The German government says it has found a group of national investors to buy the 7.5% stake in EADS that majority shareholder DaimlerChrysler wants to unload. Daimler has been looking to reduce its 22.5% stake, with Berlin officials keen to have those shares remain in German hands to maintain the balance between Germany and France.
Air Force Aermacchi SF.260E (25) Aerospatiale SA330J (4) Antonov An-32B (4) Bell Helicopter Textron 205A1 (1) Bell Helicopter Textron 206 (12) Bell Helicopter Textron 212 (18) Bell Helicopter Textron 412EP (4) Boeing 727 (7) Boeing 737-200 Adv (1) Boeing 737-247C (1) Boeing 737-300 (1) Boeing 737-300F (1) Boeing 757-225 (1) Boeing C-118 (1) Cessna 182 (66) Cessna 206 (2) Cessna 210 (3)
Dominance of the worldwide fighter aircraft market by U.S. industry for the next several decades is looking less likely than many pundits had predicted. While the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter will no doubt set the standard by which Dassault, Eurofighter and Gripen International will be judged, and that aircraft may well emulate the success of the U.S. manufacturer's ubiquitous F-16, the JSF should not be seen as a virtual shoo-in to fill the requirements of the team of eight nations on its development.
Your editorial "Trying To Keep the Genie in the Bottle" (AW&ST Oct. 16, 2006, p. 82) concludes with the admonition that: "Instead of isolating itself and ignoring current and potential allies, the U.S. should add Russia, China, France, Germany, India and others to a truly meaningful coalition of the willing, one that can negotiate as effectively as it can fight."
Douglas Barrie (London), Robert Wall (Bonn, Germany)
The four Eurofighter nations and industry partners are trying to hammer out a top-level 30-year map for future development and support of the aircraft.
Ronald Silverman (see photo) has been promoted to senior vice president from vice president-client services and Nancy Petersen (see photo) has become vice president-marketing at Cincinnati-based Executive Jet Management. Silverman succeeds Robert Garrymore, who is now sales vice president at parent company NetJets Inc. Petersen was director of marketing and sales support at the Five Seasons division of Corporex.
German aircraft piston engine supplier Thielert says it is beginning 2007 with a strong order backlog and bolstered by the start of series production last quarter of its Centurion 2.0 and 4.0 powerplants. The Centurion 2.0 will be used, for instance, on Cessna 172s and Diamond DA40s and DA42s. The company this year also expects to start supplying engines to General Atomics for its Sky Warrior. The U.S. Army wants to use a heavy-fuel engine for the unmanned aircraft, which Thielert is tapped to provide.
Air Force Aero Vodochody L-39C (1) Aero Vodochody L-39ZA (7) Antonov An-24 (1) Antonov An-26 (1) LET L-410UVP (6) LET L-410UVP-E (1) Mikoyan MiG-29 (10) Mikoyan MiG-29UB (2) Mil Mi-17 (14) Mil Mi-2 (6) Mil Mi-24 (18) Mil Mi-8 (1)
The Office, Crawley Business Quarter, Manor Royal Crawley, West Sussex RH10 2NU, UK Code: VS Employees: 7,393 www.virginatlantic.com Tel. (44) 1293-747-747 Fax (44) 538-337 Ownership: 49% Singapore Airlines; 51% private Executive Management Chairman Richard Branson CEO Steve Ridgway
Information technology has become the essential ingredient for keeping increasingly dispersed global aerospace supply chains connected and enabling new levels of efficiency in lean manufacturing. The biggest mistake that aerospace and defense suppliers can make is failing to recognize the crucial importance of IT to their future, according to Bill Lewandowski, vice president for supplier management of the Aerospace Industries Assn.
U.S. and European Union officials again will try to craft a much needed open skies agreement between the world's two largest aviation markets, but talks promise to be difficult and time is not on the negotiators' side. To a large extent, the U.S. and Europe are back to square one, after the Transportation Dept. ceased efforts to ease restrictions on foreign involvement in U.S. airlines. These efforts were among the main U.S. concessions the Europeans were looking for as part of a proposed open skies agreement presented in late 2005.
2700 Lone Oak Parkway, Eagan, MN 55121, USA Code: NW Employees: 28,500 www.nwa.com Tel. (612) 726-2111 Fax (612) 726-7123 Ownership: 100% publicly traded Executive Management Chairman Gary L. Wilson President, CEO & Director Douglas M. Steenland Executive VP & CFO Neal Cohen
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. plans to acquire 100% of PZL Mielec from the Polish government. Sikorsky officials say PZL will form the foundation of the company's European operations, and plans call for a major upgrade of PZL's facilities in Mielec to support international production of Black Hawk helicopters. PZL is Poland's largest fixed-wing airframer.
Vic Verma has been named CEO of the Savi Group, Sunnyvale, Calif. He was chief executive officer of Savi Technology before it was acquired by the Lockheed Martin Corp. Ron Nakamoto has been appointed chief operating officer and Jerry Lindstrom vice president-business development. Nakamoto was vice president-intelligence systems and Lindstrom vice president-strategic development for Lockheed Martin's Integrated Systems Solutions.
