 November 4, 2009 | News for the aerospace industry |
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- Upgraded video gives UAVs "constant stare" over 1.5 square miles
By next year, the Pentagon plans to dramatically upgrade the video capabilities of its most advanced UAVs, allowing a single aircraft to monitor "nearly everything that moves within an area of 1.5 square miles," according to the Los Angeles Times. Reaper aircraft currently equipped with a single video feed soon will carry 12 and eventually could boast 65. By 2011, a single UAV will be able to monitor three square miles, allowing the U.S. to "project power without vulnerability," according to one Pentagon official. Los Angeles Times
(11/2)
     
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- Small part of F-35 to be redesigned after test shows flaw
General Electric Co. and Rolls-Royce Group PLC say a small part of the alternate F-35 fighter engine will be redesigned after it was discovered that a nut came loose during testing. Officials said the combustor was performing as expected, and the redesign will involve a diffuser that directs air into the combustor for the engine. Reuters
(11/2)
- Editorial: No time to rest on Pentagon reforms
A New York Times editorial praises the administration and Congress for killing or scaling back weapons programs that are "anachronistic, redundant, poorly performing or exceed the military's real requirements." But the administration will have to step up the pressure next year, the paper says, with items like the V-22 Osprey and Virginia class submarines on the agenda, not to mention fundamental changes in the way weapons are bought. "It will take political courage and persistence to keep all those reforms going, especially next year when many members of Congress are up for re-election." The New York Times
(11/3)
- Despite promising signs, global airline losses seen hitting $11B
Airlines around the globe have so far reported a combined $400 million in profit for the third quarter, but the International Air Transport Association still predicts full-year losses of $11 billion. Statistics show that "travel volume growth turned positive in September for the first time in a year," though yields remained "extremely challenging." More than 100 new aircraft were delivered in September, outpacing the number of planes slated for retirement. Air Transport World
(11/4)
- Continental still open to merger with United
Continental Airlines is keeping a close eye on Delta Air Lines' merger with Northwest Airlines, Continental President Jeff Smisek admits. Though the Houston-based carrier is currently happy to remain independent as a member of the Star Alliance, Smisek says he would reconsider a full merger with United Airlines if "Delta outperforms us financially." Some analysts say a combination between the third- and fourth-largest U.S. carriers is "inevitable," though a United spokesperson refused to speculate on specific merger plans. "We have long believed the industry will benefit from consolidation, particularly as the competitive landscape has been reset," she noted. Bloomberg
(11/3)
, Chicago Tribune
(11/3)
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| Space |  | |
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- U.S. aims to track 1,300 satellites a day
The crash earlier this year between a Russian military satellite and a U.S. commercial satellite was a "seminal event" for the satellite industry, says the head of U.S. Strategic Command. Due to budget constraints, Gen. Kevin Chilton says the military was tracking only about 100 satellites on a daily basis prior to February's mishap, though that number will jump to 1,300 by year's end. "It's amazing what one collision will do to the resource spigot," he says. Reuters
(11/3)
- Manned space mission captures popular imagination in India
India's ambitions in space have become a point of national pride, the Washington Post reports, as well as a challenge to China. India's space agency is partnering with schools to promote science education and hopes to open an astronaut-training center in 2012. "More and more bright young Indian scientists are calling us for jobs," says the space agency's outgoing chairman. "We will look back on this as a turning point." The Washington Post
(11/4)
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| Homeland Security | | |
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- Editorial: Time for Congress to step up TSA oversight
A Washington Times editorial blasts the TSA for spending nearly $800 million on screening technology without a comprehensive risk analysis or cost-benefit analysis. "TSA can't provide a timetable for beginning cost-benefit analyses or for creating performance measures for its new technologies," the paper complains, urging stepped-up pressure from Congress. The Washington Times
(11/4)
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New AIA safety benchmarking program will track injury and illness rates
In response to requests from member companies, AIA is introducing a new component to the worker safety data program introduced in 2005. Read more.
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