Four more Harrier GR9s are being deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as part of a U.K. force buildup. Other additional assets include four Sea King helicopters and a C-130 Hercules. An additional 1,400 troops are being sent, bringing the number of U.K. personnel deployed in the country to 7,700.
Letters 6-7 Who's Where 8-9 Industry Outlook 11 Airline Outlook 13 In Orbit 15 News Breaks 18-22 Washington Outlook 23 Arrivals 42 Close Up 52 Inside Avionics 60 Classified 55 Contact Us 56 Aerospace Calendar 57
It's become a cliche to note that the word for "crisis" in Chinese calligraphy contains the characters for "danger" and "opportunity." But top Air Force officials seem willing to seize the opportunity when discussing the military buildup in China, which is estimated to have increased defense spending 14.7% to $35.3 billion in 2006. "The Chinese are becoming awesome investors," Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne tells a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the service's $110.77-billion Fiscal 2008 budget request.
A proposed merger of government-run Indian Airlines and Air India is awaiting Cabinet approval, expected by Mar. 31, according to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. The new carrier will have 112 aircraft in its fleet and have the opportunity to regain market share the former carriers lost to Jet Airways and other private carriers. Meanwhile, Air India says it expects to save $150 million over 15 years by ordering General Electric GE90-115B engines for its 27 new Boeing 777-300ERs.
Air France-KLM are expanding ties with KLM's long-time partner Malaysia Airlines (MAS). The two have been code-sharing on flights from their hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam since 1998, and will now expand that to many routes within Malaysia. In return, MAS customers will be given code-share benefits on European routes operated by Air France-KLM.
Spain's infrastructure ministry in the summer will start operating the first of three EADS CASA CN-235-300 maritime surveillance aircraft to patrol its economic exclusion zone, perform search and rescue support and monitor pollution.
Italian engine maker Avio has signed a memorandum of understanding with General Electric to become a 12% risk-sharing partner in development of the GEnx-2B. That version of the GE turbofan is to equip the Boeing 747-8. Avio is already involved in development of the GEnx-1B to power the 787 twin-widebody. Avio is expected to spend up to €250 million ($327 million) on the program and hopes to see revenue of at least €2.5 billion. Avio will develop and produce several components, including the stator of the low-pressure turbine and the gearbox drive system.
Saudi Arabia is planning a large upgrade to its Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) system for its air force. The overhaul is slated to provide the kingdom's military a better control of surveillance systems and aid the move to an open-systems architecture that can be upgraded with greater ease. Plans include building a primary air operations center (AOC) with backup AOCs available. The program also calls for deploying an advanced tactical data-link network for ground and airborne assets.
USAF Reserve Col. Frank E. Anderson is among nine of his rank to be nominated for promotion to brigadier general. He is mobilization assistant to the director of operations and training at USAF Headquarters. The other eight are: Patrick A. Cord, commander, 442nd Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve Command, Whiteman AFB, Mo.; Craig N. Gourley, mobilization assistant to the director of operational plans and joint matters, USAF Headquarters; Donald C. Ralph, mobilization assistant to the director of global operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.; Wil- liam F.
Latest financial results suggest a turnaround plan is fixing Malaysia Airlines. The company reports a loss of 134 million ringgit ($38.1 million) for 2006, but that's a vast improvement on the 1.3 billion ringgit that the company lost in 2005. More tellingly, the fourth quarter delivered a second straight quarterly profit. One of the carrier's biggest problems is the extreme efficiency of budget competitor AirAsia, which reported a 150-million-ringgit profit (37% of revenue) for October to December, itself up 61%.
Iberia, in ongoing restructuring, is seeing strong financial growth, with pre-tax earnings up 13% to 790.5 million euros ($1.043 billion). The net-earnings came in short of 2005 results, but mainly because that year saw the divestiture of two businesses that bolstered accounts. Perhaps most importantly, the carrier saw a 6.2% unit passenger revenue increase. The 2006 results mean Iberia has turned a profit for 11 straight years, despite some challenging periods recently with high oil prices. Fuel last year was up 36%, representing 22.4% of expenses, versus 14.2% in 2004.
Joseph A. Muklevicz has been named vice president-sales for the Americas for the Pacific Scientific Aerospace Group, Duarte, Calif. He was president of its Miami-based Aviation Services Cos.
Later this year planetary scientists will begin planning history's first spacecraft encounter with Pluto, now that NASA's New Horizons probe has passed through a risky gravity boost from Jupiter with flying colors. Lessons from last week's encounter are already being applied as the 1,000-lb. nuclear-powered spacecraft hurtles down Jupiter's magnetotail, the leeward stream of charged solar-wind particles escaping the planet's magnetic field.
Midwest Airlines, dismissing AirTran's merger overtures, is moving on with its strategic growth plan. The latest round of enhancements includes the addition, beginning July 1, of a second daily nonstop round trip between main hub Milwaukee and Los Angeles. On May 1, Midwest plans to add a second six-times weekly round trip to Tampa, Fla. News of the enhancements came after CEO Timothy E. Hoeksema told shareholders "it was time to set the record straight" about AirTran.
William F. Ballhaus, Jr. (see photo), president/CEO of The Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif., has received the Peter B. Teets Award from the National Defense Industrial Assn.'s Space Div. He was recognized for "championing the cause of national security space" over a 37-year career in aerospace. Ballhaus, the award citation stated, has made "contributions that have led to strengthening of our national security by direct application of space capabilities and to the enhancement of our industrial technology base with application to space technology."
British Airways is aiming to substantially beat its long-standing target for a 10% operating profit margin when economic conditions are good, setting a goal that would put it far ahead of most full-service carriers, which have typically earned about a third of that.
We are on the cusp of a new paradigm in air travel made possible by the convergence of four technologies. Advances in avionics (WAAS), aircraft and engine manufacturing (very light jets and small turbofans), engineering and software technologies (real time optimization and logistics), and Web 2.0 concepts such as open-sourcing have catapulted us to the verge of a new frontier in aviation.
A European space policy is nearing completion, which should give a more unified voice to activities promoted by the European Union and European Space Agency (ESA) members. At the same time, member states are wrestling with program and funding decisions related to several international activities, particularly potential cooperative endeavors with Russia and the U.S.
Six weeks after he was brought in to turn around Textron Inc.'s struggling Bell Helicopter business, CEO Richard J. Millman is making his first big move. The company last week confirmed it is scrapping development of the Model 417 light helicopter, a derivative of its best-selling Model 407, because of performance shortfalls. Bell had taken 130 orders for the 417, which was launched a year ago and was supposed to enter service in 2008 (AW&ST Mar. 6, 2006, p. 36).
With "going green" all the rage, let's hear it for the Pathfinder Plus, the unmanned solar-electric flying wing that was setting altitude records nearly a decade ago. The fourth of the Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment's creations to enter the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, (its Gossamer Condor "soars" next to the Wright Flyer), the Pathfinder Plus will be housed at the museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. The 694-lb., 121-ft.
AIRSERVICES AUSTRALIA AND HONEYWELL HAVE OFFICIALLY launched two new products intended to bring advanced navigation capability to commercial users worldwide similar to that provided by the U.S. Wide Area Augmentation System, in operation with the FAA, and Local Area Augmentation System, still in development. All of these systems augment GPS to make navigation guidance more precise. The Airservices Australia-Honeywell partnership was announced last year, and has FAA approval.
To submit Aerospace Calendar Listings, Call +1 (212) 904-2421 Fax +1 (212) 904-6068 e-mail: [email protected] Mar. 13--Aerospace States Assn. Hearing. Rayburn House Office Building, Washington. Call +1 (202) 257-4872 or see www.aerostates.org Mar. 13-14--RTCA Inc. Symposium 2007: "OEP-The Bridge to NextGen." Ronald Reagan Building, Washington. Call +1 (202) 833-9339, fax +1 (202) 833-9434 or see www.rtca.org
US Airways and America West units of the Air Line Pilots Assn. (ALPA) on Feb. 28 filed a suit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, demanding that US Airways stop plans to merge the airlines until a single collective bargaining agreement is reached between two pilot groups. This past weekend, US Airways was scheduled to eliminate America West's "HP" code from its reservation system, which in effect merges the carriers.
The Royal Air Force will begin taking delivery of the Lockheed Martin Sniper targeting pod this month. The Sniper is being procured in response to an urgent operational requirement for the Harrier GR9. The RAF has procured two types of laser targeting pod to meet urgent requirements: the Sniper, and the Litening III for its Tornado GR4s. Both types of aircraft now operate with the Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designation pod. The GR9s will use the Sniper in Afghanistan, while the GR4s will fly with the Litening in Iraq.
