Lockheed Martin Awarded Concept Development Contract for U.S. Air Force Space Fence

MOORESTOWN, NJ, June 30th, 2009 — The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] a $30 million contract to begin concept development for Space Fence, a system of land-based S-Band radars and supporting operations centers that will detect and report on objects and debris orbiting the Earth.  Lockheed Martin was one of three industry teams to receive contracts.
 
The Air Force Materiel Command’s Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts leads the procurement for Space Fence, which is intended to significantly enhance space situational awareness as legacy systems in the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) are retired.

Under the contract, a Lockheed Martin-led industry team will perform prototyping, design, trade studies and analysis of potential system configurations, concluding with a system design review and final prototyping demonstration.  The contract also includes site and facility surveys, and planning and development of net-centric approaches to integrate with the existing architecture of the SSN.  The remaining effort – through preliminary design review, system development, deployment and follow-on support – will be the subject of future competitive procurements.  The new system’s Initial Operational Capability is scheduled for 2015.

The Lockheed Martin-led team, which includes General Dynamics, AT&T and AMEC, has decades of collective experience in space-related programs including sensors, mission-processing, cataloging, orbital mechanics, net-centric communications and facilities.  A leader in S-Band radar development and production, with more than 100 operational systems deployed worldwide, Lockheed Martin supports a range of critical space command and control programs and contributes to national-level space-related intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.  General Dynamics is an industry-leading developer and provider of mission processing systems and complex antennas and radar structures for space surveillance.  AT&T is a leading systems engineering developer of orbital mechanics and astrodynamics for operational space surveillance and space control.  AMEC is highly experienced in domestic and international design along with engineering services and construction for the U.S. government.

“The ability to detect and to track smaller objects in space will significantly improve mission support for U.S. Air Force space operations in an increasingly complex domain,” said Ms. Linda Haines, Space Fence Program Manager for the Air Force Materiel Command. 

“Space Fence will provide a fully-integrated, net-centric radar ‘system of systems’ that will allow information to be shared on the Global Information Grid with space operators across the community,” noted Carl Bannar, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s radar business headquartered in Syracuse, NY.  “Lockheed Martin will build on our long and established partnership with the Air Force to support operational commanders in meeting the ever-increasing challenges of space situational awareness with a capable, responsive and affordable enterprise solution.”

Source: Lockheed Martin

Boeing Awarded $750M B-52 Engineering Sustainment Contract

WICHITA, Kan., June 30, 2009 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has received a $750 million, 10-year contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide engineering support for the B-52 bomber. Under the Engineering Sustainment Program (ESP) contract, Boeing employees in Wichita, Oklahoma City, and Shreveport, La., will perform engineering assignments that maintain the B-52 as a ready, reliable and viable asset to the Air Force.

“The ESP contract will allow Boeing to continue supporting our customer by sustaining, modernizing and upgrading the B-52 to meet the warfighter’s needs both today and in the future,” said Mike Houk, B-52 Fleet Support Program manager for Boeing. “Boeing employees understand the B-52 as well as anyone in the world, and we look forward to continuing to modernize this fleet of vital aircraft.”

The ESP contract replaces Boeing’s current B-52 fleet support contract and sustains approximately 150 jobs at Boeing facilities in Wichita and Oklahoma City, and at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport. Boeing engineers will support software, communications, avionics and electrical upgrades; structural analysis; rewiring; and other tasks as directed by the Air Force.

“This contract also allows us to provide 24/7 in-flight emergency support to aircrews around the world – the pilots can contact Boeing engineers from the cockpit to troubleshoot and solve problems real-time,” said Houk.

All B-52s in the U.S. inventory were built at and delivered from the Boeing facility in Wichita.

Source: Boeing

Child found alive after plane crashes in sea

(CNN) — A massive rescue effort was under way Tuesday after a young child was found among the wreckage of a downed Yemeni jet off the coast of Comoros in the Indian Ocean.

“One child is alive and we hope to find more,” Yemenia Airways chairman Capt. Abdulkhalek al-Kadi told CNN. The child has been taken to a hospital.

The French Navy is sending ships and a plane to help Yemeni authorities try to find any more survivors, he said.

The Yemenia Airways flight went down early Tuesday in rough weather, carrying 153 people en route to the island nation of Comoros from Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

A reconnaissance plane spotted traces of the Airbus A310-300 in waters off the town of Mitsamiouli early Tuesday, said Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim. Comoros is off the coast of east Africa, between Tanzania and Madagascar.

Al-Kadi blamed the crash on bad weather, noting that there were “high seas and windy weather” at the time.

It is the second crash involving an Airbus jet in a month. On June 1, an Air France Airbus A330 crashed off Brazil while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France. All 228 aboard are presumed dead. The cause remains under investigation.

Former pilot and aviation analyst Capt. John Cox said there are no similarities between the two incidents.

“These are two dramatically different airplanes flown by two different airlines,” Cox told CNN’s “American Morning.”

“The accidents happened at two different regimes of flight. And Airbus has hundreds of millions of hours flying safely. I don’t believe that … we can draw any conclusions because the manufacturer was the same in these two very different types of accidents.”

At first, Comoros officials said there were no signs of survivors among the dead bodies floating in the choppy waters. But then rescuers found the young child.

Cox said it reminded him of the 1987 crash of Northwest Flight 255 in Detroit, Michigan in which only a 4-year-old girl survived, while 156 others died.

“This has come up before and it’s where the toddler was seated (during the impact) that allowed them to survive,” he said.

“It’s a miracle and I’m glad … the toddler is safe. I’m just saddened for the loss of everybody else,” he added.

The Yemeni crash occurred as the plane approached the Hahaya airport in Comoros’ capital, Moroni. The plane tried to land, then performed a U-turn before it crashed, Nadhoim said. Officials did not know why the plane could not land, he said.

There were 142 passengers and 11 crew members aboard, Yemenia Air officials said.

Flight 626 left Sanaa Monday at 9:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) for what was expected to be a four-and-a-half-hour flight. The airline has three regular flights a week to Moroni, off the east coast of Africa, about 2,900 km (1,800 miles) south of Yemen.

The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m., Nadhoim said.

An official at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris said there were 66 French passengers aboard.

There was no indication of foul play behind the crash, the official in Yemen said.

Yemenia Air had used the jet since 1999 on about 17,300 flights, Airbus officials said. The company said it would assist in investigating the crash.

“The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident,” the company said in a statement.

In the wake of the Air France crash on June 1, United States accident investigators have been probing two recent failures of airspeed and altitude indications aboard Airbus A330s.

One flight was between the United States and Brazil in May and the other between Hong Kong and Japan in June. The planes landed safely and there were no injuries or damage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Source: CNN

NB.  The child that seems to have survived the crash is a 14 year old girl (latest news)

EU told Yemenia not to repair its planes

By Tim Hepher

PARIS, June 30 (Reuters) – The Yemeni carrier whose plane crashed off the Indian Ocean archipelago of Comoros on Tuesday had been banned for now from servicing European Union-based jets after failing audit inspections, a European Union agency said.

The move would not have affected the Airbus A310 involved in the Yemenia crash since that plane was registered in Yemen, over which European safety authorities have no jurisdiction.

But it adds to a growing picture of European concerns in advance of the disaster after France said it had barred the same aircraft from its airports and the EU Commission said the plane which crashed had also sparked an EU inquiry two years ago.

The European Aviation Safety Agency, which is responsible for certifying operations outside the EU bloc, granted Yemenia approval to carry out maintenance on EU-registered aircraft in 2006 but suspended this in February, a spokeswoman said.

“These approvals are for maintenance organisations located outside the EU, allowing them to maintain aircraft registered in the EU,” the spokeswoman for the Cologne-based agency said.

“(Yemenia) was suspended at the end of February due to the result of recent audits. Suspended does not mean revoked; it can be reinstated if corrective action is in place,” she added.

She was responding to a Reuters query about details contained in a June 5 regulatory filing.

The suspended authority — known officially as a Part 145 approval — allows non-European companies to carry out maintenance on EU-registered aircraft, often to carry out ad hoc repairs when the aircraft are away from base.

Without the approval, any repairs to European aircraft must be carried out elsewhere.

Major maintenance deals in Yemen’s neighbour United Arab Emirates were signed at the Paris Air Show earlier this month.

U.S.-OWNED

Yemen on Tuesday denied any safety problems with its flag carrier and said its aircraft were always thoroughly maintained.

“Every aircraft before take off must undergo safety measures and full engineering inspections to guarantee the safety of passengers,” undersecretary for the civil aviation authority Ab dul-Rahman Abdul-Qader told Reuters by telephone from Sanaa.

Yemen’s transport minister said the crashed A310 underwent a thorough inspection in May under Airbus (EAD.PA) supervision.

Industry watchers noted Yemenia had a valid safety audit certificate from trade body IATA, of which it is a member.

“These cover the whole range of operations including training and maintenance,” said Paul Hayes, a director and air safety adviser at UK aviation consultancy Ascend.

The aircraft which crashed is registered in Yemen but is indirectly owned by the U.S. government after a federal bailout of insurer AIG (AIG.N), parent of the world’s largest aircraft leasing firm by fleet value, International Lease Finance Corp.

ILFC leased the plane to Yemenia in 1999, industry sources said. The Los Angeles-based company declined to comment.

ILFC is in the process of being sold to raise funds by AIG, which is 80 percent owned by the U.S. government. (Additional reporting by Kyle Peterson, Inal Ersan, Mark John)

Source: Reuters

Yemenia (Yemen Airways) Flight IY626 accident near the Comoro Islands

Blagnac, 30 June 2009

Bombardier Sells Two Q400 NextGen Airliners to Porter

Toronto airline reaches 20 firm orders for Bombardier Q400 aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Porter Airlines of Toronto has placed a firm order for two Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners. The transaction represents the conversion of the last two options of 10 Q400 aircraft which were announced in 2006.  Add the airline’s original firm order for 10 Q400 aircraft, and today’s transaction brings to 20 the number of firm orders placed by Porter.

Based on the list price for the Q400 aircraft, the order announced today is valued at approximately $54 million US.

Porter Airlines began operations from Toronto City Centre Airport on October 23, 2006, serving Ottawa with 10 daily flights. It has since added Montreal, Halifax, Quebec City, New York/Newark, Chicago/Midway and Thunder Bay to its route network, as well as a seasonal service to Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Porter just announced a new service to Boston beginning Sept. 14, and additional frequencies to Montreal and Ottawa.

“We felt from day one that the Bombardier Q400 turboprop was the ideal aircraft for the kind of service we envisaged from our Toronto City Centre Airport base of operations,” said Robert Deluce, President and Chief Executive Officer, Porter Airlines. “The order for two Q400 NextGen aircraft announced today represents our continuing commitment to the aircraft.”

“Porter Airlines’ use of the Q400 aircraft precisely matches the operations for which it was designed,” said Gary R. Scott, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “It has the operating economics, speed and passenger comfort for high-frequency, short- to medium-haul inter-city operations.”

The order announced today increases firm orders for Q400/Q400 NextGen aircraft to 357 aircraft, with 245 delivered as of April 30, 2009.

Source: Bombardier

Photo report of the Paris Air Show 2009.

This year the 100th Paris Air Show, difficult economic times makes this edition a miss for several countries, less new aircraft makes the airshow a bit thin, but never the less a nice series of photo’s came back with us.

To view the photo report, follow this link.

SuperJet International and Malev sign Letter of Intent for 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft

The agreement has a potential value of up to 1 Billion US$.

SuperJet International and Hungarian national carrier Malev signed a Letter of Intent for the purchase of thirty Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.

The L.o.I. has been executed today at the Paris Air Show, by Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of Malév Hungarian Airlines and Alessandro Franzoni, Chief Executive Officer of SuperJet International. The agreement has a potential value of up to 1 Billion US$ (around 710 Million Euro).

Malév is planning to buy Sukhoi Superjet 100s (SSJ100/95) in the 98 seats configuration. The first aircraft will join Malev fleet starting from 2011 with the delivery of six aircraft per year.

“The new Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft characteristics to fly both regional and medium-haul routes, is perfectly matching Malév’s network” said Martin Gauss, CEO of Malev. “In its revised, long-term fleet restructuring programme Malév forecasts that the airline will register growth in the next decade and it will require more aircraft than at present”.

“This announcement is of particular value since it is made during the first international appearance in flight of the SSJ100 at le Bourget” said Alessandro Franzoni, Chief Executive Officer of SuperJet International.

“The execution of this Agreement with a primary and valuable European airline like Malev demonstrates the interest and the confidence that Customers are showing for the SSJ100. Once in operation, airlines will appreciate the great value granted by the SSJ100 in terms of performance, fuel consumption and environmental impact. Moreover, this achievement confirms the value of SuperJet International’ strategy, focused on Customers “super care”, from contract negotiation to continuous after sale support”.

Source: Sukhoi

Red Arrows celebrate Virgin’s 25th birthday

The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, performed a flypast with a Virgin Atlantic 747-400 at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair to celebrate the airline’s 25th birthday yesterday, Sunday 28 June 2009.

Led by Red 1, Wing Commander Jas Hawker, Officer Commanding and Team Leader of the Red Arrows, formed the world-famous ‘Diamond Nine’ with the Virgin Atlantic aircraft – aptly named ‘Birthday Girl’ – as a crowd of over 60,000 watched in amazement.

The Red Arrows released iconic red, white and blue smoke from their nine Hawk aircraft to mark the special occasion as they performed the flypast with ‘Birthday Girl’, skippered by Virgin Atlantic Chief Boeing Pilot Geoff Andreasen at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair.

Wing Commander Jas Hawker said:

“The team were very proud to celebrate the 25th birthday of Virgin Atlantic at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair to highlight the success of a world-renowned great British company. We hope the many thousands of visitors to the show enjoyed the unique spectacle.”

Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, said:

“This is a welcome and valued honour for our 25th birthday celebrations and I am very proud that one of our fleet of Boeing 747s has performed the flypast at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair with the world-famous Red Arrows team.”

Colin Hitchins, Chief Executive of Biggin Hill International Air Fair, said:

“We are delighted that the celebratory Virgin Atlantic 25th birthday flypast with the Red Arrows took place at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair.

“Not only was the flypast a highlight of this year’s event, it rates very highly amongst the best moments in the show’s 47-year history.”

The Red Arrows are renowned throughout the world, acting as ambassadors for Great Britain when displaying overseas. They also support UK industry by demonstrating the capabilities of British equipment and expertise.

The Royal Air Force has some 3,000 servicemen and women deployed overseas on operations at any one time. Many of the Red Arrows’ pilots and support staff have recently returned from Afghanistan and Iraq and many will be temporarily sent on operations overseas during their time with the Red Arrows.

As soon as they leave the team, all will return to duties which directly support the Royal Air Force’s operational commitments around the world.

Source: RAF

Northrop Grumman and U.S. Air Force Unveil Next-Generation of High-Flying Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Air Force unveiled the next-generation of high-flying unmanned aircraft – the RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk – in a ceremony today at Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility.

Photos and video accompanying this release are available at http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/.

“This unveiling of the first of 15 Block 40 aircraft is a significant step to fielding Global Hawk to Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, in 2010 and reaffirms our excellent track record of delivering Global Hawks since low rate production began,” said Duke Dufresne, sector vice president for Northrop Grumman Aerospace System’s Strike and Surveillance Systems Division. “Carrying an advanced, all-weather multi-platform radar technology insertion program (MP-RTIP) sensor, the Block 40 aircraft will provide game-changing situational awareness for our warfighters with its unprecedented capability to detect, track and identify stationary and moving targets.”

Use of the MP-RTIP sensor on the Block 40 Global Hawks marks the first time the active electronic scanned array (AESA) technology has been used on a high-altitude unmanned aircraft. AESA technology provides all-weather, day-night synthetic aperture radar mapping and ground moving target indicator capability.

“The Global Hawk system is in high demand by joint warfighters overseas, having successfully flown more than 31,000 hours since 2001,” said Steve Amburgey, Global Hawk program director for the 303rd Aeronautical Systems Group at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. “Congratulations to the entire Global Hawk team for continuing to provide our service men and women with a reliable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system.”

Designated AF-18, this Block 40 aircraft was the 27th Global Hawk built since the program’s inception in 1995 and is scheduled to begin flight testing next month.

“This magnificent aircraft represents the future of Grand Forks Air Force Base. This and the rest of the Block 40 fleet will make significant contributions to the safety and security of our nation for years to come,” said Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota. “I look forward to seeing this airframe on the Grand Forks ramp next year.”

Global Hawk’s range, endurance and large payload capabilities are well suited to support a variety of customers and missions, including environmental and Earth science research, homeland security, border and coastal patrol, hurricane and fire monitoring, and other disaster relief support activities. Global Hawk effectively provided imagery of the California wildfires in 2007 and 2008, and of Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Flying at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for more than 32 hours per sortie at speeds approaching 340 knots, the MP-RTIP-equipped Block 40 Global Hawk can persistently see through most type of weather, day or night. As the world’s first fully autonomous high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system, Global Hawk is the platform of choice for a wide variety of sensors, foreign and domestic, meeting the global need for persistent ISR.

Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the Global Hawk and MP-RTIP programs and continues to move these technologies forward under the stewardship of the Air Force’s Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and the Electronic Systems Center, located at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. Northrop Grumman’s Norwalk, Conn., facility is the principal MP-RTIP radar developer along with principal subcontractor, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, El Segundo. The development MP-RTIP sensor is undergoing a radar system level performance verification on a surrogate aircraft, and will be integrated into AF-18 for an operational evaluation.

Source: Northrop Grumman

Boeing Joins the Wing to Body for First 747-8 Freighter

EVERETT, Wash., June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed another milestone in the assembly of its first 747-8 Freighter by joining the wing to the fuselage. Workers attached the 40-foot (12 m) fuselage section to the center wing box in the final assembly bay at the factory in Everett, Wash. The wing and center section are now being prepared for final body join, when the assembly will be connected to the forward and aft fuselage sections.

“We continue to gain momentum on the assembly of the first 747-8 Freighter,” said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 Program. “The airplane is coming together well and will be ready to fly later this year as planned. This will be a great freighter, which will build on the 747 family’s leadership in the cargo market.”

The 747-8 Freighter is the new high-capacity 747 that will give cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter airplane, while providing enhanced environmental performance. The 747-8 Freighter will offer 16 percent more revenue cargo volume than the 747-400 Freighter. The airplane will carry forward its predecessor’s efficiency, with nearly equivalent trip costs and 16 percent lower ton-mile costs than the 747-400 Freighter. In fact, the 747-8 Freighter will enjoy the lowest ton-mile costs of any freighter.

The 747 Program has secured 78 orders from leading cargo operators for the new 747-8 Freighter. Cargolux, Nippon Cargo Airlines, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air all have placed orders for the airplane.

Source: Boeing

Boeing Connects 1st F-15E Simulators to US Air Force’s Worldwide Training Network

ST. LOUIS, June 29, 2009 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] has connected the F-15E Mission Training Center (MTC) at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to the U.S. Air Force’s Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON), enabling F-15E pilots at the base to train virtually with pilots located around the world for the first time. Mountain Home is the first of three F-15E training centers Boeing will link to the network this year.

Distributed Missions Operations (DMO) provides an advanced training environment where simulators, flown by front-line aircrew, are linked via the DMON from their home bases.

“This new capability allows F-15E aircrews to train in an environment that mimics their integrated operational environment,” said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president for Training Systems and Services. “It provides realistic training at a fraction of the cost of live-fly training exercises, which require you to bring all of your personnel and aircraft together in one location.”

Boeing is scheduled to complete its next two DMO installations at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and Royal Air Force Lakenheath MTCs this fall.

“DMO adds the variability that human beings can bring to the training scenario, providing a much more realistic training experience than with computer-generated entities alone,” added McGraw.

The Boeing-developed and -operated F-15E MTC provides aircrews with high-fidelity, simulator-based training without the materials, personnel costs and environmental impact associated with training in operational aircraft.

Source: Boeing

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