Daily Archives: Feb. 14, 2012

Pompeo asks Boeing’s top executive to establish Wichita procurement office

Feb. 14, 20124:13 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., has asked Boeing chairman and CEO Jim McNerney to establish a procurement office in Wichita as a way for local suppliers and the company to develop and maintain strong relationships.

Pompeo sent McNerney a letter Feb. 2, following Boeing’s decision to close its Wichita facility, which employs 2,160 people, by the end of 2013.

So far, Boeing has not responded, a spokeswoman for Pompeo said today.

“Your team made clear that it remains committed to Kansas suppliers to continue to provide world-class components and world-class pricing and delivery,” Pompeo wrote in the letter. “I am certainly pleased by that commitment.”

But the absence of a local contact makes it difficult for smaller suppliers to develop and maintain those relationships, he said.

“Given Boeing’s stated intention, I respectfully request that Boeing establish a robust procurement office in Wichita to liaise with its enormous set of sub-suppliers throughout South Central Kansas,” Pompeo wrote.

The idea was first suggested by a current Boeing supplier. “And I think it’s a good one,” he wrote.

Boeing has said it plans to increase spending in Kansas from $3.2 billion to $4.8 billion by 2014 or 2015. The increase is largely from increases in Boeing 737 production, but the numbers reflect Boeing’s ongoing importance to Kansas and Kansas to Boeing, he said.

A procurement office would require only a small investment in Kansas and provide a direct and accessible link, Pompeo wrote.

“Setting up a procurement office seems to be a logical and mutually beneficial idea,” he wrote.”Furthermore, such an office would be an important signal that Boeing’s commitment to Kansas is not over.”

 

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aviation industry, Aviation industry suppliers, Boeing | Comments Off

Cessna: Asia-Pacific demand for light and mid-size business jets to accelerate

Feb. 14, 201210:42 a.m.

Cessna Aircraft expects demand for light and mid-size business jets to accelerate across the Asia-Pacific region in the next decade, the company said at the Singapore Airshow today.

The Asia-Pacific region currently accounts for 10 percent of Cessna’s business jet sales. That’s expected to rise in the medium to long-term, the company said.

“The region’s economic resilience during the global financial crisis, rising national prosperity and Chinese liberalization make it likely that the business aviation market will mature at quite a rapid pace,” Trevor Esling, Cessna vice president of sales for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, said in a statement. “Cessna, therefore, expects demand for light and mid-size aircraft to rise accordingly.”

The Chinese economy is expected to grow by more than 10 percent this year, Esling said. And forecasts for the economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are positive as well.

By 2025, China is expected to become one of the top 10 countries for business jet ownership, he said.

In the past year, Cessna has strengthened its presence in the region. It’s increased its business jet sales team to nine members, dedicated a field service manager and plans to complete a joint service facility with its sister company, Bell Helicopter, mid-year, the company said.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Cessna | Comments Off

Hawker Beechcraft’s AT-6 to employ laser-guided rockets

Feb. 14, 201210:28 a.m.

Hawker Beechcraft’s AT-6 light attack aircraft successfully launched laser-guided rockets in test sorties last month, the company said today, the first fixed-wing aircraft to launch a laser-guided rocket.

Weapon testing is the part of ongoing Congressionally-funded operational evaluation of the AT-6, the company said.

“This is a big milestone in the future of Hawker Beechcraft’s Light Attack program,” Derek Hess, Hawker’s director of the program, said in a statement.

The company continues to see “great interest” in the AT-6 from military forces around the world, Hess said. “The capability to employ laser-guided rockets is another reason why the aircraft is unmatched in the light attack aircraft market today.”

In November, the program received a blow after the Air Force eliminated Hawker Beechcraft’s bid on a light air support contract. The Air Force awarded the contract to Sierra Nevada Corp., Embraer’s U.S. partner on the contract. Hawker Beechcraft has filed suit.

In the testing of the laser rocket, weapons were fired from about three nautical miles and guided to their targets using an airborne laser from the AT-6 or a ground laser from Elgin Air Force Base’s range, the company said.

“Both rockets performed flawlessly and were scored as hits on their respective targets,” it said.

Rocket testing included BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System and Raytheon’s TALON.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Beechcraft Corp., Uncategorized | Comments Off