farnborough airshow news 7-22-10

An independent publication, solely owned by The Convention News Co., Inc., Midland Park, N.J.

THUR

SDAY

• Slimmer engine woos A380 customersThe Engine Alliance GP7200turbofan engine is in the middle ofa weight-reduction program thatmay further help sales. The GeneralElectric-Pratt & Whitney jointventure says the engine has lost150 pounds since entry intoservice two years ago. Page 9

• America’s Avenger UAVcould be UK’s ScavengerAs flight testing of General AtomicsPredator C Avenger progresses,observers see it as a key contender forthe UK’s MALE UAV, if the UK does notpursue a European solution. 2

• Zephyr shows real staying powerAs you read this, Qinetiq’sremarkable solar-powered UAV couldbe still airborne somewhere overArizona, having launched on July 2.When it finally comes back down toearth, it will have annihilated allprevious records. Page 16

• Diamond Aircraft polishes future plansWhile it is flying a DA42 here that’srunning on algae-based biofuel,Diamond is planning to develop anaerobatic, two-seat military jettrainer of the D-Jet that will haveejection seats and cost under $3million. Page 17

• Halving helo fuel burnEADS is slashing helicopter fuelburn with a new diesel-electricengine. Page 20

INSIDE...

July 22, 2010 Vol. 42 No. 20

A PUBLICATION OF

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by Chris Pocock

The Royal Air Force (RAF) will emergefrom the current UK Strategic Defence and Se-curity Review (SDSR) with only two types ofairlifter, two types of fighter and two types ofhelicopter. That much was confirmed here Tues-day when Air Chief Marshall Sir Stephen Dal-ton, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), spoke tojournalists after delivering a presentation onCombat ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, tar-get acquisition, and reconnaissance). A fewhours earlier, British defense secretary Dr. LiamFox told his Farnborough audience, “The cur-rent defense program is entirely unaffordable.”

These comments are bound to generate afresh round of chalet chatter on the last tradeday of this year’s Farnborough show. Will thegovernment dare to cancel the A400M airlifterin favor of the RAF retaining both the C-130Jand the C-17? If not, when exactly will the C-130Js be retired? The two fighters must surelybe the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 JointStrike Fighter in the long term. But will theHarriers be chopped immediately, and whatabout the Tornado GR.4 force? The helicopterchoice is already made: the RAF’s Merlins willbe transferred to the Royal Navy, leaving theservice with Chinooks and upgraded Pumas.

“We cannot afford the luxury of multiple sup-ply chains and the associated training and infra-structure costs,” said Fox. “With only two types,we’ll save money upfront and ongoing, whilepreserving capabilities,” said ACM Dalton.

Fox echoed the sober conclusion of a reportinto defense procurement that was commis-sioned by the last British government. “There’sno doubt that there has been a culture of mutualover-optimism on costs, timing and perform-

Mubadala Aerospace is posi-tioning itself as a tier-one sup-plier of large compositestructures to Airbus or Boeingfor future single-aisle aircraft aspart of its continuing drive to be-come a top player in the globalaerospace industry. “We’re look-ing at a stake of up to 20 percentin the composites content of anynew aircraft,” executive director,aerospace unit, Homaid AlShemmari, said yesterday.

Al Shemmari has also re-vealed the company intends to

build a “business jet-sized air-craft,” with a 2018 target date.“We will design, manufactureand support this aircraft,” he toldAIN. The move followsMubadala’s purchase of a 35-percent stake in Piaggio in 2006.The Italian manufacturer is aspecialist in composites and will,said Al Shemmari, be a majorcontributor to the design of thenew aircraft.

The moves are all part ofMubadala’s drive to create a“high technology, knowledge-in-

tensive” aerospaceindustry for AbuDhabi, reflecting thegovernment’s desirefor the country tocement its industrialfuture by diversify-ing into high-valueindustries throughpartnerships with in-ternational aero-space companies.

At Farnborough,Mubadala signed deals withGoodrich, Honeywell and Siko-rsky, further expanding its main-tenance, repair and overhaul(MRO) presence. Al Shemmarisaid Mubadala intends to be-come “the world’s third biggestMRO company” by 2020, afterLufthansa Technik and KLM En-

gineering and Mainte-nance. In 2009 the com-pany increased its stakein SR Technics from 40percent to 70 percent. Italready has a majorMRO operation in theMiddle East–Abu DhabiAircraft Technologies.Al Shemmari confirmsthe company is lookingfor other MRO partner-ships in the U.S. and

Asia. “The USA is a must andwe have to be involved in South-east Asia as well, but we have notdecided which should be first.”

Mubadala Aerospace willcomplete the first phase of con-struction of its new Strata com-posites manufacturing facility at

UK defense cuts will be deep but smart

Mubadala targets tier oneand a new bizjet for 2018by Julian Moxon

Continued on page 21 �

Airbus Military’s A400M will flyhome from Farnborough, havingimpressed show-goers with itsperformance, but it still needs toconvince cash-strappedgovernments like Britain’s that it is a must-have item in the futuredefense inventory.

Mubadala exec directorHomaid Al Shemmari

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airbus.com Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks. New Standards. Together

It’s greener in more ways than one.The Airbus A380 has earned its reputation as the world’s greenest long-haul jet. But it’s been earning hard

dollars at the same time. The moment it entered service, its sheer popularity, combined with the lowest cost per

passenger of any large aircraft, has meant more profit, much quicker. Giving its operators a competitive edge in

tough times. Simply by introducing A380s on long-haul routes, operators can save millions of dollars a year in

cash operating costs, while creating thousands of extra seats. The most exciting plane in the sky is also a proven,

working aircraft, making real money, day after day. Airbus A380. See the bigger picture.

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Indonesian national airline Garuda hasordered six long-range A330-200s fordelivery from 2012’s fourth quarter. Thetwinjets will join six A330-300s and fourrecently delivered leased A330-200s.

Configured in a two-class layout forservices to Asia Pacific, Europe and theMiddle East, the new aircraft will be pow-ered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines andare nominally valued at $1.1 billion. Airbushas taken firm orders for more than 1,000A330s, of which more than 700 have beendelivered to 80-plus operators.

Also yesterday, Kuwait-based AviationLease and Finance Co. (ALAFCO), whichspecializes in Sharia-based commercial air-craft leasing, has upgraded its 2007 order for12 A350-800 XWBs to the larger A350-900variant. The -900 will be the first of the A350family to enter service when the new wide-body enters service in about three years.

“The A350-900 is best suited to meet[future customer] needs,” said ALAFCO

chairman Ahmad Al Zabin. Typically, themodel accommodates about 40 more seatsthan the smaller -800 variant. A350 ordersexceed 530 from over 33 customers.

Germania holding company SAT hasconverted its recent memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) covering fiveCFM56-powered A319s into a firm con-tract, thus becoming a new Airbus operatoras it begins to replace its current fleet. TheA319s will be laid out in a high-density,150-seat configuration.

Berlin-based Germania’s business encom-

passes aircraft charter, leasing and seat sales,with a route network serving more than 30international destinations in Europe, theMediterranean region and the Middle East.Deliveries are scheduled to begin next year.

Thai Airways International has signed anMoU for seven A330-300s, together worth anominal $1.48 billion if the deal is con-verted to an order (as Airbus expects willhappen within the next couple of months.“The aircraft would be delivered from late2011 to join TAI’s 20 other A330-300s serv-ing points across the Asia-Pacific region. �

Mitsubishi Aircraft remains bullish aboutthe prospects for its new MRJ regional jetdespite failing to add to its order book so farhere at the Farnborough air show.

In June, All Nippon Airways finallysigned firm orders for fifteen 92-seatMRJ90s with options for 10 more, but theletter of intent with U.S. airline group TransStates Holdings for 50 firm aircraft plus 50options has yet to be converted into a firmorder, but could be close to conclusion.Nevertheless, the manufacturer said ithopes to sell up to 1,000 aircraft into a mar-ket that Mitsubishi Aircraft president HideoEgawa puts at between 3,000 and 4,000

regional jets over the next 20 years.The MRJ90 program is now “on time”

said Egawa, with the all-important criticaldesign review set for the end of summer,leading to design freeze and beginning ofmanufacture of the first components later inthe year. First fight is due in mid-2012 withentry into service in 2014 after an 18-monthflight test program involving five aircraftThis follows the six-month delay to the pro-gram revealed in October 2009, when theTrans States letter of intent was announced.

The timescale for the smaller 78-seatMRJ70 is for EIS around a year after theMRJ90, although a Mitsubishi executive

hinted this “may slip” if no orders comethrough. Even further away, the proposedMRJ100 has no timescale at all, admittedEgawa. “I cannot today say when we willdevelop this aircraft,” he said.

Mitsubishi’s hopes of attracting cus-tomers are based largely on the attributes ofwhat it calls the “game changing” Pratt &Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan power-ing all versions of the aircraft, which bringsa claimed 52-percent reduction in takeoffnoise compared to the Embraer EMB190.Mitsubishi also campaigns the 20-percentlower emissions of the engine. Inside thepassenger cabin, overhead bin capacity hasbeen increased to accommodate largerroller bags, providing the “largest overheadbins in its class.”

Full-scale static testing of the all-com-posite empennage was completed recentlyand the engineering flight simulator devel-oped. Formal evaluation by the U.S. andEuropean certification authorities hasbegun in preparation for planned certifica-tion at the end of 2012. �

4aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 22, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

The MRJ cabin mockup, seen here at Mitsubishi’sbooth, highlights its width and height advantageover competitors.

Garuda makesits A330 order a perfect 10

Mitsubishi closes in onnew batch of MRJ sales

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Airshow NewsFarnborough

Paul LoweNigel MollJulian MoxonChris PocockGregory PolekStephen PopeIan SheppardChad TrautvetterPaolo Valpolini

by Julian Moxon

by Ian Goold

Mitsubishi Aircraft president Hideo Egawa.

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F-22 SHOWS OFFITS BOMB BAY

The opportunity to viewthe weapons bay of theF-22 Raptor comesabout one-third into itsflying display. The mainbay can hold six AIM-120E AMRAAMs or two6BU-32 JDAM bombsplus two AMRAAMs.Single AIM-9s occupythe side bays.

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Raytheon Systems Ltd. (RSL) is workingon urgent operational upgrades to the UKASTOR (Advanced STand-Off Radar) sys-tem and eyeing potential export customers.The British offshoot of Raytheon is now thedesign authority for what was a transatlanticdevelopment. RSL is believed to have madea firm proposal for an ASTOR-type systemto an export prospect, which has beenreported elsewhere to be India.

The UK bought five airborne platformsfor the ASTOR system. They are desig-nated Sentinel R.1 and are based on theBombardier Global Express business jet.Raytheon also supplied two operationallevel ground stations (OLGS), which arelarge but transportable, and eight fullymobile transportable ground stations(TGS).

A TGS has been set up outside Hall 4here. Two British military officers yester-day described how the system has provedinvaluable over Afghanistan in identifyingand tracking insurgents. The moving-targetindicator (MTI) has allowed imagery andintelligence analysts to discern unusual“patterns of life” that would indicate suspi-cious activity. When an enemy vehicle isidentified, the MTI recording can be playedback to determine the originating point ofits journey. Although the ASTOR also fea-tures an excellent synthetic aperture radar(SAR) mapping capability, some 95 per-

cent of the system’s tasking overAfghanistan has been for MTI.

The wide-area search capability of theASTOR has frequently been used to iden-tify areas of interest that are then “cued”for a closer look to a UAV carrying anelectro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor,such as the UK’s own Hermes 450s orReapers. One OLGS has been deployed tothe theater, and is co-located with BritishArmy’s Hermes 450 ground station.

One of the urgent upgrades now underway could be an enhancement to the syn-thetic-aperture radar (SAR) processor toenable detection of small, buried objects.This would help with the counter-IED(improvised explosive device) effort inAfghanistan. However, the officers saidthat ASTOR is already involved in thiseffort through intelligent analysis of movements.

In recent months, RSL officials havebriefed many other potential upgrades tothe ASTOR, some of them through hard-ware changes, and others through moresophisticated processing that uses segmen-tation algorithms. The company has alsosuggested adding a communications-intel-ligence (COMINT) sensor to the Sentinel,such as Qinetiq’s Tigershark. Looking fur-ther ahead, the technology to enable SARand MTI processing from a single pulse isbecoming available. �


Above, UK-based Raytheon Systems is using five modified Bombardier Global Express twinjets, designatedthe Sentinel R.1, as a platform for the UK ASTOR system. Raytheon has also supplied two operational levelground stations and eight transportable ground stations, below, for the program.

Raytheon eyes upgradesfor ASTOR, plus exportsby Chris Pocock

MALAYSIAN AIRCRAFT LEASING FIRMOPTS FOR 50 IRKUT MC-21 NARROWBODIES

Aircraft leasing company Crecom Burj Resources of Malaysia signed a

firm order for 50 Irkut MC-21 airliners yesterday here in Farnborough. The

deal is split evenly between 150-seat MC-21 200s and 181-seat MC-21-

300s, with deliveries slated to start in 2016. Celebrating the deal were (l-r)

Alexey Fedorov, president of Irkut parent company United Aircraft Corp.;

Oleg Demchenko, Irkut president; Khairil Anuar Rahman, Crecom Burj

deputy chairman; and Azizul Kamar A. Rahman of Crescom Burj.

HH Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khal-ifa, Chairman of the Supreme OrganisingCommittee for Bahrain International Air-show and Ian Godden, Chairman of ADS andFarnborough International Ltd. (FIL), signedan agreement yesterday to formalize theirpartnership to jointly organize the BahrainInternational Airshow 2012 (BIAS), whichwill run from January 19 to 21.

“The Kingdom of Bahrain is proud to beextending its partnership with FarnboroughInternational following the success of thisyear’s inaugural airshow,” Sheikh Abdullasaid. “The 2012 Bahrain International Air-

show will continue to deliver a personalizedevent focused on the industry itself, free oftraditional flying and demonstration limita-tions due to the airshow’s unique locationand bespoke facilities.”

At the same time, Gulf Air was signed upas official carrier and a memorandum ofunderstanding was concluded with BahrainAirport Services as ground-handlingprovider. An agreement was also inked inwith Quaynote Communications of the UK tohost a conference in Bahrain in January 2011entitled: “The Future of Business Jets in theMiddle East.” �

Bahrain and FIL to team again

HH Sheikh Abdulla binHamad Al Khalifa,chairman of theBahrain InternationalAirshow organizingcommittee, and IanGodden, chairman ofFarnboroughInternational, re-uppedtheir partnership tojointly organize the2012 Bahrain airshow.

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Suspended above the EADSstand in Hall 4 is a full-scalemodel of the company’s proposedTalarion surveillance drone. It isdear to the heart of Dr. Stefan

Zoller, the chief executive officerof EADS Defence and Security,who persuaded France, Germanyand Spain to fund a feasibilitystudy. But now the jet-powered

UAV may be left hanging, asEuropean government researchand defense budgets are slashed.

France, Germany, Italy and theUK all have requirements formedium- and/or high-altitude,long-endurance (MALE or HALE)surveillance UAV systems. To meeturgent operational needs, Franceand Germany are operating IsraelAerospace Industries Herons thathave been taken into European-designed tasking, exploitation anddissemination systems. Italy andthe UK have opted for AmericanPredators and Reapers, whichcome complete with a U.S.-designed (and controlled)communications infrastructure.

As unmanned aerial systems(UAS) become ever more capableand acceptable, this is a highlyunsatisfactory state of affairs,from the perspective of the Euro-pean aerospace industry. This

means that the Talarion proposal,as well as the BAE Mantis in theUK and the Alenia Sky-Y in Italy,have taken on considerable rele-vance. The latter two have flownin prototype form.

There has been considerablemaneuvering and intrigue amongthe players in this field recently(see Farnborough Airshow News,July 19, page 37, concerning theMantis). But now Germanyrevealed a draft set of defense cutslast week, with no money availablefor the Talarion. The UK’s recentlydefined Scavenger MALE require-ment may last only until thecurrent defense review is com-pleted in the fall. And even theFrench defence minister has talkedof buying the Predator system.

Dr. Zoller is clearly a frustratedman. “Talarion is a key project,”he told journalists in London lastSaturday. “It’s the only seriousnew-generation jet of this type. Itcan perform 20 different missions,civilian and military. It will have anext-generation e-scan radar, andbe able to fly without restrictions

in controlled airspace. Europe hasto decide whether it wants to sus-tain its military aircraft andunmanned systems development.But I doubt whether any singleEuropean country can finance thisalone,” he added.

Desperate to get the programlaunched, Zoller said that EADSmight “pre-finance” the develop-ment. He countered suggestionsthat the Talarion is a very expensivesolution. “We offered 15 systems,including 45 aircraft, for ?2.9 bil-lion. Approximately half of thatsum is for development, the otherhalf for procurement,” he said.

Zoller believes that a surveil-lance drone like Talarion shouldbe a much greater priority forEuropean air forces thanunmanned combat air vehicles(UCAVs). “They could still be20 years away,” he said. EADShas promised to deliver in 2015.Now we know why he has sup-pressed nearly all mention of theBarracuda UCAV demonstrator,which EADS has also beenworking on. �

Since Boeing bought Insitu in 2008 thetwo companies have been growing the suc-cess of Insitu’s Scan Eagle UAV, whiledeveloping the Integrator vehicle to add toBoeing’s increasingly formidableunmanned product range. This larger typeis one of several vying for the U.S. Navy’sSTUAS requirement, which is seen as areplacement for the Scan Eagles currentlyoperated by Insitu under service contracts.

First flying in 2007, Integrator uses thesame 12-g bungee launch and 6-g Skyhookrecovery system as the Scan Eagle, and

shares a common ground architecture tomake it fully interoperable. It still offers a20-plus hour endurance capability, but car-ries a much heavier payload. For a 24-hourmission, up to 25 pounds can be takenaloft, but if endurance is reduced to eighthours, then payload can be increased to 50pounds. In operational terms, Integratorallows the carriage of both electro-opticaland infrared sensors, while the Scan Eagleis restricted to one or the other.

Payloads can be accommodated by fourmeans: a nose bay that can mount a turret; an

internal bay measuring 40- by 10-by 5-inches; up to four externalhardpoints; or wingtip bays. In theScan Eagle the wingtip bays aretypically used to mount antennasfor the AIS ship identification sys-tem. Integrator’s main fuselage bayis rapidly reconfigurable and canbe segmented to carry multiple sensors. Aswell as electro-optical/infrared sensors, bothScan Eagle and Integrator have been testedwith the imSAR NanoSAR imaging radar.

At the moment, the Scan Eagle fleet is

operating at around 14,000 hours permonth and has amassed 335,000 hours.The vehicle is mostly operated by Insituunder service contracts and it is deployedin many theaters to provide “ISTAR by thehour.” Operational areas includeAfghanistan, where Australia, Canada andPoland employ the type to provide supportfor deployed forces, in addition to itswidespread use by U.S. forces. Anothercritical area where Scan Eagle has“starred” is off the Horn of Africa, whereit has been one of the main weapons in thefight against piracy.

Scan Eagle has many uses in both civiland military fields. Currently Insitu isnegotiating to operate the Scan Eagle onbehalf of BP as part of the oil spill clean-up effort in the Gulf of Mexico. As inmany cases, gaining the necessary airspaceclearance is one of the main challenges.

However, as one of the most experi-enced UAV operators in the world, Insituis working closely with the FAA on suchissues. Last month the two announced atwo-year CRADA (cooperative research-and-development agreement), underwhich Insitu has supplied two ScanEagles, complete with ground equipment,for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administra-tion to operate in the Atlantic City area inorder to study the operation of UAVs incontrolled airspace. �


Integrator UAV vies for U.S. Navy contract

Talarion hangs in hall,as well as in the balance

by David Donald

Boeing Insitu’s Integrator is competing for the U.S. Navy’s smalltactical unmanned air system program. A contract decision iscurrently stalled, but may now be handed down this summer.

by Chris Pocock

The EADS jet-powered Talarionsurveillance unmanned aerial vehiclecould become a casualty of budget cutsin Europe, despite the aircraft’s ability toperform 20 different types of missions.D

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PHANTOM RAY WILL GO WEST ATOP NASA’S 747Always expect the unusual from an advanced development shop. The Boeing Phantom Works has decided to use the NASA Boeing 747

Space Shuttle carrier to move the Phantom Ray UCAV from the factory in St. Louis, Missouri, to the NASA Dryden Research Center at EdwardsAFB in California for flight tests. This will be the first time that anything other than a Space Shuttle has been carried atop the 747.

According to Phantom Works chief Darryl Davis, a Boeing engineer suggested using the Shuttle carrier because it does not require dis-mantling of the carefully constructed, stealthy UCAV, thereby making this the most cost-effective solution.

The Boeing team developed an attachment to connect the Phantom Ray to the structure that normally carries the much larger Space Shuttle.

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NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED IN JARA’S BATTLE FOR SALES

Business leadership specialist Jara has taken inspiration from the Royal Air Force’s Battle of Britain FighterCommand operation for its Farnborough airshow campaign to make contact with as many sales prospects aspossible this week. Its team is logging the success its sales squadrons are having in making contact with decisionmakers and signing people up to receive its newsletter.

As of the middle of yesterday, Jara was achieving about a 55-percent hit rate in meeting its goals–somewayshort of its goal of a 70-percent hitrate. It had made contact with 150 ofthe 400 managers it has targeted thisweek, with 30 of the 100 newslettersign-ups achieved.

Jara (Hall 3 Stand B10) is using itsown “structured leadership” tech-niques to take corrective action as itbattles to notch up the desired numberof hits. “We’re now making sure thatcontacting sorties and review meetingsstart on time. We’ve produced bettermaps of the halls with target standsclearly identified and we’ve condensedthe script we use,” explained managingdirector Jamil Rashid. “So far theseactions have already improved our hitrate from 35 percent to 55 percent.”

The Engine Alliance GP7200engine is in the middle of aweight-reduction program thatmay further help sales as the Gen-eral Electric-Pratt & Whitney jointventure is engaged in at least threecampaigns: with Qatar Airways,Kingfisher Airlines and VietnamAirlines. The engine maker (Hall 4Stand A10) expects 19 AirbusA380s to be in service flying itsturbofans by the end of the year.

According to Engine Alliancepresident Mary Ellen Jones, theGP7200 has lost 150 pounds sinceentry into service two years ago.“We were a bit above spec,” shesaid. An additional 50 pounds are

to be saved on engines deliveredat some point next year, whichwill be about 100 pounds betterthan specified, thanks to a newturbine exhaust case.

The new component is beingevaluated on an engine being usedfor endurance trials. To “keepahead of any issue,” EngineAlliance engineers have conductedthis maturation program in anMTU test cell, where a GP7200has already logged 3,000 cycles at77,000 pounds of thrust. Analyticteardown is in progress.

Fuel burn has been improved,too, Jones reported. In April, Air-bus revised the A380 performance

handbook to reflect 0.5-percentlower specific fuel consumption.“We are thus 1.5-percent betterthan our [Rolls-Royce Trent 900]competitor,” she said.

So far, fleet statistics lookgood, with zero in-flight shutdowns in more than 200,000 flighthours. Dispatch reliability stoodat 99.9 percent as of June 30. TheGP7200 is in service on 14 A380stoday, a number that slated togrow to 19 by December 15 onEmirates airplanes and four oper-ated by Air France.

Jones commented that King-fisher Airlines and Qatar Airwayshave not yet chosen the enginesfor their ordered A380s. She alsosaid Vietnam Airlines is inter-ested in the aircraft, and shehinted that her company’s sales-men are talking to some U.S.operators who may be interestedas well. The Engine Allianceclaims to have a 59-percent sharein A380 ordered engines.

On Monday, Emirates orderedGP7200 engines for the additional32 A380s it ordered last month. Thedeal includes a “fleet managementagreement” for the maintenance,repair and overhaul of the engines.It is valued at $4.8 billion.

Jones said the Engine Alliancerecommends that its customersorder 10 to 12 percent of spares.Emirates is said to be “in thatneighborhood.” The ratio of 548engine orders for 128 aircraftindicates, however, that the aver-age customer tends to stay belowthe advised percentage. TheGP7200’s fan can be replacedseparately from the rest of theengine, which allows an operatorto make the most of its spareinventory, a company officialpointed out. �

www.ainonline.com • July 22, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa9

GP7200 reduces weight to woo A380 customers

NEWS CLIPS

� Royal Air Maroc Picks Snecma for CFM56-7 Mx Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has chosen Snecma to maintain the

CFM56-7B engines that power its Boeing 737s. The by-the-hourcontract covers 36 aircraft, 26 of which RAM already operates, andruns until December 2018. Snecma Morocco Engine Services, aSnecma-RAM joint venture in Casablanca, will supply the service.

Separately, China’s Spring Airlines has selected the CFM56-5Bengine to power four new Airbus A320 aircraft. At list price, thecontract is valued at $70 million.

� Aero Sekur To Be Part of Future’s DayFlexible structure specialist Aero Sekur (Hall 4 Stand B8) will

host an “international futures for young engineers” programtomorrow and at the weekend. A multinational team of post-graduate students will provide first-hand advice on engineeringcareers, the company said. Presentations are scheduled to runhourly from 10 a.m. tomorrow, which is the show’s Future’s Day.

Aero Sekur is also displaying its new helicopters survivalsystem. Made of a pair of external airbags, the system is designedto attenuate shock in crash landings, and also can be used as aflotation device. Designed for both civil and military applications,the Aero Sekur survival system is due to be available in 2012.

� Qatar Taps SR Technics for Airbus Cabin MakeoversQatar Airways is enlisting SR Technics to modify the cabin

layouts of three of the airline’s Airbus A321s and two A319s. Thecabin modifications include installation of new seating layouts, in-flight entertainment systems and a global communication suitethat will allow passenger use of personal mobile phones in flight.SR Technics plans to complete the work in Zurich, Switzerland, bythe end of this year. Separately, Thomson Airways signed a five-year, $100 million component contract covering nine Boeings.

� Software Upgrade Enhances Global Express CabinsRockwell Collins announced the release of a software upgrade

for the cabin management systems in the Bombardier GlobalExpress XRS and Global 5000 that includes dozens ofenhancements to the look and feel of the system. The softwareadds an icon-based menu co-developed by Teague, a U.S.industrial design firm, with additions including “At a Glance” and“Favorites.” New aircraft are now being delivered with the V7software upgrade and operators of in-service Globals can receiveit free of charge starting this fall, according to Bombardier.

� Eaton Has Shanghai Connection for C919 WorkEaton Corp. and Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co. (SAMC),

a subsidiary of Chinese manufacturer Comac, are forming a 49:51joint venture to supply fuel and hydraulic “conveyance systems”for the C919 narrowbody airliner. Based on the production of 2,500aircraft and including after-sales, potential business on the C919 isestimated at $1.8 billion. The joint venture’s products will also beoffered for other aircraft.

Eaton has received a letter of intent from Comac and ShanghaiAviation Electric (SAE) to supply the C919’s cockpit panel assembliesand dimming controls system. Eaton and SAE have signed a“strategic cooperation agreement” to jointly develop and manufacturethe components. The program is valued at a total $425 million.

� Sikorsky Inks Services Deal with Jordanian Air ForceSikorsky Aerospace Services announced it has made a support

agreement with the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) for its fleetof 13 S-70A Black Hawk transport/utility helicopters. The one-yearcontract, estimated at $8 million and renewable every year, allowsthe RJAF to order parts and services at preset terms and includesvolume discounts and prompt-payment incentives.

Separately, Sikorsky Aerospace Services subsidiary Derco,whose core activity is spare parts, is teaming up with testequipment specialist Testek. Under the agreement, the twocompanies will offer customers in-house repair and testingcapabilities, which includes tooling, training, engineering, programmanagement and parts.

by Thierry Dubois

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Qantas has placed a firm orderwith Bombardier for seven Q400NextGen turboprop airliners in adeal valued at $218 million basedon list prices for the airplanes. Theorder adds to the 21 Q400s oper-ated by QantasLink. The first newaircraft are due for delivery in thefirst half of 2011. Bombardier hasbooked firm orders for 385 Q400NextGen aircraft including theQantas order. The Canadian manu-facturer has delivered 300 to date.

In its latest aircraft market fore-cast released yesterday, Bombardierpredicted a market for 12,800 air-liners in the 20- to 149-seatcategory worth $612 billion in thenext 20 years. The manufacturer’sbusiness jet forecast was equally

bullish, forecasting demand for26,000 business aircraft worth $661billion in the same period. Bom-bardier’s business jet marketforecast includes aircraft in seg-ments Bombardier competes (lightjet to large cabin).

The forecast foretells a shift indemand to larger regional airliners,predicting there will be 200 newaircraft sold in the 20- to 59-seatmarket, 5,900 in the 60- to 99-seatsegment and 6,700 in the 100- to149-seat segment. A key driver ofgrowth, said Bombardier, will bethe Chinese market, which isexpected to become the world’sthird largest for regional airlinersales behind the U.S. and Europeby 2029. �

Qantas signs for 7 Q400s

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Last week, Vince Cable, thebusiness secretary in the newBritish government, heavily criti-cized the supply of 14A330MRTTs to the Royal AirForce (RAF) as a private financeinitiative (PFI). He told The Sunday Times that the FutureStrategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA)is “a massively expensive andunnecessary commitment.”

The £10.5 billion ($16 billion)deal was concluded by the previ-ous Labour government and hasalready been criticized by the UKofficial watchdog agency, theNational Audit Office (NAO).The first two aircraft are alreadyunder conversion by Airbus Mili-tary in Madrid.

In a report released last March,the NAO said it was “unable toconclude that the Ministry of

Defence has achieved value formoney” from the FSTA deal. TheMoD concluded what was the UK’slargest-ever PFI to acquire newtankers for the RAF to avoid thecapital cost of replacing the entirefleet of ageing VC-10s and Tristars.

Instead, AirTanker, a consor-tium comprising Cobham, EADSUK, Rolls-Royce, Thales UK andthe VT Group (now owned by Bab-cock), is supplying a “refuelingservice.” AirTanker will routinelyprovide nine A330MRTTs to theRAF, with five more to be availablefor contingencies. In the meantime,Airtanker can lease these five air-craft to commercial airlines in apassenger configuration. Theagreed annual minimum usage is9,000 flying hours. The contractalso includes a new hangar plussimulator at RAF Brize Norton,

plus training, flight operations andthe services of 14 sponsoredreserve pilots (the RAF will pro-vide the balance of the flight crew).

But the NAO report revealedthat the average cost of the con-tracted baseline service isapproximately $585 million perannum, of which no less than $465million is for financing, capital costand profit. Personnel and fuel costswill add a further $90 million. Overthe 27 years of the contract, thisamounts to £12.3 billion ($18.5 bil-lion), not £10.5 billion.

The RAF must pay for the mili-tary reconfiguring of the five“spare” aircraft and the breaking oftheir leases to third parties. More-over, the original requirement “didnot envisage the aircraft flyingdirectly into high-threat environ-ments such as Afghanistan,” andthat modifications to enable thisare likely to cost “several hundredmillion pounds.” They includeflight deck armor and fuel-tankinerting. Airtanker confirmed toAIN that the aircraft are being sup-plied with a basic DASS(Defensive Aids Subsystem). �


NEWS CLIPS

� ITT Has Traffic Data for Commercial CustomersITT Corp. has announced the commercial availability of

real-time air traffic surveillance and tracking data, marking the first-ever sale of data collected through the automaticdependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) network beingdeployed by ITT as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’sNextGen initiative.

The ITT data will provide the most accurate situational-awareness information available in the U.S. National AirspaceSystem and can be used to optimize the business operations ofcustomers, such as airlines, airport operators and companiesproviding services tied to aviation activities.

As part of the ADS-B contract, ITT has developed an open,scalable and secure system architecture that fuses real-timenationwide data from multiple FAA-trusted surveillancesources, including the ADS-B network, the existing terminaland en route air traffic control radars and the output from theAirport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X), arunway safety system that is being deployed at the 35 busiestU.S. airports.

� Hamilton Sundstrand Wins New APU ContractsHamilton Sundstrand announced three contracts for its

auxiliary power units (APUs) here at the show on Tuesday. Qatar Airways has picked the Hamilton Sundstrand APS3200

APU for its 24 new Airbus A320s, and Rockwell Collins hasselected the T-62T-48LC-1 APU for installation in the prototypeU.S. Navy E-6B Tacamo, as part of the Block 1A ECP program, foroperational evaluation.

Finally, the U.S. Army aviation and missile command (Amcom)has awarded Hamilton Sundstrand (Hall 3 Stand B25e) a five-year,indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for follow-on T-62-T-40-1 APUs. This contract is to support the production ofSikorsky Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters for the U.S. Armyand the U.S. Navy. The APUs will be supplied to Sikorsky’sproduction line as government-furnished equipment. The Amcomcontract specifies an estimated quantity of 482 APUs over itsduration, with a maximum of 1,000.

� Sesar Family Grows with 13 New PartnersSesar Joint Undertaking (SJU) this week endorsed 13

associate partners to contribute to the SESAR, the SingleEuropean Sky ATM Research Program, whose purpose is tocreate an evolution in air traffic management by bringing togetherthe concerns and requirements of public and privatestakeholders in the air traffic system.

Of the 13 selected associates, seven are providers of airnavigation services, five are industry partners and one is an airportoperator. The 13 are: Nav Portugal, Avtech Sweden, Boeing, LVNLconsortium, Skyguide, ONDA (Moroccan airports authority),Belgocontrol, Lockheed Martin UK, PANSA (Polish Air NavigationServices Agency), NATS Services, SEA Aeroporti di Milano, ThalesAustralia and Thales Raytheon Systems.

Agreements between the sponsoring members and theirrespective associate partners are expected to be finalized duringthe last quarter of this year.

� New Skyeye 350 Can Survey Oil SpillsAerial Surveillance Systems Inc. (ASSI) has joined forces

with German sensor specialist Optimare to launch an airborneoil-spill monitoring system based on ASSI’s SkyEye 350surveillance aircraft, which in turn, is based on the King Air 350platform. Optimare provides the surveillance equipment in theform of its Medusa system. It integrates the company’s oil-spillsensors, plus others such as the Flir Systems Star Safire HDelectro-optical/infrared (EO/IR), into a package that providesspill detection and analysis. It has applications in the spotting ofillegal discharge and, of course, in coordinating the response tomajor spills.

New UK governmentslams tanker wasteby Chris Pocock

A plan for the industrial andtechnological base of future Euro-pean military aerospace movedforward with the signing of a con-tract for a one-year study to beconducted by Sweden’s Saab group.Alexander Weis, chief executive ofthe European Defence Agency, andMats Palmberg, vice president andhead of business development andmarketing for Saab Aeronautics,signed the agreement, valued atapproximately $512,000, here at theFarnborough show.

Saab has been commissioned

to map out Europe’s current mili-tary aerospace and industriallandscape, and identify gapswhere research-and-developmentprojects should be initiated to pro-vide the necessary technologyneeded for the continent’s FutureAir System (FAS). Under theFAS4Europe contract, Saab is toreport back to the EuropeanDefence Agency in October 2011.

Although the Swedish manu-facturer leads the project, most ofEurope’s major aerospace playersare involved as subcontractors.

The full name of the study is,“The future of the European mili-tary aerospace DefenceTechnological Industrial Base(DTIB)– MilAerospace 2035+”.

FAS4Europe is intended toidentify key areas for technologicalinvestment so the DTIB can com-pletely meet Europe’s requirementswithin the 2035 timeframe. TheEDA is also mindful of Europe’splace in the global marketplaceand, according to Weis, “The ulti-mate goal [of FAS4Europe andsubsequent pilot programs] is tomaintain, or establish, a worldwidecompetitive European aerospaceindustry.” While the FAS4Europewill study the industry across theDTIB, two areas that have beensingled out for special attention arehelicopters and UAVs. �

Saab gap analysis studykey to future military tech

by David Donald

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Smartphone applicationshave become so ubiquitousthat even some militaryhandbooks are available asapps. For the iPhone, suchapps inlcude the 2010 U.S.Military Handbook, U.S.Army Ranger Handbookand a British Military Fit-ness guide. And if you’relooking to keep up with the latest defense andaerospace news, be sure to download our free AINonline iPhone app.

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A South African Air Force JAS 39D Gripen has undertaken the first launch of anA-Darter missile, performed at the OverbergTest Range in South Africa. The A-Darter isbeing codeveloped by South Africa’s DenelDynamics and Brazil. It is intended toprovide South Africa’s Gripen force with anadvanced short-range weapon, and is slatedto equip Brazil’s FX-2 fighter when it isselected. South Africa has acquired the IRIS-T in the interim.

Boeing’s F-15E1 demonstrator for the F-15SE Silent Eagle undertook the firstmissile firing from the aircraft’sconformal weapons bay (CWB) on July 14.The weapon was an inert AIM-120AMRAAM. The CWB was flown for the firsttime only on July 8, at Boeing’s St. Louisfacility. The missile launch took placeover the Pacific Ocean, with the F-15E1flying from Naval Air Weapons StationPoint Mugu in California.

by Thierry Dubois

Ahmed Reda Chami, Morocco’sminister of industry, trade and newtechnologies, said here in Farnbor-ough that a European companywith 10,000 employees, rangingfrom clerical workers to seniordirectors, would save approxi-mately $363 million per year bymoving its operation to his country.He pointed out the benefits ofestablishing factories there, includ-ing lower labor costs and theproximity to European markets.Chami’s figures take into accountlabor, taxes and transportation,which is expected to be expensivebecause of the distance to majoraerospace hubs.

Morocco imposes no corpo-rate tax in free zones during thefirst f ive years of a company’soperations; after that, the rate is8.75 percent, he said. Locallaws guarantee total intellectualproperty warranty, and, Chamisaid, for technical training, thecountry is creating a specializedaeronautical institute with sup-port from the French UIMMmetal industry lobbying group.Standard & Poors upgradedMorocco to “investment” inMarch, he added.

Morocco is close to Europe–just nine miles across the Strait ofGibraltar from Spain, whichenables just-in-time deliveries toEuropean countries. The culturalproximity is also strong, Chamisaid, with “laws and businesspractices being similar.” He alsonoted that Tangier’s port is poisedto become the largest in theMediterranean.

Today, 90 companies–70 per-cent no more than five yearsold–are actively involved in aero-nautics in Morocco, whichtranslates into 7,000 jobs. Total rev-enues amounted to $777 millionlast year. Chami said estimateddevelopment potential for the aero-nautical sector in Morocco is $518million in annual sales and 15,000new jobs by 2015. �

Moroccotempts withlower costs

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General Atomics AeronauticalSystems Inc. (GA-ASI) is pro-gressing well with the test programfor the prototype Predator CAvenger, a turbofan-poweredunmanned air vehicle (UAV),while two more are under con-struction. The type is arousingsignificant interest, not least here inthe UK, where it is a contender for

the Scavenger UAS requirement.The Avenger first flew in April

2009 to embark on a comprehen-sive test program that is currentlyoperating at the rate of two orthree flights per week, althoughthis could be increased if rangeavailability allows. The initialtests were conducted from GA-ASI’s Gray Butte FlightOperations Facility near Palm-dale, California, but transferredin May to nearby Naval Air Sta-tion China Lake, which offers alarger restricted airspace forincreased envelope expansion.

Flight trials have revealedexcellent reliability, with just onesortie canceled due to technicalreasons. The trials have also vali-dated GA-ASI’s aerodynamicmodeling, while demonstrating afuel burn for the Predator C thatis 10 percent lower than expected.New test processes have reducedthe number of flights needed toensure that the Pratt & WhitneyCanada PW545B turbofan enginemeets requirements. In demon-strations of rapid-responselaunches, the Avenger has gonefrom hangar to flight in as little as30 minutes.

The Avenger is intended for covert, long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and

reconnaissance (ISR) missions,and to conduct strikes. Thedesign embodies low-observablefeatures and can operate at up to50,000 feet for 20 hours. Maxi-mum speed is in excess of 400ktas. Typical sensors are anEO/IR (electro-optical, infraredimaging) turret and GA-ASI’sLynx SAR/GMTI (synthetic

aperture radar and ground mov-ing target indicator) radar.Internal carriage is provided fora variety of weapons, includingthe 2,000-pound JDAM (jointdirect attack munition).

GA-ASI plans to fly the sec-ond Avenger later this year, and athird thereafter. These machinesare slightly larger than the proto-type, and will have an increased6,000-pound payload capability.

The Avenger draws on the sys-tems developed for the PredatorA and Predator B/Reaper, anduses the same continuallyimproving ground control sta-tions. This could be a factor in the

UK’s Scavenger program, whichis seeking a MALE (medium-alti-tude long-endurance) UAV toprovide ISR as part of the overar-ching Solomon requirement. TheUK is already operating theReaper in Afghanistan and haslong experience with the PredatorA. The Avenger is seen as a keycandidate for this requirement ifthe UK opts not to pursue a Euro-pean solution that could be basedon the BAE Systems Mantis.

Griffin EyeMeanwhile, GA-ASI has

combined several products of itsISR business into a new air-borne system known as GriffinEye. This comprises an EO/IRturret, GA-ASI’s LynxSAR/GMTI radar and the com-pany’s Claw mission-controlsystem, as well as datalinks andcommunications. The systememploys the Lynx to give wide-area surveillance, cross-cueingthe EO/IR sensor for closer tar-get examination. Griffin Eye iscompatible with a range ofmanned platforms, includingsurveillance stalwarts King Air200/350, PC-12 Citation andTwin Otter.

Separately, GA-ASI hasreceived $195.5 million in fund-ing from the U.S. Army toward anestimated $399 million contractto provide supplemental hardwareand low-rate initial production ofits Sky Warrior unmanned air-craft system (UAS) in support ofthe army’s extended range/multi-purpose UAS program.

Full funding is expected laterthis summer and will provide for34 Sky Warrior aircraft, 16 one-system ground control stationsmade by AAI Corp., airborne andground tactical control data linkequipment produced by L-3Communications West and otheritems, such as automatic landingsystems, spares and ground sup-port equipment. The company isscheduled to deliver two aircrafta month beginning this Decem-ber and continuing through theend of 2012. �


Avenger could beUK’s scavenger UAS

NEWS CLIPS

� Rockwell Collins IFE Offered for 737 Boeing SkyRockwell Collins announced that its dPaves in-flight

entertainment system will be offered as an option for the 737Boeing Sky interior, a futuristic-looking cabin concept featuringcurving lines, larger window reveals and soft blue cove lightingin the cabin ceiling. The dPaves entertainment system for theSky 737 features retractable 12-inch HD touch screens and USBcontent loading. The core of the Rockwell Collins system is its160-gigabyte high-def media server, which can store hours ofmovies, audio and pre-recorded passenger briefings.

� UK Firm Supplies C919, Superjet Cabin TrainersEDM of the UK (Hall 1 Stand D11) is manufacturing training

equipment for new Chinese and Russian aircraft. The company iscreating a partial cabin section of China’s Comac C919 single-aisle airliner and a cabin emergency evacuation trainer for theSukhoi Superjet 100 regional jet.

Comac’s requirement is a “significant design andconstruction challenge for EDM, which must provide thefinished article for November’s Zhuhai airshow in China. TheC919 engineering mockup is to include a flight deck, cockpitdisplays, cabin seating and in-flight entertainment system,among other features.

Sukhoi requires the cabin emergency-evacuation trainer for anew Superjet International training center in Italy. The equipment,currently undergoing acceptance at EDM’s Manchester plant,replicates a Superjet 100 cabin section specified by Sukhoi forjoint flight- and cabin-crew transition training.

� Bristol Turns Back the ClockFor a century, Bristol has been one of the centers of the

British aviation industry, and today its manufacturing facilitiesplay a major part in many state-of-the-art programs, such as theAirbus family, Typhoon and Joint Strike Fighter. To help celebratethe city’s aviation centenary, a team of young engineers andfitters from Airbus, GKN and Rolls-Royce has created animmaculate replica of the Bristol Fighter, the region’s first trulysuccessful airframe/engine combination. The team drew on bothoriginal drawings and the 3-D modeling techniques to recreatethe aircraft and its Rolls-Royce Falcon engine, and alsoemployed both traditional sheet metalwork and the latestadditive layer technology in its construction.

� Partnership Establishes Gulf Spares CenterSupply-chain specialist Aerospace Partners International

has joined with civil and military spare-parts providerTransworld Aviation to establish a distribution center in thePersian Gulf region to serve Africa, India and the Middle East.Based in Dubai’s Jebel Ali free zone, the API-Transworld facilitywill stock aircraft parts and related materials, includingconsumables, expendables and rotable components availablefor exchange. Component maintenance, repair and overhaul(MRO) services also will be available, and the partnership willhave access to other MRO provision from API parent companyFirst Aviation Services. The Jebel Ali site is expected to seedevelopment of MRO capacity.

by David Donald

The sole prototype Predator C Avenger is currently undergoing flight testing at GeneralAtomic Aeronautical Systems’ Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility near Palmdale,California. Two more Avengers are slated to join the test fleet by year-end.

Customer acceptance of theRolls-Royce TotalCare engine-support service has been furtherrecognized by another agree-ment signed with Chinesecarrier Sichuan Airlines, basedin Chengdu, with hubs inChongqing and Kunming.

This latest, 12-year contract isvalued at $65 million and coverssupport for the Trent 700 engines,

which power the airline’s threeAirbus A330 widebody aircraft,deliveries of which commenced inFebruary.

The AE3007 engines inSichuan Airlines’ Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet fleet have beensupported by TotalCare since2000. Nine Chinese airlines havechosen the TotalCare long-termsupport service. �

China’s Sichuan Air adds toRolls-Royce TotalCare plan

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Buoyed by last week’sendorsement of the F-35 fromCanada, Lockheed Martin vicepresident Tom Burbage, delivereda business-as-usual update on theJoint Strike Fighter program herein Farnborough this week. Therewas some talk of the allegedmounting costs, but much moreabout the flight-test program andinternational partnerships.

Burbage revealed that construc-tion had begun in Italy of the finalassembly and check out (FACO)facility, after the recent confirma-tion. Lockheed Martin is inpartnership with Alenia and otherson the FACO. Burbage said theItalians would not operate a mov-ing line, unlike the main F-35production set-up at Fort Worth,where $1 billion has been investedin tooling. The line will move at 51inches per hour once the full pro-duction rate has been achieved.

All the international partners arestill “on track,” Burbage claimed.But the Dutch are having second

thoughts about joining the opera-tional test and evaluation (OT&E)phase, he admitted. Norway hasactually increased its planned buyfrom 48 to 56, and Turkey mightbuy more than the 100 currentlyslated. The Australian governmenthas confirmed its first 14, and willseek approval for 59 more nextyear. But yes, the UK is having adefense review, he acknowledged,and that is bound to reduce the cur-rent planned buy of 138. Canada’stotal has dropped by 15 to 65 uponconfirmation last week.

Incidentally, none of these air-planes is under contract yet. Thefourth low-rate initial production(LRIP) contract for 32 F-35s isstill being negotiated; it containsa third OT&E aircraft for the UKand maybe the second for theNetherlands. No other interna-tional buys are scheduled untilLRIP 6 in fiscal year 2012.

Is the program making up forthe delays in flight test? “All of theSDD [system design and develop-

ment] aircraft are now on the flightline,” Burbage reported. Two air-craft are now flying with Block 0.5mission software. Both types ofair-to-air refueling have beendemonstrated (boom plus probe-and-drogue). The first flight of theF-35C went very smoothly, indi-cating a high degree of maturity,according to Burbage. “Right now,we’re 10 percent ahead of ourschedule to do 394 test flights thisyear,” he added. But, after a suc-cessful first vertical landing lastMarch, first STOVL aircraft BF-1did not fly for four months.

Static testing of the F-35A andF-35B versions is complete.Burbage showed video of the F-35C static test article undergoingdrop tests to simulate heavy car-rier landings. It will now go into

the rig for static testing.AIN asked for Lockheed Mar-

tin’s reaction to the comments inthe latest F-35 program reportfrom the Government Accountabil-ity Office (GAO), which raisedalarm bells about through-lifecosts (TLCs). The GAO said thatservice officials are concernedabout escalating TLCs, and that thecost per flying hour of the F-35A isprojected to be higher than that ofthe F-16s it will replace.

Surprisingly, Burbage wasunaware of the GAO comments,but he noted that TLC estimatescan vary widely, depending on

the assumptions about inflation,years of service and so on. “Wehave a comprehensive annualreview of support costs with allour customers. They have moreinformation at this stage than anyprevious program has provided.Moreover, legacy programs donot collect their costs to the sameextent that we do,” he said.

“We’ve always said supportcosts will be 20 percent belowlegacy aircraft, and we’re still ontrack for that. But we need to firmup these estimates. Many decisionson support still have to be made bythe various countries.” �


International partnersdrive JSF recovery

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by Chris Pocock

The big financial freeze thathas gripped much of the aero-space industry since around thetime of the last Farnborough air-show in 2008 is starting to thaw.And, as a consequence, deal mak-ing is back in fashion.

This was the headline assess-ment of the state of the sectorfrom Michael Richter, managingdirector of the aerospace anddefense group of financial advisorand asset manager Lazard on theeve of this week’s show.

What has changed lately,Richter told AIN, is that visibilityand certainty have started to re-emerge as factors givingcompanies and investors the con-fidence to start making longerterm moves. “In the past six toeight weeks, there have been sev-eral billion-dollar transactions inthe market or coming to the mar-ket,” he said, predicting that asmany as 15 to 20 of such dealscould come to fruition in the com-ing weeks. Private equity interestsare once again active in the mar-ket, he explained, and, in somecases, investors who want to avoidliability to new U.S. capital gainstax rates are driving asset sales.

“The market has transitionedfrom an uncertain outlook to onewhere there is greater visibility,” hesaid, pointing out that net airlinerorders have been positive since thelast Paris Air Show in June 2009,

with a slower than anticipated rateof cancellations. More recently,airlines have started to showimproved profitability.

Richter said that, along withmany in the industry, he has beenpleasantly surprised by the paceand scale of the recovery. “But theproblem was real and serious andwe are still not out of the woods,”he warned, noting that while thesignificant layoffs made by com-panies have now stalled, the rateof rehiring has been slow.

“This time last year, most ana-lysts on Wall Street werepredicting that it was impossiblefor Boeing and Airbus to maintaintheir production rates owing to thealarming cancellation and deferralrates,” Lazard explained. “Mostsuppliers were adjusting businessmodels to accommodate the possi-bility of a production slow down.However, the unprecedented orderbacklogs, increased orders frominternational customers and con-servative operating stance adoptedby the airlines in recent years,which includes cash reserve build-ups and reduced costs, continues topreserve this backlog.”

Lazard’s aerospace and defensegroup consists of 20 bankersaround the world. It continues to bevery active, having advised on morethan 10 transactions during the past12 months, including several strate-gically significant deals. �

Aerospace deals returnas financial freeze thawsby Charles Alcock

Aerostructures specialist GKN Aerospace pre-sented its 2010 supplier awards to five companiesyesterday: All Metal Services, Onamac Industries,High-Tech Engineering, Magellan Aerospace andDoncaster Bramah.• All Metal Services’ award was in the regional sup-

plier-Europe category, for supplying aluminum cutplate and extrusions.

• Onamac Industries won the regional supplier-NorthAmerica award for its aluminum and steel parts.

• High-Tech Engineering recieved the SC21 Supplierof the Year award for its machined components, aspart of GKN’s involvement in ADS UK’s 21st Cen-

tury Supply Chain Initiative (SC21). • Magellan Aerospace was given the environmental

achievement award for its part in investigating sol-vent-free paints and investing in a new anodictreatment, notably for an Indian facility.

• Doncaster Bramah was the winner of the innova-tion and lean supplier award, for its precisioncomponents and assemblies.

GKN suppliers won’t have time to rest on theirlaurels, though, as the company has announcedthe launch of a new initiative to deploy lean prin-ciples with supply chain partners starting thisfourth quarter. –T.D.

Joining GKN v-p of supply chain management Rob Soen (left) are recipients of the company’s supplier awards: Magellan Aerospace UKcommercial and business development director Haydn Martin; Doncaster Bramah general manager Damon Harvie; All Metal Servicesmanaging director David Potts; Onamac president Mike Thornburn; and High-Tech Engineering managing director Steve Tickner.

Lockheed Martin said that the Joint Strike Fighter program is making up for lost time. So far, test flying is 10 percent ahead of theschedule to perform 394 flights this year. However, the program still lags behind its original schedule.

GKN hands out 2010 supplier awards

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Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue ismaking his first visit to a Farnborough air-show as part of his state’s officialdelegation here. The mission: bring homehigh-paying jobs by enticing aerospacecompanies to do more business in the state.

“Georgia has a very favorable tax andregulatory environment that is attractiveto all types of businesses,” Perdue said.He has already met with leaders fromsome of the biggest names in aviation todiscuss opportunities for bringing proj-ects to the state, which ranks as the ninthlargest by population in the U.S.

They’ll be in good company if theydecide to accept the governor’s offer. Georgiais home to 500 aerospace companies thatemploy 80,000 people in the state and wereresponsible for creating $3 billion in U.S.exports last year. Delta Air Lines, GulfstreamAerospace, Lockheed Martin, Boeing andNorthrop Grumman are some of the state’sbest known aerospace companies.

The administration of U.S. PresidentBarack Obama this year announced agoal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015.States, are the national sales force for thatfederal initiative, Purdue said, and gover-nors are the top salesmen. “We’ve had agood week here so far and I think we’ll beable to make some announcements about

our progress soon,” he predicted.Farnborough is the third major air-

show at which Georgia has had apresence, the others being last year’s ParisAirshow and the Dubai Airshow in 2008.Georgia is exhibiting in the U.S. Interna-tional Pavilion (Hall 2 Stand B8) and hasa chalet (A28) here as well.

Georgia’s Farnborough presence is partof a broader strategy to bring high-tech sec-tor jobs to the state, which has participatedin conferences and exhibitions related tothe logistics, transportation, telecom andcomputer-gaming industries. After Farn-borough, Perdue and his team will travel toStockholm to attend a bio-energy show.

Spending a week at an airshow, how-ever, suits the governor just fine. “I’vebeen a pilot since 1968, so I love it.” Per-due owns a Bellanca Viking and earnedhis helicopter pilot’s license two yearsago, training in a Bell 407. �

World airlines will require 6,875 com-mercial jets of 30- to 120-seat capacity inthe coming 20 years, according to Embraer.Its latest market forecast, published thisweek, says such aircraft serve low- andmedium-density markets and are an essen-tial component of commercial aviation.

Just over a half–51 percent, or 3,495units–will support current growth, with thebalance–49 percent, or 3,380 units–neededto replace ageing equipment. Some 2,895jets are predicted for delivery during the2010 to 2019 period, and the remaining3,980 units between 2020 and 2029.

The Brazilian manufacturer forecaststhat the 30- to 120-seat commercial-jet

fleet will grow from last year’s 4,285machines to 7,780 in 2029, by which time21 percent of current aircraft (905 jets) willremain in operation.

Embraer believes demand for 50-seatregional jets (RJs) has matured, while leav-ing some opportunities for replacementover the next 20 years. They will continueto feed European and U.S. hubs and pro-vide service to smaller communities.Fifty-seat RJs will support regional-avia-tion development in areas such as Africa,Mexico, Russia/CIS, and South America.

Aircraft offering 60 to 120 seats willcontinue to improve overall industry effi-ciency, suggests Embraer. “These willhelp to reduce excess capacity by ‘right-sizing’ fleets of larger narrowbody jets.[Such machines] are replacing old equip-ment, developing new markets, andallowing airlines to grow gradually withsmaller seat increments.” �


by Ian Goold

Airlines set for RJ growthto optimize their capacity

Sikorsky,ADATin MRO venture

Rockwell Collins has joined the AIRE(Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Re-duce Emissions) “Green Connections”project led by Sweden’s air navigationservice provider. The U.S. avionics makerwill provide data connectivity for exchangeof real-time trajectory and time informationfrom participating aircraft. The goal of theproject is to demonstrate technology andprocesses that can be used to reduce fueluse and engine emissions by minimizingdistance traveled and holds. AIRE GreenConnections is a 10-month trial that willstart later this year on flights betweenStockholm and Gothenburg airports. Theproject consortium also includes Swe-davia, SAS and GE Aviation. �

NEWS NOTE

Commercial-jet delivery forecastby capacity: 2010-29

Seats 2010-19 2020-29 2010-2930-60 50 425 47561-90 1,140 1,375 2,51591-120 1,705 2,180 3,88530-120 2,895 3,980 6,875

Source: Embraer

Commercial-jet delivery forecastby region: 2010-29

Region Deliveries ShareNorth America 2,400 35 percentEurope 1,510 22 percentChina 950 14 percentLatin America 575 8 percentAsia Pacific 575 8 percentRussia & CIS 405 6 percentMiddle East 240 4 percentAfrica 220 3 percentTotal 6,875 100 percent

Source: Embraer

Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies(ADAT) and Sikorsky Aerospace Servicesannounced the launch of a joint venture toprovide military maintenance, repair andoverhaul (MRO) services to the UAEArmed Forces and other military opera-tors, particularly in the wider Middle Eastand Africa regions. Known as AMMROC(Advanced Military Maintenance, Repairand Overhaul Center), the joint venturewill combine the strength and expertise ofthe two partners and provide an aggregateinvestment of $800 million.

During the initial phase of operation,AMMROC will share existing ADATfacilities and support staff until the com-pletion of the new complex at Al AinInternational Airport in Abu Dhabi. Offi-cials expect AMMROC to create morethan 1,000 new jobs in the UAE during thefirst five years, focused on the develop-ment of UAE nationals.

ADAT is a wholly owned subsidiary ofMubadala Development Co., the strategicinvestment arm of the Abu Dhabi govern-ment. Sikorsky Aerospace Services is theaftermarket business of parent SikorskyAircraft Corp. �

WORLD’S TOP MILITARY BRASS DESCEND ON FARNBOROUGHMany senior civil VIP and high-level military delegations are here at Farnborough 2010 to buy hardware or, at the very least, add to their wishlists. A strong presence of UK Ministry of Defence and Royal Air Force visitors are here at the airshow, in addition to official overseas militarydelegations from 36 countries.

Georgia on theminds of manyaero firmsby Stephen Pope

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Bell Helicopter Textron’sstrategy is to balance its militaryand commercial businesses whilefocusing on the needs of its cus-tomers, according to JohnGarrison, president and CEO.Customer needs include main-taining Bell’s reputation forproduct support, improving heli-copter safety and focusingresearch and development onproduct upgrades and new devel-opments, all with the customer in mind.

Here in Farnborough, Garri-son, who will complete his firstyear in the top position at BellHelicopter in August, said Bellsaw “more cancellations thanorders” in 2009, but that “2010has begun with more orders thancancellations.” He expects to seethe commercial market remainweak through 2011 and begin togrow again in 2012. Meanwhile,Bell’s military product lines, espe-cially the V-22 and H-1, willcontinue to ramp up over the nextfew years, countering the weak-ness on the commercial side.

One commercial cancellationcame at the beginning of this yearfrom a helicopter operator in theGulf of Mexico, which canceled aseven-ship order for Bell 407 sin-gles and 429 twins. “It happenedright after the oil spill in theGulf,” Garrison said, “so it wasmore related to the economy thanthe spill, which just served to con-firm the decision.” So far, therehave been no order cancellationsdue to the oil spill.

However, a greater concern forGulf of Mexico operations, hesaid, is the continued ban on off-shore drilling in the U.S. “Rightnow operators are flying everyday, helping clean up the oil, butif the moratorium is still in placewhen that is over, they’ll have tofind work elsewhere.” Long term,this could affect sales of helicop-ters, including Bells, which nowaccount for 42 percent of all heli-copters in the oil and gas sector,according to Garrison.

On a more positive note, Belldelivered the 1,000th productionBell 407 to longtime customer

Shin-Nihon Helicopter Corp. thisyear, on June 15, Garrison said.

Certification of the Bell 429last July was one 2009 highlightfor Bell, but conversion of the let-ters of intent (LOIs) for the modelto purchase agreements has beendifficult. To date, only 22 of 300LOIs are now firm and just one429 has been delivered, to launchcustomer Mercy One Hospital(Air Methods operates the air-craft). The good news, saidGarrison, is that Mercy One hasnow agreed to buy a second 429.

Of the long-running Bell 609civil tiltrotor program, Garrisonsaid Bell and partnerAgustaWestland continue to look“for the best way to bring the air-craft to the market,” which would,he said, involve both companies.Two 609 prototypes continue tofly–one in Texas and one inItaly–as they have been doingsince the second prototype madeits first flight in Italy in 2007. The609 in Texas first flew in 2003.The two have accumulated morethan 500 hours, but Garrisonwould not suggest a certificationdate, which is moot until the twocompanies can determine howbest to proceed with the program.

The Bell/Boeing V-22 mili-tary tiltrotor is doing better. TheU.S. Marines are now operating115 V-22s and eight groundtrainers. No sales of the V-22

have yet been made outside theU.S, but even if there were, nodelivery slots are available untilabout the 2014 to 2015 time-frame, Garrison explained.

Bell and Boeing have entereda derivative of the V-22 into thecompetition for the next U.S.presidential helicopter (VXX).Bell was part of the LockheedMartin/ AgustaWestland AW101(VH-71) team in the previouscompetition, which the team won,only to have the contract canceledlast year due to cost overruns. Inthe new VXX competition, Lock-heed Martin is partnering withSikorsky; AgustaWestland hasteamed with Boeing; and Boeingis also offering a version of itsCH-47. So Boeing has three betsin this new game.

Separately in Farnborough,

Bell announced that it is partner-ing with BLR Aerospace ofEverett, Washington, to incorpo-rate BLR’s FastFin strakes on theBell 412HP medium twin. Thedual strakes, mounted on the leftside of the tail boom, provide forgreater tail-rotor effectiveness byreducing the negative effect ofrotorwash from the main rotorwhile in a hover. This improveshover performance.

Also, Bell is working withEsterline CMC Electronics in thedevelopment of a new GPS sen-sor that will replace the existinghigh-cost Doppler or inertial sen-sors used in automatedapproach-to-hover and hover-holdsystems. The product could beavailable for installation on theBell 412HP within a year, and forother models after that. �

There is a high chance that, asyou read this, Qinetiq’s remark-able solar-powered UAV–theZephyr–is still airborne some-where over Arizona, havinglaunched from the Yuma ProvingGround on July 9, almost twoweeks ago. Three days before theFarnborough show opened,Zephyr had already doubled itsprevious unofficial endurancerecord and completely smashedthe official UAV record set in

2001. On the Sunday before theshow opened, the Zephyr sur-passed the nine-day record for anunrefueled powered aircraft setby Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeagerin the Voyager nonstop round-the-world flight in 1986.

Currently, the official UAVendurance record is held by theNorthrop Grumman RQ-4Global Hawk, with a flight of 30hours 24 minutes. The Zephyrhandsomely beat that with a

2008 flight of 82 hours 37 min-utes, but officials from theFédération Aéronautique Inter-nationale were not there to verifythe feat. This time, the FAI is onhand to ratify the record whenthe Zephyr is returned safely toearth. At the time of writing thatevent was planned for tomorrow,by which time the vehicle willhave spent a fortnight aloft.

For its latest flight, the Zephyrdesign has been extensively mod-

ified and enlarged. Weighing in atjust over 110 pounds thanks to acarbon-fiber frame, the vehiclehas a 74-foot wingspan, 13 feetlonger than the previous Zephyrincarnation. This allows more ofthe advanced Sion Power lithium-sulfur batteries to be carried tokeep the Zephyr aloft at night.They are charged by the amor-phous silicon solar arrays thatcover the wing, which also pow-ers the aircraft during daylight

hours. The Zephyr also has a newpower management system and aT-tail that reduces drag. Despiteits size, the aircraft is launched byhand, although it requires severalpeople to support it across itsspan during the process.

With this flight, the Qinetiqteam has made the first convinc-ing demonstration of what mightbe termed an “eternal” aircraft.The ability to loiter for weeks oreven months at a time is a goalbeing pursued for a number ofmilitary and civilian applica-tions, including communicationsrelay, earth observation and per-sistent surveillance. �


Bell balancing civil,military business

Qinetiq’s solar Zephyr shows real staying power

UK aerospace, defense and security trade organization ADS hopes tofoster increased cooperation with its counterpart in Russia under anagreement completed at Farnborough International this week. It signed amemorandum of understanding with the Union of Aviation Industry thatcould see companies in the respective aircraft supply chains increasinglyworking together in advanced-aircraft production and design. “Russia is re-investing in civil aerospace alongside its renowned militaryaircraft capability,” said ADS chairman Ian Godden. “With the innovativeSukhoi Superjet 100 flying and the much-anticipated United Aircraft MC21soon to be revealed, it is clear that Russia is seeking to establish itself as acentre of aviation excellence. It makes sense for British and Russian com-panies to cooperate more.” �

NEWS NOTE

by David Donald

by R. Randall Padfield

The Qinetiq team launched the new-look Zephyr from Yuma, Arizona, at around 6:40 a.m. Mountain Time on July 9. Over a week later the aircraft was still aloft, and planning to stay that way for a few days more.

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Swedish company CTT Sys-tems has been providing its Cairaircraft humidification system tocompletion centers of large VIPaircraft for several years, but ithas now taken a leap into themajor leagues. For the first time,the Cair system has been installedby an aircraft manufacturer, withAirbus leading the way in thefirst-class cabins on Lufthansa’snew A380 double-decker.

The European manufactureralso offers the humidifiers for thecrew rest compartments as anoption. The system is based onevaporate cooling technology andincreases cabin humidity to 20 to25 percent relative humidity, forgreater comfort.

The Lufthansa cabins alsoinclude CTT’s Zonal Drying sys-tem to counter condensationproblems, and both systems are

also offered as an option on theforthcoming A350.

The Zonal Drying system hasalso been selected as basic equip-ment for the new 787Dreamliner, with Boeing alsooffering the Cair system as anoption on the flight deck and thecrew rest compartments.

Two contracts won in the lastfew weeks include one from UKlow-fare airline Jet2.com for 13Zonal Drying systems for instal-lations on its Boeing 737-300s,and one from AMAC Aerospaceof Switzerland for installation ofa Cair system in a VIP B777-200aircraft. –G.G.E.

Diamond Aircraft founder andCEO Christian Dries yesterdayrevealed plans to develop a fullyaerobatic, tandem two-seat militarytrainer version of the D-Jet that hesaid will have ejection seats andsell for less than $3 million.

Engineers will start on a proto-type immediately after the D-Jet’scertification, now expected tooccur by the end of the year.Dries said Diamond has held dis-cussions with ejection seat makerMartin-Baker about the projectand estimated it would take abouta year to produce the prototype.

The D-Jet is a four-place, sin-gle-engine personal jet with afuselage made from carbon fiber.Diamond has been flight testingthe airplane since 2006 as it pre-pares to sell the very light jet foraround $2 million a copy.

Dries said Diamond is also con-sidering developing a militaryunmanned version of the D-Jet forhigh-altitude surveillance. Thecompany has been flight testing aUAV version of its DA42 diesel-powered twin in Israel with partnerAeronautics Defense Systems.

Diamond has sought to insu-late itself from the economicdownturn by turning to the mili-tary and air transport markets assales of light general aviation air-planes waned. “We were hit twiceduring the downturn,” Driesnoted, explaining that the collapse

of diesel engine maker Thielertdealt the Austrian company a set-back just as the financial turmoilin the U.S. was starting.

In 2007 Diamond created anew company, Austro Engines, todevelop diesel powerplants toreplace the Thielert engine. Thefirst result of that effort is theAE300, a four-cylinder turbodiesel based on a Mercedes-Benzdesign and certified by Europeanand U.S. authorities in 2009.Dries said Austro Engines is nowworking on a 270 hp V6 enginedue to be certified by the middleof next year and will soon startdevelopment of a V8 turbo diesel.

With the engine setbacksolved, Diamond is turning itsattention to the military surveil-lance and UAV markets. Diamondnow offers the DA42 MPP (mutli-purpose platform) designed forcarrying cameras and other sen-sors. Diamond is also consideringan “OPA” version of the DA42,which stands for “optional pilotaircraft.” This version wouldessentially be a UAV that can bemodified in about four hours topermit a pilot to fly it throughcontrolled airspace.

So far Diamond has completedabout 400 hours of flight testingof the UAV Twin Star in Israelwith no incidents or accidents,although it should be pointed outthat all of the takeoffs and land-

ings so far have been controlledremotely by humans. Fullyautonomous flights are scheduledto start soon.

In an effort to take advantageof technology under developmentfor the UAV program, Diamond isstudying what Dries called theFuture Small Aircraft Program, afollow on to the DA42 with twin270-hp diesel engines and fly-by-wire flight controls withautomatic envelope protection.Dries termed the safety benefit ofsuch automation as a “digitalparachute”–a subtle swipe atcompetitor Cirrus in the U.S.,which sells airplanes equippedwith full-aircraft parachutes.

Diamond has also announced orpartnered on several “green” avia-tion initiatives, including flying aDA42 here at Farnborough that ispowered entirely by algae-basedbiofuel. Dries praised the alterna-tive energy source for being100-percent carbon neutral, con-taining no sulfur and producingmore energy than an equivalentamount of kerosene-based jet-A.He said about 42,000 square miles(a little larger than the area of Aus-tria) would be needed to growenough algae to satisfy all of avia-tion’s current fuel needs. That maysound like a lot of space, “But ifyou spread this over 2,000 loca-tions around the world it would bequite attainable,” he said. �


Diamond polishes future plans

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By Stephen Pope

By Kirby J. Harrison

Cabin humidifiers gettingwarm reception by OEMs

Reversal of fortune at Textron’s aero units

HOW THE CIA TRIED TO SPY ON CHINA FROM THE AIR

AIN defense editor Chris Pocock will be signing copies of hisnew book here at Farnborough today and tomorrow. Pocock isbest known for his histories of the U-2 Dragon Lady, and his latestwork is another story of spyplanes in the Cold War.

The Black Bats tells how the CIA went into partnership withnationalist China to fly B-17 and B-26 bombers and P-2 Neptunepatrol planes from Taiwanover the mainland. Butcommunist China’s air-defense system adaptedto the challenge. Ten ofthe aircraft were lost andmore than 100 aircrewwere killed in this epic yethardly known struggle,Pocock said. The storyhas never been toldbefore in English,although Pocock’s collab-orator, Clarence Fu, haspublished an account in Chinese.

The book is on sale at the stand of The Aviation Bookshop,which is situated behind the main static aircraft display in Car Park4. Pocock will be there on both Thursday and Friday from noonuntil 1 p.m. �

Textron issued its secondquarter report for 2010 yester-day and news from its aviationsegments was mixed.

At Cessna Aircraft, revenuesdecreased $236 million in thesecond quarter, primarily reflect-ing lower new-aircraft deliveries,including 43 Citations, com-pared with 84 for the sameperiod in 2009. Of the 43 deliveries, 20 were CitationMustangs.

Segment profit at Cessnadecreased $45 million, “due tolower volume and a reduction indeposit forfeiture income, par-tially offset by lower usedaircraft write-downs, inventoryreserves and selling and admin-istrative expenses.”

According to Textron presi-dent and CEO Scott Donnelly,Cessna experienced “a numberof cancellations, including alarge Mustang cancellation froma European operator.”

Gross orders, he said,increased from the first quarter,mostly in the light to midsizeaircraft segment. However, the2010 Mustang delivery forecasthas been reduced to about 70units, resulting in a productionadjustment. With respect tolight and midsize jets, he saidthat Cessna continues to evalu-

ate how the economic recoverywill affect demand. And heexpressed hope for passage ofthe bonus-depreciation bill inthe U.S., and stabilization ofthe European credit market,both of which would contributeto an improved environment forbusiness jet orders. He con-cluded that 2010 will be a“trough year” for Citationdeliveries.

According to the report, BellHelicopter had a good quarter,driven primarily by militarydeliveries of the V-22 and H-1.The books show Bell revenuesincreased $153 million in thesecond quarter, with segmentprofit up $36 million.

On the commercial side, Belldelivered 21 commercial heli-copters in the second quarter, upfrom 15 in the first quarter 2010.

Donnelly said “goodprogress” is being made on theBell 429 light twin program.And he noted that Bell expectsto deliver 75 Bell 429s by theend of 2011.

The total backlog value atBell increased by $200 millionfrom the end of the first quarterto total $7.1 billion. “The overalloutlook and beyond at Bell,”concluded the report, “is verygood.” �

Diamond plans to build a follow-on to the DA42 that has fly-by-wire controls and two 270-hpdiesel engines.

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Northrop Grumman rolled outthe X-47B UCAS-D (unmannedcombat air system-demonstrator) inDecember 2008 and since then hasbeen busy preparing the first of twovehicles for its maiden flight,expected shortly. Low- and high-speed trials have been completed atAir Force Plant 42, Palmdale, Cali-fornia, where the second X-47B isin final assembly. The first vehiclehas been moved to Edwards AirForce Base for high-speed taxi andrejected takeoff trials, in prepara-tion for its first flight.

The X-47B has been funded bythe U.S. Navy to demonstrate thefeasibility of a carrier-capableunmanned combat air vehicle.Quite apart from the unmannedelement, the type’s low-observ-able configuration also presentssomething of a challenge, espe-cially in terms of approachcontrol, as the X-47 will be theNavy’s first tailless carrier aircraftsince the days of the Vought Cut-lass and Douglas Skyray.

Flight control software hasbeen tested in manned surrogateaircraft, such as the F/A-18 Hor-net, including hands-offrecoveries, launches and patternsaround the carrier. Two Navy car-riers have already had theX-47B’s mission managementsystem installed so that they areready for sea trials. Other thanthat, the X-47B is entirely com-patible with existing carrier

systems and infrastructure. “Theship sees it just as it would amanned platform,” said GeneFraser, vice president and generalmanager of NG Aerospace’sAdvanced Programs and Technol-ogy Division.

As a demonstrator for carriercompatibility, the X-47B does notcarry any mission-specific sensors

and systems, although integrationwork has been performed onmanned testbeds.

The first X-47B vehicle willundertake its initial flight testcampaign from Edwards AFB,after which it will transfer to theU.S. Naval Air Warfare CenterAircraft Division at PatuxentRiver, Maryland, to undertakecarrier compatibility trials. It isdue to arrive at NAWCAD nextspring, where it will operate fromthe center’s shore-based simu-

lated carrier deck.Trials at NAWCAD will be con-

ducted in a similar fashion to thoseof any manned aircraft, includingsteam ingestion and barrierengagement trials at Lakehurst,New Jersey. A key part of the shoretrials are so-called “off-nominal”approaches to the deck, with theaircraft deliberately approaching in

varying attitudes and at differentspeeds and directions. This, initself, raises some interestingissues. “The airplane just doesn’tdo off-nominal,” explained Fraser.“We have to program it specially tofly these approaches, otherwise itwill just fly a perfect glideslopeevery time.”

Beyond UCAS-DThe X-47B demonstrator is the

first step toward a carrierborneUCAV. Next comes UCLASS(unmanned carrier launched air-borne surveillance and strike). InMarch, the deputy chief of navaloperations (DCNO) issued arequest for information domi-nance, which has drawn responsesfrom a number of companies,including Boeing with a PhantomRay-based proposal and GeneralAtomics with the Sea Avenger.Northrop Grumman has, ofcourse, responded with a proposaldrawing on its X-47 technologyand expertise.

The UCLASS RFI covers theprovision of four to six vehicleswith multi-sensor and weaponscapability, and an 11- to 14-hourendurance. They would enterservice around 2018 and providea limited operational capability.More importantly, they will forma stepping stone to a full systemdesign and development programfor a carrier-capable UCAS. ANavy response to the UCLASSproposals might come late thisyear, leading to an RFP. �

French operator Air Austral andGulf carrier Qatar Airways areamong several airlines revealedthis week as previously unidenti-fied Boeing customers. Both haveannounced earlier orders for two777-200LRs, each deal specula-tively valued at $501 million.

Based on the South IndianOcean island of Reunion, Air Aus-tral flies two 777-300ERs, threeModel 200ERs and two single-aisle 737s. “The [9,395-nm-range]777-200LR is the only widebodyairplane that can fly nonstop toParis with a full payload from ourshort runway on the island of May-otte,” said Air Austral chairmanGerard Etheve. In addition to thetwo new 777s (to be delivered inmid-2011 and 2012), Air Austral isto receive two 737-800s at the endof 2010 and a third leased 777-300ER early next year.

Doha-based Qatar Airways

already flies 19 Model 777s: six-200LRs (serving Houston, Mel-bourne and Säo Paulo/BuenosAires), 11 Series 300ERs andtwo 777F cargo variants (bothdelivered in the past twomonths). Apart from the twoannounced here on Wednesday,the airline has ordered a furthereight 777s and holds options onthree more.

“The 777 has become the cor-nerstone of our fleet,” said chiefexecutive Akbar Al Baker. “The777F is performing as promisedand as we expected, meeting oper-ating-economics targets, and onits way to helping us ‘grow’ our[air cargo] business.”

Qatar Airways also has negoti-ated an earlier delivery, beginningin the fourth quarter of next year,of its Boeing 787s, which it needsto support its goal of serving 120destinations by 2013. –I.G.


Boeing 777-200LRs for Qatar, Air Austral

� Michelin Inks 425-Aircraft Tire DealTire manufacturer Michelin has signed two 10-year contracts

with Air France and KLM to provide tires for “around 425 aircraft.”The aircraft, covered on a pay-by-the-landing basis, include 145Airbus A320s, 66 Boeing 737s, 34 Boeing 777-300ERs and threeAirbus A380s, among others.

� L-3 Link on a Mission for the U.S. Air ForceThe Aeronautical Systems Center’s Training Systems Product

Group at Wright Patterson U.S. Air Force Base has awarded L-3Link Simulation & Training a $21 million contract option to build athird F-16 Mission Training Center (MTC) suite. This latest contractoption brings the total contract value on the program to $132.8million. Under the program, the U.S. Air Force could order as manyas 20 F-16 MTCs for delivery to installations in the U.S., Europeand Pacific regions.

The L-3 Link MTC suite includes four high-definition simulators,which are integrated with its HD World simulation product line,combining high-definition databases, image-generation systems,physics-based processing technology and visual displays. TheMTC simulators will accurately model all of the fighter aircraft’sweapon systems and ordnance.

L-3 Link has also received a $10.3 million contract from theUSAF to provide its new simulated joint helmet-mounted cueingsystem and advanced helmet-mounted display on training devicesthat support the service’s F-16 aircrew training device program.

� Air Works Adds A320 MRO ApprovalThe Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have awarded India’sleading third-party MRO specialist, Air Works Engineering Pvt.Ltd., certification to maintain the Airbus A320 aircraft family. Thecertification covers major airframe maintenance on A319s, A320sand A321s powered by IAE and CFM engines.

This new certification comes within a year of Air Works havingacquired EASA approval for the ATR 42/72-500 and Boeing 737Classic and Next Generation aircraft.

Air Works’ commercial MRO in Hosur has one hangar capable ofhousing two ATR 72 regional jets or one narrowbody jet. Thecompany plans to invest $40 million on an additional hangar–expected to be ready in the first quarter of 2011–a dedicated paintoperation and future engine/component MRO activities.

� Rolls-Royce Joins FAA’s Environmental ProgramRolls-Royce has received $16 million from the U.S. Federal

Aviation Administration for its participation in the continuous lowerenergy, emissions and noise technologies program. The enginemanufacturer will perform tests focused on reducing fuel burn andevaluating alternative aviation fuels. FAA has set a 2015 goal of a33-percent cut in fuel burn against current technology. Moreover,the agency wants advances in sustainable alternative aviation fuels.

In the quest for less fuel burn, Rolls-Royce will build on its ownenvironmentally friendly engine program. It will work on “largegains” in cycle efficiency through reductions in turbine coolingairflow, the company said. Design and manufacture will take placein Indianapolis, Indiana, and testing in Bristol, UK.

In parallel, Rolls-Royce will describe the properties ofalternative fuels using ASTM procedures. It will employ an AE3007engine and, with the support of Cessna, a Citation X, which ispowered by two AE3007s. Rolls-Royce aims to assess fuelsuitability, environmental sustainability and industrial andcommercial viability.

� PPG To Supply Cockpit Windows for MRJPPG Aerospace has been awarded a contract to supply

cockpit windows for the Mitsubishi MRJ regional jet. The heatedglass windshield and side flight-deck windows will be among thelargest in commercial aviation, PPG says. They will feature threeplies of Herculite II for strength and lightness and will be designedto withstand the impact of a four-pound bird at 340 knots.

NEWS CLIPS Carrier-borne UCAS nears first flightby David Donald

A full-scale mockup of the X-47B reveals the type’s configuration, which features outerwing panels that fold inward so the air vehicle can fit carrier deck lifts. The first X-47Bis now at Edwards preparing to fly.

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Raytheon’s two latest air-to-air missileprograms are progressing hand-in-handthrough the final stages of developmentaltest (DT), and should enter operational test(OT) around the end of the year. Both AIM-9X Block 2 and the AIM-120D AMRAAMwill then undergo a further 12-18 months ofOT, before full fielding. In support of finalDT activities, Raytheon expects to fire twomore AIM-9X Block 2s and one AIM-120Dbefore the end of 2010.

Current Lot 10 manufacture of theAIM-9X brings to an end production of theBlock 1 version. The $128 million contractcovers 175 of these missiles, includingsome for foreign military sales customersAustralia, Korea and Singapore. Lot 10also includes a first batch of 81 captive airtraining missile (CATM) rounds for theBlock 2 weapon. This development intro-duces a number of improvements,including a one-way datalink that gives it alock-on after launch capability. The provi-sion of CATM rounds will allow newtactics to be forged in line with the Block2’s expanded capabilities, including thegreater use of helmet-cueing and “over theshoulder” high off-boresight shots.

From Lot 11 all AIM-9Xs will be Block2 weapons. It will be some time beforenumbers for next year’s procurement arefinalized, and FMS customers have untilaround October to place their orders for2011 production.

AIM-9X development continues, andRaytheon is studying larger motors to givelonger range. The missile is also being

evaluated for surface-launched use, and hasbeen demonstrated in the emergency air-to-ground role, with several successful testshaving been undertaken against vehiclesand surface vessels.

AMRAAM developmentsThis year Raytheon completed produc-

tion of the AIM-120C-5 version, and hasmoved completely to the AIM-120C-7.Development work is focused on the AIM-120D, which has a number of features thatincrease range and improve its effective-ness. The company is reluctant to discussthem in detail, but notes that the AIM-120D has a two-way datalink andembedded GPS, and uses the same motoras the C-7. The trajectory of the missile hasbeen optimized to help provide a signifi-cant range increase.

For its future missile needs the U.S. haslaunched the JDRADM (joint dual-role airdominance missile) program for a weaponthat performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Several concepts are beingproposed, but in order to arm the F-22 andF-35 they must adhere to the AMRAAM’scurrent form factor and weight limits.Development funding is expected in FY12for an IOC of around 2024.

In the meantime, AMRAAM will con-tinue to be developed, an importantforum for this being annual softwareupgrade meetings with the Air Force.Among the possible areas for develop-ment is the provision of a robustelectronic attack function. �


Raytheon advances AIMsby David Donald

EADS has come to the Farnboroughshow with a mockup of a hybrid helicopterconcept, which it says promises up to 50-percent savings in fuel. The firm’s EADSInnovation Works has based its concept ona combination of diesel engines, genera-tors, batteries and electric motors.According to Peter Jänker, research teamleader for electric power and responsiblefor the project, the technology requiredmay be mature in five to 10 years.

The development is part of EADS’eCO2avia effort for greener aircraft. Jänker’steam, with input from Eurocopter, has workedon a three-ton-class (6,600-pound) helicopter.The work is based on the principle that dieselengines drive electrical generators that chargebatteries, and the batteries power electricmotors that drive the main and tail rotors.

Researchers anticipate that in the future,diesel engines will burn 30 percent lessfuel than today’s turboshafts. The opposed-piston, opposed-cylinder diesel engines aresupplied by U.S.-based EcoMotors. Thetwo-stroke engines eliminate the need forvalves and the associated drive train, whichmakes the engines lighter and less com-plex, Jänker told AIN. The engines alsooperate at a slower rotational speed, which

reduces fuel consumption.Other fuel savings can be found in the

aerodynamics and systems. For example,mechanical linkages are replace with elec-trical connections, which allows the mainrotor and its electrical drive to be tilted for-ward during cruise flight. The tailrotor hasno mechanical linkage to the main rotor orits power source, and thus can be turned offat higher speeds, when the rudder providesenough yaw control.

Weight is a challenge, however. “For theengines, we aim at a power density of twokilowatts per kilogram. Right now we are at1.6,” Jänker said. With a direct electric drivethe main gearbox could be eliminated,resulting in a weight savings. In addition, thetail rotor’s electric drive would eliminate thetail rotor drive shaft. As well, battery tech-nology is expected to improve in the future,yielding lighter electric power storage. �

EADS: diesel-electric hybridhelicopter to halve fuel burn

In EADS’ hybridhelicopter concept, therotors are drivenelectrically. Powercomes from batteries,which are charged bygenerators driven bydiesel engines.

The AIM-9X, a radical overhaulof the old Sidewinder with thrustvectoring and an infrared seeker,has become the standard U.S.short-range missile.

COME JOIN OUR GRIPEN CLUB!

Sweden’s Gripen NG is locked in com-bat with other fighters, not in the air but inthe two biggest current opportunities tosell combat aircraft. Brazil and India arethe battlegrounds for the world’s fightersalesmen, and success in either couldeventually net the winner orders for 100or more jets. Yesterday at Farnboroughdelegations from both countries visitedthe NG demonstrator in the static park,where Swedish air force chief GeneralAnders Silwer (left) entertained the IndianMinister of State for Defence, Mr. PallumRaju (center) and the Brazilian air forceschief General Juniti Saito (right).

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Making its world debut at FarnboroughInternational is a range of ultra-compactand lightweight diesel engines being devel-oped by Cosworth (Hall 4 Stand B9) andaimed at the market for unmanned systems.On show here are the three brake-horse-power (bhp) single-cylinder Unicorn I and13-bhp, twin-cylinder Unicorn II two-cycle, compression-ignition designs thatCosworth has “optimized for the challengeof long-endurance applications.”

The manufacturer believes the 7.7-pound Unicorn I is the “lightest truecompression-ignition diesel engine avail-

able anywhere.” Flight trials have demon-strated an endurance of more than 200hours. Its larger, 16.3-pound Unicorn II sta-blemate is the culmination of developmentfor the U.S. Navy ultra-enduranceunmanned air vehicle system program.

Engine development is claimed alreadyto have delivered results to high-profiledefense customers, with the company nowworking to extend the product range.According to Cosworth, the challenge is tobalance the competing ideals of fuel econ-omy, power density and mass “aggressivelydefined in key military specifications. �

Cosworth debuts little engines

by Thierry Dubois

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Al Ain, its burgeoning aerospacecluster in Abu Dhabi, by the endof this year. Expansion over thenext few years will provide morethan 646,000 sq ft of productionspace–almost triple the initialarea. Contracts worth $2 billionhave already been signed withEADS, Airbus and Alenia Aero-nautica, with which the companyhas formed composites manufac-turing partnerships.

Al Shemmari declined to bespecific about how Piaggio will beinvolved in the new business jet

and whether it will carry the nameof the Italian company. “These aredecisions we have not made,” hesaid. Reports have indicated thatPiaggio is working on a new air-craft called the P1XX, but it isclear that Mubadala is behind thefunding of the program and willprovide major subassemblies, evenif final assembly takes place at Pi-aggio’s Genoa factory in Italy,where the P-180 Avanti twinpusher prop is built.

Within 10 years the Al Ainaerospace complex will employ10,000 people, said Al Shemmari,50 percent of whom will be AbuDhabi nationals. “We want to cre-ate high-value jobs for UAE na-tionals,” he said.

The deal with Goodrich creates ajoint venture operation at Al Ain toestablish the region’s first dedicatedlanding gear maintenance facility.The new company will support Boe-ing and Airbus aircraft and there areplans to expand into the militarysector. The Honeywell agreementgrants special rights to Mubadalaand SR Technics as authorized serv-ice providers for Honeywell compo-nents on existing aircraft and theBoeing 787 and Airbus A350 whenthey enter service.

The joint venture with Sikor-sky finalizes a deal signed at theInternational Defence Exhibitionand Conference in Abu Dhabi in2009 establishing a military MROcenter at Al Ain. �


ance,” he said. The new DefenceSecretary called for “better valuefor money to the British taxpayer”from defense procurement.

But he offered a “deal” to theUK defense industry. “We willreform our acquisition processes,including a ten-year planninghorizon agreed with the Treasury,audited every year,” he promised.Fox confirmed that a new De-fence Industrial Strategy wouldbe published after the SDSR. Healso promised a renewed govern-ment commitment to support de-fense exports, including a moreefficient licensing system. Apledge to ensure that exportabil-ity is a criteria when devising therequirements for UK defenseequipment, plus “innovative

training and exercise support.” ACM Dalton spoke for 30 min-

utes on UK ISTAR capabilitieswithout once mentioning the Nim-rod maritime patrol aircraft, whichhas also been employed for over-land surveillance. The service lastyear retired the old Nimrod MR.2fleet without waiting for the newMRA.4 version to enter service.So had the RAF offered up theMRA.4 fleet for sacrifice in theSDSR, as some rumors suggest?The CAS denied this.

A similar capability gap willarise next year when the RAF’ssmall fleet of Nimrod R.1 SIGINTaircraft are withdrawn. To replacethem, the RAF plans to acquirethree new RC-135 Rivet Jointconversions from L-3 Communi-cations. The plan has been contro-versial, with some arguing that theU.S. would exercise ultimate con-trol over how these aircraft areused or modified. Moreover, the

first RC-135 won’t enter serviceuntil 2014.

Could this plan be scrapped orcut back? ACM Dalton said thatthis is “a critical national require-ment. I have no sovereignty con-cerns. We will have the capabilityto add our own urgent operationalrequirements to the aircraft,” headded. L-3 Communications toldAIN that the letter of offer and ac-ceptance for the River Joints hadbeen signed last March, and that aseries of contracts were being pro-gressively concluded.

So the debate continues, andthe rumors multiply. We suggestthat for the meantime, you sit backand enjoy the show. Especially theRed Arrows. You may never seethem again. �

UK defense cuts willbe deep but smart�Continued from page 1

Mubadala targetstier-one role�Continued from page 1

NEWS CLIPS� More 737s boost American’s fleet renewal

American Airlines has continued its fleet renewal with the con-version of options held on 35 Boeing 737-800s that will replaceMcDonnell Douglas MD-80s during 2011-12. Boeing claims the737-800’s seat-mile costs are 35-percent lower than those of themature design. The order for 35 adds to an earlier one that saw 84B737s begin joining the fleet last year.

American expects to have 195 examples of the 737-800 by theend of 2012. “The [type] provides additional amenities for our cus-tomers while helping to reduce operating and fuel costs and ourimpact on the environment,” said American’s chief commercialofficer Virasb Vahidi.

� PowerJet Signs Support Agreement with KartikaEngine maker PowerJet has signed a customer support agree-

ment with Kartika Airlines for the SaM146 engines fitted on the 30Sukhoi Superjet 100s it plans to field from 2012. The deal coversthe engines, their equipment and nacelles.

� Parker Selects TTTech for C Series Fly-by-WireParker Aerospace has chosen TTTech’s integrated communica-

tions architecture for the actuation function of the fly-by-wiresystem that will fly in the Bombardier C Series regional airliner andEmbraer Legacy 450 and 500 midsize business jets. The TTTecharchitecture uses time-triggered protocol, an open industry stan-dard with higher bandwidth than standard CAN-bus technology.TTP is used by some automakers for the throttle-by-wire systemsin cars. Bombardier has named Parker the exclusive supplier offly-by-wire flight control systems for all new Bombardier jets touse the technology.

� Pearl Orders 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100sSuperJet International has signed an agreement with leasing com-

pany Pearl Aircraft Corp. for the sale of 30 Sukhoi Superjet 100s, plus15 options. The announcement was made here in Farnborough byAllessandro Franzoni, CEO of SuperJet International, and Jan Soder-berg, CEO of Pearl Aircraft Corp., a Bermuda-based aircraft leasingcompany. At list prices, the deal is worth in excess of $900 million.Pearl Aircraft is building a $2 billion portfolio of narrow- and widebodyaircraft, which it expects to complete by 2012.

� Republic Buys $1 Billion Worth of E-JetsRepublic Airlines, the largest operator of Embraer E-Jets in the

world, has signed a letter of intent for 24 Embraer 190 jets. Thetotal value of the agreement, at list price, is $960 million. The air-line will start taking delivery of the new E-190 jets in mid-2011, buthas the flexibility through conversion rights to the larger 116-seatE-195. Republic Airlines is one of six airlines owned by RepublicAirways Holdings, operating in the colors of American Connection,Continental Express, Delta Connection, Frontier Airlines, MidwestAirlines and US Airways Express. The six carriers operate a totalof 223 Embraer jets.

� Okay OKs 10 More Boeing 737-800sPrivate Chinese operator Okay Airways has been confirmed

here as a previously unidentified customer for 10 Boeing 737-800snominally worth $800 million. Chairman Wang Shusheng said thecarrier would operate eleven 737s by year-end. Its current eight-unit 737 fleet includes three Series 800s and a converted 737-300freighter. The Beijing-headquartered carrier bases its aircraft atTianjin Binhai International Airport.

Later this year, Okay expects to lease four 737-800s and plansto expand by leasing five 737-800s in each of the next three years,before the new deliveries begin in 2014. Four months ago, Wang’sTianjin Datian group reportedly paid almost $30 million for 71.4percent of Beijing Okay Traffic and Energy Investment, the five-year-old airline’s parent company.

Holding orders covering 2,000-plus aircraft, Boeing hasannounced that 737 production will increase to 35 per month in2012. Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Jim Albaughsaid earlier week that he believes there is sufficient demand toraise manufacturing rates further.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWNIn just three days time, the Farnborough 2010 will be only a passing memory, just like the Boeing 787 Dreamlinerseen here leaving the airshow on Tuesday afternoon to get back to the final stages of its certification program. �

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For French aerospace industryassociation GIFAS the crisis yearof 2009 was a “year of resilience”and 2010 is “a year of transition,”with air traffic increasing againpowered by low-cost companiesand the emerging nations. GIFASchairman Jean-Paul Hertemansaid he is “confident that 2011could be a year of recovery forour industry, but it will not comesooner.”

According to GIFAS, air trafficis increasing, the emergingnations are growing and manufac-turing is rising gradually. Theassociation also hopes thatFrance’s national “Great Loan”stimulus plan will help pilotschemes to ensure the industry’sfuture (see box). But despite a

recently improved dollar/euro par-ity, the exchange rate has weighedheavily on GIFAS members and is“still the main threat” to theFrench aerospace industry.

Herteman, who is also CEO ofan aerospace equipment supplierSafran, told AIN that the Frenchaerospace industry is the country’smain exporter, producing a ?14billion surplus last year. “Everyyear GIFAS companies devote 15percent of their revenue toresearch and development,” hesaid. “This heavy investment andour requirements for high performance have positive conse-quences on other sectors of theeconomy and influence the wholecountry through transfer of tech-nology and job creation.”

While 2009’s economic crisisdid not spare our industry, he saidthe decline was limited to an esti-mated 2.2 percent drop in revenueto ?35.8 billion from the recordset in 2008. In a difficult eco-nomic environment the Frenchaerospace industry maintained itsmarket share with exportsaccounting for 80 percent of con-solidated revenues. Despite a23-percent drop, ?37.3 billion,orders last year again remainedhigher than annual revenue.Strong progress in the space sec-tor and also in defense andsecurity electronics compensatedfor the fall in civil aerospaceorders. The order book still repre-sents the equivalent of four years’activity for the profession.

In 2009 the French aerospaceindustry directly employed157,000 people. While 38,000employees were hired since 2006,7,000 of them were taken on lastyear, thus limiting aerospace joblosses to 2 percent. This, saidHerteman, was due largely tomany projects needing high-levelskills in medium- and long-termprograms.

Recruitment is expected to beabout the same this year followedby a slow ramp-up in 2011. “Ourcompanies are not necessarilydelocalizing work but supportingnew developments outside thecountry that keep the top engi-neers and designers in France,” hesaid. The industry’s vertical organ-ization limited industrial failuresand the defense budget has had astabilizing effect.

According to the GIFASchairman, the main threat to theindustry in France and in Europeis still the euro/dollar exchangerate. “We are not happy with theprocess of attack on the euro,” hesaid. “Historically the averagerate over the very long term isaround ?1.20 to ?1. This is not aweak rate and at the moment thepresent level is not bad news forour industry. But the ratebetween 2007 and 2009 was$1.41 to ?1 and the euro/dollarlevel over the last few yearsremains of concern to all.”

According to Herteman,every 10 cents that the euro risesabove this “balanced” rate

means an average 2 percent lossin operating profit on revenue,and for some even more. “Overthe last three years this makesmore than ?4 billion in lostearnings, or the equivalent oftwo years’ self-financedresearch and development or7,000 jobs a year not created inFrance,” he concluded, callingfor political intervention to reg-ulate exchange rates. �

Sikorsky has announced it will use an X2 Tech-nology light tactical helicopter (LTH) simulator toshow its customers the capabilities of its flying X2technology demonstrator. One of those customerscould be the U.S. Army, which would use it as anarmed aerial scout.

The most visible features of the fly-by-wire X2 areits dual, counter-rotating main rotor and a ducted aftpropulsor. Sikorsky introduced the X2 Technologydemonstrator in 2005 and the compound helicoptermade its first flight in August 2008. Since then, theprogram has been progressing deliberately throughflight testing with the goal of achieving an expectedtop speed of 250 knots speed later this year.

The Sikorsky Innovations team of engineers, whoare in charge of the simulator, say it will providepotential customers with a “tangible experience” ofX2 technology for military and other missions. Asdevelopment of the simulator progresses, it should

integrate manned-unmanned teaming and optionalpilot capabilities.

“The X2 LTH simulator will demonstrate the mili-tary application of the capabilities that we are provingout with our X2 Technology demonstrator,” saidTeresa Carleton, vice president, mission systems inte-gration. “With the simulator, we can fly a light tacticalhelicopter variation of the X2 Technology demonstra-tor through various mission scenarios and demonstratethe advantages of speed, high agility, low acoustic sig-nature and low vibrations. It will be a tremendous,mobile tool that we can bring to potential customers togive them a ‘hands on’ sense of the flight and missionadvantages we are bringing to the aviation landscape.”

The armed aerial scout program is aimed at replac-ing aging Bell OH-58 Kiowas. Eurocopter, EADSNorth America and Lockheed Martin are pitching theAAS-72X, a derivative of the UH-72A Lakota, whichis based on the Eurocopter EC 145. �


Sikorsky simulates X2 capability

French aerospace awaits 2011 recovery

by Thierry Dubois

Sikorsky To Fly Electric Helo This Year

Sikorsky is to unveil an electrically powered S-300C two-seater laterthis month at the AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, before itflies later this year. The Sikorsky Innovations team calls its demonstra-

tor the Firefly.U.S. Hybrid is providing the

200-hp electric motor and its digi-tal controller. Gaia is supplyinglithium-ion batteries. Eagle Avia-tion Technologies, already aSikorsky partner on the X2 high-speed rotorcraft demonstrator,has assembled the Firefly.

Switching from the usualLycoming piston engine (of similarpower) is expected to increasepropulsion efficiency fourfold.

Moreover, fewer moving parts should spell reduced complexity. However,energy storage remains a challenge, and payload and endurance areexpected to be very limited. Sikorsky Innovations’ engineers expect rapidlymaturing technology will to help these numbers grow. –T.D.

Sikorsky has replaced the Lycomingpiston engine of an S-300C with anelectric motor powered by lithium-ionbatteries to create the “Firefly.” Thecompany plans to fly the electrichelicopter later this year.

by Jeff Apter

French Government’s‘Great Loan’ To

Stimulate Innovation

The French government hasestablished a ?35 billion “GreatLoan” stimulus plan for the governance and financing ofinnovation projects that for someyears have suffered from a lack offinance resulting in a loss of com-petitiveness for the Frencheconomy. One major feature ofthe initiative involves skills train-ing across all industries.

About ?2 billion will go to theaerospace industry. Although itwill take small- and medium-sized companies on board, it isnot dedicated to them.

The aim is to develop futuremedium- and long-term tech-nologies. About ?1.5 billion willgo to support future aircraft andhelicopters and especially toreduce fuel burn and emissions.The space sector will receiveabout ?500 million, including forAriane 6 and satellite projects.The package is subject to publicapproval and GIFAS is working tosubmit final proposals for proj-ects on lower fuel burn and theenvironment to be submitted thisautumn. –J.A.

Like all French aerospace firms,Dassault has felt the sharp effects of thecurrency exchange imbalance betweenthe euro and the dollar. However,deliveries of its Falcon business jets have pretty much remained steady during the economic downturn.

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