Saudi to spend $666 mln on airport expansion

JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia is spending 2.5 billion riyals ($666.7 million) to expand the kingdom’s airports, the state news-agency SPA reported on Sunday.

“These projects include the development, creation and expansion of 23 airports, locally, that will serve around 9 million travellers annually,” SPA stated.

The projects include the creation of a new 20 million riyal airport in Taif, located on the Western mountains, as well as a 300 million riyal expansion of the Najran airport in the south to be completed next year.

Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, boosted its spending on infrastructure, education and healthcare last year in order to stimulate the economy during the global financial crisis.

The country has vowed to spend more than $400 billion as part of its plans to diversify the economy and upgrade its infrastructure, creating more jobs for its growing population of 18 million Saudis.

Source: business.maktoob.com

SECOND GULFSTREAM G650 FLIES FOR FIRST TIME

SAVANNAH, Ga., February 26, 2010 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), announced today that a second ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 has completed its first flight.

The second test article — known as T2 — took off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 12:50 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, with senior experimental test pilots Gary Freeman and Scott Buethe in the cockpit. The aircraft flew for 2 hours and 33 minutes, reaching an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,278 m) and a speed of Mach 0.80 before landing back in Savannah.

In a company first, both G650 flight-test aircraft — T2 and T1 — were airborne simultaneously and were tracked by dual telemetry facilities in real time.

“T2 performed extremely well during the initial tests of its integrated flight control system and handling,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “We plan to make half a dozen flights to assess basic system functionality before proceeding to more intensive testing.”

“The conditions were very gusty and blustery, yet T2, like T1, handled great,” said Freeman. “To control the aircraft precisely requires small, light control input from the pilot. It’s an easy jet to fly.”

The G650 flight-test and certification plan involves five aircraft and an estimated 1,800 hours of testing. Each aircraft is used for a specific series of tests, with T1 focused on performance and flight controls, T2 on systems and T3 on avionics. The two production aircraft in the test program — P1 and P2 — will be used to evaluate the interior systems and reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSMs), respectively.

T1, which spent approximately six hours in the air on Thursday, has completed 18 flights over more than 43 hours. The aircraft has reached a maximum speed of Mach 0.90 and a top altitude of 47,000 feet (14,326 m). Test pilots are progressively opening the flight envelope in conjunction with load testing of a ground-test airframe designated S6.

Gulfstream expects to receive concurrent G650 certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2011.

Gulfstream announced the G650 program on March 13, 2008. On Sept. 29, 2009, the aircraft rolled out under its own power in front of a crowd of more than 7,000 people. It completed its first flight on Nov. 25, 2009, and remains on schedule for entry-into-service in 2012.

The G650 offers the longest range at the fastest speed in its class. Powered by best-in-class Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, the business jet is capable of traveling 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km) at Mach 0.85 and has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925.

Apaches take less aggressive role in Iraq

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELATA, Iraq — As the role of U.S. forces turns from a kinetic, action-oriented posture to a supporting role for the Iraqi Army and Police, unit missions must also adapt to the changes.

For the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 130th Aviation Regiment, from Morrisville, N.C., this means turning their advanced capabilities from shooting to observing.

The AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter, a staple of the 1st ARB, is now turning its advanced cameras and maneuverability to providing another view from the air for U.S. and Iraqi ground forces.

Though still able to engage targets, pilots are finding their missions becoming less visible, said 1st Lt. Chris Miller, commander, Company C, 1st ARB.

“As we’re withdrawing from Iraq and putting more responsibility on the security forces of Iraq, the Apaches are performing less of an attack role and more of a recon role,” said Miller. “Again, we’re the attack recon battalion, but as of now most of our missions are recon.”

Miller, a native of Caysville, Utah, said that the Apache pilots communicate with Iraqi forces through the U.S. forces on the ground. With the upcoming elections, this communication becomes even more necessary to keeping track of potential threats and security issues.

“As the elections come closer, obviously security is going to become more and more important,” Miller said. “Violence will be increasing, so the Apaches will be in the air more, covering larger areas for longer periods of time.”

With the reduction of the U.S. combat role in Iraq, Miller said that the advice he would give any unit that comes after him is to be flexible.

“Every day we got two-to-three mission sets where we’re called to fly,” he said. “And almost every day we’re called off to do something else. If an IED detonates, we could be called to support in that area. If a FOB [Forward Operating Base] gets attacked, we’ll fly there to look at the sites. Flexibility is the most important thing we can use in mission planning.”

Source:  U.S. Army
Photo: Rob Vogelaar

Winner of €10,000 Ryanair scratch card eats winning ticket

1.      An Anger Management Charity 2.      An Eating Disorder Charity 3.      A Gamblers Charity 4.      A Disruptive Children’s Charity 5.      A Mental Health Charity

 

Northrop Grummans Bat(TM) Unmanned Aircraft System Successfully Completes First Flight

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Northrop Grumman Corporation  announced today that it has flown the first in a new series of Bat™ unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in January. Configured with a 12-foot wingspan, the Bat™-12 incorporates a highly-reliable Hirth engine as well as a low acoustic signature five-blade propeller. The new configuration increases the mission portfolio of Northrop Grumman’s scalable Bat™ UAS product line. Northrop Grumman has been engaged in the development of unmanned systems for more than sixty years, delivering more than 100,000 unmanned solutions to military customers across the world.

Since acquiring the Bat™ product line from Swift Engineering in April 2009, Northrop Grumman has implemented an aggressive demonstration schedule for the Bat™ family of aircraft to expand flight operations and military utility for numerous tactical missions. During recent testing, the 12-foot and 10-foot wingspan Bat™ were each successfully launched from an AAI Shadow® UAS launcher and autonomously operated from a single ground control station before recovery via net. As a communications relay using Northrop Grumman’s Software Defined Tactical Radio, Bat™ has also demonstrated its capacity to provide beyond line-of-sight tactical communications relay for ground forces in denied environments, a critical role in irregular warfare.

Recently, the Bat™ UAS has been integrated and tested with new payloads and systems including a T2 Delta dual payload micro-gimbal from Goodrich Corporation’s Cloud Cap Technology Inc., Sentient Vision Systems’ Kestral real-time moving target indicator, and short wave infrared camera from Goodrich. In February, payload integration and testing was expanded to include ImSAR’s Nano-SAR-B fused with Cloud Cap’s T2 gimbal in a cursor-on-target acquisition mode.

Ideally suited to an irregular warfare environment, Bat™offers real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications relay, and future capabilities in a modular system that is affordable, organic, persistent, runway independent, and fully autonomous.  

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.

Bat™ is a wholly owned trademark of Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Boeing Signs AU$44M Contract Expansion for Australian Army Rotary Wing Support

OAKEY, Queensland, Feb. 26, 2010 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] has signed an AU$44 million change proposal with the Commonwealth of Australia to increase the scope of the Army Aviation Training and Training Support (AATTS) contract.

Awarded the contract in 2007, Boeing subsidiary Boeing Defence Australia has been supporting the Australian Army’s Black Hawk and Kiowa helicopters with pilot, aircrew and technician training, operational fleet maintenance, and support services at the Army Aviation Training Centre in Oakey.

Following detailed operational reviews, the Commonwealth and Boeing Defence Australia changed the scope of the AATTS contract to reflect the Army’s current and future aircrew training requirements. Under the updated contract, Boeing Defence Australia is additionally responsible for delivering:

• The Initial Army Pilot Helicopter Qualification Course, using the B-206 Kiowa
• 85 percent of S-70A-9 Black Hawk pilot training
• CH-47 Chinook helicopter instructor and technician training.

The $44 million agreement also includes the Commonwealth’s first one-year extension of AATTS, continuing the contract until September 2013. The original AATTS contract includes five one-year extension options.

“The Commonwealth’s decision to both increase the scope of AATTS and extend the contract until 2013 reinforces Boeing Defence Australia’s position as the preeminent ab-initio ['from the beginning'] training provider to the Australian Defence Force,” said Mark Brownsey, Boeing Defence Australia senior manager for Global Services & Support — Training Operations.

“To date, Boeing Defence Australia has exceeded all Australian Army training and maintenance requirements, including standing up the entire program on time, completing 100 percent of training courses on schedule, supporting close to 7,000 training sorties annually, and providing maintenance support to the Australian Defence Force Kiowa fleet, which recently achieved more than 50,000 flight hours,” said Matthew Sibree, Boeing Defence Australia AATTS project manager. “To ensure AATTS continues on time and on budget, 20 additional employees will be hired on to the 160-strong team to ensure we meet our customer’s expectations.”

The updated AATTS contract will further strengthen Boeing Defence Australia’s training capability while ensuring the Australian Army maintains a constant supply of qualified helicopter pilots, aircrew and technicians to conduct complex helicopter missions in support of domestic and global operations.

Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company and a business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, is a leading Australian aerospace enterprise. With a world-class team of nearly 2,000 employees at 13 locations throughout Australia and two international sites, Boeing Defence Australia supports some of the largest and most complex defense projects in Australia.

Picture: Army Aviation Australia
Source: Boeing

Plane crashes over Peru geoglyphs

(CNN) — Seven people, mostly tourists, were killed Thursday when a small plane crashed in southern Peru, near the famous Nazca Lines, the official Andina news agency reported, citing Nazca police.

The morning accident happened during a flyover of the mysterious geoglyphs in the sand that are one of Peru’s largest tourist attractions. The drawings, some of which are miles long, can best be appreciated from the sky.

Three Chilean tourists, three Peruvian tourists, including a child, and the pilot were killed, Andina reported.

The plane belonged to Nazca Airlines, which had not made a statement as of Thursday afternoon.

Source: CNN

FALCON 9 VERTICAL AT THE CAPE

 

Taking the rocket vertical was the most recent milestone in a series of key launch prep activities at the Cape in recent weeks. Prior to this, SpaceX fully integrated all flight hardware, mating the first stage, second stage and Dragon qualification spacecraft in the SpaceX hangar at SLC-40.

Falcon 9 flight hardware undergoing final integration in the hangar at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral launch site in Florida. Components include: Dragon spacecraft qualification unit (l), second stage with Merlin Vacuum engine (ctr), first stage with nine Merlin 1C engines (r). Credit: SpaceX

Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft fully integrated in the SpaceX hangar at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Cape Canaveral, FL. Credit: Chris Thompson/SpaceX

We then raised the entire vehicle and placed it on to the mobile transporter. The following days involved connecting the vehicle to the transporter’s support systems, including lines for RP-1 fuel, liquid oxygen (LOX), gaseous helium and nitrogen, as well as numerous electrical and data connections.

These attach to the vehicle through three umbilical connectors – two at the base of the first stage on opposite sides, and one at the top of the interstage that supplies the second stage. They remain connected until liftoff, when they detach and pull away from the departing vehicle, just as with the Falcon 1.

Credit: Chris Thompson/SpaceX

After verifying all the connections (leak checking the fluid and gas systems, and continuity checking the electrical systems), the team joined the entire flight-ready Falcon 9 to the launch support system for the first time. The process went very smoothly thanks to the efforts of our hardworking team down at the Cape.

Next, we opened the hangar doors and rolled the entire system out to the launch platform. There, we anchored to the launch mount, and connected the combined transporter/rocket to the ground-based feeds and support. We then conducted another set of system checks to verify those systems – the same set of liquids, gasses, electrical and data.

Video: The full flight-ready Falcon 9 with Dragon qualification spacecraft rolls out of the SpaceX hangar at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Click image to play video. Credit: SpaceX.

Mounted on the mobile transporter, the full flight-ready Falcon 9 with Dragon qualification spacecraft rolls to the launch pad at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: SpaceX.

On the morning of Saturday 20 February, we brought the vehicle to vertical, and began preparations for tanking and static test firing.

The full flight-ready Falcon 9 with Dragon qualification spacecraft stands on the launch pad at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: SpaceX.

Aerial view of Falcon 9 with Dragon qualification spacecraft on the launch pad at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: SpaceX.

The full flight-ready Falcon 9 with Dragon qualification spacecraft stands on the launch pad at SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Credit: Chris Thompson/SpaceX.

Coming up next, we prepare the vehicle and launch pad for static firing. During the test firing we will collect data from numerous sensors on and around the vehicle, then review all data thoroughly prior to launch.

Raytheon Delivers 2.000th Tomahawk Block IV Cruise Missile to U.S. Navy

TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 25, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — In a significant production milestone, Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered the 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile to the U.S. Navy.

“Tomahawk Block IV provides the Navy with a combat-proven weapon that plays a critical role in hybrid warfare operations,” said Capt. Dave Davison, the U.S. Navy’s program manager for the Tomahawk weapon system. “The Navy’s receipt of the 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV provides the commander with a powerful tactical weapon to shape the battlespace and prosecute time-critical targets.”

Tomahawk Block IV’s technologies provide a tactical capability while reducing acquisition, operation and support costs. Tomahawk Block IV employs a two-way satellite datalink that enables a strike controller to flex the missile in flight to preprogrammed alternate targets or redirect it to a new target. This targeting flexibility includes the capability to loiter over the battlefield and await a more critical target.

“The Tomahawk program continues to provide the U.S. Navy with the capability to project precision firepower across the breadth and depth of the battlespace while delivering unprecedented flexibility to the commander,” said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon’s Air Warfare Systems product line. “With the dedication of our employees and suppliers, the Tomahawk program has set the standard in cruise missile capability.”

Construction begins at new carriers base port

25 Feb 2010 | Ref. 047
Portsmouth, United Kingdom: The programme to build the nation’s new aircraft carriers gained further momentum today, as BAE Systems began construction at Portsmouth Naval Base – the future home of the Queen Elizabeth Class ships.

Secretary of State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth, was invited to push the button on the company’s new state of the art plasma steel cutter, marking the start of full scale production at the site. The team at Portsmouth is building Lower Block 2, one of the large structures, that forms part of the hull on the first ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth. Housing machinery spaces, stores, switchboards and some of the ship’s accommodation, this block alone will weigh around 6,000 tonnes and will stand over 18 metres tall, 70 metres long and 40 metres wide.

Secretary of State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth, said: “Here in Portsmouth work is just beginning but across the country in Devon, Tyneside, Glasgow and Rosyth work is already under way. In all, six shipyards across the UK will be involved in the manufacture of the ships’ hulls, supporting up to 8,000 jobs in the construction and up to another 3,000 throughout the supply chain. The progress already being made to deliver these defence assets, which will be a cornerstone of future defence policy, is a testament to UK industry.”

First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, said: “The two ships will be the largest and most powerful warships ever built for the UK, each providing four acres from which to project airpower anywhere in the world. With 80 per cent of the world’s land mass within 500 miles of the ocean, the carriers will provide unparalleled logistical flexibility for the future of defence.”

Alan Johnston, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Surface Ships business, said: “This is a very proud day for our workforce here in Portsmouth and comes on the back of our work on the Clyde, where another large part of the carrier’s hull is already taking shape.

“The design and build of ships of this magnitude is a massive engineering feat and a real testament to skills harnessed in our industry across the UK. We will continue to work closely with our partners in the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and to invest in the skills of our employees and our facilities not only to deliver the Royal Navy’s future flagships, but also to secure the long-term future of the UK’s warship building industry.”

BAE Systems is a member of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, responsible for delivering the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK. The carriers will sustain thousands of skilled jobs across industry and will be a key component of the UK’s maritime defence capability. BAE Systems employees at its yards on the Clyde began the manufacture of the carrier’s Lower Block 3 in July 2009 with work beginning on the largest section, Lower Block 4, in January.

Elsewhere across the UK, the Aircraft Carrier Alliance is making strong progress – the first of the flight deck extensions, known as the sponsons, have already been delivered to the final assembly yard in Rosyth, while the first blocks of the hull are due to leave Appledore in Devon for the Scottish shipyard in the spring. Over £1 billion of orders have been placed for equipment for the two ships and many of the ships’ key components such as the diesel generators and turbines have already been manufactured.

Source: BAE Systems
Artist Impresion: Royal Navy

Sukhoi Superjet 100 arrived in Yakutsk to undergo cold soak trials

Boeing and United Airlines Finalize 787 Order

SEATTLE and CHICAGO, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) and United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAUA) have finalized an order for 25 787-8 jetliners. The agreement includes the opportunity to purchase another 50 Dreamliners.  

“Boeing and United Airlines share an 80-year partnership,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “United, which launched the Boeing 777, now begins a new chapter with the 787 Dreamliner, the most technologically advanced commercial jetliner ever built.”

The order is valued at $4.2 billion at average list prices.

“United’s Boeing 787 order represents a substantial investment in our future and will enhance the significant progress we are making in improving the global competitiveness of our company while providing the opportunity to open new profitable markets and serve a broader range of international destinations,” said John Tague, president of United Airlines.

United expects to take delivery of the 787s at the same time it will begin to retire its Boeing 747s and 767s operating on international routes.  

The 787 Dreamliner, currently in flight test, will provide greater fuel efficiency, allowing airlines to add new, nonstop city pairs and the additional frequencies that passengers prefer.

The 787 also promises a more comfortable flying experience for passengers. Its innovations include a new interior environment with improvements in air filtration, higher cabin pressurization resulting in reduced physical fatigue, larger windows, more stowage space, improved lighting and other passenger-preferred conveniences.

The technologically advanced 787 will also provide airlines with up to 45 percent more cargo revenue capacity

Including United Airlines, 57 customers around the world have ordered 876 Dreamliners, making the 787 the fastest-selling new commercial jetliner in history.

Source and picture: Boeing

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