Southland aerospace innovations snag magazine awards

Southern California's aerospace technology has recently received national recognition.

This week's Time magazine cover features Monrovia-based drone maker AeroVironment Inc.’s Nano Hummingbird as one of the best inventions of 2011. See it at left or here.

The Times wrote in February about the little flying machine that’s built to look like a bird for potential use in spy missions.

Equipped with a camera, the drone can fly at speeds of up to 11 miles per hour, AeroVironment said. It can hover and fly sideways, backward and forward, as well as go clockwise and counterclockwise, by remote control for about eight minutes.

The pocket-size drone also recently received Popular Science magazine’s Best of What's New award and was designated "grand award winner" in the security category.

Another grand award winner -- this time in the aviation & space category -- was Hawthorne- based Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s Dragon space capsule.

Last December the company, better known as SpaceX, became the first private company to blast a spacecraft into Earth's orbit and have it return intact. The company wants to take over the responsibility of running cargo missions and possibly carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA now that the space shuttle is retired.

SpaceX has been planning to launch the capsule and dock it to the International Space Station in a test flight aboard its Falcon 9 rocket this year, but delays will push that launch into next year.

The editors of Popular Science also chose Falls Church, Va.-based Northrop Grumman Corp.’s bat-winged experimental drone, the X-47B, to receive a 2011 Best of What's New award in the aviation & space category.

The drone, which resembles a miniature B-2 stealth bomber, is being developed by engineers in El Segundo to take off from an aircraft carrier, fly to an enemy target and then land back on a carrier, all without a pilot. It’s currently in test flight at Edwards Air Force Base.

If you're interested in seeing the award announcements in print, both the Popular Science and Time issues are on newsstands now.

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Image: Cover of Time magazine's Nov. 28 issue. Credit: Time Inc.

Robinson Helicopter hits milestone, makes 10,000th chopper

Robinson Helicopter Co., the nation's leading maker of commercial helicopters, hit a major milestone when its 10,000th chopper came off the production line.

To mark the occasion, the company held a celebration at its factory, which now hugs almost half a mile of runway at the east end of Torrance Municipal Airport. The event took place last week with employees, city officials and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Also in attendance was Frank Robinson, the company’s 81-year-old founder, who spoke briefly about starting the company in 1973. He retired in August 2010 and turned over the chief executive role to his son, Kurt.

Kurt Robinson predicts the company’s total aircraft production for 2011 will more than double last year’s production of 162 choppers.

At Robinson Helicopter's complex in Torrance, hundreds of workers churn out 10 helicopters a week -- from start to finish. The company manufactures more civilian helicopters than any other helicopter manufacturer in the world, making the two-seat R-22, four-seat R-44, and the new five-seat R-66.

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Photo: Kurt Robinson, Robinson Helicopter Co.'s chief executive, makes a toast at the firm's Torrance complex. Credit: Robinson Helicopter

Boeing to establish center in Florida for new spaceship program

Aerospace giant Boeing Co. announced plans to establish a headquarters for its new spaceship program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The Chicago company is in the process of developing a seven-person spaceship, dubbed the Crew Space Transportation-100, for the job of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station now that the space shuttle program is over.

Boeing will consolidate the program’s engineering and manufacturing operations, which are now spread across the country in space-centric cities like Huntington Beach, Houston and Huntsville, Ala. Boeing’s decision is expected to bring back high-paying aerospace jobs to the nation’s “space coast,” near Cape Canaveral, which lost thousands of jobs when the shuttle program was retired this year.

"We selected Florida due to the cost benefits achieved with a consolidated operation, the skilled local workforce and proximity to our NASA customer,” John Mulholland, Boeing’s program manager of commercial programs, said in a statement.

Boeing estimated that the workforce at Kennedy Space Center will ramp up to 550 local jobs by December 2015. Although that's a relatively small number compared with the tens of thousands employed during the shuttle program, the announcement was heralded by state officials.

"We are extremely pleased that Boeing will locate its commercial crew headquarters here in Florida," said Frank DiBello, president of Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency. "This positions our state well for future growth and a leadership role in NASA's next-generation human space exploration initiatives. It is also a key factor in ensuring Florida's space-related economy continues to thrive after shuttle retirement."

In the coming years, NASA plans to rely on private businesses for low–orbit space missions such as carrying cargo to the space station. The space agency hopes that one day the companies will be able to take astronauts into space as well.

Modern-day industrialists have pounced on this opportunity, developing rockets and space ships to assume the responsibilities.

Boeing's contender to fill the role is an Apollo-like space capsule. Locally, engineers in Huntington Beach are developing the capsule's pressure vessel, base heat shield and autonomous docking systems.

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Image: An artist's rendering of Boeing's Crew Space Transportation-100. Composed of a crew module and a service module, the capsule could carry a crew of seven and would be used to support the International Space Station. Credit: Boeing

Pentagon, NASA open space launch missions to private ventures [Updated]

The U.S. government has taken the first steps toward opening up the competition to launch its national security satellites into outer space.

The Air Force, NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office -- the secretive federal umbrella agency that operates spy satellites -- have signed an agreement to establish clear criteria for private rocket builders to launch their pricey payloads, which include $1-billion spy satellite and robotic missions.

United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of aerospace behemoths Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., is currently the Pentagon’s sole launch provider for such missions. The new agreement could break the company’s virtual monopoly on the launches and give opportunities to smaller start-ups, such as Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

The company, better known as SpaceX, has repeatedly contended that it can provide rockets at a fraction of of its competitors' prices. For example, SpaceX said launches on its Falcon Heavy would cost  $80 million to $125 million. This is half the cost of United Launch Alliance’s similar-sized Delta IV Heavy rocket, which can run around $250 million, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s most recent estimate.

Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive, has publicly criticized the Pentagon for not allowing competition with United Launch Alliance. But now -- at a time when all aspects of federal spending are under scrutiny -- his sales pitch has resonated with the government.

“Fair and open competition for commercial launch providers is an essential element of protecting taxpayer dollars,” he said in a statement that commended the move.

But SpaceX has yet to build the Falcon Heavy. It is still in development. That didn’t stop the company from breaking ground in July on a $30-million launchpad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, located northwest of Santa Barbara.

Situated along the Pacific Ocean, Vandenberg has primarily been used for launching spy satellites since the beginning of the Cold War because its location is considered ideal for putting satellites into a north-south orbit.

There still isn’t a guarantee that SpaceX or other rocket makers will win those contracts, but the government's announcement gives the company an opening. To win, SpaceX and other rocket makers must first meet detailed technical requirements and have several successful launches under their belts.

“This strategy is the best balance of ensuring reliable access to space while encouraging competition and innovation in the launch industry,” Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the Air Force, said in a statement. “We are committed to providing a level playing field to all competitors in the interest of ensuring the best capability for our war fighters and the best value to the American public.”

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Photo: United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket rises from a launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in January. The rocket was carrying a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. Credit: Bryan Walton / Associated Press/Santa Maria Times

Virgin Galactic moves into New Mexico spaceport

Las Cruces, N.M., officially joined the list of the nation’s major space centers Monday when a newly completed terminal and hangar facility was turned over to British billionaire Richard Branson and his commercial space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic.

The company aims to launch paying customers beyond Earth’s confines from the new $209-million futuristic-looking facility, named Spaceport America.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez joined Branson and a crowd of more than 800 others during the dedication ceremonies.

“Today is another history-making day for Virgin Galactic,” Branson said at the event. “We are here with a group of incredible people who are helping us lead the way in creating one of the most important new industrial sectors of the 21st century.”

Virgin Galactic said it has taken about 455 reservations for the ride. The price per flight for a would-be space tourist is $200,000.

Instead of launching people directly into space with a rocket, Virgin Galactic plans to do the following: A rocket plane with six passengers will be attached to the wings of a White Knight mother ship, flown to 50,000 feet and released. The rocket plane's engine then will ignite and propel the passengers into suborbit.

The spaceship is designed to climb to the edge of space, about 60 miles above the Earth's surface. At that suborbital altitude, people experience weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth.

Virgin Galactic’s sleek carrier aircraft and spaceships are made by the Spaceship Co. in Mojave, where the planes are currently undergoing test flights. Branson hopes to make its first passenger flight with his adult children, Sam and Holly, as soon as next year.

At the end of Monday’s event, the Branson trio --after rappelling down the side of the Spaceport’s massive glass windows -- named one of the ground terminals the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space.

The gateway will house preparation facilities for company’s passengers, which it calls astronauts. There is also a mission control center and an area for friends and family.

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Photo: Dancers with Project Bandaloop, based in San Francisico, hang and dance on the side window wall of the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space hangar in Las Cruces, N.M. Credit: Mark Greenberg / Virgin Galactic

Pentagon, NASA open space launch missions to private ventures

The U.S. government has taken the first steps toward allowing commercial space companies to launch its national security satellites into outer space.

The Air Force, NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office -- the secretive federal umbrella agency that operates spy satellites -- have signed an agreement to establish clear criteria for private rocket builders to launch their pricey payloads, which include $1-billion spy satellite and robotic missions.

United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of aerospace behemoths Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co., is currently the Pentagon’s sole launch provider for such missions. The new agreement could break the company’s virtual monopoly on the launches and give opportunities to smaller upstart firms, such as Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

The company, better known as SpaceX, has repeatedly contended that it can provide rockets at a fraction of of its competitors' prices. For example, SpaceX said launches on its Falcon Heavy would cost  $80 million to $125 million. This is half the cost of United Launch Alliance’s similar-sized Delta IV Heavy rocket, which can run around $250 million, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s most recent estimate.

Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive, has publicly criticized the Pentagon for not allowing competition with United Launch Alliance. But now -- at a time when all aspects of federal spending are under scrutiny -- his sales pitch has resonated with the government.

“Fair and open competition for commercial launch providers is an essential element of protecting taxpayer dollars,” he said in a statement commending the government's decision.

But SpaceX has yet to build the Falcon Heavy. It is still in development. That didn’t stop the company from breaking ground in July on a $30-million launchpad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, located northwest of Santa Barbara.

Situated along the Pacific Ocean, Vandenberg has primarily been used for launching spy satellites since the beginning of the Cold War because its location is considered ideal for putting satellites into a north-to-south orbit.

At the time, there were no guarantees that the military or NASA would step forward to pay for the Falcon Heavy to lift its payloads into space someday.

There still isn’t a guarantee that SpaceX will win those contracts, but the government's recent announcement gives the company a chance. To win, SpaceX and other commercial companies' rockets must first meet detailed technical requirements and have several successful launches under their belts.

“This strategy is the best balance of ensuring reliable access to space while encouraging competition and innovation in the launch industry,” Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the Air Force, said in a statement. “We are committed to providing a level playing field to all competitors in the interest of ensuring the best capability for our war fighters and the best value to the American public.”

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Photo: United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket rises from a launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in January. The rocket was carrying a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. Credit: Bryan Walton / Associated Press/Santa Maria Times

Geek alert: Northrop releases music video for new drone

Aerospace fanboys and aviation geeks will be happy to know that Northrop Grumman Corp. has posted a second music video involving its bat-winged robotic jet, dubbed the X-47B.

Yes, it is the company's second rockin’ music video for the experimental drone. Check out the first one here.

The new video showcases the X-47B as it undergoes test flights at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert.

The revolutionary aircraft is being developed to take off from an aircraft carrier, fly to a target point, and return back to safely land on the carrier -- controlled entirely by a computer. It's a big step up in technology because current combat drones, such as the Predator and Reaper, are controlled remotely by a human pilot.

Northrop, which recently moved its headquarters to Falls Church, Va., from Century City, has produced two X-47Bs for the Navy.

Currently, the drone has only operated above land, but the company plans on moving it to the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland by the end of the year to begin land-based carrier suitability.

The program aims on demonstrating X-47B aircraft carrier launches and recoveries by 2013.

 

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Photo: The X-47B takes flight at Edwards Air Force Base in February. Credit: Northrop Grumman Corp.

Boeing delivers first 787 Dreamliner to All Nippon Airways

The world’s first passenger-ready Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner was delivered to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways on a rainy and blustery day at Boeing’s facilities in Everett, Wash.

A crowd of about 500 people, made up of employees, local politicians and aviation industry insiders gathered for a ceremony on a wet tarmac to see Boeing hand over the keys to All Nippon.

The entire event was webcast on Boeing’s website starting at 9 a.m. PDT.

The 787 Dreamliner is an all-new commercial jetliner that Boeing says is the most advanced, fuel-stingy passenger jet ever made. It features a suite of new technologies, such as the industry's largest windows, and an extensive use of strong, lightweight carbon composites.

"This will be an airplane that will define flight for years to come," Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing commercial airplanes, told the crowd.

The aircraft was once expected by May 2008, and has seen its delivery date pushed back several times due to design problems and supplier issues. The effect of the delays has been far-reaching, hurting 787 suppliers stretching from Southern California to Russia, Japan and Italy. There are about 50 suppliers in California alone.

"Every obstacle became a challenge," Albaugh said.

The 787, which will seat 210 to 290 passengers, is the first new class of aircraft launched by Boeing since the 777 in 1995. There are 821 orders for the plane from airlines and aircraft leasing firms around the world.

Shinichiro Ito, All Nippon’s chief executive, said at the ceremony: "I cannot wait to see the day when the skies of the world are filled with 787s."

 

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Photo: In this July 13 file photo, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis on the runway at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Credit: Associated Press

Boeing to webcast first delivery of 787 Dreamliner

At long last, Boeing Co.’s first 787 Dreamliner is set to be delivered to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways on Monday ending the anticipation among aviation enthusiasts who thought this day may never come.

Once expected by May 2008, delivery has been delayed several times, and passenger-ready planes are now expected on the runway by fall. It will be the first new class of aircraft launched by Boeing since the 777 in 1995.

The 787 Dreamliner is an all-new commercial jetliner that Boeing says is the most advanced, fuel-stingy passenger jet ever made. It features a suite of new technologies such as the industry's largest windows, a more electric architecture and an extensive use of strong, lightweight carbon composites.

Boeing will broadcast a live celebration of the first delivery of the Dreamliner to All Nippon on its website starting at 9 a.m. PDT.

The webcast and live satellite feed will include special activities at the Boeing Everett, Wash., site with Boeing and All Nippon’s employees and executives.

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Photo: Boeing employees painted a special livery on All Nippon's first 787 Dreamliner in a paint hangar in Everett, Wash. Credit: Boeing Co.

Sea Launch bumps back rocket launch a day

Less than a year out of bankruptcy, rocket venture Sea Launch is set to send a 10,141-pound telecommunications satellite into orbit from the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Saturday for Paris-based communications giant Eutelsat. 

The company will webcast the launch live on its website here beginning around 1 p.m. PDT. The launch is scheduled for 1:18 p.m.

Sea Launch had planned on launching Friday, but had to push it back a day because it took longer than expected to reach its launch site in the middle of the Pacific.

The company uses a floating ocean platform near the equator to lift satellites into space. It's located about 3,300 miles southwest of Long Beach and 1,400 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands. The site allows rockets to reach orbit faster while burning less fuel as they use the Earth's rotation for momentum.

When the company isn’t blasting off 20-story rockets, it docks its specially designed ship and a launch platform, made from a modified oil rig, in the Port of Long Beach.

It is the company’s first launch since it emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late last year. For a more in-depth look at Sea Launch and its history, take a look here at a story that ran in Thursday’s Times.

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Photo: Sea Launch transfers rocket to launch platform. Credit: Sea Launch

Air France-KLM agrees to buy $12 billion worth of new jets

Air France-KLM, the largest European airline, has agreed to purchase 50 fuel-efficient long-range jets at a book value of $12 billion from the world’s two largest makers of commercial aircraft.

The airline will purchase 25 of Chicago-based Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliners and 25 Toulouse, France-based Airbus A-350s. In a press release, Air France-KLM said it had an option to buy up to 60 more.

Both planes have yet to enter service.

The first 787 is set to be delivered to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways next week, and Airbus hopes to have the A-350 ready by mid-decade.

The planes are made of composite materials (carbon fibers meshed together with epoxy) instead of aluminum sheets, which the jet makers say will require less maintenance than the current generation of aircraft because it will involve fewer parts and sustain less corrosion.

Also, the planes’ newly developed engines promise to burn less fuel than jetliners of similar size, both of which seat between 200 and 350 people.

“These new aircraft will reduce fuel consumption by over 15% and will give rise to a significant reduction in noise and gas emissions,” Air France-KLM said in a statement.

Peter Hartman, president and chief executive KLM, added: “Their integration into the fleet will enable the group to continue to operate one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the world.”

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Photo: Air France Airbus A-319. Credit: Air France

Defense contractors launch campaign to end military spending cuts

Seeking to whip up public support for what’s expected to be a hard-fought budget battle in Congress, a group of defense contractors launched a lobbying campaign urging an end to cuts in military spending.

The campaign, named Second to None, was introduced by the Aerospace Industries Assn. trade group Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington. The group, which represents manufacturers and suppliers of aircraft, space systems and engines, warned of potential job losses and national security risks.

“While we do have a fancy logo, this campaign will not be your typical, glitzy, short term inside the Beltway blitz of advertising followed by deafening silence after one piece of legislation or another is finalized,” said Marion Blakey, chief executive of the association. “This will be a sustained effort, in states, cities and towns, as well as in Washington, to caution the American people and our leaders of risks associated with cutting defense further.”

According to the association, aerospace and defense supports 1 million direct jobs in the U.S. and affects another 2.9 million indirect jobs.

In the face of staggering federal deficits, Congress is in the process of examining deep cuts in the Pentagon budget on top of more than $350 billion in cuts slated over the next decade.

“Our position is: no more,” Blakey said. “Defense has been cut to the bone.”

The Aerospace Industries Assn. website says that the aerospace industry in 2011 is expected to hit record sales of $219.2 billion that reflect federal military spending, NASA outlays, foreign military sales and commercial sales.

But after a decade of heady growth amid one of the biggest military buildups in decades following Sept. 11, 2001, contractors expect a long stretch of cuts in weapons purchases and have been laying off employees in waves.

“This involves all AIA members big and small –- from the largest prime contractors to the smallest suppliers, all AIA members will have a voice in the campaign,” Blakey said.

The campaign's website is at SecondToNone.org.

 

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Photo: Marion Blakey, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Assn., takes part in the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington last week. Credit: Molly Riley / Reuters

Television news, political talk to stream live on flights

Westlake Village-based Row 44 Inc., an in-flight broadband Internet provider, said it signed a deal with an array of television news and political talk stations to deliver live streaming video to onboard passengers.

Under the deal, passengers will be able to watch Fox News, MSNBC and BBC World News; live business news from CNBC, Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Television; and sports on NBC Sports Network.

It is the second major announcement for the firm in a week.

Last week, Row 44 inked a deal with Major League Baseball to stream live games to passengers’ smartphones, laptops, tablets and other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Row 44, named after the last row on a DC-10 commercial jet, uses a network of telecommunications satellites belonging to Hughes Network Systems. By tapping into Hughes' network, Row 44 has the potential to provide worldwide Internet access.

The company has more than 40 employees spread across offices in Westlake Village, Las Vegas and Lombard, Ill.

Southwest Airlines is currently in the process of wiring its entire fleet with Row 44’s in-flight broadband system. The carrier is offering the service for $5.

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Photo: Row 44 Chief Executive John Guidon, left, and President Gregg Fialcowitz stand on the wings of the company's 1950 Grumman Albatross Seaplane that it uses for equipment testing. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Mini-drone maker AeroVironment swings to quarterly profit

 

AeroVironment Inc., the Monrovia company that makes small hand-held drones for the Pentagon and charging systems for electric vehicles, swung to a profit in its first quarter, bolstered by a 62% increase in sales.

The company Wednesday posted earnings for the quarter ended July 30 of $326,000, or 1 cent a share, compared with a loss of $3.4 million, or 16 cents, a year earlier. Analysts on average had forecast a profit of 1 cent a share.

AeroVironment is the Pentagon's top supplier of small drones, which include the Raven, Wasp and Puma models. The technology enables troops on the ground to see what lies over a hill or down the road.

In a conference call, AeroVironment Chief Executive Timothy E. Conver said the company’s drones are still in demand despite expectations of cuts in Pentagon spending.Drone sales for the quarter increased 56% to $52 million from $33 million a year earlier.

But to expand business in the future the company, known as AV, “will have to go beyond military applications,” Carver said.

The company’s family of small drones will be well positioned to address the “largely untapped potential” of flying drones in commercial airspace for tasks like monitoring public safety, Conver said. “This market is likely to develop in the next few years and be both global and large once it emerges.”

AeroVironment’s total revenue was up 62% to $62 million.

Sales of the company’s charging systems for electric vehicles rose 105% to $9.8 million.

AeroVironment rolled out its residential charging stations for the Nissan Leaf this year and struck a key deal with Nissan Canada to expand the program internationally. German automaker BMW also contracted with the company to build and install home charging systems for its ActiveE all electric vehicle.

“EV charging infrastructure is seen by many as a huge new market opportunity and it has attracted global competition,” Conver said.

The results were reported after the close of regular trading. AeroVironment shares closed up $1.75, or 6.2%, at $29.99.

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Photo: Soldier demonstrates AeroVironment's hand-launched Raven drone. Credit: AeroVironment Inc.

Century City aircraft leasing firm files for public offering

Century City-based aircraft leasing company International Lease Finance Corp. unveiled plans for an initial public offering, a move that would take the firm out from under the wing of it parent company American International Group Inc.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, the leasing company known as ILFC said that “AIG has determined that ILFC is not one of its core businesses.”

AIG, the beleagured New York-based insurance corporation that received $182.5 billion in bailout money during the global financial crisis, said it would initially sell 20% of the leasing company and divest most of the unit over time.

The filing did not disclose how many shares would be sold or estimate their price, nor did it say when the stock sale would take place.

It marks the beginning of the end of AIG’s a 21-year ownership role over ILFC. AIG bought ILFC in 1990 for $1.3 billion in a stock swap.

But now AIG has been selling off business units in an attempt to pay back the federal government.

In the past, AIG has hinted at selling the aircraft leasing company, known as ILFC, but has been unable to close a deal.

For decades, ILFC has been an industry leader in aircraft leasing -- the business of buying planes and renting them to airlines. But the company fell on hard times when AIG nearly collapsed in 2008, which pinned both AIG and ILFC under government control and placed restrictions on the amount of money executives could make.

That confinement caused a mass exodus of ILFC's management team. The biggest blow came in February 2010 when company co-founder and then-Chief Executive Steven Udvar-Hazy abruptly left to start a rival business, Air Lease Corp., also based in Century City.

In May 2010, Henri Courpron, a former Airbus executive, was named CEO.

ILFC remains one of the world's largest aircraft leasing firms with a fleet of 933 aircraft. The company posted $2.2 billion in revenue in the six month period that ended June 30.

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Photo: ILFC Chief Executive Henri Courpron at the company's offices in Century City. Credit: Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times

Northrop to reduce workforce by 500 people

Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp. is cutting 500 jobs in its aerospace division, with most of the losses likely to hit workers in Southern California.

Northrop's aerospace systems division, based in Redondo Beach, currently has about 18,000 people working in the Southland. The company began offering a voluntary layoff program Thursday, but if 500 people don't step up before the end of the year, layoffs will begin.

"This action is being taken because of defense budget uncertainties and pressures on current and projected business," Jim Hart, a Northrop spokesman, said in a statement. "We must adjust our budgets by the end of this year to be prepared to meet the challenges of what shapes up as a demanding 2012. This is a necessary step to address the affordability that will allow us to effectively compete in a very cost-conscious marketplace."

The aerospace industry has been steadily downsizing to reflect new budget realities in Washington, where Congress has tightened purse strings on the Pentagon.

News of the voluntary buyouts and layoffs comes the same week that the company moved its corporate headquarters from Century City to Falls Church, Va. About 300 people were employed there.

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Photo: Northrop's B-2 stealth bomber on a runway. Credit: Northrop Grumman Corp.

Boeing satellite-making operation in El Segundo turns 50

Boeing Co.'s sprawling satellite-making operation in El Segundo celebrated its 50th anniversary Wednesday with an event attended by high-ranking company officials, local media and politicians.

Since it was first opened in 1961, the plant has produced satellites used for research, exploration, communication, navigation, entertainment, intelligence and surveillance.

The El Segundo plant encompasses more than 1 million square feet and belonged to Hughes Space and Communications Co. before it became part of Boeing in 2000.

“We made history in the 1960s, when our team of scientists designed and built the first geosynchronous satellite, which launched the satellite industry,” said Boeing's Craig Cooning, Space & Intelligence Systems vice president and general manager, in a statement.

The company is developing sport-utility-sized satellites that are part of an $8-billion GPS upgrade that will make the system more reliable, more widespread and more accurate.

Boeing’s workforce at the plant currently stands at around 5,500. It has backlog of 27 orders. At its peak in the 1990s, Boeing had employed more than 10,000 at the complex, which is near Los Angeles International Airport.

The operation began experiencing a resurgence last year, snagging orders for several large commercial satellites, placing the company atop the large commercial satellite market.

U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn, a Democrat whose district includes El Segundo, made a speech at Wednesday's event.

"There's not a day goes by that someone on this planet doesn’t benefit from the satellites you produce," said Hahn. "This facility is key to the industrial base here in the South Bay and helps to anchor the aerospace industry in Southern California. It is a national asset that has produced nearly 300 satellites -- everything from the first communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit to the most recent GPS IIF satellite that was launched last month."

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-- W.J. Hennigan

twitter.com/wjhenn

Photo: A commercial satellite under construction for Intelsat will go through a series of rigorous tests at the El Segundo facility.  Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Grocery union vote backs strike at Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons

Members of a union that represents 62,000 grocery workers at Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons supermarkets in Southern California voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if an agreement on a new contract can't be reached.

The strike authorization won the backing of more than 90% of the United Food and Commercial Workers members who voted, easily more than the two-thirds majority required, the union said.

The union said it would report the vote results Monday to a federal mediator trying to resolve the contract dispute.

Since the latest contract governing wages, healthcare benefits, and workplace rules expired in March. union and management negotiators have met more than 53 times. Healthcare benefits are a major area of contention.

Both sides said they would like to avoid a repeat of a four-and-a-half-month strike and lockout in 2003.

"We don’t want to strike," said Rick Icaza, president of the union's Local 770, the biggest of seven locals representing workers who would covered by a new contract. "We want to get back to work taking care of customers and our families. But the corporate owners of the supermarkets refuse to negotiate fairly to reach a compromise."

In a statement, Ralphs spokeswoman Kendra M. Doyel called the strike authorization a commonly used negotiating tactic and said it did not necessarily mean a strike would be called.

"Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons remain committed to reaching a contract that is good for our employees and keeps these union jobs sustainable for the future." Doyel said.

Daymond Rice, a Vons spokesman, said the negotiations "have not fully run their course. The employers intend to stay focused and engaged in the bargaining process. We remain hopeful that we can peacefully reach a settlement that works for both sides."

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-- W.J. Hennigan

twitter.com/wjhenn

Photo: A supermarket worker casts her ballot Friday in Harbor City in a vote that authorized a strike against Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons in Southern California. Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times

New Boeing 747 completes FAA certification test flights

The latest and largest version of Boeing Co.'s 747 jumbo jet completed flight tests mandated by the  Federal Aviation Administration, getting one step closer to entering regular service.

The plane, dubbed 747-8 Freighter, is the cargo version of the iconic passenger jet. Boeing's selling point to cargo carriers is that the mammoth plane offers 16% better fuel economy than its predecessor. It's also larger, which translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold pallets, Boeing said.

Before the plane is officially certified, the FAA has to pore over data from more than 1,200 flights totaling 3,400 hours since its first flight Feb. 8, 2010. During the homestretch, Boeing flew in a flight pattern that traced the numbers 7-4-7 in the skies, as this Associated Press story points out.

There are 78 orders for 747-8 Freighters, the first of which is set to be delivered in September to Cargolux Airlines International, a Luxembourg cargo airline.

"This is such a great day for the new 747-8 and for all the employees who played a part in designing, building and testing this incredible, game-changing airplane," Elizabeth Lund, Boeing vice president and general manager of the 747 program, said in a statement.

The 747's cavernous cabin is built in Hawthorne by Triumph Aerostructures-Vought Commercial Division. Twice a week, the company ships fuselage panels in three custom, oversize railroad cars to Boeing's assembly plant in Everett, Wash.

The site has produced the fuselage panels for every 747 that has taken to the skies -- including Air Force One -- since the aircraft program began in 1966. The site is five miles east of Los Angeles International Airport, where the 747-8 Freighter touched down on the last leg of its test flight certification.

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-- W.J. Hennigan

twitter.com/wjhenn

Pending cuts in Pentagon budget have investors wary

Seeing the call from Congress for steep cuts in the Pentagon budget, investors have grown wary of defense stocks in recent weeks.

The dollar amount has yet to be decided, but few dispute that the cuts will amount to hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. That translates into fewer sales of military hardware for the nation’s largest defense contractors.

Investors have taken notice. While the Standard & Poor’s 500 index hit its summer high on July 7, it has fallen 7.2% since, through midday Wednesday. However, since July 7 the S&P's aerospace-stock group is down 12.4%.

The nation’s three largest aerospace companies -- Century City-based Northrop Grumman Corp., Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. -- are all down in trading since the beginning of this week. And Motley Fool recently reported that hedge funds have begun dumping defense stocks.

Wall Street isn’t alone its concern. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wrote a memo Wednesday to Pentagon personnel addressing the pitfalls of budget cuts:

Spending choices must be based on sound strategy and policy. In the past, such as after the Vietnam War, our government applied cuts to defense across the board, resulting in a force that was undersized and underfunded relative to its missions and responsibilities. This process has historically led to outcomes that weaken rather than strengthen our national security -- and which ultimately cost our nation more when it must quickly rearm to confront new threats.

I am determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

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-- W.J. Hennigan

twitter.com/wjhenn

Photo: Northrop Grumman Corp.'s headquarters in Century City. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times