Tired of cost and schedule overruns, the U.K. Defense Ministry is applying top-level oversight on troubled programs to force companies to cure persistent ills. Unfortunately, in one of the first test cases—the Watchkeeper unmanned aircraft program—that strategy has not panned out.
Jan. 24-25—SMI Conferences' Joint Forces Simulation & Training. Grange City Hotel, London. Call +44 (207) 827-6000 or see www.jointforcestraining.com Jan. 28—American Heroes Air Show. Lee County Sports Complex, Fort Myers, Fla. See www.heroes-airshow.com/fortmyers/ Jan. 31-Feb. 2—Aerial Refueling Systems Advisory Group's Winter Planning Meeting. Hilton Palacio del Rio, San Antonio. Call +1 (937) 431-8106 or see www.arsaginc.com
Lockheed Martin is putting NASA's first Orion multipurpose crew vehicle through ground test at its facility near Denver. Lockheed Martin photographer Patrick H. Corkery shot the ground test article in an acoustic chamber, with and without the ogive that would protect it from the plume of the launch abort system at the top if it is needed to pull the capsule off a failing launch vehicle. Then he digitally blended the two photos to get the see-through effect on the cover image. Next up will be system vibration testing on the crew module.
Just in time to help carry out new defense priorities and changes that the White House and Pentagon announced last week, the four-star chief of the National Guard has taken his seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The move marks the first significant change to the Joint Chiefs since the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, and brings full and equal Joint Chiefs representation to a part-time element of the military that not only is not a free-standing armed service, but is also shared with state governors. The move caps a decade-long effort.
The British government plans to set up a technology center to foster work on satellite applications. In a wide-ranging speech aimed at laying out the government's plans to improve science and technology, Science Minister David Willetts tells the Policy Exchange that the satellite effort “will provide business with access to in-orbit test facilities to develop and demonstrate new satellite technologies. It will also provide access to advanced systems for data capture and analysis, supporting the development of new services delivered by satellites.
Bell Helicopter has entered final negotiations for the sale of 15 429s to the Turkish National Police, the company reports. The 429 is a new entrant in the light twin-engine helicopter market and the company sees Turkey's selection “as a significant win in the European market.”
Kent Renner (see photo) has been named senior VP-chief accounting officer of Buchanan, Mich.-based XPO Logistics. He was global controller with GE Energy Services.
The past year has seen a lot of turbulence in the stock market, but there have been a few bright spots for investors in aerospace and defense companies. Shares in suppliers of aerospace components fared particularly well in 2011 as Airbus and Boeing ramped up output, and soaring order numbers added to the airframers' already bulging backlogs. Notable performers among suppliers include Hexcel (up 34%), TransDigm Group (33%), Triumph Group (31%), Sifco Industries (23%), Rolls-Royce (20%), Precision Castparts (18%), Safran (12%) and Moog (10%).
Chinese airlines are refusing to pay EU charges on carbon dioxide emissions and say Beijing is planning unspecified countermeasures against the policy. The carriers are also considering legal action against the EU, says Chai Haibo, deputy secretary-general of the China Air Transport Association.
I agree with reader Todd Fredricks' comments about the T-38 (AW&ST Dec. 19/26, 2011, p. 8). A logical replacement for the trainer would be the supersonic F-5F, which is equipped with an internal M-39 20-mm cannon and two engines, and can expend a wide variety of air-to-air/air-to-ground ordnance. The F-5F also carries the AN/APQ-159 X-band air-to-air search, range and angle tracking radar with off boresight acquisition capability. Maintenance costs for the aircraft are similar. Years ago, Northrop prototyped composite components for the F-5—now mothballed.
When Obama signed into law the defense authorization act, he also took a baby step toward expanding the use of UAVs inside the U.S. civil airspace. As part of the New Year's law, Congress directed the Pentagon, with help from the FAA and other agencies, to assess how fast the integration is taking place and look at the potential for creating test ranges to speed up the process.
The president's appointment of three new members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) could disrupt a delicate agreement on the FAA reauthorization bill. The current bill extending the agency's operating authority expires Jan. 31, and Congress has a limited number of days in session to pass an agreement this month. Congressional leaders have been negotiating a final deal that would allow the first full-fledged FAA bill since 2007 to finally pass, but labor issues have been key sticking points.
Eliminating duplicated maintenance required by different regulatory agencies could take billions of dollars out of maintenance and engineering work for leased aircraft when they transfer across borders. That's not a typo—it's billions. Given that leased aircraft comprise about 40% of the world's total commercial fleet, and that figure continues to climb, these costs if not corrected will grow with the leased fleet.
Stefan Gardefjord (see photo) will join the Swedish Space Corp. in Solna as CEO on May 1. He will succeed Lars Persson, who is moving on after five years in the role. Gardefjord is CEO of Logica Sweden.
NASA's twin Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (Grail) spacecraft straddled the New Year as they eased into orbit around the Moon, where they will provide the most detailed gravity maps available and important clues to the origins of Earth's big satellite. Before the mission is over, the two spacecraft will also give thousands of middle-school students some hands-on experience in space research. After spending 3.5 months on a low-energy trajectory that started with a tandem launch Sept. 10, 2011, the first of the Grail orbiters braked into lunar orbit at 5 p.m.
Nick Whitney (see photo) has been appointed managing director of the Operational Support Services unit of Marshall Aerospace, Cambridge, England. He comes from AgustaWestland, where he handled all business with the U.K. Defense Ministry.
President Barack Obama's changing of the Pentagon's global military focus from Europe to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions could breathe new life into dormant plans for a new stealthy bomber, and fuel the development of improved intelligence and surveillance aircraft and ballistic- and cruise-missile defenses around the globe.
