aerospace america may 2011

2011·4.7 MB·English

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A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
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founded in 1996. Th rough scholarships, and engineering. Aided by donations large
student conferences, design competitions, and small, we invest in the future.
For more information or
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visit www.aiaafoundation.org
TOC.MAY2011_AA Template 4/18/11 12:11 PM Page 1
May 2011
DEPARTMENTS
EDITORIAL 3
Is the past prologue?
INTERNATIONAL BEAT 4
Air traffic growth in 2010 defies forecasts.
Page 4
WASHINGTON WATCH 8
Out of control.
AIRCRAFT UPDATE 11
A bigger and wider jetliner decade?
Page 11
CONVERSATIONS 14
With John Logsdon.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 18
Strong UAS market attracts intense competition.
GREEN ENGINEERING 22
A green space station.
OUT OF THE PAST 46
Page 18
FEATURES
LOWS AND HIGHS FOR SBIRS EARLY WARNING 26
After early problems, the Space-Based Infrared System appears on track
to replace outdated U.S. early warning satellites.
by James W. Canan
IN SEARCH OF CLEANER SKIES 34 Page 34
Meeting the requirements for cleaner air, lower costs, and improved fuel
efficiency is a difficult balancing act.
by Jim Banke
COMET CHASING MAKES DEEP IMPACT ON SCIENCE 40
After its close encounter with comet Tempel 1, Deep Impact added
a bonus flyby of comet Hartley 2.
by Leonard David Page 40
BULLETIN
AIAA Meeting Schedule B2
AIAA Courses and Training Program B4
AIAA News B5
Meeting Program B13
COVER
In a clean room at Northrop Grumman, a SBIRS highly elliptical orbit payload is prepared for delivery to Lockheed Martin.
Turn to page 26 to learn about the Space-Based Infrared System.
Aerospace America (ISSN 0740-722X) is published monthly, except August, by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. at 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Va. 20191-4344
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®
is a publication of the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Elaine J. Camhi
Editor-in-Chief
Patricia Jefferson
Associate Editor
Greg Wilson Can the past be prologue?
Production Editor
Jerry Grey,Editor-at-Large
Christine Williams,Editor AIAA Bulletin
On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy made an impassioned speech in
Correspondents a special address before Congress. It followed the startling wake-up call from
Robert F. Dorr,Washington the Soviet Union in the form of the orbital flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first per-
Philip Butterworth-Hayes,Europe
son in space, on April 12. Just over three weeks later, that call was answered
Michael Westlake,Hong Kong
by Alan Shepard’s May 5 suborbital flight—the first American in space.
Contributing Writers In that speech, with soaring rhetoric, Kennedy issued a challenge to the
Richard Aboulafia, James W. Canan, citizenry: “First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the
Marco Cáceres, Craig Covault, Leonard goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning
David, Philip Finnegan, Tom Jones, David him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more
Rockwell, J.R. Wilson
impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of
space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”
Fitzgerald Art & Design
Art Direction and Design To emphasize that last point, Kennedy called on the Congress to supply
the financial resources necessary to make that challenge a reality—which it
Craig Byl,Manufacturing and Distribution did. And just nine short years later, Neil Armstrong stepped down onto the
Brian D Dailey,President
surface of the Moon, taking that “one giant leap for mankind.”
Robert S. Dickman,Publisher
Now, 50 years later, the U.S. stands at another watershed moment. The era
STEERING COMMITTEE of the space shuttle is drawing to an end, and the decisions needed to create
Michael B. Bragg,University of Illinois; its replacement or its successor are mired in the slough of partisan politics.
Philip Hattis,Draper Laboratory;Mark S. The looming menace of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
Maurice,AFOSR;Laura McGill, Raytheon; is no more—in fact, the two nations are partners in many space efforts. The
Merri Sanchez,National Aeronautics and
U.S. role in the current ‘space race’ is now driven by economics, not by a
Space Administration;Mary Snitch,Lockheed
need for world leadership. Is this why the passion for the human exploration
Martin;David W. Thompson, Orbital
of space seems to be gone?
EDITORIAL BOARD Some legislators are calling for NASA’s development of a new heavy-lift
Ned Allen,Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; rocket and crew vehicle, as a replacement for the space shuttle, but are less
Jean-Michel Contant,EADS;Eugene Covert, ready to acknowledge the ongoing financial commitment such developments
Massachusetts Institute of Technology;L.S.
would require. Others, including President Obama, are looking to commercial
“Skip” Fletcher,Texas A&M University;
enterprises to provide the way forward. But nowhere can be found the awe
Michael Francis,United Technologies;
and excitement that accompanied the early days of the race to the Moon, the
Christian Mari,Teuchos;Cam Martin,
NASA Dryden;Don Richardson, Donrich rallying call that will inspire a nation.
Research;Douglas Yazell, Honeywell There is no question that the U.S. is facing serious economic issues, and
demands on the country’s purse strings come from all directions. But the
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heart of what we are as a people still remains: a commitment to discovery
National Display and Classified:
and growth, perhaps best exemplified by our achievements in space.
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Humankind throughout its history has been a curious species. The desire
[email protected]
West Coast Display:Greg Cruse, for exploration has been a driving force since we first emerged from the cave.
949.361.1870 / [email protected] As Americans we have a history of always striving to be the best. And while
this drive has often been fueled by global competitiveness, it is truly in our
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collective DNA.
Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA
As we reflect this month on the golden anniversary of the flights of those
20191-4344. Changes of address should be
two brave men and all the many men and women who followed them, we
sent to Customer Service at the same address,
by e-mail at [email protected], or by fax at should also remember some other words in Kennedy’s speech that day, a
703.264.7606. message as true now as it was 50 years ago: “For while we cannot guarantee
Send Letters to the Editor to Elaine Camhi that we shall one day be first, we can guarantee that any failure to make this
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Elaine Camhi
May 2011, Vol. 49, No. 5
Editor-in-Chief
BEAT2-revised033111layou_Layout 1 4/6/11 12:22 PM Page 2
Air traffic growth in 2010 defies forecasts
THE RELEASE OF 2010 TRAFFIC FIGURES Airlines and manufacturers have Airbus and Boeing through careful
will make forecasters at Airbus and widely underestimated the speed and management of the supply chain, and
Boeing rethink their long-term predic- strength of recovery. IATA airlines through increasing production levels
tions. It seems the speed of airline recorded net profits of $16 billion in only moderately during the demand
growth in Asia has been seriously un- 2010; in September 2009 the associa- peak. In the high-level view, the re-
derestimated while the speed at which tion was predicting a loss of $3.8 bil- turn to strong growth has merely con-
Europe is emerging from recession lion for 2010, with a possible return to firmed that, on average, since the end
has been seriously overestimated. profit in 2011. In September 2009 Air- of WW II passenger traffic is increas-
In 2010 air traffic grew much faster bus was also predicting the ‘best case’ ing at around 4.9%.
than most forecasters expected. Ac- scenario of a 4.6% rise in passenger But beneath the macro figures
cording to figures from ICAO (Interna- numbers for 2010. The strength of the there are some new trends emerging
tional Civil Aviation Organization), the global economic crisis that hit North that will have wide repercussions for
world’s airlines carried approximately America and Europe particularly hard the manufacturing sector.
2.5 billion passengers last year, up in 2009 suggested the recovery would
6.3% over 2009. Airports Council Inter- take longer to emerge than it actually A rapid rise
national, the global airport association, did. But the degree to which traffic The first is the speed and strength of
also reported a 6.3% rise in passen- surged in the Far East, Latin America, aviation growth in the Far East, espe-
gers, along with a 15.2% increase in and the Middle East also took many cially in China and India, which con-
cargo but just a 1% increase in air forecasters by surprise. tinue to defy all expectations.
transport movements in 2010 over “You could say that 2009 was a
2009. The world scheduled airline in- Teasing out trends turning point marking, on one hand,
dustry body, the International Air The aerospace industry works in long the rise of emerging market airlines
Transport Association (IATA), reported economic cycles, and the recent dra- and, on the other, the growing ambi-
an 8.2% increase in passengers and a matic short-term fluctuations in supply tions of these countries’ aircraft manu-
20.6% increase in freight. and demand have been dealt with by facturers in a market hitherto domi-
nated by Airbus and Boeing,”
explains Karine Berger, chief
economist at the credit insur-
ers Euler Hermes.
According to ICAO,
by 2030 there will According to the Centre
be a severe shortfall for Asia Pacific Aviation, Air
in training capacity China, which has a market
for sorely needed
capitalization of $18.9 billion,
airport personnel
now is valued more on the
such as air traffic
controllers. stock exchange than U.S. car-
riers United-Continental, US
Airways, JetBlue, Hawaiian
Air, AirTran, American Air-
lines, Republic Airways, and
SkyWest combined.
In its 2009 forecast, Air-
bus predicted that by 2028,
14 of the top 20 large aircraft
airports will be in Asia-Pa-
cific, with Hong Kong han-
dling the biggest number and
London Heathrow in second
place. But at current growth
rates, Hong Kong will over-
take Heathrow in just five
4 AEROSPACE AMERICA/MAY 2011
BEAT2-revised033111layou_Layout 1 4/6/11 12:22 PM Page 3
years, and Beijing has already over-
taken London in terms of international
travellers.
How long will these growth rates
continue, and what will be the impli-
cations for manufacturers?
With the Chinese economy in dan-
ger of overheating, the government is
trying to redress the economic situa-
tion by enlarging the domestic con-
sumer market within the overall econ-
omy. So, for example, south China city
planners have agreed to merge the
nine cities around the Pearl River Delta
into a ‘mega city’ of 42 million people
across an astonishing 16,000-mi.2 ur- Beijing has already surpassed London in numbers of international travellers.
ban area.
The development of mega cities is In March, Airbus’s Chris Emerson, There are signs now that there
one of the prime market drivers in the senior vice president for product strat- might be a limit to Chinese aviation
very large aircraft (VLA) market, a sec- egy and market forecast, predicted that growth. To rebalance the economy,
tor in which Boeing with its new 747-8 Asia-Pacific operators will acquire Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has set a
Intercontinental and Airbus with the some 3,360 new widebody aircraft target of economic growth of 7% per
A380 are competing head to head. over the next two decades, with the year for 2011-2015, against a figure of
The one area of major disagree- deployment of larger planes expected 11% for the past five years. While this
ment between the two manufacturers to help reduce flight delays and ease is still very high, it shows the govern-
involves the shape and size of the fu- air traffic congestion, especially be- ment has started to consider ways of
ture market. Airbus believes that 1,700 tween huge urban clusters. Airbus controlling growth—reducing the flow
VLAs will be required over the next 20 forecasts that more than 50% of the of credit to consumers and increasing
years; Boeing believes only about half world’s VLAs will be operated by air- taxes on consumer goods, for exam-
that number will be needed. Over the lines in the Asia-Pacific region. ple. China also recently embarked on
past few years sales of VLAs have So far, in terms of assessing the a 2-trillion yuan ($292.9-billion) in-
been slow: Airbus sold 32 A380s in VLA market, the more conservative vestment program to increase its high-
2010 to Emirates, with possibly four Boeing predictions have been closer speed rail network by 16,000 km by
more to Japan’s Skymark—an order to the mark. But as airlines in China 2020, which will strongly affect do-
confirmed in February of this year— and India contemplate over the next mestic airline growth.
while Boeing sold just a single B747-8 18 months how they can better link However, these measures are un-
in 2010, though Air China ordered five their burgeoning economies to the likely to have an impact on aviation
in March of this year. The announce- outside world, it will become clearer growth in China over the next five
ment of the new Pearl River mega city which of the two has made the better years.
will therefore be music to Airbus’s ears. forecasts. The real shock to forecasters has
been the performance of
India. Aviation growth rates
AIRPORT TRAFFIC GROWTH IN 2010 there are currently touching
Percent Percent Percent 50% per year increases, a
Regions Passengers change Cargo, tonnes change Movements change rise driven mainly by low-
Africa 126,950,421 8.8 1,107,764 9.4 1,998,532 3.7 fare airline growth. This is
Asia Pacific 1,171,232,331 11.5 30,568,352 18.6 1,048,632 5.0 far higher than any forecast-
Europe 1,409,464,291 4.3 17,337,248 17.0 17,596,411 (0.4) ers had imagined. Most of
Latin America this growth has come from
and the Caribbean 360,994,685 12.1 4,335,375 14.1 5,631,185 6.2
domestic services, and it is
Middle East
likely this will be followed
and Africa 125,775,339 11.5 4,500,502 11.8 1,144,824 6.1
by a new wave of aircraft
North America 1,457,930,721 2.4 25,021,564 11.2 27,999,158 (1.2)
acquisitions from Indian air-
Total 4,652,347,788 6.3 82,870,805 15.2 64,418,742 0.8 lines for intercontinental
services.
Source: ACI.
AEROSPACE AMERICA/MAY 2011 5
BEAT2-revised033111layou_Layout 1 4/6/11 12:22 PM Page 4
FORECAST DEMAND FOR PILOTS, CONTROLLERS, ANDMRO PERSONNEL bers were up just 0.8%. Yet the airport
figures do not tell the whole story. Ac-
Current Population cording to ICAO, aircraft movements—
Personnel population needed Training Training which included overflights—increased
category (2010) (2030) needs* capacity* Shortage* the most in Latin America-Caribbean
Pilots 463,386 980,799 52,506 44,360 8,146 (up 6.2%), the Middle East (up 6.1%),
Maintenance 580,926 1,164,969 70,331 52,260 18,071 and Asia-Pacific (up 5%) but contin-
Controllers 67,024 139,796 8,718 6,740 1,978 ued to decline in Europe (down 0.4%)
*Estimated on an average annual basis. Source: ICAO. and North America (down 1.2%).
According to the Brussels-based
air traffic management agency Euro-
The personnel shortfall qualified aviation personnel are likely,” control, the total number of flights in
It is not just the demand for aircraft it- says Raymond Benjamin, ICAO secre- Europe in 2010 was 9.49 million, an
self from China and India that is fuel- tary general. increase of just 0.8% over 2009.
ing business for Western builders. Un- Adding new training capacity to “Flight growth was concentrated in
like the aircraft replacement market, Asia will be relatively easy, but the a few states: Turkey, Italy, Ukraine,
which dominates sales in Europe and consequences will be to speed further and Germany were the states adding
North America, the market for new air- the relative importance of China and most traffic to the European network.
craft brings with it the need for train- India as aviation and aerospace busi- The economic crisis and a series of
ing and for maintenance, repair, and ness hubs. According to Airbus, North general strikes reduced traffic in
overhaul facilities. Boeing predicts that America and Europe—which together Greece overall; and the U.K. and Ire-
the Asia-Pacific region alone will re- made up around 59% of global rev- land both ended the year with fewer
quire 180,600 pilots and 220,000 main- enue passenger kilometers in 2008— flights than the already reduced levels
tenance technicians over the next 20 will see their share of the global mar- of 2009. Russia was a clear source of
years, with China needing 70,600 pi- ket decline to 46% by 2028, with Asia growth this year, and indeed for one
lots and 96,400 engineers. becoming the leading region, account- month during the summer passed the
According to an ICAO study pro- ing for a third of the world’s traffic. U.S. as the main external partner for
duced in March, at current aircraft de- Europe.“
livery forecasts, by 2030 there will be A faster fall
a shortfall of training capacity equiva- But the current trends point to an Exceptional factors
lent to 160,000 pilots, 360,000 mainte- even faster shift in the market. What In 2010, Europe was also hit by a
nance personnel, and 40,000 air traffic most forecasters have not envisaged, number of extraordinary events, most
controllers, driven in the main by de- in terms of aviation activity relative to of which are unlikely to be repeated
mand for air travel within Asia. the global market, is the rapid fall of often—ash-clouds, snow, and strikes.
“If no action to increase training Europe. Another unforeseen element But even taking these issues into ac-
capacity is initiated early, shortages in in the 2010 traffic figures has been the count, the U.K., traditionally one of
speed with which Europe’s share of the key market drivers within Europe,
the overall aircraft market also appears is in serious aviation decline. Statistics
The need for trained MRO personnel and facilities
to be in free fall. from its national regulator, the Civil
in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to grow.
In terms of traffic growth, the Aviation Authority (CAA), suggest U.K.
world is now operating on two differ- airports handled 3.4% fewer passen-
ent tracks: the slow lane—Europe and gers in 2010 than in 2009 and that pas-
North America, where aircraft move- senger numbers have now fallen con-
ments actually fell in 2010—and the fast secutively for three years, to a level
lane, everywhere else. lower than that in 2004.
According to Angela Gittens, ACI According to Iain Osborne, CAA’s
World director general, “2010 also pro- director of regulatory policy: “The
nounced the shift and divergence in U.K.’s fragile recovery is not yet driv-
growth across the regions. While North ing increases in passenger numbers.
America and Europe have struggled to Although the decline in business
reach precrisis passenger volumes, travel levelled out last year, leisure
Asia-Pacific, Latin America-Caribbean, travel continued to fall in 2010. With-
and Middle East sustained a strong out the year’s exceptional events, with
momentum and gained market share snow, strikes, and volcanic ash all af-
through double-digit growth.” fecting aviation, passenger numbers
In Europe, airports registered 4.3% overall would likely have been level
growth in 2010, but actual flight num- with 2009.
6 AEROSPACE AMERICA/MAY 2011
BEAT2-revised033111layou_Layout 1 4/6/11 12:22 PM Page 5
“Overall, the outlook for aviation Events Calendar
is still uncertain. A return to robust
economic growth should see in- MAY 2-5
creased passenger numbers, but this Reinventing Space 2011, Los Angeles, California.
will be affected by other costs that Contact: James R. Wertz, [email protected]
bear on the sector, such as high oil
MAY 9-12
prices and taxation, and by the avail-
IAA Planetary Defense Conference, Bucharest, Romania.
ability of capacity. Congestion in the
Contact: William Ailor, 310/336-1135, [email protected]
southeast could also see more cus-
tomers flying from regional airports, or MAY 10-12
via other European hubs to travel to or IEEE/AESS/AIAA Integrated Communications, Navigation and Surveillance
from the U.K.” Conference, Washington, D.C.
Contact: Col. John C. Gonda III, [email protected], www.i-cns.org
Airport capacity lagging MAY 11
Europe is now starting to suffer from a Inside Aerospace, Washington, D.C.
severe lack of airport capacity. Ac- Contact: Steve Howell, [email protected]
cording to Eurocontrol, an estimated
MAY 18-20
175,000 scheduled flights were can-
Sixth Argentine Congress on Space Technology, San Luis, Argentina.
celed during 2010, and this summer is
Contact: Pablo de Leon, 701/777-2369 (U.S.); www.aate.org
likely to feature further delays and dis-
ruption in Europe. The lack of runway MAY 23-26
capacity at major hubs exacerbates the Twenty-first AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology
situation, as there is very little addi- Conference and Seminar, Dublin, Ireland.
tional capacity to cope with disrup- Contact: 703/264-7500
tions to flight schedules.
MAY 27-29
Eurocontrol is now predicting air
European Air Surveillance Expo 2011, Bitburg Airport, Germany.
traffic growth will rise between 1.6%
Contact: Richard Ayling, [email protected]
and 3.9% in Europe between 2011 and
2030, with growth limited by airport MAY 30-JUNE 1
capacity. According to the agency’s Eighteenth St. Petersburg International Conference on Integrated
forecasts from January of this year, Navigation Systems, St. Petersburg, Russia.
“Between 0.7 [million] and 5 million Contact: Prof. V. Peshekhonov, [phone]; [email protected]
flights will be unaccommodated in
MAY 30-JUNE 1
2030, representing from 5% to 19% of
Second International IAA Symposium on Private Human Access to Space,
the demand. In addition to unaccom-
Arachon, France.
modated demand, airport capacity
Contact: Christine Bonnal, www.avantage-aquitaine.com
constraints have an effect on the flow
of operations in the network. The de- JUNE 2
cline in traffic in 2008 and 2009 has Aerospace Today...and Tomorrow: An Executive Symposium,
eased the pressure on airport capacity, Williamsburg, Virginia.
but in the longer term the demand will Contact: 703/264-7500
grow, and airports will not always be
JUNE 5-8
able to fully respond.”
Seventeenth AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference, Portland, Oregon.
Contact: 703/264-7500
QQQ
It is highly probable that, despite the JUNE 6-8
current steep price of fuel, this year The Space Shuttle: An Engineering Milestone, Atlanta, Georgia.
will see airline growth return again Contact: [email protected]
more vigorously to Europe and the
JUNE 9-11
U.K. But aviation businesses looking
Fifth International Conference on Recent Advances in Space Technologies,
for new opportunities in manufactur-
Istanbul, Turkey.
ing, maintenance, and training will
Contact: 703/264-7500
look at these global trends and draw
their own conclusions. JUNE 13-17
International Conference on Aircraft and Engine Icing and Ground
Philip Butterworth-Hayes
Deicing, Chicago, Illinois.
Brighton, U.K.
Contact: Frank Bokulich, [email protected]
[email protected]
AEROSPACE AMERICA/MAY 2011 7
AA-layout-WATCH0111_Layout 1 4/6/11 12:23 PM Page 2
Resolutions, but few solutions
In Washington, March 20, the first day way to run a government or a busi- longed campaign over Libya would be
of spring, was the day a U.S.-led coali- ness.” Added Pelosi, “It certainly is not a challenge.
tion began air and missile strikes on a way, as the military generals, leader- From the start, many in Washing-
Libya, U.S. aircraft and space assets ship, have told us, to protect the na- ton questioned the need for the U.S.
were being used to assist a disaster- tional security of our country, on a to take the lead role in the no-fly cam-
torn Japan, and U.S. federal agencies week-to-week basis.” paign aimed at neutralizing Gaddafi’s
were still without an FY11 budget. It As legislators spar over the annual air defenses and air force.
now appears that the government will deficit and the overall national debt, The first aircraft lost in what was
continue to operate on a series of con- the debate revolves around small por- quickly named Operation Odyssey
tinuing resolutions (CRs) until the end tions of the 14% of government spend- Dawn was an F-15E Strike Eagle of the
of this fiscal year. The administration ing that is considered discretionary. 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lak-
has produced a proposed budget for No one on Capitol Hill is demanding enheath, England. The pilot and the
FY12, which begins October 1, but it any cut in the so-called entitlements— weapons systems officer bailed out
is unclear when, whether, or how Social Security and Medicare—and not and were rescued—the pilot in the
Congress will act on the proposal. many are suggesting serious cuts in first-ever combat rescue performed by
defense. a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor. It was the sec-
ond time the 48th Wing had ham-
Libya campaign mered Gaddafi’s homeland. Equipped
Through it all, the Pentagon is contin- in an earlier era with F-111F Aard-
uing operations. Just before the U.N. varks, the wing led the mission known
ordered a no-fly zone in Libya, hoping as Operation Eldorado Canyon, the
to prevent Muammar Gaddafi’s forces April 15, 1986, attack on Libya in retal-
from crushing a fledgling rebellion in iation for its support of the Abu Nidal
the country’s east, USAF Chief of Staff terrorist organization.
Gen. Norton Schwartz surprised many Both in 1986 and in 2011, U.S. of-
by predicting that establishing a no-fly ficials denied that the purpose of air
zone would not change the outcome raids was to kill Gaddafi. Retired Air
of Libya’s internal conflict. Schwartz Force Col. Arnold Franklin, leader of
said “enormous resources” would be the 1986 mission, told this author that
required and that the U.S. F-22 Raptor no one had ever said to aircrews that
superfighter—which has not partici- Gaddafi was their target—but that one
Sen. Olympia Snowe pated in the Iraq and Afghanistan of Gaddafi’s residences, also used as a
wars—might be needed. Schwartz has military headquarters, was. President
At press time, the government was said privately that the U.S. military is Barack Obama says the U.S. position
operating on the sixth, short-term CR stretched too thin and that any pro- in 2011 is that “Gaddafi has to go” but
of the year. The resolution cut discre- insists that the Libyan leader is not be-
tionary spending by $6 billion and ing targeted for death from the air.
was slated to last until April 8. The re- Supporters of the strikes say they
sult of a split Congress being unable were long overdue in protecting the
to agree on a full spending plan, it wave of protesters sweeping the Arab
was expected to be followed by a sev- world. Critics, including many in both
enth CR. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Me.) parties on the Hill, say the aerial cam-
blamed “a complete budget break- paign lacks a clearly defined mission.
down in the Senate” and an “absence Said Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman
of presidential leadership,” saying “the of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “There
government is running on an unsus- have been lots of options which have
tainable patchwork budget by which been discussed, but I think it’s very
no business in America would ever uncertain how this ends.”
dream of operating.” Rep. Nancy Pe- A CV-22 Osprey was part of the rescue operation In late March, NATO agreed to take
after an F-15 Eagle crashed in no-fly zone in
losi (D-Calif.) said, “This is not any over command of the Libyan mission,
Libya. Photo by Lance Cpl. Santiago G. Colon Jr.
8 AEROSPACE AMERICA/MAY 2011