A U.S. court upheld new Transportation Department rules that require airlines to include all government-imposed taxes and fees in their advertised fares and let most customers cancel a reservation without penalty for 24 hr. after booking. But the ramifications of the court's decision extend beyond those new requirements, which already have been implemented. By upholding the scope of the department's authority, the U.S.
France and the U.K. have yet to sign an agreement affirming cooperation on a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), but the two countries did take a step toward closer defense ties during bilateral talks in London last week. During a meeting between French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his U.K. counterpart, Philip Hammond, France agreed to conduct operational trials of the Thales-built Watchkeeper tactical UAV through mid-2013, at which point the French are likely to purchase the multi-sensor, all-weather system.
Operators and OEMs are lining up against the FAA over a proposed Boeing 757 airworthiness directive (AD) that they see as an unsubstantiated shift in the agency's view on the likelihood of fuel tank explosions on older freighters—a change that could have broader rulemaking ramifications.
Aerojet and Rocketdyne trace their roots to the dawn of the space age, with both companies building the engines that powered multiple generations of ICBMs and manned space vehicles. But the long-term outlook for both suppliers became clouded in recent years with the sharp decline in the demand for government launch services and the advent of new, lower-cost rivals, such as Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).
“Where the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) faltered, can private enterprise succeed?” asks Senior Editor Graham Warwick. He reports on Flight Of The Century's (FOTC) flight of a modified Rutan Long-EZ with which it plans to set electric-aircraft speed and altitude records en route to its goal of developing an “infinite-range” aircraft and attempting an all-electric transatlantic flight to demo its technology.
The U.S. Justice Department and the European Commission have given final approvals to United Technologies Corp.'s acquisition of Goodrich, clearing the way for UTC to close on the $18.4 billion mega-merger, strengthening its position as a commercial aircraft powerhouse. UTC CEO Louis Chenevert told analysts late last week that his company expects to generate $8 billion in synergies this year from the merger, which was announced in September 2011.
There are not many secret technologies or materials in the jet engine business. All the major engine makers are working with exotic materials in the search for weight savings, emissions reductions, coatings that extend life cycles and technologies that allow faster production of complex parts. The question is always when new technology and/or materials are ready to move from the laboratory into production.
Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington), Michael Mecham (San Francisco)
For Sally Ride, who died July 23, 2012, of pancreatic cancer, being the first U.S. woman in space was only the beginning of a long and productive career.
Gabriel Maestracci has been promoted to regional director for Latin America for Cirrus Aircraft, Duluth, Minn., from manager of the international sales center for Venezuela and Colombia.
Michael Nadal has been appointed global accounts manager of Associated Global Systems, New Hyde Park, N.Y. He held a managerial position in the Expedited Services Div. of ABF Freight Systems.
India will soon release a request for proposals (RFP) for 56 cargo aircraft for its air force to replace its aging fleet of BAE Systems Avros, according to a defense ministry official. The final approval for expanding the cargo fleet of the Indian air force (IAF), estimated at $2.5 billion, was provided during a meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council headed by Defense Minister A.K. Antony last week. The RFP “. . . will make it clear to foreign players that they will have to select an Indian partner for this project,” he says.
WASHINGTON - Small satellites, once the realm of one-off low-budget science missions and undergraduate engineering classes, have come full circle with the growing realization among hard-pressed, high-end users that the little birds can do the big jobs, too. (Cubesat image: Raytheon)
David Fulghum's “Fragile China” (AW&ST June 4/11, p. 69) outlines a concern about the “threatening” cybersecurity initiatives of China and underscores the current strategic inflection of the U.S. and the world toward the Asia-Pacific region. Cyberweaponry is obviously more quickly achievable for China than its military's lagging, reverse-engineering-based developments such as aircraft carriers and indigenous “fifth-generation” fighters.
After dueling foreign policy speeches before the Veterans of Foreign Wars last week, the U.S. presidential candidates unleashed their surrogates on Washington, where a discussion at the Brookings Institution underscored both candidates' inability to answer questions on defense spending.
The A400M airlifter has been through more than its fair share of development and cost issues on the road to service entry, but with its operational debut on the horizon, Airbus Military is gearing up for a hectic final phase of military-specific testing.
After years of little presidential attention during the last administration, aerospace and defense industry executives are now more in the loop with top Pentagon officials—but they don't feel any better. In the latest in a series of get-togethers, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and several CEOs and trade organization leaders sat down last week to discuss the so-called sequestration budget cuts that are set to take effect in January. But from reports of the meeting, neither side walked away with answers or reasons to feel less anxious.
Aug. 7-10—Association of Unmanned Systems North America 2012 Exhibition. Mandalay Bay Hotel. Las Vegas. See www.auvsishow.org/auvsi2012 Aug. 13-14—Bombardier 2012 Safety Standdown Latin America. Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo Hotel. See www.safetystanddown.com Aug. 13-16—American Institute Aeronautical and Astronautics/American Astronautical Society's Astrodynamics Specialist Conference. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. See www.aiaa.org
In all the jabbering that followed Hawker Beechcraft's remarkable announcement that it planned to sell itself to a Chinese mogul, one revelation resonated especially: If the deal does not proceed, the company will shut down jet production.
Politics—not policy or technology—is proving to be the biggest obstacle to developing alternative-fuel programs for the military that could prove to be successful commercial energy alternatives, says Phyllis Cuttino, director of the Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate. The Pentagon is employing and deploying ships and aircraft using sound technology for alternative energy, particularly biofuels, Cuttino says.
Damon D'Agostino has been appointed chief commercial officer of CIT Aerospace of New York. Based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he has covered global marketing and sales functions. Gwyn Scourfield has become senior VP and global head of marketing. He was senior regional director for marketing in Dublin. And, Steve Mason has joined CIT in New York as VP-aircraft analysis. He was an executive at International Aero Engines and Rolls-Royce.
