Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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Pratt & Whitney’s Geared Turbofan Is Emerging From The Global Pandemic With A Growing Performance Advantage (From Forbes)
January 20, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Pratt & Whitney’s signature commercial product, the Geared Turbofan engine, has held up remarkably well during the global pandemic. It is flying on 1,100 jets operated by 62 airlines, and its dispatch reliability rate is a world-class 99.98%. Its utilization [Read More...] -
KC-46 Cleared For Refueling 70% Of Joint Air Fleet As Next Round Of Tanker Competition Looms (From Forbes)
January 18, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D With 53 aircraft in service, Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus tanker is now approved for supporting over two-thirds of the aircraft in the joint air fleet that are capable of receiving fuel in flight. All of the Air Force’s fighters, bombers and [Read More...] -
Plummeting Production Of Unmanned Undersea Systems Threatens Navy Plans For Distributed Maritime Operations (From Forbes)
January 14, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Navy has repeatedly stated that introducing more unmanned maritime vehicles into its fleet is a key to implementing Distributed Maritime Operations. So, the fact that production of unmanned submersibles will reach a low ebb in 2022 is not an [Read More...] -
President Biden’s Tax & Antitrust Philosophy Is At War With His National Security Strategy (From Forbes)
January 11, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D President Biden’s interim national security strategic guidance stresses the importance of bolstering U.S. competitiveness and innovation to meet the challenge posed by China. However, Biden’s domestic economic policies do the opposite: if Biden had his way, the tax burden on [Read More...] -
Why President Biden Will End Up Giving Putin What He Wants In Ukraine (From Forbes)
January 6, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Biden administration is working hard to build a coalition of European partners capable of deterring Russia’s threatened invasion of Ukraine. However, the circumstances surrounding the current crisis will likely drive Biden to give Putin most of what he wants. [Read More...] -
F-35 Fighter Enters 2022 With Strongest Momentum In Program’s History (From Forbes)
January 4, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Last year was nobody’s idea of a banner year for the aerospace industry, but at least one program seems have done unusually well–the F-35 fighter. The Pentagon’s biggest weapons program saw record deliveries and steadily increasing acceptance in the global [Read More...] -
Rebuilding Boeing: Why Washington Has A Role To Play (From Forbes)
December 21, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Boeing’s recent setbacks in its commercial transport business are often attributed to excessive focus on generating profits at the expense of engineering and safety. However, the company’s margins have never been excessive, and to the extent management was obsessed with [Read More...] -
Army’s Future Vertical Lift Will Reshape The Rotorcraft Industry–And Companies Know It (From Forbes)
December 17, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Army has not developed an all-new combat rotorcraft since the Reagan years, but now it is developing two in a program called Future Vertical Lift (FVL). FVL is expected to generate demand for nearly 100 aircraft per year, [Read More...] -
5G Rollout Could Disrupt Domestic Air Travel Within Weeks (From Forbes)
December 15, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Domestic air travel in the U.S. is headed for a crisis early in the new year, thanks to a disagreement between two federal regulatory bodies concerning the signals generated by 5G wireless networks. In 2020, the Federal Communications Commission approved [Read More...] -
The President’s New Helicopters Are Ready For Service. So Why Aren’t They Flying? (From Forbes)
December 13, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Twenty years after White House planners decided a more robust rotorcraft was needed to transport the president, it still hasn’t been fielded. It isn’t that the new helicopter doesn’t exist: it has been developed and 23 are being produced. In [Read More...]