IITSEC not as busy this year but the technology is as cool as ever

Posted by John McHale

Traffic at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Fla., this week is a little less and the exhibit floor is a little smaller – seems like a whole hall is missing – than last year, but the technology showcased is as cutting edge and just as plain cool as it always was.

Traffic at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Fla., this week is a little less and the exhibit floor is a little smaller -- seems like a whole hall is missing -- than last year, but the technology showcased is as cutting edge and just as plain cool as it always was.

The annual trade show focuses on technology for training the warfighter such as flight simulators, avionics trainers, vehicular simulators, training systems for avoiding and detecting improvised explosive devises (IEDs), flight displays, image generators, rugged laptops, etc.

While many exhibitors say that traffic is slower than in years past, the market is still strong as military funding for training systems continues to remain steady for new systems as well as retrofits.

Highlights for me at the show aside from my fun with the Rockwell Collins heads-up display pictured here, included a demonstration of manned and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) teaming from L-3 Communications.

L-3 engineers showed that a UAV teamed with a Stryker unit, a rescue helicopter, and an attack helicopter can effectively work together on a mission through streaming video that all have access too. They can train either in the same room or thousands of miles apart.

The L-3 concept will enable warfighters to get this type of team training much earlier than in the past, better preparing them for when they deploy, L-3's Michael Rapavi, told me.

The concept that intrigued me the most was the COMBATREDI portable training system for dismounted soldiers from Cubic in Orlando. The system is worn by the soldier -- run by a computer on his back -- and uses sensors located on his body to determine if he is running, crouching, jumping, etc. Sensors also detect the position of his weapon. The sensors communicate wirelessly with in the system.

Soldiers can use it anywhere even in their living room if need be.

Another thing that I learned in my meeting with Cubic was a new military acronym … just when I thought I heard them all.

I asked whether or not the COMBATREDI system will be able to update its scenarios with real-time intelligence from the field and was told that that will be a P3I, which stands for pre-programmed product improvement ... in other words new capabilities that will be added later.

I heard a story once that an engineer once wrote an entire paragraph using only acronyms ... verbs and all.

I believe it.

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COTS, COTS, COTS, COTS

Posted by John McHale

Nearly everyone I speak to at avionics or defense trade shows or for interviews over the phone brings up the COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) procurement term in some way. They make COTS products, use COTS practices, or think COTS is the worst thing in the world.

Nearly everyone I speak to at avionics and defense trade shows or for interviews over the phone brings up the COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) procurement term in some way. They make COTS products, use COTS practices, or think COTS is the worst thing in the world.

Everyone seems to have different definitions or different acronyms for COTS. I've heard GOTS -- government-off-the-shelf; ROTS -- rugged-off-the-shelf; MOTS -- military-off-the-shelf; NOTS -- NATO-off-the-shelf; or my personal favorite: KOTS -- kinda-off-the-shelf. A few industry friends tell me they see a lot of SHOTS or "sh "-off-the-shelf. I'll let you fill in the rest ... we are a family web site ya know.

Seriously though, COTS is a procurement term that is supposed to embrace technology standards, but lacks any standard definition itself.

We like to think of COTS as being anything that is available out of a company catalog, even if it is tweaked or adjusted for a specific program. On the other hand custom would be anything that the government or end-user pays a supplier to develop from the ground up.

We've been talking about COTS for 15 years now. We've had shows about it and dedicated sections of our magazine to it, but many of our readers still differ on its meaning.

Some think the original intent of the Perry memo was to embrace commercial practices rather than a decree to run out and buy gadgets right off the shelf at Radio Shack or Fry's. In other words, to create standard product lines of MIL-STD components that can be bought off the shelf.

Many companies do offer such solutions, but just as many will buy a totally commercial component that does not meet military specifications and put it in a rugged enclosure.

Using COTS also cuts down on development time, which is very important to DOD program managers who want to get technology into the hands of the warfighter in Iraq or Afghanistan as fast as possible. DOD funding has been diverted from long-term programs to solutions that can be deployed near term to the warfighter.

Regardless, of how COTS is deployed or used, its dark side -- obsolecscne remains. No matter how you define it, designers still have to manage how they will support programs with components that will be obsolete in a few months or years.

Desginers of the avionics for the Orion spacecraft -- the proposed replacement for the space shuttle -- at Honeywell told me in January that managing obsolescene is one of their biggest challenges, but they cannot reach many of their performance golas without making use of COTS electronics and standards.

A decade and half after the Perry memo COTS has become a household word to those in the defense industry, it remains a kind of procurement wonder drug with wonderful benefits and occasionally some nasty side effects.

What does COTS mean to you? I would love to hear your COTS definition, your COTS success, or even a COTS horror story.

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David Jensen joins Avionics Intelligence

Posted by John McHale

I am quite thrilled to announce that veteran aviation journalist David Jensen has joined our staff as a contributing editor. He will be writing one feature and news article a month for the Avionics Intelligence website and e-newsletter.
I am quite thrilled to announce that veteran aviation journalist David Jensen has joined our staff as a contributing editor. He will be writing one feature and news article a month for the Avionics Intelligence website and e-newsletter.

David is also serving on the advisory boards for our Avionics Europe and Avionics USA conferences and exhibitions. He was a co-founder of the Avionics Europe event held each March in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

David, the former editor-in-chief of Avionics Magazine and Aviation Maintenance Magazine, has more than 25 years experience in aviation journalism. He was also managing editor and then editor of Rotor & Wing, covering the helicopter industry. Briefly, he also served as editorial director for the Magazine Group at Phillips Publishing, now Access Intelligence.

David's first article for us will be on DO-254 certification issues for avionics hardware and will appear next month on our website and e-newsletter.

I'm looking forward to working with David, his in-depth experience and knowledge of aviation and journalism will be a huge asset to Avionics Intelligence.

Very cool helicopter avionics technology showcased at AUSA

Posted by John McHale

New helicopter technology was definitely creating a buzz at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) annual Meeting in Washington this week, as Boeing released its new AH-6i helicopter and Sikorsky parked a version of its Light Tactical Helicopter between the convention center and the Renaissance Hotel.
New helicopter technology was definitely creating a buzz at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) annual Meeting in Washington this week, as Boeing released its new AH-6i helicopter and Sikorsky parked a version of its Light Tactical Helicopter between the convention center and the Renaissance Hotel.

I took a seat in the LTH and learned that the primary objective of the aircraft is speed. Sikorsky is looking to eventually approach 250 knots while at the same time being a fully functional helicopter. They did not have a full avionics system in the model at AUSA, because they are still developing the cockpit systems, which could end up as a traditional cockpit display or have all the functionality placed in a head-up avionics display.

Boeing's AH-6i uses much of the avionics software and avionics hardware from the company's Apache Block III upgrade, which is still being developed with another test flight scheduled later this fall.

Boeing hopes that the AH-6i will be what the Army is looking for as it resets its Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter requirements. The first ARH program -- that was under development with Bell Helicopter -- was canceled a year ago.

In the cockpit demonstrator that Boeing had at their booth they were showcasing avionics technology still in development such as voice control. Essentially Boeing engineers are designing an avionics system that allows pilots to control communications, targeting, etc., all with their voice.

It lets pilots focus more on what's outside the cockpit, rather than having to push various buttons on the display, company officials told me.

Electronic flight bag -- a taboo phrase?

Posted by John McHale

During conversations I've had recently with several experts on avionics systems on our Avionics Europe Conference Advisory Board and with electronic flight bag (EFB) designers, I've learned that EFB is more and more becoming a bad word with airline procurement managers.
During conversations I've had recently with several experts on avionics systems on our Avionics Europe Conference Advisory Board and with electronic flight bags (EFBs) designers, I've learned that EFB is more and more becoming a bad word with airline procurement managers.

Apparently avionics engineers at airlines are having a hard time justifying purchase of EFB Class 1 and Class 2 products just to enable a paperless cockpit.

Bill Ruhl, marketing manager for Astronautics in Milwaukee, Wis., told me that this hurts the retrofit market. The FAA is allowing new functionality such as airport moving maps on Class 2 EFBs has helped in this area, but it is becoming more of a competitive and cultural problem than one of capability, he said. The larger airlines do not want their pilots to be able to take the EFBs -- loaded with sensitive company data -- off the airplane, Ruhl said.

This is also why EFB designers have been adding more capability top the products, Ruhl said. They have evolved beyond the original EFB concept. He noted that Astronautics likes to call their systems single processor or dual processor solutions as opposed to EFB, because they go beyond the original concept in terms of capability.

During our Advisory Board meeting last week the members echoed these comments and for next year we decided not to have a stand alone session just on EFBs, but rather one called "Cost Efficient Avionics -- EFBs and Beyond."

Yes, we left EFBS in there because quite frankly it was one of our best attended sessions last year in Amsterdam -- despite the fact that we placed it the end of the conference, when attendance can lag.

UAVs sharing civilian airspace

Posted by John McHale

One of the topics of discussion this week at the Unmanned Systems North America show in Washington was what needs to be done technologically and culturally to manage the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in civilian airspace.

One of the topics of discussion this week at the Unmanned Systems North America show in Washington was what needs to be done technologically and culturally to manage the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in civilian airspace.

The key is to take a proactive air traffic management approach instead of reacting to problems such as collision avoidance, David Vos, senior director of Unmanned Airborne Systems and Control Technologies for Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, told me today.

The biggest challenge will not be technological or bureaucratic, but rather cultural, Vos said. Many in the commercial aircraft industry do not understand unmanned systems and they need to realize they are not just toys or model airplanes, he added.

In a presentation he made at the show this week Vos said that "as the need for civil UAVs increases and airspace continues to crowd, the NextGen (Next generation Air Traffic Management System), SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research), and increased automation are essential."

Vos also says those concerned must understand the rules as determined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Eurocontrol.

If there comes a time when the Department of Homeland Security needs to use UAVs over New York City, they must have an open dialogue with commercial airspace authorities.

UAVs are not going to decrease in numbers, they are here to stay and in the long run will be more economical than manned aircraft, Vos said.

He predicted that there will come a day when commercial passenger flights are pilotless much the same way some trains are today.

Once people become more comfortable with the concept, the UAV business will explode.

Unmanned systems show is buzzing

Posted by John McHale

What a difference a year makes. Last year's Unmanned Systems North America show in San Diego was informative and well attended but seemed to be reflecting some of that Southern California June gloom. This year it's just the opposite with packed stands and busy aisles.

What a difference a year makes. Last year's Unmanned Systems North America show in San Diego was informative and well attended but seemed to be reflecting some of that Southern California June gloom. This year it's just the opposite with packed stands and busy aisles.

Maybe it's the fact that it is in Washington where unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), undmanned ground vehicles, and unmanned undersea vehicles attract more government and definitely more local press.

Highlights at the event include General Atomics discussing the new Predator C Avenger, iRobot officials announcing more orders for the Packbot unmanned ground system, and Insitu’s ScanEagle surpassing 200,000 operational flight hours.

"In a year when people are wondering where the funding will come from funding for unmanned systems is one are that is definitely going up,"” one defense electronics supplier told me.

Every exhibitor I've talked to says traffic is strong and people are looking to spend money for autonomous programs.

Lots of non-traditional defense companies are also angling for a piece of the action. Sony, the maker of popular camcorders and televisions and monitors had a nice sized booth at the show.

No they weren't pushing flat screens, but rather they were showcasing their machine vision line of high-performance cameras for use on UAVs.

It's a market "we're exploring that has a potential for growth," says Drew Buttress, product manager for visual imaging products at Sony. He says Sony understands the military market and its long life cycles and that Sony supports its machine vision products for the long-term, still selling cameras that are nearly 10 years old.

It's heartening to go to a crowded trade show in a tough economic time. Maybe it's sign things are turning around.

Planes aren't selling

Posted by John McHale

The commercial and general aviation markets and in turn the avionics industry have been hit hard by the recession, with no upswing expected in the short term. Major airlines are laying off thousands and holding off on airplane purchases.
The commercial and general aviation markets and in turn the avionics industry have been hit hard by the recession, with no upswing expected in the short term. Major airlines are laying off thousands and holding off on airplane purchases.

Business and general aviation customers are also keeping their checkbooks closed, especially those who typically by luxury jets -- large companies taking bailout money from the U.S. government. As a result aircraft manufacturers are not buying new avionics displays and avionics computers for new aircraft cockpits.

As one supplier said to me this summer if it wasn't for his military business he would have to shut his doors. Yet, even the military is cutting back on aviation evidenced by the impending cancellation of the F-22 Raptor Jet Fighter.

According to market analysts at the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) in Washington, worldwide shipments of general aviation aircraft were cut nearly in half over the first half of 2009, compared with the same period last year.

Officials at Bombardier say business aviation faces challenges such as "high pre-owned inventories, negative public perceptions, and a difficult economic climate." However, in the long term they predict strong growth with revenues of approximately $256 billion U.S. over the next ten years for the industry, according to their "Bombardier Business Aircraft Market Forecast."

While looking at the websites for Boeing and Airbus, I found that many of their purchase announcements typically numbered less than 50 airplane orders at a time, where in good times they have been in the hundreds.

Will it get worse before gets better?

Perhaps not. At the Paris Air Show earlier this month Airbus officials told me that they think the market has hit bottom, but that it is unknown when it will come back if it will come back slowly or dramatically.

Boeing officials in their latest quarterly earnings announcement stated that Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) second-quarter revenues decreased 2 percent to $8.4 billion on slightly lower airplane deliveries and lower volume in services while "operating earnings increased 5 percent and margins rose to 9.7 percent due to lower research and development expense partially offset by the lower services volume."

This is a good sign for Boeing and also a result of the company making major workforce cuts earlier in the year to offset the poor economy. Company officials also see India as a strong growth market -- the country's economy has averaged 7 percent annual growth over the past 10 years.

F-22 demise premature?

Posted by John McHale

Over the last few days I've read different articles detailing how Congressional leaders in the President's own party are saying "not so fast," when it comes to canceling the expensive F-22 jet fighter program.
Over the last few days I've read different articles detailing how Congressional leaders in the President's own party are saying "not so fast," when it comes to canceling the expensive F-22 Raptor jet fighter program.

As we've detailed on this page, President Obama wants to discontinue the F-22 Raptor, which has had major cost overruns and has yet to be deployed in favor of increased funding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The problem as F-22 prime contractor Lockheed Martin sees it and many in Congress as well is that cancellation may create major job loss at a time when unemployment is already hovering around 10 percent.

Yes, major republican figures such as Sen. John McCain of Ariz., support the cancellation of the program, but congressional leaders on both sides are loathe to cut thousands of jobs that may in the end cost them their own jobs at election time.

President Obama's and Defense Secretary Robert Gates' argument for shifting funding away from the F-22 makes sense. However, some times facts don't matter in politics.

The recession doesn't look to end by the time the defense budget goes to Congress for a vote and if unemployment numbers go up look for the F-22 to keep flying for few more years.

Paris exhibitors credit military market for stability

Posted by John McHale

Exhibitors at the Paris Air Show last month were constantly asked about how they were faring during the economic downturn. Most credited their military systems designs with keeping them afloat.

Exhibitors at the Paris Air Show last month were constantly asked about how they were faring during the economic downturn. Most credited their military systems designs with keeping them afloat.

"Military wins saved our business," Francois Hervieux, director of sales for Air Data in Quebec told me. Commercial wins have dried up due the economic downturn, but military business has been steady.

Nandu Balsaver of Laversab, a designer of avionics test equipment near Houston said it is not because commercial outfits do not have the money, -- they do. It is that they do not wish to part with it. "They are holding it tight to wait out the storm," he said.

The military is the only thing that has been consistent, Balsaver added.

Most of the people I talked to who have designs in both markets said the same thing -- commercial business is drying up while the military is steady but not going gangbusters.

That is unless you are a defense prime, a maker of unmanned systems, or FLIR in Beaverton, Ore. David Strong, the vice president of marketing for FLIR said the company is doing better than ever.

When Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently shifted funding in the DOD 2010 budget request from large platforms such as the F-22 to applications for Special Forces it played right into FLIR's core business, Strong said.

"Practically everything we do targets Special Forces from thermal weapon sights" to electro-optical gimbals on helicopters, Strong said.

The company is sitting quite pretty, having grown nearly 50 percent in the last two years, with their Government division making up more than half of their more than $1 billion in revenue.

Their government business -- which consist of not just military but civil and homeland security applications throughout the world -- is also the fastest growing part of their business, Strong noted.

Strong said he also sees the European market having fast growth potential, hence why they were here at the Paris Air Show.

Last day no-shows in Paris

Posted by John McHale

The Eurofighter and Eurocopter wowed the crowd at the Paris Air Show today -- the last day of the industrial exhibits and the first day open to the French public.
The Eurofighter and Eurocopter wowed the crowd at the Paris Air Show today -- the last day of the industrial exhibits and the first day open to the French public.

Unfortunately, many U.S. exhibitors were unable to hear the very loud roar of the Eurofighter's jet engine -- and not because the exhibition halls are sound proof. Most of the U.S. booths were ghost town. They either packed up and crossed the pond or were exploring the French cafes.

Something the French exhibitors were happy to point out to me. A typical comment was: "you see how most of the Americans are gone?"

Grrrr.

It was pretty glaring but maybe understandable. It is a considerable expense to staff a booth at the Paris Air Show for a week, plus Fridays at the air show are open to everyone. So instead of doing business they are mostly handing out lollipops and trinkets to kids or answering strange questions from average citizens.

However, Aerovironment officials told me they wished more U.S. companies stuck around on Friday, because it sends a more positive message -- especially to the French public.

"Yes, we don't make a lot of sales on Friday," but it is important to have a presence if you want to have a growing international business, said Stayne Hoff, director of international business development Aerovironment in Simi Valley, Calif. Leaving early may send the wrong message.

There are many foreign companies that "make very high-quality products," David Strong, vice president of marketing at FLIR in Beaverton, Ore., told me earlier in the week. "We need to be competitive with them"

His comments were made during a discussion on the many complicated import/export regulations that make it difficult for U.S. companies over seas.

However, the remarks could also apply to seeing an international trade show through to the end. If U.S. companies want to compete internationally they need not only to get some breaks from our State Department, but make the extra sales call or just stay the extra day at the world’s biggest air show.

Aeronautics not just space

Posted by John McHale

Walking through the U.S. Pavilion today at the Paris Air Show I was handed a NASA sticker by tall friendly guy wondering if I knew that NASA did aeronautics and not just space -- because the first A in NASA stands for aeronautics as in National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Walking through the U.S. Pavilion today at the Paris Air Show I was handed a NASA sticker bya tall, friendly guy wondering if I knew that NASA did aeronautics and not just space -- because the first A in NASA stands for aeronautics as in National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

I said of course I do, but failed to impress him with any other NASA aeronautical facts, so he decided to share a few with me in NASA's booth at the show.

Apparently NASA aeronautics expertise was behind the development of glass cockpits, icing sensors, and lightening protection for military avionics in fighter jets.

I asked is there anything new on the lightening front? He said no, not in the last few years.

So why is NASA here if not to talk about anything new?

To let people know that it is much more than a space exploration outfit, and does quite a bit of technology development for aeronautics and even for the environment, he replied.

Then I was handed a nice looking brochure on the X-48B test plane as an example. The experimental plane is designed with a flat, tailless fuselage to burn less fuel and produce less Carbon Dioxide.

I asked NASA is here just to give a history lesson?

He nodded and said yes that's a big part of it.

Seems like a lot of tax payer money to spend on travel and an exhibit to go give a history lesson on a subject, which he admitted is a small part of the NASA budget.

However, I did walk away knowing something I didn't know before about NASA.

I guess that was the point.

Avionics display trends in Paris

Posted by John McHale

While showing me around his booth today at the Paris Air Show, Jean Cristophe Monfret, Barco's director of product and program management showed me the different ways avionics display capability is deployed today in military such as in moving map displays, electronic flight bags, video displays, etc.

While showing me around his booth today at the Paris Air Show, Jean Cristophe Monfret, Barco's director of product and program management showed me the different ways avionics display capability is deployed today in military such as in airport moving map displays, electronic flight bags, video displays, etc.

Trends that he sees in the avionics display market include providing more flexibility for the end user, improved touch screen capability, and greater use of light emitting diode (LED) technology. Meanwhile, enhanced vision and synthetic vision applications are driving future avionics display applications.

Monfret said that their MOSArt, modular open architecture avionics displays are popular because they enable system integrators to develop their software on Barco's hardware.

He said that like everyone else Barco is feeling some of the effects of the downturn in the commercial market, but that their military business in avionics and simulation remains quite strong.

Monfret also noted that the oil applications -- where helicopters are flying to off-shore platforms -- is a growth area for avionics displays.

Commercial aircraft market holding steady

Posted by John McHale

The Airbus A380 did a few flybys at the Paris Air Show today, causing many to whip out their cell phones for close up pictures and videos. However, the buzz in the Airbus Chalet was less about the 380 or the future 350 aircraft and more about how the commercial aircraft market is bottoming out.

The Airbus A380 did a few flybys at the Paris Air Show today, causing many to whip out their cell phones for close up pictures and videos. However, the buzz in the Airbus Chalet was less about the 380 or the future 350 aircraft and more about how the commercial aircraft market is bottoming out.

Folks I talked to in the very crowded chalet believe that economic conditions shouldn't get any worse for commercial aircraft sales, but are uncertain as to when orders will pick up again.

Echoing aerospace industry forecasts from earlier this year the air frame manufacturer still sees China as the biggest growth market for commercial aircraft.

Airbus did announce small aircraft orders today such as Vietnam Airlines ordering 16 more single aisle A321s along with signed agreement for two additional A350 XWBs.

The aircraft orders this week are much smaller than in past shows where Airbus would announce orders in the 100s, but business appears steady.

The mood in the Airbus Chalet appeared quite optimistic.

Attendees at the air show also were more lively today as rain stopped and the sun came out. The exhibit halls got busier and the Eurofighter dazzled those outside with very cool aerodynamics.

Raining in Paris

Posted by John McHale

A steady rain welcomed visitors to the Paris Air Show at La Bourget Airport in France this morning. The wet, gloomy weather matched the somber tone of many at the show.
A steady rain welcomed visitors to the Paris Air Show at La Bourget Airport in France this morning. The wet, gloomy weather matched the somber tone of many at the show.


The recent crash of an Air France jet over the Atlantic combined with the struggling commercial avionics/aircraft market has made delegates to the 100th Paris Air Show a bit subdued.

It's not all doom and gloom though. Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) continue to create quite a bit of buzz. One of Boeing's first announcements at the show this year was the formation of their Unmanned Airborne Systems division.

But the best thing of all about any air show is that you get watch cool planes take off -- if you're into that sort of thing.

This my first trip to the Paris event and being a journalist gives you the best seat in the house. As I write this I hear jets taking off right outside my window in the press tent.

There is also a balcony above me that once the rain stops provides the most excellent perch to see the live aerodynamics. Everything from new Air France cargo planes to military helicopters from Bell are on display.

My first air show more than 20 years ago in Reading, Pa., was great fun, but there weren't European Space Agency Rockets parked outside the terminal.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Talking next-generation avionics and ATM technology in San Diego

Posted by John McHale

Next-generation avionics and air traffic management technology that will improve fuel consumption, reduce runway incursions on the ground, and save lives in the air highlighted our inaugural Avionics USA conference in San Diego this week.
Next-generation avionics and air traffic management technology that will save money on aircraft fuel consumption, reduce runway incursions on the ground, and save lives in the air highlighted our inaugural Avionics USA conference in San Diego this week.

The show, which concluded on Tuesday, was the first expansion of our Avionics Amsterdam event. It was stressful launching a new event in the middle of economic downturn, but things went smoothly.

The last session held a healthy percentage of the opening session's attendance. That was due more to the nature of the topic -- technologies for reducing runway incursion -- than anything else. Runway incursion and electronic flight bags were the highest regarded portions of our European event, so we made sure we closed with them in San Diego.

However, I've yet to go to a conference where the last session topped the keynote in audience participation. This was year was no different, as Tim Tuttle, ATM program manager at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, kicked off our event with an excellent talk covering next-generation avionics technology and the future of the market from Boeing's perspective.

The down part of the week was that we began our conference the morning of the Air France crash over the Atlantic Ocean.

Rumors were swirling that it was due to an electrical failure on the plane. One commercial airframer said to me Monday morning: "John, it's very disturbing, these things shouldn't happen anymore.”

Maybe it didn't as there are reports on that Air France received bomb threats just before the crash.

Regardless the gentleman was right. It's very disturbing.

NASA 2010 budget request shows increase over 2009

Posted by John McHale

At first glance the proposed 2010 budget request from NASA looks promising. The requested amount is $18.686 billion and includes increased funding for human spaceflight programs such as the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, which includes avionics technology investment.

Posted by John McHale

At first glance the proposed 2010 budget request from NASA looks promising. The requested amount is $18.686 billion and includes increased funding for human spaceflight programs such as the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, which includes avionics technology investment.

This is a "five percent increase from the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act," according to a statement by acting NASA Administrator Christopher Scolese. He adds that the budget supports the "goal of returning Americans to the moon and exploring other destinations." Currently the request calls for $3.963 billion for exploration compared to $3.505 in the 2009 request.

The space shuttle request is for about $3.157 billion for next year but scheduled to be zero by 2013. The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle for request for 2010 is at $1.383 billion and scheduled to steadily increase the next two years as the shuttle retires. A funding request of $1.415 billion was made for the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle for 2010.

According to NASA the Obama Administration will resubmit the exploration request after the independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities is complete. President Obama announced the formation of the review earlier this month.

According to an administration release the review will be conducted by panel of experts led by Norman Augustine, the former chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin. The "Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans" is to examine ongoing and planned NASA "development activities, as well as potential alternatives, and present options for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable human space flight program in the years following space shuttle retirement."

In a story in USA Today, the administration is even considering a former astronaut to head NASA -- retired Marine Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden.

I'm glad human space flight is getting so much attention. Manned space programs are what make the public interested which in turn persuades Congress to release more dollars for spaceflight. The continued success of the Chinese space program may also prove persuasive, especially if they get to the Moon before we get back there...

For more on the 2010 NASA budget request, visit http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html.

Aviation industry downturn may have a silver lining for jetliner avionics manufacturers

Posted by John Keller

There seems to be a lot of bad news out there in the commercial aviation industry, which revolves around Boeing's report this week of a 50 percent reduction in first-quarter profits, and that the company also must reduce production of its widebody passenger jets because of weakening demand.

There seems to be a lot of bad news out there in the commercial aviation industry, which revolves around Boeing's report this week of a 50 percent reduction in first-quarter profits, and that the company also must reduce production of its widebody passenger jets because of weakening demand.

The aviation industry is hurting because the economy's on the ropes, homeowners are defaulting on mortgages, and folks are worried about losing their jobs. As a result, they're just not flying on commercial airlines as much as they used to, and airlines and aircraft manufacturers are feeling the pinch.

Airlines throughout the world are delaying deliveries of new aircraft they have ordered from Boeing, Airbus, and other airplane makers because right now there are too few passengers to put in the seats available. Furthermore, airlines are grounding some aircraft in their fleets because of sluggish passenger demand.

Sounds bad for the avionics industry, doesn't it? Maybe, but maybe not. The potential for avionics upgrades to existing aircraft may be the silver lining to this black cloud of the aviation economic downturn.

It's pretty clear that things will be tight in the avionics business for a while, but passenger aviation is bound to start picking up eventually. When it does, some aircraft operators may find it cheaper and faster to upgrade the avionics on grounded aircraft and put them back into service than to wait for new aircraft manufacturing to crank back up.

Not only that, but emerging requirements for NextGen satellite navigation and GPS-based air traffic control also will increase demand for avionics upgrades for existing commercial aircraft.

When we're ready to succumb to gloom and doom about the near-term prospect for new aircraft manufacturing, remember there are still a lot of aircraft out there waiting to get back into service. New avionics upgrades may be the way to make that happen very quickly.

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Potential F-22 cancellation may hurt military avionics suppliers

Posted by John McHale

Well, after months of speculation in the media, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his plans last week for restructuring of the Department of Defense (DOD) including cutting the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor program.

The decision not to produce any more F-22s may hit many in the military avionics and electronics industry in the gut especially at F-22 prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Reportedly Lockheed claims canceling this program would result in the loss of about 90,000 jobs.

I remember speaking to people from Lockheed in Ft. Worth, Texas, back when they won the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and was told that people were crying with joy because the win would guarantee work for 30 to 40 years and mean they could send their children and grandchildren to college.

It hits every area of the community.

It won't just be Lockheed jobs that disappear, but many from the second and third tier suppliers that design avionics hardware and software for the F-22's advanced systems.

The loss of the F-22 will affect the companies that supply the mission computers, cockpit displays, real-time operating systems all the way down to the optical connectors.

These suppliers will still support the aircraft that have already been bought, but the loss of future orders will change their one, two, and five year outlooks drastically.

However, there will still be opportunities for designers of defense avionics and other electronics solutions. Gates says that the DOD will still support the JSF and increase funding for Special Forces operations to go after insurgents.

They are trying to restructure the military to better fight the War on Terror. Many in the current administration feel that the F-22 was designed to fight a more conventional type of war.

Therefore the DOD will still need electronics for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance more than ever before to help track down terrorists worldwide. This will come in the form of better communications and electro-optics capability for Special Forces, video and satellite surveillance technology, electronics for unmanned systems, etc.

Despite these opportunities, the loss of the F-22 will hurt, but we won't see how much for at least a year or two.

Some leaders in Congress reportedly protested the cut of the program claiming that cutting funding to help the warfighter is a mistake and only being done because the Obama administration wants to spend money anywhere else such as bailing out a failing General Motors.

I keep thinking of what Ronald Reagan said once during a debate with Jimmy Carter --that "a recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose yours and recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."

Something tells me some folks at Lockheed might want to swap out Jimmy Carter for someone else right now...

You be the judge.

If you want your baggage fly Northwest, not Delta

Posted by John McHale

If you don't want to lose your luggage fly Northwest not Delta... Wait a minute aren't they the same company? Yes, they are -- Delta bought Northwest last year -- but while they have many similarities, baggage tracking capability is not one of them, said Steve Gorman, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Delta Airlines.

Northwest ranks first in baggage handling while Delta is down near the bottom, Gorman said during his keynote address at the Avionics Maintenance Conference (AMC), run by the ARINC standards organization, in Minneapolis this morning.

Northwest has state-of-the art tracking software and scanners while Delta is just started adding modern baggage scanners recently, he continued. Gorman added that while all of Northwest will eventually be assimilated in Delta, its best practices and baggage expertise will be spread across Delta.

During his talk he spoke in depth about Delta's global reach and what Northwest brings to the company.

He said Delta's longest flight is from Atlanta to Bombay -- about 8,502 miles -- and its shortest is Detroit to Toledo -- 49 miles in 51 minutes gate to gate.

Sounds like less than 60 miles an hour...

Mapquest.com says it's only 57.82 miles from Detroit to Toledo -- about one hour and five minutes driving time.

If you fly the 51 minutes on Delta, you still have to add in another 60 minutes so you can check in and go through security. Then after getting luggage or catching a cab, maybe add another 30 minutes.

All said and done it's about two and half hours to fly 49 miles!

Is traffic that bad in Toledo that you need to fly from Detroit?

Optimism in tough times

In my last blog I discussed how the market for military avionics appears to be steady, but I was a bit surprised by the enthusiastic outlook for the global avionics market shown by attendees and exhibitors at last week's Avionics conference and exhibition that we put on in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

One exhibitor, Chip Downing of Wind River Systems, told me the avionics market is still quite strong, but the current economic climate might change especially on the commercial side, but not so much in the military market. He added that he still sees 2009 as a year of growth, but maybe not as strong as past years.

"The avionics market is up quite a bit," Doug Patterson of Aitech Defense Systems told me at the show. He said there is a strong trend in military and commercial applications to have more automation, taking the man out of the loop, which bodes well for avionics suppliers as they move toward next-generation avionics upgrades and the new air traffic management systems.

Officials from Seaweed Systems say they are seeing quite a lot of avionics business right now, and "haven't seen a downturn at all." Folks at Presagis echoed that, saying they see continued growth for themselves and their partners.

Esterline and Ruag Aerospace officials added that their military avionics business is steady and that they are developing long-term programs with key civil and commercial aerospace customers.

The keynote, Donald Ward, created some positive buzz of his own in discussing the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA's) efforts toward a next-generation air traffic management system -- or NextGEN. Ward, the FAA's Air Traffic Operations representative to Europe, said the FAA is looking to work more with industry and focus on business models that work.

The main thrust of his speech was urging the U.S. and Europe -- industry and government -- to work together to harmonize NextGEN and SESAR (Single European
Sky ATM Research) technologies. Ward said it is essential to have commonality between the two systems because the technology is too complicated to try to develop independently.

He added that it is also critical to involve the military each step of the way or "there will be major problems down the road."

Aside from Ward's keynote address the most popular session was the one we had on electronic flight bags and how they will be an instrumental tool in dealing with runway incursions.

Hope you got to see them.

Military market a bright spot for avionics suppliers

Reports are all over the Internet about how the tanking economy is killing jobs and revenue in the commercial aircraft market. News stories about Boeing and Airbus cutting back deliveries and major layoff announcements at Boeing and other companies are making headlines.

I even saw a story yesterday about how business jets manufacturers are taking a hit because such jets are seen as luxury items and bad press for companies taking federal bail outs.

Yet, as I travel to different trade shows and conferences for our sister publication Military & Aerospace Electronics, I find just the opposite outlook. Military avionics suppliers tell me they've never been so busy.

Many I talk to are cautiously optimistic based on their projected backlogs for 2009 and solid funding in the last budget of the Bush Administration. Come January 2010 will things be as positive? Will President Obama make deep cuts in his first defense budget, even canceling large programs such as Future Combat Systems? Or will he just cut back on procurement?

One industry source says he believes that it is republican administrations that cut programs, while democrats just cut back. That they are loathe to eliminate large programs as it could mean eliminating thousands of jobs.

Recent news reports are echoing that statement. They hint that Obama might not order any new F-22s, but that he will not kill the program all together.

In leiu of new programs and orders, Defense Department officials may spend funding on retrofits and upgrades of current systems.

Many avionics and other electronics suppliers to the defense community are forecasting growth based on that possibility.

Yes, the Army killed the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program, but the Apache upgrade is moving along and additional upgrades are planned for the Kiowa helicopter and the Black Hawk helicopter. Rockwell Collins also announced the first delivery of the Block I Modernization for the U.S. Navy's E-6B Mercury aircraft.

A dangerous world keeps defense suppliers busy and opportunities abound. That said it's not an easy market to break into and newcomers looking to offset losses in the commercial sector will have a hard time gaining a foothold in defense.

Blogging on avionics

Posted By John McHale
Chief Editor, Avionics Intelligence

Hello and welcome to the Avionics Intelligence Blog, a forum where we will give you the opportunity to join the conversation on news, analysis, products, standards, and all things related to the avionics industry ... and even some that aren't.

At least once a week I, my colleagues, and guest bloggers from the industry will be posting a blog item like this one to the Avionics Intelligence Website. If you want to join the conversation, simply post a comment on the blog item, or just tell me what's on your mind.

We've been speaking at you through our Website and Avionics Intelligence Electronic Newsletter, now it's your chance to be part of the conversation.

Here's how it works. See something in the Website or E-newsletter that you're just dying to comment on, come to the Avionics Intelligence Blog on our Website, and sound off by posting a comment. Make the comments as silly or serious as you like --offering anger, encouragement, sage advice, and even bad jokes.

All I ask is that you keep your comments clean -- things I can put in print, in other words. I can't wait to hear from you.