MARKET FOCUS New bomb-jammer contract lifts fortunes At EDO 16 NEWS BREAKS ATK combustor demonstrates scramjet missile technology 23 New editors join AVIATION WEEK's Defense Technology International 23 High-speed wind-tunnel testing underway for model of Neuron UCAV 24 Viking Air plans to restart production of de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 24 U.S. Air Force completes first flights of its Mobius unmanned aircraft 25
Donald W. Richardson, immediate past president of the AIAA and current president/CEO of Donrich Research Inc., has become co-chair of the National Research Council Committee for the Assessment of NASA's Aeronautics Research Program. The other co-chair, Carl J. Meade, is lunar lander program director/deputy director of space exploration systems for the Northrop Grumman Corp.
Since the 1990s, General Electric-Aviation has been able to count on its lineup of midsize and small engines to pay the bills as it took on the gamble of developing an entirely new line of large engines. With orders rolling in for its GE90 and GEnx, it looks like that gamble is beginning to pay off. GE's factories will experience a more than 65% increase in engine production volume over the next three years. Total output of engines and spares rose 8% last year, will grow another 14% this year, and top that with 22% more in 2008.
Top missile developments from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin turned up last week on the Pentagon's list of program overruns to Congress. The Raytheon Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile--including the D-model development which will incorporate a new data link and extended-range characteristics--is costing $1.6 billion more than anticipated due to underselling to foreign militaries. An overrun developing the D is also to blame.
Ron Olson has become general manager for American Airlines at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. He succeeds Rex Tolschin, who is retiring. Olson was ramp manager at San Francisco International Airport.
IN A SIMILAR DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA, Air New Zealand and Qantas plan to begin "optimum arrival" trials with Boeing 747s at Auckland International Airport this week. Air navigation service provider Airways New Zealand will work with the two carriers to see how much emphasis can be placed on trying to achieve the lowest fuel burn without impacting on-time performance or runway capacity.
THE CONCEPT OF 4D TRAJECTORY OPERATIONS is becoming mainstream thanks to the FAA's NextGen ATC project and the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (Sesar) program, says Lars G.V. Lindberg, president of Avtech Sweden AB. Avtech is assisting Airbus on Sesar, aimed at preparing Europe to handle three times as much air traffic while cutting environmental impact, including emissions, by 10% per flight.
Richard M. Russell has been named U.S. ambassador to the 2007 World Radiocommunications Conference in Geneva. He will remain as associate director of the Office of Science and Techno- logy Policy in the White House.
Two new Russian members of Expedition 15 to the International Space Station--Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov--are settling in for a six-month stay following their Apr. 9 Soyuz docking, while software billionaire Charles Simonyi is getting a good look around as the fifth space tourist to visit the station. Simonyi will perform experiments for scientists in Western Europe, Japan and his native Hungary. Like his predecessors, Simonyi paid Russia about $20 million for the privilege.
On May 7, the German defense ministry will provide industry with information on the cross-European force protection program joint investment plan. The European Defense Agency is overseeing the endeavor in which 20 countries are pooling resources to finance research and technology efforts on force protection, without the usual national offset demands associated with multi-national undertakings. With the first call for proposals out, the German government says it wants to educate industry on how to more effectively bid on projects.
An article in the Apr. 2 issue (p. 20) incorrectly listed the prime and subcontractors in one of the teams bidding to produce NASA's Ares I upper stage. Alliant Techsystems leads the team that includes Pratt & Whitney/ Rocketdyne and Lockheed Martin.
UPS will become the first foreign airline to operate a hub in China, Chinese and U.S. aviation officials have confirmed. UPS, meeting criteria outlined in the 2004 U.S. China bilateral agreement, last week contracted with Shanghai Airport Authority to build a facility at Shanghai Pudong Airport. The UPS hub facility, to open next year, will be part of the new West Cargo Terminal Area now under construction. The deal removes frequency restrictions for UPS, essentially giving the carrier open skies rights.
MTU Aero Engines has upped its stake in the F414 used to power the F/A-18E/F. MTU was a 2.5% partner on the General Electric engine, but now holds 3.5%, the German engine maker says. Additionally, MTU holds 1.5% in the F404, used to power older F/A-18s. MTU expects F/A-18 engine activity to generate about $1 billion in revenue. F414 work has expanded largely though the addition of heat shielding that MTU will provide in the high-pressure section and a rotating seal.
The NTSB, recognizing the threat of controller fatigue to aviation safety, is proposing a revision of work-scheduling policy and the adoption of fatigue-awareness training programs. Specifically, safety board recommendations A07-30-32 urge the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn. (Natca) to find ways jointly of providing controllers adequate rest periods for restorative sleep and building a shift rotation schedule to minimize sleep disruptions, which can lead to degradation of cognitive performance.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Earth observation satellite, ALOS, was unable to send its data to a relay satellite, Kodama, for three days due to a transmission problem. Trans- mission equipment broke down Apr. 5. During the malfunction, communication was maintained through direct transmission to ground stations, enabling disaster surveillance of the Solomon Islands after a major earthquake.
John S. Slattery (see photo), who is managing director of RBS Aviation Capital, will be 2007-08 president of the Wings Club of New York. He succeeds AirTran Airways Chairman/CEO Joseph B. Leonard. Slattery was vice president.
Reader Ted Yellman wants a high-quality analysis to determine how much additional risk is expected as a result of changing the pilot-age rule (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 7). Many such analyses and reports exist, such as "The National Institutes of Health/NIA Panel on the Experienced Pilot Study" and a "study of studies" in the March 2002 issue of Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine by Dr. Robin Wilkening.
As India's domestic aviation grows at better than a 25% annual pace, the enthusiasm of leading international maintenance, repair and overhaul providers to establish a major presence is clearly evident. But nothing much has happened as the industry watches and waits for a trio of hurdles typical of the Indian aviation scene--infrastructure, land authorization and the sheer overall bureaucracy that encompasses every move--to be cleared.
Ted Yellman wants an analysis to determine the effect of changing the pilot-age rule. There already have been many analyses, some funded by the FAA, others by Japan, Israel and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The latest is a study by the American Academy of Neurology, supported by three other scientific organizations. Results were published in the Feb. 27 issue of Neurology, the academy's scientific journal.
Major A400M parts are starting to arrive at the final assembly site for the military airlifter in Seville, Spain. The first pair of wings were brought to Spain from the U.K. Assembly of the airlifter is starting three months late, but program officials vow to keep the remainder of the schedule intact.
Greece will finally become a partner in the French-led Helios 2 Earth-observation satellite program, joining Germany, Belgium and Italy. Greece will receive a Helios 2 ground terminal to task the sensor, receive and analyze imagery. Negotiations have been ongoing to form the accord since February 2005. One Helios 2 spacecraft is in orbit, with a second to be launched in 2009.
The Army pushes back hard on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruling that it erred in awarding a $4.65-billion linguist services contract to DynCorp last December. The loss of the contract to provide translators to U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan stunned incumbent L-3 Communications and its teammate, Northrop Grumman, and forced L-3 to lower its earnings guidance for 2007. Last month, the GAO upheld L-3's protest of the award, opening the door for a re-compete.
The U.S. Navy has declared its quick- reaction low-collateral-damage bomb ready for operational use. The modified 500-lb. Joint Direct Attack Munition uses less explosive to reduce damage to personnel and structures.
Chinese spending on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is expected to gallop along with 10% annual growth for the next five years, before settling down in the following five years to 6%--still more than twice the rate of expansion expected in either North America or Western Europe.
FORWARD VISION OF RUSSELL, PA., has partnered with Max-Viz of Portland, Ore., to bring better "enhanced vision" systems to general aviation, backed by Max-Viz's business jet and helicopter technology experience. Synthetic Vision relies on images from forward-looking infrared cameras to help counter spatial disorientation, controlled flight into terrain, runway incursions and other nighttime or low-visibility mishaps. Forward Vision's new $14,995 EVS-100 will bring bizjet technology to smaller aircraft in a 1.5-lb. package with LCD displays.
