ALENIA AERONUATICA SECURES F-35 WING PRODUCTION CONTRACT
Alenia Aeronautica has received a contract worth over $15 million from Lockheed Martin for the production of F-35 JSF wings under the terms of an agreement signed in 2006. Production will start in 2009 with components, leading progressively to delivery of complete wings in 2012, for an estimated production of more than 1,200 sets. As a second wing production source, Alenia Aeronautica will produce, assemble and provide the two half-wings and the two fuselage sections made of metal and composite materials.
ROCKWELL COLLINS TO SUPPLY AIRBUS'S CLASS 2 EFB
Airbus has selected Rockwell Collins to supply side displays and docking stations for the A320 family's class 2 electronic flight bags. The agreement covers production and aftermarket applications. Equipment being supplied includes two dedicated large format touchscreen displays integrated in both sides of the cockpit, and two docking stations to receive parameters from the aircraft's avionics. Each docking station is able to host a laptop running EFB application software.
SPACEX'S FOURTH FALCON 1 LIFT-OFF THIS WEEK
Space Exploration Technologies' fourth Falcon 1 rocket is expected to launch no earlier than 28 September with the window extending to 1 October. The launch has been arranged within a rapid nine weeks since its 2 August fllght three anomaly. This has been achieved by using a dummy payload that matches the third mission's satellites and using the same trajectory, to duplicate the government approval process and accelerate it the second time around. SpaceX says that "when the fourth launch was successful" it will begin to lobby hard for NASA to fund crew transport capabilities under its commercial orbital transport services programme.
SPINETTA SCALES BACK AIR FRANCE-KLM ROLE
Air France-KLM has confirmed Jean-Cyril Spinetta is to be succeeded as airline chief executive from the start of next year by his deputy Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, but will continue to serve as group chairman. Spinetta had asked for the two posts to be separated. He says: "After 11 years as chief executive of Air France, and then Air France-KLM, I felt it necessary to propose an internal solution that would guarantee continuity of governance, in view of the difficult economic climate facing us."
RAYTHEON/BOEING, LOCKHEED MARTIN SET FOR JAGM FLY-OFF
The US Army selected Raytheon/Boeing and Lockheed Martin teams to enter a 27-month risk mitigation phase for the Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), after which a single contractor will be selected to enter full-scale development and production. The JAGM is aimed at replacing the AGM-114 Hellfire and AGM-65 Maverick missiles, but adding all-weather capability, a modular warhead and twice the range of the Hellfire.
LUFTHANSA DISCUSSES ALITALIA PARTNERSHIP
Lufthansa boss Wolfgang Mayrhuber has met the Italian government and union officials in Rome to discuss Alitalia, as part of Italy's continuing efforts to secure an international airline partner for its planned relaunch of the carrier. Italy wants to secure an international partner for Alitalia alongside finalising Italian investor group Compagnia Aerea Italiana's (CAI) move to take over and relaunch the troubled carrier. The relaunch effort was boosted after CAI resubmitted its conditional offer for the carrier when a fourth key union, Cgil, signed up to the project. The CAI offer remains in place until 15 October.
CHINA'S SHENZHOU-7 MISSION LAUNCHES SUCCESSFULLY
The Chinese space programme's Shenzhou-7 spacecraft reached orbit on 25 September with its three crew after a 21:10 local time launch by a Long March 2F rocket. Chinese state media says Shenzhou-7's three-day mission will see one astronaut exit the spacecraft to collect experiments on its exterior using a "domestically made" spacewalk suit called Feitian, while a second astronaut will be inside the airlock using a Russian made Orlan spacesuit.
Source: Flight International
