The L-39 family includes two-seat trainers and single-seat light-attack aircraft; all are single-engine-powered. The most recent version is the L-159 and although the aircraft is still available for order, no new ones have been produced since 2003. Power for the L-159 is provided by a 6,300-lb.-thrust ITEC (Honeywell/AIDC) F124-GA-100 turbofan engine. The maiden flight of the L-39 occurred in 1968, with the L-159 following with its first flight in 1997 and first delivery in 1999. About 2,800 of the nearly 3,000 aircraft produced remain in service worldwide.
Brian J. Sinnwell has been appointed deputy executive director of planning and engineering and Timothy N. Haizlip maintenance director for the Louisville (Ky.) Regional Airport Authority. Sinnwell succeeds Karen A. Scott, who has retired. Sinnwell was director of planning and facilities at the Lehigh Northampton (Pa.) Airport Authority. Haizlip held the same position for the Capital Region Airport Authority in Lansing, Mich. Lesa Seibert has been named to the board of directors. She is president of Xstreme Media in Louisville.
The UH-60/S-70 Black Hawk series is a family of single-main-rotor, twin-turbine, medium-lift military transport and utility helicopters. The latest version is the UH-60M, powered by two 2,215-shp GE T700-GE-701D turboshafts. The UH-60 family also includes the new S-70i model, which undergoes final assembly at Sikorsky subsidiary PZL Mielec in Poland. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produces the Black Hawk under license in Japan. Through 2012, Sikorsky and Mitsubishi produced more than 3,110 Black Hawks.
The Mirage 2000 is a strike/reconnaissance aircraft. First flight occurred in 1978, with production running through 2007. Early aircraft of the type were powered by a Snecma M53-5 augmented turbofan (19,840 lb. thrust), while later aircraft were fitted with an M53-P2 augmented turbofan (21,385 lb. thrust). Single-seat interceptor and two-seat nuclear strike fighter variants were available. Some 607 Mirage 2000s were produced.
The W-3 Sokol is a medium, twin-engine multirole helicopter. Since its first flight in 1979, the Sokol has been built in a variety of variants, including the W-3RM search-and-rescue and W-3WA armed-combat versions. The W-3 is powered by two PZL-Rzeszow PZL-10W turboshafts rated at 900 shp each for takeoff. Through 2012, approximately 160 W-3s were built for military and civil customers and, from 2013 through 2022, another 49 W-3s are forecast be built.
Sukhoi is developing the single-seat, twin-engine T-50 to meet the Russian air force's PAK FA requirement for a new fighter aircraft. The initial T-50 prototype made its first flight in January 2010. A second prototype joined the flight-test program in March 2011. A third prototype took to the air in November 2011, followed by a fourth in December 2012. These aircraft are fitted with the Saturn 117 turbofan engine, which is to be used on initial production T-50s. Later production T-50s are to be powered by a new engine being developed by United Engine Corp.
The A400M is a four-engine, turboprop-powered military transport aircraft whose first flight occurred in December 2009. The aircraft is powered by four Europrop International TP400-D6 turboprop engines rated at 11,000 shp each, and has a maximum payload capacity of 81,600 lb. Seven European nations are participating in the A400M program: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the U.K. The seven nations intend to acquire a total of 170 A400Ms. Malaysia joined its European counterparts in the development effort in 2005, and will acquire four A400Ms.
The A330 MRTT is a military tanker/transport version of the Airbus A330-200 commercial airliner. The twin-engine A330 MRTT is powered by either Rolls-Royce Trent 700 or General Electric CF6-80E1 turbofan engines. Eighteen green airframes were produced for conversion through August 2012. An additional 12 are forecast to be built in the 2013-22 period.
The piston-powered CL-215 amphibian aircraft first flew in 1967, finding primary use as a firefighting platform, though the aircraft could also be used in other applications such as transport, maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue. Production of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA3-powered aircraft ended in 1989, with 125 produced. A new variant, the Bombardier 415, is currently in production and is powered by PW123AF turboprop engines. Eighty-three 415s were built through 2012. An additional 31 are forecast for production in 2013-22.
International Space Station occupancy temporarily surged to nine people on Nov. 7, with the launch and docking of the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft. Onboard was a crew of three, including veteran aerospace engineer Koichi Wakata, who is slated to become the first Japanese commander of the orbiting science lab in March.
The AMX is a counter-air and close air support aircraft powered by a single 11,030-lb-thrust Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 807 non-afterburning turbofan. Alenia and Aermacchi (then independent companies) initially pursued separate designs for Italy's required attack/support aircraft, but began collaborating in 1978. Embraer joined the team in 1980. The resulting single-seat aircraft made its maiden flight in 1984, with deliveries beginning in 1989. A two-seat trainer variant, the AMX-T, flew in 1990.
The Sikorsky CH-53 and MH-53 are three-engine, heavy-lift transport and special-purpose helicopters. They were initially developed out of twin-turboshaft models. Power for the CH-53E and MH-53E models is provided by three GE T64-GE-416 or -419 turboshaft engines rated at 4,380 shp and 4,750 shp, respectively. Sikorsky produced 177 CH-53Es, 48 MH-53Es and 11 S-80s (export version) through the end of production in 1999. In January 2006, the U.S. Navy selected Sikorsky to begin preliminary design work on the CH-53K, a new model for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Robert A. Kromer has been appointed senior vice president-sales and marketing for Blackhawk Modifications, Waco, Texas. He has held executive positions with Cessna Aircraft, Sino-Swearingen, Mooney Aircraft and Piper Aircraft. Honors And Elections
A Senate panel on aviation led by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) convenes this week to discuss how to keep aviation manufacturing in the U.S. competitive. But competition in the increasingly global airline and aerospace industries is in the eye of the beholder. U.S. unionized pilots and flight attendants are scrutinizing how Norwegian Air Shuttle proceeds with its latest round of contract negotiations. The contract talks represent a test case for the U.S.-EU Open Skies agreement in 2010, which allows more European flights into the U.S.
President Barack Obama entered office pledging to improve the nation's relations with key allies. But with ongoing UAV strikes, revelations of National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance of allies' leaders and continued detentions of terror suspects at the Guantanamo Bay prison, even Obama's supporters concede his image campaign hasn't worked out. “The level of support for the U.S. is back to where it was in the [George W.] Bush administration,” says Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.).
Maureen Del Duca (see photo) has become vice president/deputy general counsel for litigation and investigations for the Falls Church, Va.-based Northrop Grumman Corp. She was senior vice president/deputy general counsel for litigation and chief ethics and compliance officer for AOL.
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have won contracts under the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (Darpa) classified Endurance program to develop pod-mounted lasers to protect aircraft from electro-optical/infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles. The program is expected to develop a miniaturized, low-maintenance laser and lightweight, highly agile beam control for tracking, identification and engagement of dynamic targets.
Ryan Miller (see photo) has been appointed vice president-investor relations for Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He succeeds Steve Buesing, who will become vice president/controller of the Commercial Systems business. Miller was controller for operations.
With a record undelivered backlog of more than 3,400 737s on its books, Boeing says it will increase production to 47 aircraft per month in 2017, the fastest rate ever implemented for any airliner. The move, which has been anticipated for some time, comes as Boeing prepares to ramp-up production of the existing 737 Next-Generation model to 42 per month in the first half of 2014 and begin assembly of the follow-on 737 MAX family.
Biologists tell us complex eyeballs first appeared in the Cambrian era, more than 500 million years ago, as the evolutionary value of making sense of the light waves bouncing around in the atmosphere began to manifest in the relatively primitive creatures alive then. Over time, experts say, the eye has evolved as many as 100 different times, demonstrating the persistent importance of sight as a tool for survival.
Picture this scenario: An adversary nation with an in-depth air defense system and counter-low-observable capability has tested and deployed an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon, disabling a U.S. satellite in the process.
Hoping to gain entry into a potential U.S. market for nontoxic “green” satellite thrusters, the Swedish National Space Board will permit NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to ground-test environmentally friendly propulsion technology already flight-tested on a European spacecraft. Under the bilateral cooperative agreement, Sweden's Ecaps company will deliver 5N and 22N High Performance Green Propulsion thrusters to Goddard, which will oversee hot-fire testing and range-safety analysis. The Swedish technology is based on ammonium dinitride.
