Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Helps Boost Satellite Monitoring Severe Weather Into Space

CANOGA PARK, Calif., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engines helped boost the second in a series of NASA/NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, designated GOES-O, into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., yesterday, to help scientists monitor severe weather that leads to tornadoes, flashfloods and hurricanes. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX - News) company, powered a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket with a RS-68 engine and an upper stage RL10B-2 engine. This was the 722nd launch of a Delta vehicle using Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's engine power.
GOES-O was developed by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is equipped with an advanced attitude control system that provides enhanced image resolution and navigation to better locate severe storms and other weather conditions. GOES-O is the second spacecraft to be launched in the GOES-N-P series of geostationary environmental weather satellites, which orbit at the same speed as the Earth's rotation. Being geostationary allows the GOES to stay above a fixed point 22,300 miles above the Earth's surface and provides constant monitoring of atmospheric conditions that can trigger tornadoes, flash floods and hurricanes.
"An early warning system is absolutely critical when dealing with unpredictable weather patterns that can impact so many people," said Craig Stoker, RS-68 program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. "Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is assisting in the process of providing improved tracking and predictive capabilities associated with atmospheric conditions that can trigger severe weather conditions."
The upper-stage RL10B-2 helped place the satellite into orbit. "When you are dealing with severe weather such as tornadoes, flashfloods and hurricanes, you need a reliable system that can identify the weather systems early," said Christine Cooley, RL10 program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. "We are proud to provide the upper stage propulsion enabling the placement of this satellite into orbit."
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries.

United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches NASA/NOAA Weather Satellite

CAPE CANAVERAL AFS, Fla., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- United Launch Alliance, on behalf of Boeing Launch Services, successfully launched the second of three next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The satellite, designated GOES-O, was launched aboard a Delta IV expendable launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex-37, Saturday, at 6:51 p.m., EDT. The first GOES satellite in the series, designated GOES-N, was launched here on May 24, 2006. This was the 8th ULA launch of 2009.
Following a nominal four hour, 21-minute flight, the Delta IV deployed the spacecraft. The multi-mission GOES series of satellites will provide NOAA and NASA scientists with data to support weather, solar and space operations, and will enable future science improvements in weather prediction and remote sensing. Additionally, GOES-O will provide data on global climate changes and capability for search and rescue.
"ULA congratulates Boeing and its NASA and NOAA customers for the successful launch of GOES-O, which will improve weather forecasting across the globe," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Delta Product Line. "Millions of people a year are adversely affected by weather ranging from localized thunderstorms to tornados and hurricanes. GOES-O will significantly improve the data collection scientists need to learn more about our planet's weather and will better prepare people all over the world for significant weather events."
The Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) configuration launch vehicle used a single common booster core with a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 main engine, two Alliant Techsystems GEM 60 solid rocket motors, a PWR RL10B-2 upper stage engine and a four-meter diameter upper stage and composite payload fairing. The GOES-O launch marked the fourth flight of the Delta IV medium+ (4,2) configuration and the 10th flight of the Delta IV family of launch vehicles.
ULA's next launch, currently scheduled for no earlier than Aug. 12, is the PAN mission for the Department of Defense aboard an Atlas V from Space Launch Complex-41 at CCAFS.
ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Denver, Colo.; Decatur, Ala.; Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
For more information on the ULA joint venture, visit the ULA Website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321).

Amnesty: Iran journalists should be freed

TEHRAN, June 27 (UPI) -- Dozens of journalists
imprisoned in Iran since June 12 are at risk of being tortured in in jail, Amnesty International says.
The group said in a release Friday that it has designated the jailed journalists as prisoners of conscience.
"It is shocking that journalists -- whose job it is to provide information to others -- are being detained, on top of all the other draconian measures the authorities have taken to restrict the free flow of information about what is really happening in Iran," Amnesty's statement said. "Rather than trying to investigate alleged abuses, the only message the authorities are sending is that they are seeking to hide the truth, both from their own citizens and the rest of the world."
Amnesty says dozens of journalists, some who also campaigned for opposition presidential candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, have been detained for two weeks with their whereabouts mostly unknown.
In one example, Amnesty said around 20 of 25 employees
of the newspaper Kalameh Sabz arrested at their office June 22 and are still being held at an unknown location. Kalameh Sabz is a newspaper established by Mousavi this year. It has not been published since June 14.

Air France body search called off

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 27 (UPI) -- It is unlikely more bodies will be found from the crash of Air France Flight 447, so further searching has been called off, Brazilian officials said.
The country's military announced late Friday it has suspended searches in the Atlantic Ocean where wreckage of from Flight 447 was spotted last week, CNN reported.
Military investigators say they have found 51 of the doomed flight's 228 passengers and have recovered more than 600 parts and components of the aircraft. CNN reported the bodies were given to Brazilian authorities to be identified, while debris from the airplane has been handed over to French aviation officials.
The U.S. broadcaster quoted Brazilian military officials saying ships will stay in the area in a bid to discover the plane's missing flight data recorders.

Anti-immigrant militia faces slay charges

ARIVACA, Ariz., June 27 (UPI) -- Three people described as U.S. border vigilante militia members have been charged with killing a man and his 10-year-old daughter in Arizona, officials say.
Jailed in Pima County, Ariz., on first-degree murder charges are Minutemen American Defense leader Shawna Forde, 41, and two other militia members, Jason E. Bush, 34, and Albert R. Gaxiola, 42. Prosecutors allege they entered the home of a suspected drug dealer, killing him and his daughter while looking for drug money to finance their vigilante operations, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Former militia member Merrill Metzger, Forde's half-brother, told the Times she had developed a plan to rob drug dealers to finance an underground militia set up to use violence against illegal immigrants entering the country from Mexico.
"I had to take an oath, and part of the oath was that I couldn't eat Mexican food," Metzger said. "That's when red flags went up all over for me. That seemed like prejudice."
Another former Minuteman told the newspaper he and Forde went on immigrant "hunting" excursions wearing camouflage and carrying handguns and rifles.
The newspaper said attorneys for the militia members did not respond to calls for comment.

Ulster loyalists destroy arsenals

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, June 27 (UPI) -- Three Ulster loyalist paramilitaries say they are decommissioning their weapons at the behest of an independent Northern Ireland commission.
Two of them, Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commando, thought to be responsible for the deaths of almost 1,000 Catholics during "the Troubles," confirmed Friday they had destroyed their arsenals in moves overseen by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, led by General John de Chastelain, The Daily Telegraph reported.
De Chastelain also oversaw the decommissioning of the Irish Republican Army's arsenal of guns, ammunition and explosives four years ago, the newspaper said.
A statement issued by the UDA's leaders said: "The dark days are now behind us and it is time to move on. There is no place for guns and violence in the new society we are building. It is time to work for a better future."
A third loyalist paramilitary, the Ulster
Defense Association, said it has also started to destroy its arsenal, the Telegraph said.

Ahmadinejad faces post-protest troubles

TEHRAN, June 27 (UPI) -- The troubles for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may not be over even though street protests have been effectively silenced, analysts say.
With opposition leaders saying they will no longer stage rallies without the permission of the government, the direct threat to Ahmadinejad from bloody civil disturbances appears to have passed. But the president's foes have been emboldened by the Tehran protests and his road to second term may be rough one, The New York Times reported Saturday.
"There has been too much violence to forget about it," said an expatriate Iranian analyst whom the Times did not identify because he has relatives in Iran and is afraid of reprisals against them.
"There are quite a few people sitting on the fence watching to see which way the wind will blow," added Ali Ansari, a professor of Iranian history at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
The newspaper said Ahmadinejad's legitimacy may rest with a third Iranian interest group situated halfway between his camp and that of opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi: Pragmatic military and security figures who have competed with Ahmadinejad but are believed to remain close to his chief backer, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Britain celebrates Armed Forces Day

LONDON , June 27 (UPI) -- Britain celebrated Armed Forces Day Saturday, with thousands of people attending events honoring troops across the country, observers say.
Troops serving in Afghanistan raised flags in a series of events, while around 30,000 residents, veterans and current members of the armed services gathered at an Armed Forces Day event at the historic dockyard in Chatham, Kent, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The newspaper said a parade of 450 veterans and 200 current military personnel, led by the Royal Marines band, was set for Chatham, where the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were said to be in attendance.
Queen Elizabeth, meanwhile, was expected to attend Armed Forces Day events in Edinburgh where she was scheduled to give campaign medals to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards as the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief, the Telegraph said.
Armed Forces Day is a chance for civilians "to register the deep and enduring gratitude that we as a nation have for all those who have served their country," the Queen said.

N. Korea: Will shoot down Japan spy planes

PYONGYANG, North Korea, June 27 (UPI) -- Any Japanese aircraft entering North Korean airspace will be shot down, Pyongyang warned Saturday.
The North Korean military accused Japan this week of conducting spying missions and warned that it would "not tolerate even a bit" of what it calls aerial reconnaissance by Tokyo, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
A report carried by the official Korean Central News Agency said, "The air force of the Korean People's Army will not tolerate even a bit the aerial espionage by the warmongers of the Japanese aggression forces but mercilessly shoot down any plane intruding into the territorial air of the DPRK (North Korea) even 0.001 millimeter."
Pyongyang said a Japanese E-767 passed over Musudan, the site used for North Korea's long-range rocket launch in April, on Thursday, adding that a Japanese surveillance aircraft had also conducted an aerial espionage mission a day earlier.
Yonhap said analysts believe North Korea may be preparing to test launch another long-range missile.

U.S. KC-10 tanker upkeep contract delayed to Sept

* Contract award initially due in June 2008
* Value estimated at $2.5 billion
WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said on Friday it does not plan to award a major contract for maintenance of its KC-10 refueling tankers until Sept. 30, a further delay of several months. Industry executives had expected an announcement sometime this month or next in the competition between Boeing Co (BA.N) and Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) (NOC.N) to service the large refueling aircraft.
Analysts value the deal at around $2.5 billion.
The Air Force had initially planned to award a contract in June 2008, after the companies submitted bids in late 2007.
But the contract award was delayed because all contractors submitted "insufficient cost and pricing data," said Air Force spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Linda Pepin.
As a result, the Air Force contracting officer sought help from the Pentagon's Defense Contract Audit Agency, which recommended a full audit of all vendors, Pepin said.
It was not immediately clear if other companies besides Boeing and Northrop bid for the work.
Pepin said the Air Force issued a contract extension to Boeing, which holds the current contract, in January 2008, to cover maintenance of the planes until a new contract could be awarded. It included several four-month extension options, and the final one would carry the program through January 2010, Pepin said.
Northrop spokesman Randy Belote said his company had not been notified about the rescheduling of the contract award.
"Northrop Grumman submitted a best-value proposal in good faith and we look forward to winning the contract and working closely with the Air Force to supply support for this vital capability," he said.
Boeing spokesman Scott Day said the company had provided support for the KC-10s for over a decade, achieving a "100-percent, on-time delivery rate."
"We believe our... proposal is strong and that what sets Boeing apart is customer satisfaction, solid and consistent performance and a proven ability to ensure aircraft availability and readiness to the warfighter," he said. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

S. Korea Announces Cyber Warfare Command Plans

Published: 26 Jun 2009 11:01
SEOUL - South Korea will launch a cyber warfare command center to fend off attacks on government and military IT networks from North Korea and other countries, officials said June 26.
The plan to create the command center by 2012 was included in a military reform package presented to President Lee Myung-Bak, the defense ministry said, at a time when relations with North Korea are particularly strained.
South Korea's military computer networks are under ever-growing cyber attack.
The South's military security unit said in a report last month that every day the military counters an average of 10,450 hacking attempts and 81,700 computer virus infections.
Experts say South Korea - one of the world's most wired societies - needs an integrated unit to fight cyber attacks by North Korea and China, which run elite hacker units.
In 2004, hackers based in China used information-stealing viruses to break into the computer systems of Seoul government agencies.
Last year, South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-Soo warned his cabinet against what he said were attempts by Chinese and North Korean computer hackers to obtain state secrets.

India Wants Air-to-Air Missiles for Its Jaguars

Published: 26 Jun 2009 10:06
NEW DELHI - India is on a global hunt for air-to-air close-combat missiles along with helmet-mounted displays (HMDs) for the Air Force's British-made Jaguar ground-attack aircraft. Bids for the procurement, valued at more than $100 million, have been sent to MBDA of France, Rafael of Israel, Diehl Defense of Germany, Raytheon of the U.S. and Rosoboronexport of Russia.
The Air Force also is improving its Jaguars through the incorporation of stealth technology, an engine with higher thrust and advanced avionics. The Air Force wants to raise the combat capability of its Jaguar aircraft to be comparable with the Russian-made Su-30MKI multi-role aircraft in its fleet.
Precision-guided bombs and anti-ship missiles will be acquired later, an Air Force official said.
As part of the upgrade, Thales is supplying autopilot systems for the Jaguar, and Rafael is supplying laser designator pods.
The Jaguars also will be equipped with Magic-2 and R-77 missiles. Communications and radio navigation systems are being built by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), and the mission computer is being provided by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
HAL and DRDO also have teamed up to develop software for the upgrades. Elta Electronics Industries of Israel is supplying other radar equipment, including electronic countermeasures.
In the current bid, the Indian Air Force has a requirement for 384 fire-and-forget missiles, 130 HMDs and 226 launchers.
The Air Force requires that the missiles be able to scan the target area for hostile aircraft and then lock on after launch. The missile also should be capable of firing backwards, employ thrust vector technology and have an infrared imaging system.
The missile must have a range of more than 10 kilometers and a top speed of Mach 4.

U.S. SouthCom Head Warns of Iranian Influence in Region

MIAMI - Iran's growing influence in Latin America is a "potential risk" to the region, the newly-appointed head of the U.S. Southern Command has warned.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, who took charge of U.S. military operations in 31 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean on June 25, expressed "real concern" about the Islamic Republic's links with "extremist organizations" in the region.
"The real concern is not a nation-to-nation interaction, it is the connection that Iran has with extremist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, and the potential risk that that could bring to this region," Fraser told journalists ahead of taking up the post.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has forged close ties with several leftist Latin American leaders in recent years, most notably Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Cuban leader Raul Castro.
Commenting on Iran's ties to extremist groups in the region, Fraser said: "It is a concern, and it is an issue we will continue to monitor for any increasing activity."
He cited Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which has links to Iran and is accused of being behind a suicide bombing that killed 200 U.S. marines in Beirut in 1983 and the 1996 bombing of the Khobar towers in Saudi Arabia, which killed more than 20 people.
The group has denied playing a role in those attacks and the bombing of Israeli and Jewish targets in Buenos Aires.
Fraser, who was deputy commander at U.S. Pacific Command, said the illicit trade in arms drugs and people was worrying, and indicated it would be the focus of his work.
"The major concern is the illicit trafficking and the impact that that is having in the security and the stability, especially through the northern part of South America through Central America and the Caribbean, and through Mexico and the United States."
He added the U.S. needed to ensure links between narcoterrorism and illicit trafficking do not become more pronounced.
Fraser played down talk of a conventional threat in the hemisphere, but said Venezuela's military stance was concerning.
"I'm concern with the military buildup in Venezuela because I don't understand the threat that they see," he said. "I don't see a conventional military threat in the region. So I don't see why they see a need to build their military to the point that they are pursuing."
Fraser, who lived in Colombia for three years as a teenager, said Southern Command would continue to help that country combat leftist guerillas like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - the FARC - and narcoterrorist groups.
"The FARC is not defeated and we need to continued that effort. That's been a focus for a very specific reason," he said.
"But Southern Command has been engaged with all the militaries within the region, with the exception of Cuba," he continued. "My intent is not to focus on one nation or the other because it is together that we build that capacity."
Fraser is the first Air Force officer to take the helm of the Southern Command.
He replaces U.S. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, who has been tapped to become NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

U.S.-Kyrgyz Deal Allows Military Cargo Shipment

ASTANA, Kyrgyzstan - A new agreement that allows the U.S. to retain a key air base in Kyrgyzstan will still let it ship military cargo as it did before, a senior U.S. official told AFP on June 25.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said that despite reports to the contrary, the U.S. air base at Manas would continue to be used to send military cargo to Afghanistan.
"It still will allow us to transit the kinds of cargo with logistical support and personnel that we need," he told AFP on the sidelines of a NATO regional security summit being held in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.
"It's a broad umbrella and it includes what we have been doing under the previous agreement."
Kyrgyzstan - an impoverished Central Asian state - changed course this week after ordering the U.S. base to close in February, a decision that would have been a blow to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban.
Under the agreement, which was ratified by the Kyrgyz parliament June 23, Washington will more than triple the rent it pays for the base as part of a financial compensation package worth about $177 million.
Kyrgyzstan had long complained that the rent it was receiving for the base was too low.
The key functions of the Manas Air Base are the ferrying of tens of thousands of troops in and out of Afghanistan each year and the hosting of planes used for the mid-air refueling of combat aircraft.
Under the new agreement, the U.S. official said, those operations would continue, effectively putting to rest months of diplomatic wrangling as Washington sought to firm up its Afghan supply routes.
A majority of 75 lawmakers in the 90-member Kyrgyz parliament voted to let the U.S. maintain a "transit center" at the air base, which sits just outside the capital Bishkek.
None voted against the agreement, which was signed by U.S. and Kyrgyz officials earlier this week.
Since the agreement was announced, Kyrgyz officials have publicly insisted that it amounts to a base closure and that from now on Manas will only be used for the transit of "non-military" goods.
"This is no longer a military airbase, the coalition soldiers must leave now. The dismantling of the base infrastructure can begin," said Kabai Karabekov, a lawmaker from the country's ruling Ak Zhol party.
"This is nothing more than a corridor for transit," he added, speaking after Thursday's ratification vote.
But despite Karabekov's comments about evicting soldiers, the agreement allows U.S. personnel to remain and Kyrgyz officials have said they will be permitted to carry weapons.
And in fact, the agreement places no restrictions on what U.S. forces may ship through it.
The U.S. government and its personnel may bring "any form of personal property, equipment, provisions, materials, technology" into and out of Kyrgyzstan, according to the text ratified by parliament.
Moreover, U.S. flights into and out of Manas may not by be searched by Kyrgyz authorities, the agreement says.
Kyrgyzstan announced that it would evict the U.S. air base in February, on the same day that Moscow promised more than two billion dollars in loans and aid to the ex-Soviet republic.
Moscow has long complained about the presence of U.S. military bases in Central Asia, which it says lays within what President Dmitry Medvedev has called Russia's privileged sphere of influence.

EnerSys Enhances Lithium-Based Capabilities with Expansion of Design, Assembly and Sales Operations

READING, Pa., June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EnerSys® (NYSE: ENS - News), the world's largest manufacturer, marketer and distributor of industrial batteries, enhanced its lithium-based capabilities with the launch of an EnerSys Advanced Systems (EAS) unit in Budapest, Hungary, in addition to an existing EAS unit located in Horsham, Pa., near Philadelphia. These enhancements are in response to the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries.
The new EAS unit in Budapest, led by Dr. Laszlo Nagy, provides customers with additional resources for the design and assembly of advanced lithium-ion batteries. It also employs a team of engineers for customer assistance in lithium-based applications.
New lithium-based battery products for defense applications have been developed and launched at EAS in Horsham since its acquisition as the former ATK Power Sources Center. In addition, EnerSys' joint venture with Modular Energy Devices Inc. develops small-format lithium-ion products for customers, including those in the telecommunications industry.
EnerSys previously established a marketing alliance with GAIA, a German unit of LTC Corp., to develop large-format lithium-ion products, primarily for defense and industrial applications.
As telecommunications technology advances, end users seek ways to upgrade their facilities quickly, without retrofitting existing structures. Among the advantages that lithium-ion batteries offer is lighter weight and smaller volume than lead or nickel batteries, which eliminates the need to make architectural enhancements to accommodate their installation on rooftops and in tight spaces. For example, a 1,600 amp-hour, 48-volt lead calcium battery typically weighs 3,045 kg (6,700 pounds) and requires 5.75 square meters (62 square feet) of floor space, while an equivalent, 48-volt lithium-ion battery typically weighs 986 kg (2,170 pounds) and requires 1.86 square meters (20 square feet) of floor space; this represents a three-fold reduction in weight and floor space needs.
In addition to being smaller and lighter, lithium-ion batteries do not require venting, making them advantageous for use in distributed power architecture that incorporates DC power sources and batteries with newly installed equipment. The higher energy density of lithium-ion batteries makes them useful for powering applications, including digital television operations, in both land-line and fiber-optic applications, and a host of other uses, including defense applications.
"Our investment in lithium-ion technology demonstrates the commitment to meeting the ever growing, worldwide demand for small- and large-format lithium products," said EnerSys Chairman, President and CEO John Craig. "While this technology is more expensive than our existing nickel and lead-acid battery solutions, there are applications where the premium can be justified.
"We will continue to invest in advanced solutions to meet our customer's needs. In the quickly changing environment for energy storage, we are convinced that there are good growth opportunities for lithium, nickel and advanced lead solutions. All of these technologies bring some unique performance characteristics valued by our customers in cost, power, energy, cycle life and ease of recycling, so we will keep investing."
Lead-based battery products continue to dominate EnerSys' sales to industrial and specialty markets, with growth driven in part by its product line of thin plate pure lead (TPPL) batteries, which provides more than 20 percent of improvement in performance over that of existing lead-based products. Recent expansion of EnerSys' product portfolio accommodates the widening and changing demands of the industrial energy storage market. This expansion included the acquisition of GAZ in Zwickau, Germany for nickel-based battery products, as well as the aforementioned investments and alliance for lithium-based battery products.
ABOUT ENERSYS
EnerSys, the world leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, manufactures and distributes reserve power and motive power batteries, chargers, power equipment, and battery accessories to customers worldwide. Motive power batteries are utilized in electric fork trucks and other commercial electric powered vehicles. Reserve power batteries are used in the telecommunications and utility industries, uninterruptible power suppliers, and numerous applications requiring standby power. The Company also provides aftermarket and customer support services to its customers from over 100 countries through its sales and manufacturing locations around the world.
More information regarding EnerSys can be found at www.enersys.com.

iLOOKABOUT Announces Progress in Property Tax Assessment Market Vertical

On Friday June 26, 2009, 8:17 pm EDT
iLOOKABOUT Corp. (TSX-V:ILA - News) (the "Company") announced today its progress within the property assessment market across North America to provide visual data via StreetScape images within a number of Counties, Provinces and States within Canada and the US.
"We are extremely pleased with our progress in property assessment," commented Jeff Young, President and CEO of iLOOKABOUT. "Working with Town, City, County and Provincial property data aggregation organizations, as well as private sector property tax assessment firms, we have seen significant growth in both completed transactions and pipeline opportunities which are at different stages of completion."
"iLOOKABOUT StreetScape imagery provides assessors with a new layer of imagery data that improves the efficiency and productivity in the property tax assessment process in addition to providing a unique perspective and enabling solution for valuing properties," continued Young. "We are in the final stages of completing a number of projects in the US, and we are extremely encouraged by the response from the assessment community in Canada and the United States."
About iLOOKABOUT
iLOOKABOUT is a visual data intelligence company serving commercial enterprise in the real estate, insurance, municipal, utility, assessment and appraisal sectors in North America and Europe. iLOOKABOUT is a pioneer in visual data intelligence with its StreetScape and Virtual Tour products. StreetScape is a visual data intelligence product for the geo-spatial market, providing panoramic, comprehensive, street level perspective visual data, geo-coded with latitude and longitude coordinates for accuracy and supported by patented software processes and proprietary security and storage systems. Headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada, iLOOKABOUT has offices in Toronto, Canada and London, UK. iLOOKABOUT's shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ILA.
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact:
Contacts:
iLOOKABOUT Corp.
Jeff Young
President and CEO
519-963-2015
519-963-5009 (FAX)
info@ilookabout.com
www.ilookabout.com

MEDIA ADVISORY: Volaris Airlines Launches First International Service at LAX

Source: Los Angeles World Airports
On Friday June 26, 2009, 7:39 pm EDT
WHAT: Volaris -- Mexico's leading low-fare air carrier -- launches
its first international service at Los Angeles International
Airport (LAX) and welcomes its inaugural flight from Toluca,
Mexico at a press conference in celebration of new daily service
to Toluca and Guadalajara, Mexico. Volaris will operate a modern
fleet of Airbus A320s and join Southwest Airlines in a code share
agreement set to begin next year.
WHO: -- Dr. Pedro Aspe, Volaris Board of Directors President
-- Enrique Beltranena, Volaris Managing Director and CEO
-- Michael Molina, Senior Director of External Affairs,
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)
-- Pepe Aguilar, Mexican singer and eight-time Grammy Awards
winner
-- Max Villar, Director of the Americas, LA INC. The Los Angeles
Convention and Visitors Bureau
-- Kyle O'Neal, Director of Alliances, Southwest Airlines
WHEN: 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 30, 2009
WHERE: LAX Flight Path Learning Center
6661 W. Imperial Highway
Los Angeles, CA 90045
VISUALS: -- Ribbon-cutting ceremony with airline and airport executives
and singer
-- Volaris aircraft with special art showcasing Los Angeles
-- Volaris crew in uniform
-- Special video highlighting Volaris' story
PARKING: Free parking at the museum
CONTACTS: Volaris - Sai Irene Sanchez Correa, 011 52 1 55 91 85 53 81
sai.sanchez@volaris.com.mx
LAX Public Relations - Katherine Alvarado, (424) 646-5260
kalvarado@lawa.org
Contact:
CONTACTS:Volaris
Sai Irene Sanchez Correa
011 52 1 55 91 85 53 81
sai.sanchez@volaris.com.mx
LAX Public Relations
Katherine Alvarado
(424) 646-5260
kalvarado@lawa.org

Brazil calls off search for Air France victims

SAO PAULO, June 26 (Reuters) - Brazil's Air Force and Navy on Friday called off the search for additional victims and wreckage from Air France (AIRF.PA) Flight 447, which crashed over the Atlantic on June 1 carrying 228 people.
French officials have given no indication they are ending their own search efforts. To date, authorities have recovered 51 bodies as well as 600 pieces of wreckage from the Airbus A330-200 jetliner.
Brazilian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Henry Munhoz said the military was unlikely to find additional bodies and wreckage in the search area so many days after the crash.
"It's already been nine days without seeing any bodies," Munhoz said in a televised news conference.
Brazilian Navy Captain Giucemar Tabosa said French navy ships will remain in the area looking for beacon signals from the plane's voice and flight data recorders, the so-called black boxes.
The cause of the crash is unknown, and there is still no sign of the black boxes, which could give vital information about why the plane went down.
Weather and distance from the coast have complicated search efforts from the outset, and officials have said it will be difficult to find the black boxes.
(Reporting Pedro Fonseca; Writing by Reese Ewing; Editing by Will Dunham)

UPDATE 3-Toronto to cover gap in C$1.2 bln streetcar deal

* Toronto to defer projects to cover funding gap
* Ottawa again refuses C$400 mln funding request
* Finance minister says timeframe too long (Updates with results of Toronto city councilors' vote)
By Frank Pingue and John McCrank
TORONTO, June 26 (Reuters) - Toronto reluctantly agreed on Friday to pay about C$400 million more than it had planned to buy streetcars from Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) after the Canadian government refused to help fund the C$1.2 billion ($1.04 billion) project.
The deal with Bombardier would have expired if Toronto had not completed arrangements to fund the fleet of 204 streetcars by Saturday, and the city would have had to issue another call for bids.
Councilors in Canada's biggest city agreed in a raucous eleventh-hour meeting on Friday to defer other transit projects to beyond 2018 in order to cover the funding gap.
Toronto will now pay nearly C$800 million toward the streetcar project, while the province of Ontario has pledged C$416 million.
The city had initially expected about one-third of the money to come from Ottawa, but federal politicians said the project did not meet the requirements of its infrastructure stimulus fund.
"We have just secured the transit future for this city for a generation," Toronto Mayor David Miller told reporters.
"Was it unfortunate the federal government, at the very end of the process said no (to the funding)? ... Yes, of course. But as you can tell, the provincial government reads the stimulus guidelines to say this fits."
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Friday that the streetcar project would not be in place fast enough to tap into its C$4 billion stimulus fund.
"The streetcar project, as advantageous as it may be in the long term, is not stimulus," he said. "It doesn't happen right away; it's several years out. The whole idea of stimulus is to get it done in the next two years."
Under the agreement with Montreal-based Bombardier, the larger, more energy efficient streetcars would not enter service until 2012, with all 204 delivered by 2018. As well, most of the jobs created would have been at Bombardier's plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario, not Toronto.
Cities that wanted a share of Ottawa's stimulus fund were asked to present shovel-ready projects that could be completed in two years and would create jobs locally.
Toronto's plea to Ottawa for over C$400 million to help replace its aging streetcar fleet was the only request it made to the federal government for stimulus dollars.
Flaherty said it was regrettable the streetcar program was Toronto's only attempt at securing stimulus funding, given other shovel-ready initiatives in the city such as improving roads or the waterfront area.
However, Miller said that federal Infrastructure Minister John Baird had recently held out an olive branch, saying the city could still submit bids for other projects that would qualify for stimulus funding.
"Minister Baird generously has allowed us the opportunity to make another ask and we're asking for everything we possibly can that fits within the rules," he said.
Miller said that if the projects were ones that the city had already committed to funding, and if they were accepted by the federal government, Toronto could put the additional cash toward the streetcar deal.
Within the past six months, Toronto has secured funding for C$10 billion in transit projects.
($1=$1.15 Canadian) (Reporting by Frank Pingue and John McCrank; editing by Rob Wilson)

Canadian aerospace sector seen posting 2009 profit

* Sector profit of C$620 million forecast this year
* Profit seen relatively stable over the next two years
* Order backlog cushioning effects of recession
OTTAWA, June 26 (Reuters) - Canada's aerospace industry is forecast to post a profit of C$620 million ($539 million) in 2009, cushioned from the recession by a big backlog of orders, the Conference Board of Canada said in a report on Friday.
Despite a sharp drop in demand for business jets, the order backlog for aerospace companies such as Bombardier (BBDb.TO) and CAE Inc (CAE.TO) is equal to nearly two years of production work, the report said.
In the face of falling demand and tight credit markets, airlines are grounding planes, cutting capacity, and delaying or even canceling orders.
Aerospace industry profits, which fell to C$592 million in 2008, are seen as relatively stable over the next two years and then growing an average of 3.3 percent annually from 2011 to 2013, the Conference Board report said.
Profit margins, which dropped to 2.7 percent in 2008, are expected to remain slim, averaging 3 percent annually over the next five years.
Production is forecast to slow in the next two years, but output will still outpace the rest of the manufacturing sector, the organization said. After an increase of more than 10 percent in 2008, production growth should slow to 1.7 percent in 2009 and decline slightly in 2010.
The value of unfilled orders dipped slightly to C$38 billion in March 2009 from C$39 billion in November 2008, the report said, citing Statistics Canada data.
"The industry can afford some cancellations and still weather the storm for many more months even without new orders," the report said. But companies will need to control costs to navigate difficult conditions.
The outlook is sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, a national trade group.
($1=$1.15 Canadian) (Reporting by Susan Taylor; editing by Rob Wilson)