United Space Alliance (USA), the Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture formed to operate NASA's space shuttle fleet, is pushing into the next application for its services with a set of software packages designed to support human exploration of the Moon. First up for USA's independent research and development (IRAD) "Questus" set of software tools is a data-management package called Integrated Lunar Information Architecture for Decision Support, produced in partnership with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Red-faced Intelsat officials quickly assure Sri Lanka's ambassador to the U.S., Bernard Goonetilleke, that they will stop "pirate" direct-to-home TV transmissions by the Tamil Tigers. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lanka-based group listed by the U.S. State Dept. as a terrorist organization, somehow gained access to an unused transponder on Intelsat 12 and used it to beam messages into Sri Lankan homes.
The U.S. is hoping high-level meetings between Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Chinese officials will help resolve an impasse in U.S.-China aviation negotiations, paving the way for an open skies agreement as early as next month.
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) fires a fuel-cooled Thermally-Throated RamJet (TTRJ) combustor to demonstrate technology for scramjet missile application and eventually air-breathing space launch engines.
The Swedish government plans to spend up to 4.1 billion kroner ($595 million) to upgrade 31 early Saab JAS 39A/B Gripen fighters to the C/D standard, which adds features needed for international operations. In addition to harmonizing the fleet to cut flight, maintenance and logistic costs, the operational life of the total fleet of 100 Gripens is to be extended to 2040.
Giovanni Bisignani is the director general of IATA, the International Air Transport Assn. This article is adapted from his speech last week on emissions trading at the Green Skies 2007 conference in Hong Kong (see p. 28).
You can now register ONLINE for AVIATION WEEK Events. Go to www.aviationweek.com/conferences or call Lydia Janow at +1 (212) 904-3225/+1 (800) 240-7645 ext. 5 (U.S. and Canada Only) Oct. 17-18--MRO Asia, Shanghai. PARTNERSHIPS Apr. 30-May 2--RFID Journal Live, Orlando, Fla. Sept. 24-28--International Aeronautical Congress, Hyderabad, India. May 22-24--EBACE, Geneva. June 18-24--Paris air show. Sept. 19-22--Aviation Expo China, Beijing.
Gideon Landa (see photo) has been named general manager of the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Div. of Israel Aerospace Industries' Elta Systems Group. He was head of research and development for the Imint and Radar Div. Eyal Danan has become general manager of the Microwaves Systems & Antennas Div. He was director of business development for the Imint Div. Avishay Yitzhakian has been appointed deputy general manager of the AEW Div. He was director of the AEW Directorate. Aharon (Roni) Segal was named vice president-operations at Elta Systems.
The world's airline industry may have only one way to escape the surge of enthusiasm to punish its carbon dioxide emissions with taxes or even regulatory limits on air travel, and that's a global emissions trading arrangement that is probably years away from implementation. Industry leaders feel carriers are faced with shouldering the unwelcome cost of such a plan to avoid suffering worse impositions devised by politicians who want to be seen doing something about global warming and find that airlines offer a suitably headline-grabbing target.
Low-time pilots are mostly not prepared to be pilots-in-command of very light jets. The military provides intensive mission- oriented training and thus its pilots are prepared for their mission at 250 hr. However, the military suffers a certain attrition rate. High time does not always mean high experience. If you participate in an ab-initio program that leads to the airline seat, you may become a captain and may only experience the environment of that airline. Even with thousands of hours, your experience is limited.
Pilatus is reaping the fruits of strong general aviation and reawakened military trainer markets, and this year should see breakthroughs in both segments. A surge in demand in the business and general aviation market in recent years has left Pilatus already sold out for PC-12 production slots in 2007, the company announced late last week. Moreover, sales of the aircraft reached a new high of 90 aircraft in 2006. PC-12 activity has been on an upward trajectory since the collapse of the market in 2002 when sales fell to 49 aircraft from 75 in 2001.
Montreal-based CAE has expanded its Global Academy network to six, with the signing on Apr. 11 of three flight training organizations (FTOs): San Diego-based SAA Flight Training, Brussels-based Hub Air and Moncton Flight College of New Brunswick, Canada. The FTOs will provide training for 600-1,000 pilots annually. Industry forecasts a demand for 18,000 new pilots annually to meet the requirements of rapidly developing aviation areas, such as China and India. CAE also has signed pilot training agreements with two low-fare carriers, Ireland's Ryanair and India's IndiGo.
Completing a deal announced in January 2006, Jet Airways is to buy Air Sahara for $340 million. Jet is already India's largest private domestic carrier; the takeover will give it 33% of the domestic market and a fleet of 68 aircraft, plus 11% of the country's international destinations. Increasing competition drove Air Sahara's market share down to 8% from 13% in the past year.
On its CRJ1000, Bombardier will offer an upgraded General Electric CF34-8C5A2 engine with 5% more thrust at normal takeoff and up to 3% more maximums for low-altitude takeoffs than the standard -8C5. Upgrades to the high-pressure turbine include improved coatings to the two stages of airfoils, enhanced cooling and modifications to the airfoils. The upgrades will become standard in future CF34-8s. Certification is set for early 2009.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS EXPECTS TO CERTIFY A NEW Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)-enabled flight management system late this year. The company is making four versions for use on business and regional jets. The units will track up to 12 satellites and will have substantial anti-jamming capabilities. WAAS approaches can be flown down to 200 ft. and 0.5-mi. visibility for Localizer Performance With Vertical Guidance.
You noted the North American Aviation Trisonic Wind Tunnel (TWT) is "nearing the end of its run" due to lease expiration (AW&ST Feb. 19, p. 13). A letter from Rick Hughes, the director of tunnel operations, appropriately defended the facility (AW&ST Mar. 12, p. 7).
Malaysian Airline System will replace its 39 Boeing 737-400s and has already "basically" decided which new model it wants to buy. The narrowbody replacement was planned earlier this decade but deferred for lack of funds.
After two turbulent years that sent its share price tumbling 25%, EDO Corp. is winning new notice from Wall Street. Since February, four analysts have upgraded the stock, which has risen nearly 20% in just the last month, closing at $26.76 on Apr. 12.
Chinese satellite ground controllers in Xian are commanding the orbital checkout of the new Haiyang 1B oceanographic spacecraft launched on a Long March 2C booster from the Taiyuan launch site on Apr. 11. The flight, launched into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit, was China's 54th straight launch success since 1996.
Rolls-Royce has won the engine contract for the first, and so far only, firm order for Airbus A330-200 freighters. Guggenheim Aviation opted for the Trent 700. Deliveries are set for 2010.
Bill Sweetman has become editor-in-chief of AVIATION WEEK'S monthly magazine Defense Technology International, with responsibility for the Ares defense blog on AviationWeek.com. He has contributed to professional defense media, specialist conferences and award-winning TV productions, as well as writing more than 30 books. Also joining DTI is Netherlands-based Joris Janssen Lok, as senior European editor. Janssen Lok has been a defense journalist since 1985 and was international editor of Jane's International Defence Review for nine years.
Gordon Bethune, chairman of the Aloha Airgroup and former president of Continental Airlines, has been named to receive the Foundation Award for Excellence from the Reston, Va.-based American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) on May 15. Other Spot- light Award recipients will be: Daniel Guggenheim Medal, Robert Loewy, who is William T. Oakes professor and chairman of the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Distinguished Service Award, William W.
The U.S. Air Force has completed the first flights of its Mobius unmanned aircraft. The trials, at the Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., are part of an initiative by the service's battlelab to demonstrate the use of secure remote data links to control payloads. The Mobius, a derivative of the Berkut aircraft, took off and landed autonomously, and operators were able to monitor two independent payloads, the Air Force says. The UAV reached 250 mph. and has an expected endurance of 20 hr. L-3 Communications developed the autonomous takeoff and landing capability.
Your article "Mod Squad" (AW&ST Apr. 2, p. 54) failed to mention what modifications were performed on the engines of the Boeing 737-300 Cooperative Avionics Testbed to allow an increase in takeoff weight to 400,000 from 138,500 lb. If this is a true number, there is obviously no engine-out condition allowed, or Boeing and GE/CFM built in a lot of extra power that was not made known to the civil world. (According to the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., the engines were not modified, and the aircraft will be flown within the 737 flight envelope--Ed.)
Douglas Barrie (London), Bill Sweetman (Minneapolis)
Undesirable handling characteristics are forcing BAE Systems to augment the flight control system on its Nimrod MRA4 maritime reconnaissance and attack aircraft, with first flight of a modified version by year-end. Whether the change will result in a further delay for the replacement of the Royal Air Force's Nimrod MR2 has yet to be determined. The Defense Ministry expects BAE to submit a proposal shortly.
