in Hong Kong late last month.
Singapore and Portugal have completed an open skies agreement, which will go into effect in the summer of 2010. The two countries will be allowed to operate flights between Singapore and Portugal, and to cities beyond.
The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University in Kansas, working in collaboration with V5 Engineering, will take courses for the institute’s computer-aided three-dimensional interactive applications (Catia) program on the road this spring. Two large semi-trailers are being refurbished into classrooms and a mobile display for trade shows, says Brian Barsamian, owner of V5 Engineering. Plans call for using the mobile classrooms to teach V5’s clients in the California area, followed later by locations throughout the U.S.
Thai Airways International proposes developing a passenger-to-freighter conversion business at its maintenance facility at Bangkok’s old Don Muang airport and has gained preliminary approval from Transport Minister Santi Prompat. If the conversion business proceeds, Thai will need a year to build more hangars at Don Muang.
Amy Butler (NAS Patuxent River, Md.), Robert Wall (NAS Patuxent River, Md.)
The U.S. Navy is stepping-up efforts to field an unmanned F/A-18 replacement, propelling the service to the forefront of the Pentagon’s combat drone activities. Emerging plans call for the replacement to be on carrier decks in 2025. It marks the first time Navy leadership will be faced with a decision to consider shifting from a manned fleet of carrier strike aircraft; fighter communities in all of the services have resisted the introduction of unmanned strike aircraft.
Component-maker Ametek will open an 18,000-sq.-ft. maintenance facility in Singapore by the end of this month to cut turnaround times for Asian customers. Initial work will include maintenance and repair of pneumatic and hydraulic parts. Company executive Richard Madamba says the move is partly a response to the growth of the aerospace industry in Singapore. “If you look at the concentration of businesses that have expanded here, we felt we needed to be near our customers, both airlines and other third-party repair facilities,” he says.
The first of South Africa’s 26 Saab Gripen fighters sits on the ramp at AFB Overberg. The aircraft, a two-seat D-model, has been used for an in-country flight test program for the South African Air Force (see p. 44). The aircraft is due to be formally handed over to the SAAF in April. The Gripen will replace the Cheetah C as South Africa’s front-line combat aircraft. AW&ST photo by Douglas Barrie.
Flush with oil revenue, the Abu Dhabi government is eager to build an aerospace hub within the next decade spanning everything from aircraft production to maintenance. Some of the near- to mid-term targets are ambitious. By 2011, the goal is to set up an aerostructures operation in Abu Dhabi and, by 2016, to be building an aircraft, says Homaid Al Shemmari, associate director for aerospace and technology at Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Co.
A poster hanging on the wall at an All Nippon Airways training center already has become a collector’s item. “Welcome to the future of flight,” it reads. “Boeing 7E7 service scheduled for 2008.”
Grant C. Aufderhaar (see photos), Mark A. Brosmer, Richard L. Donnelly and Sherrie L. Zacharius have been promoted to general managers at The Aerospace Corp. Aufderhaar, based at the Chantilly, Va., office, will be general manager of technology. He was principal director of the Sensors, Signals and Electronics Subdivision of the Electronics and Sensors Div. Brosmer, as general manager of the Launch and Satellite Control Div., was principal director of Delta IV operations. Donnelly, also based in Chantilly, will head the Ground Programs Div.
In less than a year, government-backed Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has built an aircraft leasing business from scratch. That division, DAE Capital, recently announced $29 billion in orders from Airbus and Boeing for 200 jets: 70 A320s, 30 A350s, 70 737s, 15 787s, 10 777-300ERs and five 747-8 freighters. While it awaits those deliveries, DAE has acquired 20 aircraft from GE Commercial Aviation Services (Gecas) and eight from Emirates in a leaseback arrangement.
There’s concern in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter community that higher upfront aircraft costs will prompt governments to delay their purchases, driving up costs for all nine program participants. But those issues, coming into focus this year, aren’t stopping several key international buyers from making important, near-term commitments to the strike fighter program.
Lockheed Martin won a $58-million contract plus-up for modifications to the F-35’s electronic warfare verification station at the U.S. military’s reprogramming laboratory at Eglin AFB, Fla. The idea is to provide the new fighter with a capability for EW mission data verification.
Mar. 17-19—Speednews’ 22nd Annual Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference. Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, Calif. Also, May 5-7—Sixth Annual Aerospace and Defense Industry Suppliers Conference. Jonathan Club, Los Angeles. Call +1 (310) 203-9603, fax +1 (310) 203-9352 or see www.speednews.com Mar. 17-19—Shephard’s Search and Rescue Conference and Exhibition 2008. Bournemouth (England) International Center. Call +44 (162) 860-6979, fax +44 (162) 866-9789 or see www.shephard.co.uk/events
The Hummingbird is being readied to take to the air again as Boeing gears up to restart flight tests of the A160T unmanned rotorcraft. The company is making changes to the flight control system in the wake of the crash of a vehicle on Dec. 10.
European and U.S. officials are attempting to open a dialogue with Beijing on security and interference issues raised by Chinese plans to deploy a satellite navigation system.
The U.K. is struggling to come to grips with spiraling air-launched-weapon integration costs that could curtail the country’s ability to procure future systems. Integrating the Meteor rocket/ramjet radar-guided missile on the Eurofighter Typhoon could cost £200 million ($400 million), while adding a next-generation family of air-to-surface weapons to their intended platforms could reach £400 million. The problem is a generic issue for air forces as air-launched weapons, and aircraft, become more sophisticated.
China’s 2008 declared defense budget will be 418 billion yuan ($58.8 billion), up 17.6% from last year. The figure suggests spending is approximately keeping pace, but not exceeding, economic growth. However, actual spending may be two or three times as much.
Sanjay Kapoor has been appointed vice president-Patriot programs for the Raytheon Co.’s Integrated Defense Systems , Tewksbury, Mass. Kapoor was vice president-finance/chief financial officer and has been succeeded by Anthony F. (Toby) O’Brien. He was vice president-finance for the parent Raytheon Co.
