Page 2 - Aerotech News and Review, Jan. 19 2018

Briefs
Visitors to Air Force Museum drop for third consecutive year
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force says the number of visitors to the southwest Ohio facil- ity dropped for the third straight year.
The Dayton Daily News reports about 829,000 visitors came to the museum in 2017 compared to 850,000 the previous year. The museum reported nearly 860,000 visitors in 2015.
The museum has seen more than 1 million visi- tors in earlier years, largely drawn by events. There were about 150 fewer events in 2017 compared to the previous year.
Museum officials say they changed how they counted visitors in 2015 by only tracking people who passed through the security check-in point. It also stopped counting staff and volunteers.
Officials expect thousands of visitors in May for the opening of a new World War II bomber exhibit. AP
Jordan gets German military vehicles for border control
Germany’s defense minister says her country is delivering millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to Jordan’s military to improve the kingdom’s bor- der surveillance.
Jordan borders Syria and Iraq, where Islamic State extremists held large areas until being pushed back in recent months by a U.S.-led military cam- paign. Jordan is a key ally in the battle against IS.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen attended a handover ceremony near Jordan’s capi- tal, Amman, Jan. 14.
Germany is providing two training planes and dozens of military support vehicles to Jordan, worth a total of $22 million.
Von der Leyen says the equipment is meant to “improve mobility at the border,” as part of a plan to support Jordan.
She praised Jordan as an anchor of stability in a violence-wracked region. AP
Navy veteran sues S.C. hospital for co- caine misdiagnosis
A U.S. Navy veteran is suing a hospital that he says misdiagnosed him as being a cocaine addict instead of suffering from gallbladder and pancreas disease.
The State newspaper in Columbia reports Eric Walker has sued Dorn Veterans Hospital in Co- lumbia, S.C., for its treatment of him when he went to the emergency room in May 2015 with severe abdominal pain.
The lawsuit filed in December says Walker’s urine sample was switched with that of another patient. It says Dorn discharged Walker and of- fered him pamphlets about treatment of substance abuse.
Attorney Todd Lyle says the 47-year-old Walk- er was treated several days later at Lexington Medical Center Hospital.
Walker is seeking unspecified damages.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Columbia likely will represent Dorn and the Veterans Administra- tion. It declined comment. AP
Airbus in talks with German prosecutors to end jet probe
Airbus says it is in talks with German prosecu- tors to end their investigation into alleged irregu- larities in the sale of combat aircraft to Austria.
The aviation and defense company says that “once concluded, Airbus will disclose the result.” The company described as “pure speculation” a
report Jan. 13 by German daily Sueddeutsche Zei- tung that Airbus might avoid going to trial by pay- ing a fine of 70-80 million euros ($85-97 million).
Munich prosecutors are investigating whether bribes were paid to secure the sale of 15 used Eu- rofighter Typhoon planes to Austria in 2003.
Separately, Airbus said it has been notified of an arbitration ruling in a case involving subsid-
2
iary Matra Defense, ordering it to pay 104 million euros for breach of contract in the 1992 sale of missiles to Taiwan. AP
Russia urges Turkey to help stop rebel raids in Syria
The Russian military has urged its Turkish counterparts to tighten monitoring of opposition in northern Syria in the wake of a drone attack on Russian military bases in the country.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces re- pelled a series of drone attacks Jan. 6, adding that out of the 13 drones involved, seven were shot down and six were forced to land without causing any damage.
The official military daily Krasnaya Zvezda said the ministry sent letters to the Turkish military, asking it to deploy observers to Syria’s northern province of Idlib to ensure that rebels don’t launch more attacks.
Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad while Turkey has supported his foes, but they struck a deal last year to set up de-escalation zones in Syria, helping reduce fighting. AP
National Guard general seeks to block removal of helicopters
The Arizona National Guard’s top general is asking members of Congress to temporarily block the scheduled removal of attack helicopters from a National Guard unit based at Silverbell Army Heliport in Marana.
Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire says the Army’s decision to eliminate some National Guard attack reconnaissance units flying AH-64 Apache heli- copters “will have irreversible effects” on the ser- vice’s aviation capability.
McGuire expressed “great concern” about the situation in a letter to Sen. John McCain and other lawmakers who lead the House and Senate armed services committees.
McGuire’s letter says the affected Arizona unit’s aircraft are scheduled to be removed Friday under the Army’s decision. He asks that the lawmakers block transfers of the aircraft until delegation mem- bers have time to weigh in with top Army officials. AP
Boeing says 2017 aircraft deliveries set a record
Boeing is riding a strong air-travel market and airline profitability to deliver a record number of new planes.
Chicago-based Boeing said Jan. 8 that it deliv- ered 763 commercial planes last year, up from 748 in 2016 and beating its 2015 record by one. Two- thirds were 737s, an airline standard for short and medium-range flights.
Boeing says it took orders for 912 commercial planes with a sticker value of $134.8 billion, al- though airlines routinely get discounts.
The orders are pushing Boeing’s backlog to a record of 5,864 planes. Company executives say strong airline profits are helping the carriers buy new planes.
European rival Airbus is scheduled to report 2017 orders and deliveries next week.
Boeing shares were up $5.95, or 1.9 percent, to $316.10 in morning trading. AP
French president says China will buy 184 Airbus jets
China plans to buy 184 Airbus A320 jetliners, French President Emmanuel Macron said Jan. 10, in a diplomatic tradition aimed at defusing trade complaints.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said his govern- ment “will preserve parity” in market share be- tween Airbus and its U.S. rival, Boeing, said Ma- cron at a news conference.
China often times announcements of purchases of aircraft and other big-ticket items to coincide with visits by foreign leaders in an effort to defuse
trade tensions.
Macron said details have yet to be completed
and he gave no financial figures. At the list price for A320s, the order could total $18 billion, but large buyers often get deep discounts.
“China will preserve its volume of purchases in the future and will preserve parity in market share between Airbus and Boeing,” Macron said. AP
U.S. Army soldier dies at base in Kosovo
The U.S. military says an Army soldier serving in the NATO force in Kosovo has died. It says the death is under investigation.
U.S. Army Europe said Spec. Robert W. Jones of Vail, Ariz., died at the Camp Bondsteel base in Kosovo Jan. 6. It gave no further details.
In the statement Jan. 9, the Army said the 21-year-old Jones was a military police working dog handler who joined up in August 2015 and was assigned to the 18th Military Police Brigade in April 2016. AP
U.S. seeks dismissal of lawsuit over Ma- rine recruit’s death
The U.S. government is asking a judge to dis- miss a $100 million lawsuit over the death of a Marine recruit from Michigan.
The government says military injuries or deaths can’t be turned into federal litigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zak Toomey says Raheel Siddiqui’s death was a “tragedy,” and the U.S. Marines Corps has taken it “extremely seriously.”
Twenty-year-old Siddiqui died in 2016 in Parris Island, S.C. The Marine Corps said he took his own life by jumping from a stairwell after a confronta- tion with a drill instructor. The Corps also said it uncovered widespread hazing of recruits and young drill instructors dating back to 2015.
Siddiqui was from Taylor, Mich. Attorney Shi- raz Khan says the Marines withheld information about conditions at Parris Island.
A judge is meeting both sides on Jan. 18. AP
Second U.S. military chopper makes emergency landing in Japan
A U.S. military helicopter made an emergency landing Jan. 8 in Japan’s Okinawa islands, the sec- ond such incident in three days.
A Marine Corps AH-1 attack helicopter with two people aboard landed in a field at a waste dis- posal site in the town of Yomitan on Okinawa’s main island, according to Japanese media reports. No injuries were reported.
Photos showed an apparently intact helicopter parked in a grassy area.
The U.S. side told police that a warning light had indicated a problem with the aircraft, public broadcaster NHK said.
The Marines said in a statement that the helicop- ter had been repaired and would return to base as quickly as possible.
“We remain committed to both the safety of our neighbors in the communities in which we live and the safety of the Marines who fly on our aircraft,” it said.
A Marines Corps UH-1Y helicopter made an emergency landing on a beach in Okinawa on Sat- urday because its rotor appeared to be spinning too fast. No one was injured, but military personnel could be seen removing a large part of the rotor the next day and carting it away.
The incidents are the latest in a series that have inflamed Okinawan opposition to the large U.S. military presence on the southern Japan island chain.
In separate incidents last month, parts fell from U.S. military helicopters onto schools in Okinawa. One boy had minor injuries after an emergency escape window fell from a CH-53 transport heli- copter into a school playground in Ginowan city. The school is next to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. AP
How to contact Aerotech News and Review
• Mail: 456 E. Ave. K-4,
Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
• E-Mail: editor@aerotechnews.com • Phone: (661) 945-5634
• Fax: (661) 723-7757
Advertising
Corporate Headquarters: (877) 247-9288
Subscriber Services
Subscriptions to Aerotech News and Review are $59 for six months or $89 for one year. For more in- formation, contact the subscription department at:
456 E. Ave. K-4, #8, Lancaster CA 93535
Story ideas, letters, editorials
Please address all letters and edi- torials to Stuart A. Ibberson, editor, 456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
Web Site
Access the Aerotech News web site at www.aerotechnews.com
Submissions for upcoming events, air shows and museums should be ad- dressed to Web Updates, 456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8, Lancaster CA 93535
For questions concerning the web site, contact the webmaster at webmaster@ aerotechnews.com.
Where you can get Aerotech News and Review
For information on Aerotech distribution, call (661) 945-5634 or e-mail delivery@aerotechnews.com.
Aerotech News and Review is published the first and third Fridays of each month serving the aerospace and defense industry of Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. News and ad copy deadline is noon on the Tuesday prior to publication. The publisher assumes no responsibility for error in ads other than space used. Your comments are welcomed and encouraged. Write to the address below.
• Publisher .........................Paul Kinison
• Business Manager.............Lisa Kinison
• Editor..............................StuartIbberson
• National Advertising
Manager ..........................Paul Kinison
Aerotech News and Review
456 E. Ave. K-4, Suite 8 Lancaster, CA 93535
e-mail: editor@aerotechnews.com Visit our web site at www.aerotechnews.com
Aerotech News and Review
January 19, 2018
www.aerotechnews.com ........ facebook.com/aerotechnewsandreview