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THURSDAY 7.17.14Farnborough

FarnboroughAirshow NewsTM

ainonline.com

Airline order avalanche bests previous recordsby Charles Alcock

The 2014 edition of the Farnborough International Air- show has beaten its own record for aircraft and engine orders, with organizers announcing a $130 billion running tally af-ter the first three of the five trade days. Factoring in all

provisional orders, AIN’s own analysis puts the estimate at just above $155 billion.

Qatar Airways dominated commercial proceedings at the Farnborough International Air - show yesterday, signing con-tracts with Boeing for its 777Xs

that could be worth up to $37.7 billion, plus another $2.4 billion deal for four 777 freighters.

Boeing also announced that it is close to finalizing a pur-chase agreement for China’s Hainan Airlines to buy fifty 737 Max 8 aircraft, powered by the CFM International CFM Leap-1B engines. Assuming the pro-visional deal gets the blessing of the Chinese government, it would be worth approximately $5.1 billion for the aircraft and $3.7 billion for the engines. Continued on next page u

F-35 Won’t ShoW UpDespite hopes that the Lockheed Martin F-35 would ultimately come to the 2014 Farnborough Airshow–at least for the public days at the weekend–the engine fire on June 23 and subsequent ongoing investigation means that it will not make the show at all. The U.S. Department of Defense issued a statement late Tues-day confirming that “…in concert with our partners in the UK” it has “decided not to send the Marine Corps and UK F-35B aircraft across the Atlantic to participate in the Farnborough Air Show.” It concluded: “Safety–as always–remains our top priority.” –C.P.

BUILDInG GooD tIMESThe aviation industry has weathered its storms. But participation in shows like Farnborough feeds confidence that the hard work is bearing fruit, at last.

Surveillance Industry Helicopters Avionics Military

Boeing Shows ‘Lite’ PatrollerWith its P-8 Poseiden platform in service, Boeing has developed a more affordable maritime patroller. Based on the Bombardier Challenger 604 airframe, the MSA demonstrator is here. Page 6

Rafael ReorganizesIsraeli defense electronics giant Rafael has reorganized into three dedicated business groups. The company is also refocusing its attention to enhance customer service. Page 10

Bell Looks to Europe as Major MarketWith four helicopters on display here at Farnborough, Bell Helicopter is committed to the European region. Company CEO and president John Garrison said Europe is the second largest market for Bell. Page 12

L-3 Here to Help with NextGenFor operators in a quandry on how to strategize for re-equipping for NextGen mandates, manufacturer L-3 Aviation Products is poised to provide guidance and products for the transition. Page 16

Patriot Draws a Bead on EuropeRaytheon’s Patriot missile defense system is seeing a resurgence of interest, and several European countries are potential customers for the American weaponry. Page 18

CAE is located in the Canadian Pavilion in Hall 4, Booth C18-D at the Farnborough Airshow www.cae.com/civil-aviation

Training is our World

Thundering success for UK’s Taranis UCAVby Chris Pocock

The all-British Taranis UCAV demonstrator has flown in fully stealth mode during a second phase of flight testing, BAE Systems revealed at the Farnborough Airshow this week. The flights took place last winter from Woomera, South Aus-tralia. Officials declined to elaborate further. “The over-all achievements and objec-tives of the Taranis program remain highly classified,” Chris Garside, engineering director BAE Systems told a media briefing.

By contrast, officials re - sponsible for the pan-Euro-pean Neuron UCAV demon-strator have been much more forthcoming. The Neuron has flown 50 times, Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation,

told AIN here Tuesday. It is due to drop a weapon in the next flight test phase, to take place in Sweden, he confirmed.

However, Garside did say the £185 million Taranis had been “a triumph” and “the most complex air system ever built in the UK.” It was designed and built by BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, the sys-tems division of GE Aviation, and QinetiQ, working with MoD scientists and staffers.

Modified R-R AdourConrad Banks, chief engi-

neer for R&T, Rolls-Royce, declared that all objectives relating to the powerplant integration had been met.

These included fully embed-ding and insulating the mod-ified Adour Mk951 turbofan

inside the unmanned aer-ial vehicle–the engine’s stan-dard application is on the BAe Hawk jet trainer.

The second-phase trials included a demonstration of “a realistic operational sce-nario,” according to Garside, who added that the Tara-nis system could create its own flight path to the target (It “seeks approval” accord-ing to MITL considerations, despite the high levels of autonomy, he said).

The air vehicle is now back

in the UK, Garside confirmed. “We are currently discussing options for more flight trials with the MoD.”

Dassault’s Eric Trap-pier paid a flying visit to the show earlier this week, for the signing of the Anglo-French Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS) agreement. This will take forward the work done on the Neuron and Tara-nis demonstrators and could lead to a common configura-tion for the UK and France, he confirmed. o

2 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

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CFM reported that it has logged $21.4 billion in engine sales at this week’s show.

Leasing group MG Avi-ation placed a $499 million order for two additional 787-9 Dreamliners. The company previously ordered two other -9s in 2006.

Air Algerie was announced as the client for a $152 million order placed in May for a pair of Next Generation 737-300C

aircraft. The narrowbodies can be converted between freight and passenger use. The airline previously ordered eight 737-800s in January.

Airbus won more support for its A350XWB program with the news that Air Mau-ritius has signed a memoran-dum of understanding for four -900 models. The carrier is going to lease two more of the widebody.

ATR signed a contract with Myanma Airways for up to 12 ATR72-600s. The deal, provi-sionally worth up to around $240 million, includes six firm

orders and six options.GE Aviation announced

that the GE9X engines to power the 50 Qatar Airways 777-9Xs will represent a $3.8 billion deal. Rolls-Royce signed an agreement with CIT to provide Trent 7000 engines for 15 new Airbus A330-900neos.

Trans States Holdings con-tracted with Pratt & Whitney to provide PW1000Gs for the 50 Embraer E-Jets E2 the U.S. airline group ordered this week. The engine maker will also be providing PW1200G powerplants for

the six Mitsubishi Regional Jets ordered by Air Mandalay. Separately, it signed a letter of intent with Philippine Airlines for PurePower engines on the 10 A320neos it has on order.

Finally, International Aero Engines is to provide V2500 turbofans for four A320ceo ordered by SaudiGulf Airlines.

By the end of Wednesday, the number of trade visitors received stood at 65,000. This year’s “Meet the Buyer” pro-gram doubled in scale from the 2012 show, with more than 1,200 meetings involving 300 companies set up so far. o

Airline orders best old recordsuContinued from preceding page

In this screen grab from a video posted by BAE Systems, the Taranis unmanned combat aerial vehicle touches down on a test flight in southern Australia.

BomBardier converts two Q400s, gets two more cseries customers

Bombardier Aerospace (Chalet C1-3) announced here at the Farnborough International Airshow yesterday that it received purchase orders and conditional commitments, which push it past the 500-order milestone for both its Q400 and CSeries programs.

Thai carrier Nok Air converted two of four previously announced Q400 NextGen purchase rights to firm orders, while an African air-line and existing Bombardier customer (that has asked to remain anonymous) signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire five CSeries airliners, pushing the total firm orders and commitments for the sin-gle-aisle airliner past the 500 mark. This is the first CSeries sale to an African operator.

“The Q400 NextGen airliner will play a major role in our domes-tic development, but also in our international expansion as we look at new destinations, such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia,” said Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin.

The CSeries order from the African operator comprises both CS100s and CS300s, the mix and delivery dates remain-ing undisclosed as the customer studies potential routes and deployment plans.

Bombardier also announced that an existing customer, also unnamed, has placed a conditional order, based on board approval, for seven CS300 airliners, and purchase rights for an additional six of the aircraft. This order, if approved, would bring the CSeries order book to firm commitments for 203 aircraft and not-yet-firm commit-ments for 310 more, from a combined 20 customers. –J.W.

Toasting the milestone order for Bombardier’s Q400 and CSeries aircraft are, left to right: Simon Roberts, v-p and general manager, turboprop programs; Rob Dewar, v-p and general manager, CSeries program; Mike Arcamone, president, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft; Guy Hachey, president and COO, Bombardier Aerospace; and Ray Jones, senior v-p sales and marketing and asset management, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

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Airbus A350 flight test nearing the finish tapeby Ian Goold

Airbus is working hard to complete the A350 flight-test campaign, which it hopes to close by the end of August in preparation for formal Euro-pean Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) airworthiness approval in September. By early last week, the five A350 test aircraft had logged 2,189 hours during 516 flights that involved more than 1,360 take-off/landing cycles.

Principal remaining ele-ments include the maximum-energy rejected take-off (Merto) demonstration and long-range, route-proving flights, accord-ing to Fernando Alonso, Airbus senior vice-president of flight and integration tests. Typically, Merto testing requires aircraft at maximum take-off weight to come to a complete halt from maximum V1 speed using 90-percent worn wheel brakes, no reverse thrust and no damage to the aircraft from any landing-gear fires that might break out. 

“[Merto] involves a combina-tion of weight and speed,” said Alonso, who expects the A350 test will be done at about 275 tons and at a speed of 160 to 170 kt. “We will set the [demon-stration] speed just before brake release [when we know] the

actual aircraft weight.” An ear-lier high-energy, rejected take-off (not necessarily at maximum weight) was performed to clear the A350 for initial long-flight demonstrations.

Route ProvingProject test pilot Frank Chap-

man is organizing the route-proving campaign that will be conducted on A350 MSN 005. In early July, this aircraft had accumulated almost 36 flight hours in its first six flights since taking to the air on June 20.

The aircraft will undertake some 26 flights that will total some 200 hours flying that is rep-resentative of actual airline oper-ations, including a series of Hong Kong-Singapore return flights separated by 90-minute turn-arounds. MSN 005 is expected to visit Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the U.S. and points in Asia and Europe.

Following EASA airworthi-ness approval, Airbus expects to retain A350 MSN 001 and 002 and to refurbish the remaining three test airframes for custom-ers. Post type certification work includes testing related to the aircraft configuration for launch customer Qatar Airways. o

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MBDA to assemble its Brimstone 2 this weekby Bill Carey

MBDA Missile Systems (Outdoor Exhibit 10, Cha-let D1) said yesterday that it would assemble the first copy this week of the Brimstone 2 missile, which is now in series production. The missile incor-porates a dual-mode, millimeter-wave radar and semi-active laser seeker, an “insensitive munition” (IM) rocket motor and warhead and a new, stronger airframe.

At a briefing on Wednes-day here at the airshow, MBDA executives said the company received its first production batch of rocket motors from Roxel on June 10 and warheads from TDW on June 30. Cliff Kimpton, MBDA market devel-opment executive, said Brim-stone 2 would provide a “step change” improvement in the missile’s performance.

Brimstone 2 will enter ser-vice next year on British Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s. In June MBDA signed a contract with BAE Systems to support the evaluation of the missile on the Eurofighter Typhoon. MBDA plans to deliver “many

hundreds” of the missile, said Adrian Monks, head of short-range surface attack.

In December and January, the RAF and the U.S. Air Force sponsored trials of the dual-mode Brimstone fitted on the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air-craft at U.S. Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in Califor-nia. MBDA executives declined to provide further informa-tion about Brimstone testing on the Reaper, or whether the U.S. will be involved in testing Brimstone 2.

Douglas Denneny, vice pres-ident for business development with the group in Arlington, Virginia, said the U.S. mili-tary is “very aware” of progress with the Brimstone 2. The U.S. Navy has allocated $4 million in its Fiscal Year 2014 budget to explore integrating some model of Brimstone on the F/A-18 Super Hornet. o

Next-geN Missile to serve oN agustawestlaNd aw159 wildcat

AgustaWestland (exhibiting here at the Farnborough Airshow with parent Finmeccanica, Outdoor Exhibit 1) gained a contract worth £90 million (around $150 million) here yesterday to inte-grate Europe’s next-generation maritime missile on the AW159 Wildcat helicopter.

British defense procurement minister Philip

Dunne (pictured right) signed the deal with Fin-meccanica CEO Mauro Moretti to add both heavy and light versions of the MBDA Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) to the Wildcat. The work will be done in the UK at AW’s Yeovil facility, with firing trials on ranges in northern Scotland and West Wales in 2018-19.

The FASGW development is one of a number of Anglo-French defense co-operation initiatives, since the French will also acquire it. The two countries are spending an initial £500 million on what Dunne described as “an innovative, game-changing capability.” The light version of the FASGW is designed to counter fast-attack craft in littoral waters, while the heavy version is a longer-range anti-ship missile.

The UK is buying 62 Wildcats, of which 28 are naval versions. AgustaWestland (also exhibiting in Hall 1 Stand C9) has already delivered 34. The company is displaying other potential weaponry on the AW159 on its outdoor display here, including the Israeli Spike missile. “There are various options,” said a com-pany spokesman. –C.P.

2015 Dubai Airshow builds on MidEast growth

The Dubai Airshow will take place next year from Novem-ber 8 to 12 at its purpose-built venue, Dubai World Central. Billing itself as the center of the aerospace industry, the show will celebrate its 28th year since its inception in the late 1980s.

Over the years the Dubai show has grown in prominence as manufacturers and suppliers increasingly recognize the impor-tance of the Middle East market to their long-term futures.

The show provides opportuni-ties for industry experts to meet and interact with a multitude of

representatives from commercial aviation, business aviation and, of course, the defense business.

Show organizer F&E Aero-space has released the floor plan here in Farnborough and revealed some of its plans for the event. “We will be expanding the press center facilities,” said F&E managing director Michele van Akelijen. “And we are look-ing forward to the return of the show’s associated GATE [Gulf Aviation Training Event] and to inspiring the new generation of aviators through our Futures Day feature.” –G.P.

All eyes are on the A350 flight-test regime, which Airbus hopes to complete by the end of next month for September EASA approval.

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Qatar’s 777-9X deal could top $37.7 billionby Gregory Polek

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker officially endorsed the Boeing 777-9X yesterday here in Farnborough by con-verting the 50-airplane mem-orandum of understanding announced at the Dubai Air Show last year to a firm order.

A separate agreement to take purchase rights for another fifty 777-9Xs could increase the value Qatar’s

investment from $18.9 bil-lion to $37.7 billion at list prices. Finally, Al Baker also announced his intention to order four 777 Freighters and place options on another four.

The Qatar Airways boss said he would use the new 777-9Xs to replace many of his company’s existing current-generation 777s, in line with a policy of main-taining an average fleet age of

no older than five years. Mean-while, plans call for Qatar’s new leasing arm to supply many of the airplanes represented by pur-chase rights to other operators.

“I know that people always say at air shows that aircraft manufacturers always like to make big orders,” Al Baker said. “But with Qatar Airways Boeing knows we are serious, that every single purchase right we had done in the past we exercised. So we are commit-ted to the numbers of airplanes that we signed for.”

Boeing expects to deliver the airplanes in 2020, making

Qatar (Chalet C27-28) one of the type’s first operators.

On the subject of Qatar’s fleet mix, Al Baker laid to rest any idea that the 777X com-mitment might signal a retreat from the airline’s commit-ment for Airbus’s A350-1000. “Once we sign for something we don’t walk away, unless of course the manufactur-ers screw up with the perfor-mance of the airplane,” he said in a not-so-veiled ref-erence to his recent refusal to accept three A380s due to Airbus’s failure to meet some of Qatar’s specifications. o

BAE Systems reveals a new combat helmetby Chris Pocock

BAE Systems launched a new version of the Striker integrated display helmet for combat aircraft pilots here at the Farnborough Airshow this week. Mark Bowman, the company’s chief test pilot, demonstrated how BAE has leveraged its work on an alter-native helmet-mounted dis-play (HMD) for the Lockheed Martin F-35 to produce Striker 2. The company was tapped to provide the alterna-tive, using night-vision gog-gles, after serious development problems with the Elbit Sys-tems/Rockwell Collins HMD that is integral to the F-35 cockpit. The F-35 program office now says that the prob-lems have been overcome.

The current Striker provides a high accuracy, low latency head-tracker system that can slave sensors or weapons. The fully overlapped 40-per-cent binocular display over-lays flight parameters, sensor data, weapon status and night vision. It weighs only 1.9 kg (2.3 kg with night vision) including twin visors and the oxygen mask. The assem-bly provides positive pressure breathing to overcome poten-tial g-loc (loss of conscious-ness in high-g maneuvers).

BAE’s Long HeritageThis helmet is currently used

by pilots of the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Saab Gripen, but the Striker 2 version will provide a single solution that is also applicable to the pilot-ing of attack helicopters, said Chris Colson, who is business development director for the Electronic Systems business of BAE Systems, based at Roch-ester in the UK. This site has a long heritage in avionics, and is currently pioneering “active

inceptors,” meaning intelli-gent aircraft control sticks; clip-on, see-through displays; and advanced head-up displays (HUDs) that use current digital-light engine (DLE) technology.

The Striker consists of a lightweight inner shell and an outer casing that includes 64 light-emitting diodes. These are tracked in real time by

three cameras mounted in the cockpit, so that the pilot’s head movements can be integrated with the aircraft’s display and sensor systems. He or she can therefore maintain an “eyes out” view during combat situa-tions, rather than lose situational awareness while consulting the cockpit displays. The pilot can also use the helmet to aim and cue weapons “off boresight,”

a significant advantage. The helmet “is a real force

multiplier at the platform level,” said Colson. He noted that recent combat experience has included Typhoon pilots spotting IED placements and providing their co-ordinates to ground forces, thanks to the helmet.

The Electronic Systems business is also displaying a DLE-upgraded HUD for the F-16 in the BAE Systems pavil-ion here (Outdoor Exhibit 11/FIVE) and a “Lite HUD” that uses waveguide technology, which is more compatible with the large displays found in the latest combat aircraft. The F-35 cockpit is one such air-craft, but the fifth-generation stealth fighter has dispensed with a HUD altogether.

Colson said that this was “a brave step” and has not been followed by other new starts, such as the Textron Air-Land Scorpion attack jet or the forthcoming indigenous Turk-ish fighter. Textron has chosen this BAE Systems product for the Scorpion, which can be seen in the static park here at Farnborough .

“In a waveguide display, you don’t have to be square-on to the optics to see the symbology. It’s just like viewing a modern television,” Colson added. o

From its experience with the F-35 test program, BAE Systems developed this new Striker 2 helmet-mounted display.

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Flanked by Qatar Airways flight attendants, airline CEO Akbar Al Baker, left, has endorsed Boeing’s 777-9X program, to the pleasure of Boeing CEO Ray Conner.

IAI ContInues Its expAnsIon In BrAzIl

IAI subsidiary European Advanced Technology (EAT) has acquired a 40-percent stake in Brazilian company Avionics Ser-vices. The acquisition is another step in IAI’s strategic move into the Brazilian marketplace, which it sees as offering considerable opportunities in the years to come, particularly in the defense and public security sectors.

EAT and Avionics Services also signed an agreement to market and manufacture aircraft systems, UAVs, sensors and platform upgrades.

Having established a marketing office in Brasilia, IAI (Chalet A29) has also invested in Brazilian radar company IACIT. –D.D.

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L-39 trainer gets major makeover by Chris Pocock

Aero Vodochody launched a new version of the popular L-39 jet trainer in Farnborough yesterday. The L-39NG will be powered by a Williams FJ44-4M turbofan.

Other changes from the original version include a new wet wing, lighter struc-ture, single-piece canopy, and modern cockpit. Company officials told AIN that they hoped to finish the prototype by the end of 2016, certify the L-39NG in 2017 and begin deliveries in 2018.

An official from the Czech Ministry of Defence expressed enthusiasm about the project, but said the country had not yet placed an order. He said the Czech air force was also considering re-engining its existing L-39s with the FJ44 turbofan, an interim stage towards the L-39NG that Aero Vodochody supports.

In fact, the Czech airframer said it had a civilian launch cus-tomer for the re-engined L-39, which would make its first appearance at the Reno Air races next year. Demilitarized L-39s are flying in 15 countries. The prototype of the original L-39 made its first flight in 1969 and serial production of the model began in 1971.

The company gave no details on a ground training system, or synthetic training, to accom-pany the L-39NG, and was vague about this when queried by AIN. o

CHArItY CYClIsts ArrIVe In

FArnBorouGH

More than 60 cyclists representing TAG Aviation, Gulfstream, Cessna, Jetex and the Resource Group completed a 250-mile ride from Paris Le Bourget Airport to Farnborough Airport on Monday.

The riders raised approx-imately $85,000 for aviation charity Fly2help, which gives people living with disability, serious illness, bereavement or isolation the chance to experience a flight. –C.A.

Boeing has ‘lite’ version of a maritime patrollerby Bill Carey

Apple’s product strategy serves to describe the similar-ities between the high-end P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol air-craft the U.S. Navy uses and the new, smaller maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) being developed for interna-tional customers, according to Boeing Defense. Both air-craft are on display here at the Farnborough International Airshow this week.

“Think iPad–iPhone, where one has more capability at a different price point that’s focused on the United States Navy mission,” said Chris Chadwick, Boeing Defense president and CEO. “And one takes the benefit of that capa-bility and ports it into a differ-ent platform,” the MSA, minus the P-8’s weapons and antisub-marine warfare capabilities.

Boeing (Chalet B1-6) revealed the MSA project at the 2012 Farnborough show and this past November introduced the Bom-bardier Challenger 605 super mid-size business jet as its host platform for P-8-derived mission systems. A Boeing-owned Chal-lenger 604, modified by Field Aviation as an MSA demon-strator, made its first flight from Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, on Febru-ary 28. Boeing installed mission systems in Seattle and late last

month readied the aircraft for its Farnborough debut.

The demonstrator will be available for viewing on the ground, with some of its sen-sors activated and others simu-lated to illustrate its capabilities.

Stiff CompetitionThe Boeing offering enters a

crowded field of jets and turbo-props developed for maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue missions at lower cost than the high-end P-8, a Boeing 737-800 derivative.

Boeing sees the MSA compet-ing against missionized Dassault Falcon 900/2000 and Gulfstream G450/550 business jets and ATR 72 and Airbus Military C-295 turboprops. “We did extensive research as to what airplane we thought best fit this need, and the Challenger 604/605 series really stood out in terms of payload, speed, the endurance that it has, its versatility and its competitive advantage price-wise, both in acquisition and in operating it,” said Bob Schoef-fling, Boeing Defense senior manager of business develop-ment for mobility, surveillance and engagement.

Beyond the platform itself, what differentiates the MSA is the P-8 mission system archi-tecture, under development since that program’s inception

in 2004 and beneficiary of more than $1 billion in technology investment by the U.S. Depart-ment of Defense, according to Schoeffling. “Within that class, for what we bring in perfor-mance, platform, mission sys-tems and sensors, we feel we are

very well positioned,” he added.The MSA can be fitted with

different radars for overwater or overland surveillance, elec-tro- optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras, electronic support measures (ESM), communica-tions intelligence (Comint) and the automatic identifi-cation system (AIS). Boeing equipped the demonstrator with a Selex ES SeaSpray 7300 maritime surveillance radar, FLIR Systems Star Safire 380-HD EO/IR sensor turret, Shine Micro AIS and Boeing-sup-plied ESM and Comint sen-sors. The data from sensors is displayed at three mission crew workstations–expandable to five workstations–with two 24-inch monitors in clamshell, foldable configuration that can be stowed at the sidewall. The workstation displays are interoperable and interchange-able among the operators.

Boeing has an agreement with Bombardier Aerospace to procure Challengers and have them modified by Field Avi-ation, which has previously modified the business jets into military configurations. It has big plans for the MSA.

“Before we started this pro-cess, we took an exhaustive

look at the market itself,” related Schoeffling. “We looked at countries that were going to need to replace mar-itime assets in the ‘mid’ mar-ket, and we projected that over a 10-year period it’s about a $10 billion market for 125 to 150 aircraft.” o

6 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Textron Aviation’s TRU Sim ulation+Training has an-nounced an agreement with sister company Bell Heli-copter to develop the first level-D, full flight simulator for the Bell 525 Relentless medium helicopter.

TRU will take care of all the steps from design to in-stallation at Bell’s Fort Worth, Texas headquarters.

The simulator will be FAA- and EASA-certified and is ex-pected to be operational in the first quarter of 2016. The sophisticated trainer will be based on TRU’s Odyssey H platform, which features a 240 x 80-degree field of view. TRU president and CEO Jim Takats said the request for proposals was issued in 2013, before Textron took over his company (Opinicus Corp.). The first Bell 525 should fly by the end of this year. v

AT THE STANDS

Boeing’s Maritime Surveillance Aircraft demonstrator, a modified Bombardier Challenger 604, is shown on its first flight on February 28.

Boeing Designates FLIR’s Star Safire Turret

Boeing has selected the FLIR Systems’ Star Safire 380-HD electro-optical/infrared sensor turret as the baseline EO/IR system to equip its new Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) for mission packages including search and rescue and coastal and border security, FLIR (Chalet C4) announced this week.

The Star Safire 380-HD system is a gyro-stabilized, multi-spectral, high-definition, intelligence-surveillance-reconnais-sance (ISR) system. It can be deployed on fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aircraft and ships. Star SAFIRE 380-HD integration and testing on the MSA platform began in August 2012.

“This selection highlights FLIR’s position as a leading supplier of thermal, HD-imaging, sensor systems,” said Andy Teich, FLIR Systems president and CEO. “We are pleased to partner with Boeing in providing situational awareness and real-time surveillance to help protect allied nations worldwide.” –B.C.

Field Aviation Highlights Surveillance Expertise

Canada’s Field Aviation has amassed considerable expertise in the special-mission aircraft design and modi-fication sector. Two examples of its work are on display here at Farnborough (Hall 4 Stand C17-C19), in the form of the Boeing MSA (maritime surveillance aircraft) and a modified nose section for the Viking Twin Otter MRSA.

When Boeing launched the MSA, which is based on the Bombardier Challenger 604 airframe, as a lower-cost alternative to the Boeing P-8 Poseidon, Field Aviation was contracted to undertake the modification.

Modification of the Challenger to civil certification standards was under-taken at Toronto’s Pearson International airport, from where Field has also con-ducted extensive flight tests.

Field Aviation also designed and built a nose section for the Viking Twin Otter Guardian 400, a multi-role surveillance aircraft. A full-scale model of the nose is on display at Viking’s outdoor exhibit (OE26), and features a 360-degree search radar and a retractable EO/IR tur-ret. Also displayed is the mission man-agement system and workstation, which is located in the aircraft’s cabin. –D.D.

Field’s nose section for the Guardian 400 MRSA is shown alongside the associated work-station and display.

Engine Alliance OK’d for new thrust ratingsby Matt Thurber

The Engine Alliance, a 50-50 joint venture of GE and Pratt & Whitney, has received EASA approval for two new thrust ratings for the GP7200 tur-bofan engine, one of the two engines available to power the Airbus A380. The new ratings bring the GP7200 to four thrust rating configurations.

One of the new rat-ings is for the GP7272, which allows opera-tion to 72,000 pounds of thrust. The second is for the GP7272E, which allows the 72,000-pound-thrust rating to be used at ambient temper-atures of greater than 30 deg C (86 deg F). The GP7200 fam-ily thus now has four thrust rat-ings, two at 70,000 pounds (the GP7270 and GP7270E) and two at 72,000 pounds (the GP7272 and GP7272E).

The “E” stands for E-rating, which is the “extended corner point” that lets airlines operate their

A380s at the maximum thrust rat-ing in high-ambient-temperature conditions. “The E-rating is possi-ble because the GP7200 engine was designed with a large margin to its EGT limits,” said Dean Athans, president of the Engine Alliance.

The Engine Alliance also an-nounced GP7200 enhancements that will improve time on wing by as much as 50 percent in hot and sandy envi-ronments. The im-provements pri-marily affect the high-pressure tur-bine (HPT) stage 2 nozzle module and involve a total of 25

components, including shrouds, seals and hangars; the design changes were frozen in October 2013. Hardware improvements were introduced to the pro-duction line this summer, and these can be retrofitted during quick-turn repairs or during normal shop visits, according to Engine Alliance. o

8 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Newest tech now on tap from Rockwell Collinsby Matt Thurber

Rockwell Collins is demon-strating a host of new technology solutions at Farnborough 2014, from its MultiScan weather radar to NextGen communications and navigation systems.

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based avionics manufacturer recently achieved the first dem-onstration of advanced arrival and departure flight operations under the EU’s FILGAPP proj-ect. FILGAPP “aims at ‘fill-ing the gap’ in the state of the art of GNSS-based procedures and operations,” according to the project. Rockwell Collins explained the goal as creating “new, more efficient methods of navigating airspace using satellite-based navigation and advanced FMS functions.”

The flight demonstration took place in Germany using a Hawker 750 equipped with a Rockwell Collins FMS and GNSS receiver. The tests involved the first perfor-mance of a high-precision and

high-integrity missed approach/departure procedure in Europe. Earlier tests in an Air Nostrum Bombardier CRJ-1000, also equipped with Rockwell Collins avionics, assessed performance using radius-to-fix functionality connected to EGNOS-enabled LPV approaches.

Rockwell Collins (Hall 4 Stand F9) also announced that Air Algérie chose a suite of avi-onics from the company for its order for 10 Boeing 737s and three Airbus A330s. The A330 will be equipped with the Rockwell Collins Multi- Scan ThreatTrack weather radar, which in addition to hail and lightning prediction within a storm also warns pilots of threats adjacent to the thun-derstorm cell. Pilots can also receive warnings of cells that are projected to be in the air-craft’s flight path using Threat- Track’s Predictive Overflight feature. MultiScan was recently

certified for the Boeing 777, and EVA Air was the first to take delivery of a new 777 equipped with the radar.

For its 737s, Air Algérie has chosen a set of products to pro-vide a Link 2000+ solution to meet Eurocontrol’s controller pilot da-ta link communications (CPDLC) airspace requirement. The equip-ment includes the VHF-2100 VHF transceiver CMU-900 communica-tions management unit, APM-900 aircraft personality module and CPDLC-enabling software. Air Algérie also selected the Rockwell Collins GLU-925 multi-mode re-ceiver, which is the first to com-bine a GPS landing system receiv-er, ADF, DME and VOR.

VivaAerobus has an order for 52 new A320s and chose the Rockwell Collins GLU-925, MultiScan ThreatTrack weather radar, ADF-900, DME-2100, VHF-2100 and VOR-900.

Rockwell Collins also serves the unmanned aircraft mar-ket, and FT Sistemas selected the company’s Micro INS (iner-tial navigation sensor) for the Horus 100 hand-launched UAV. The Micro INS combines an integrated air data system, mag-netometer and WAAS-enabled GPS receiver. o

Rockwell Collins MultiScan ThreatTrack weather radar, ordered by Air Algérie, can not only predict lightning and hail, but also identify threats that lie adjacent to cells.

RC’s Ortberg Bullish on Stable End Markets

“I enter this airshow period feeling much more confident,” said Rockwell Col-lins CEO and president Kelly Ortberg about this year’s Farnborough International Airshow. Military budgets are stabilizing, he added, “and this provides much more certainly about what programs are going to be funded going forward.”

In the business aviation market, he said, “we’re seeing stabilization in the end markets. We’re not seeing a snap-back, but I believe we’re at the bottom of the cycle.” In the air transport sector, “the up-cycle continues to be in full swing. Last year was very important in new product entries with the 737 Max and A320neo receiving a number of orders, and this gives us confidence that we’re in the early to mid phase of that up-cycle. There’s a lot of runway up ahead.”

A major focus for Rockwell Collins (Hall 4 Stand F9 Chalet B13) is its situational awareness products, which also extend to helicopters. The Helisure product line integrates helicopter syn-thetic vision and helicopter terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS).

This year is the Farnborough Airshow debut for the Rockwell Collins Infor-mation Management Services business, which resulted from the company’s acquisition of Arinc in 2013. “These are pretty exciting times,” Ortberg said, “and we feel much more upbeat about end market outlooks.” � n

Dean Athens, Engine Alliance

F-35 test pilots to with Fly improved hmds

F-35 test pilots with the U.S. Air Force’s 461st Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California, will begin using a third-generation hel-met-mounted display system (HMDS) in the next few weeks. The updated HMDS incorporates fixes to the current generation system, which pilots found inad-equate and the Pentagon labeled as a technical risk to the F-35 program.

Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow on Tuesday, Raanan Horowitz, Elbit Systems of America president and CEO, said his company will soon begin delivering the new “Gen 3” helmet to F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which plans to introduce the new HMDS in low-rate initial produc-tion (LRIP) lot 7 of the jet, the next production lot. The joint venture of Elbit and Rockwell Collins, called Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems LLC, supplies the HMDS for the F-35.

In 2011, the Pentagon identified the HMDS–crit-ical for a fighter with no head-up display–as one of several F-35 program risks. It found that the Gen 2 system was deficient in the areas of night-vision acu-ity, display jitter during aircraft buffeting and image latency from the F-35’s electro-optical distributed aperture system (DAS).

Horowitz said the Gen 3 HMDS comes with improved night vision from a new Intevac Pho-tonics sensor based on electron-bombarded activated pixel sensor (EBAPS) technology, an integrated inertial measurement unit to track head movement and automated software align-ment. Intevac delivers sensors to Elbit Systems of America, which builds the sensor into the night-vision camera.

Rockwell Collins is exhibiting the F-35 helmet

for the first time at the Farnborough Airshow (Hall 4 Stand F9) and providing demonstrations to empha-size its situational-awareness products. The helmet on display is a Gen 2 HMDS.

Alan Norman, F-35 chief test pilot, said other test pilots have flown the current-generation helmet with Gen 3 fixes. Issues such as display jitter from aircraft buffeting have been “smoothed out to the satisfac-tion of the pilots and from our test-pilot point of view, we’re happy with it,” he said.

The first Gen 3 helmet will be deployed on the AF-3 test jet, an F-35A conventional takeoff and land-ing jet, which has the same software configuration of LRIP 7 jets. “That will be our first good look at how the Gen 3 helmet is doing,” Norman said. –M.T.

Elbit Systems of America’s Generation 3 helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) will go into service in a few weeks.

Kelly Ortberg

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Our newest engine thrives under pressure.

The GE9X will feature a record-setting, 11-stage compressor that will help make the powerplant the most fuel-effi cient engine we’ve ever built. And we have the stats to back that up. Both the 27:1 compressor pressure ratio and 60:1 overall engine pressure ratio will be the greatest ratios ever produced – in the entire history of aviation.

This compressor is just one of the components that will deliver outstanding power for the new Boeing 777X aircraft.

Imagination at work.

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78764_ge9x_compressor_fp4c_fas14_ain.indd 1 6/4/14 2:51 PM

Rafael recast in three groups, placing focus on customersby Charles Alcock

Israeli defense group Rafael believes it will be more responsive to the markets it serves following the reorganization that took effect at the beginning of this year. The company is now split into three divi-sions: air superiority, land and naval sys-tems, and air and C4ISR.

“We’re more focused on the customer now, and not just focused on technology,” air and C4ISR systems general manager Yuval Miller told AIN. The reorganiza-tion is also intended to take account of the strong growth Rafael has achieved since it was first established as a govern-ment-owned company that was part of Israel’s defense ministry.

One of Rafael’s priorities here at the show this week is to promote the new Lit-ening 4 version of its established air target-ing and navigation pod. This features an improved sensor package and optimized electronics with a better mean time between failure rate and maintainability. The latest pod also includes new image-processing capability that can be used in a greater vari-ety of air-to-air and air-to-ground modes. “It’s not just a designation pod for LGBs [laser-guided bombs], it’s a very necessary tool for the pilot and can provide better close air support,” said Miller.

Rafael is introducing its new Toplite MHD (multi-sensory, high definition) electro-optical and surveillance, obser-vation and targeting system, which is a derivative of Litening. According to the company, it is very versatile and features new sensors operating in different wave-lengths and with datalink capability.

Also on show here in Farnborough is

the latest Recce-2 electro-optical tactical reconnaissance pod for real-time imagery collection and data transfer. This is capa-ble of scanning speeds that are around 10 times faster than the original Recce-1 unit, and it also has a new ground control unit.

Rafael has also developed the lighter Recce-U pod for deployment on UAVs that are restricted to payload of less than 100 kg (220 pounds). This can fly on MALE class UAVs, such as the IAI Heron. “It has the same basic design as the [220-kg payload] RecceLite pod and none of the capabilities have been lost,” explained Miller. “The only difference is that it is not airworthy to fly on jets. We took the cool-ing system out because it’s not needed due to the lower speeds of UAVs and we also took out some of the skin.”

More SpiceSeparately, two new, larger versions of

its Spice missiles (1,000 pounds and 2,000 pounds) have been introduced by Rafael, which is also now working on a new 250-pound Spice 250 standoff gliding, preci-sion guided missile.

“If you compare Spice 250 with the bigger versions, the main difference is that aircraft can increase their [weapons] load significantly, carrying four Spice 250s on a smart rack,” said Miller. “It will have standoff capability for over 100 km and can engage a variety of targets. It’s good for scenarios where you want to have a total shock-and-awe effect but can also engage moving and time-critical targets.”

The new weapon is due to begin flight tests later this year. o

Rockford area has its stamp on every aircraft flying at F’boroby James Wynbrandt

Though not often mentioned among aerospace centers of excel-lence, Rockford, Illinois, home to five major tier 1 aerospace suppliers, deserves a top spot on the list, accord-ing to the Rockford Area Aerospace Network (RAAN). The organiza-tion is making that case here at the Farnborough Airshow and points out that every single airplane flying today contains at least one part man-ufactured in Rockford, according to RAAN (Hall 2 Stand 23).

One of the leading aerospace employ-ment centers in the U.S., the Rockford area has more than 200 diverse suppli-ers at all levels of the logistics chain, including assembly, inspection, testing, repair and software. More than 80 per-cent of Illinois’ aerospace workforce

is found in Rockford’s area, and it has twice the U.S. average of manufactur-ing workers.

The city was on Boeing’s shortlist of sites under consideration for build-ing its new 777X, while more recently Woodward, which provides prod-ucts and services to the aerospace and energy sectors, broke ground on a $300 million second campus in the area for its aircraft turbine systems business, adding 1,400 jobs to the Rockford region’s economy.

Here at the airshow, RAAN and the Illinois Department of Com-merce and Economic Opportu-nity are eager to meet Farnborough attendees and explain the opportu-nities and capabilities the Rockford region offers. o

10 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

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beauty is in the heart of the beholder

Colorful paint catches the eye, but the beauty of thIs Spanish AV8B Harrier runs deep beneath the dull gray skin, especially among those who have been privileged to fly her.

leap of faith

José Luis Garza Alvarez, left foreground, Interjet CEO, enthusiastically shakes hands with Chaker Chahrour, v-p of sales for GE, parent company of CFM International. Surrounded by their ebullient teams, the executives celebrate Interjet’s choice of CFM’s LEAP-1A engine for its new fleet of 40 Airbus A320neo aircraft. The engine order is valued at U.S. $2.9 billion.

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AgustaWestland is growing its world-class support and training network as the global helicopter fl eet expands.Working with all of our customers, we are delivering innovative support and training solutions to maximise effi ciency, availability and operational success.Everything we do, we do with passion.

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Bell counts on Europe as a major market areaby Matt Thurber

Textron’s Bell Helicopter brought four helicopters to its Farnborough Airshow display (Exhibit Area L2), including a mockup of the Bell 525 Relent-less outfitted in search-and-res-cue configuration and a mockup of the 505 Jet Ranger X, which just concluded a three-month European tour.

A 407GX is also on the Bell static display, as is a 429 in emergency-medical service configuration. The 429 also just finished a three-month demonstration tour. During FIA14, a corporate-configured Bell 429 is flying demonstra-tion flights.

“Europe is our second-larg-est helicopter market,” said Bell president and CEO John Garrison, “and it will still be [the second-largest] in 20 years.” Although Bell has had helicopters flying in Europe for more than 50 years, he added, “We don’t enjoy the same level of market participation [as North America].”

“In the past few years, we have had great success in Europe and see additional opportunities for further growth,” said Danny Maldonado, Bell executive v-p of commercial sales and mar-keting. “We have invested in developing our local facilities and aftermarket capabilities to better serve our European cus-tomers, and Farnborough gives us an opportunity to connect our team with these custom-ers and learn more about their future needs.”

Bell’s strategy is focused around products, people and facilities, Garrison explained. And one of the product-related announcements at Farnborough is a new kit for an integrated autopilot for the Garmin G1000H-equipped 407GX. The two-axis autopilot system is available as an option on new 407GXs and as a retro-fit on existing models equipped with the G1000H suite.

Certified under a supple-mental type certificate for VFR operations by the FAA and Transport Canada, the Garmin autopilot offers cyclic force trim and a stability and com-mand augmentation system that is available at all speeds, with altitude and heading pre-selects, according to Bell. A go-around mode is available, with

one-switch activation, which provides automatic attitude lev-eling and transition to climb. During heavy turbulence or in extreme attitudes, the autopilot will automatically disconnect, and it is also night-vision-sys-tem-compatible. Cost of the autopilot is “slightly more than $100,000,” and it is said to be less expensive than the currently approved 407GX HeliSAS autopilot offered by Cobham. The integrated auto-pilot was designed by Bell and was derived from the 429’s digital automatic flight con-trol system.

Sales of the 407GX have tri-pled in Europe, and Bell’s com-mercial sales have grown 37 percent in Europe since 2012, according to Garrison. Bell 429 sales have increased from two operating in Europe two years ago to more than 40 now.

New Bells Letters of intent for the

new light 505 cover more than 200 helicopters, of which 40 are European orders. The 505 is Bell’s first helicopter pow-ered by a Turbomeca engine, the Arrius 2R controlled by a dual-channel Fadec. Avionics are Garmin’s G1000H. A high-inertia rotor system “delivers superior autorotation capabili-ties,” according to Bell.

The new 525 is the first com-mercial helicopter with fly-by-wire flight controls. Also equipped with Garmin avion-ics, the 525 features Bell’s four-display Arc Horizon flight deck, which uses the G5000H system with touchscreen con-trols. Bell’s lift-assist tail boom promises to improve the 525’s hover performance. “The 525 enables Bell to break into the offshore market in Europe,” Garrison said.

Recent water-tank tests of scale-model 525s indicated that the 525 will have no problem meeting sea state 6 standards for emergency water land-ings and that there are no hur-dles that should prevent the 525 from meeting the new uneven waveform requirements. The 525 cabin is designed so that no occupant is more than one pas-senger away from an emergency exit. “Our design was generated by customer [requirements],” said Garrison. o

12 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Bell’s developmental, fly-by-wire 525 Relentless model is represented on the Bell display in mockup form. Configured in search-and-rescue mode, the mockup also features Bell’s four-screen Arc Horizon flight deck (inset), based on the Garmin G5000H architecture with touchscreen control.

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USAF releases an RFP for a new big bomber by Bill Carey

The U.S. Air Force announced that it released a request for pro-posals (RFP) to industry on July 9 for its new Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program to develop the next generation heavy bomber. The service said it expects to make a contract award next spring.

Detailed requirements for the bomber are classified and in a press release the Air Force described the platform in gener-alities. It nevertheless designated the LRS-B as a top priority, along with the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and KC-46A tanker.

“The new bomber will be a long-range, air-refuelable, highly survivable aircraft with signifi-cant nuclear and conventional stand-off and direct-attack weap-ons payload,” the service said. “The LRS-B will provide oper-ational flexibility across a wide range of military operations.”

The Air Force plans to pur-chase 80 to 100 LRS-B aircraft, with a targeted average procure-ment cost of $550 million per unit. It aims to declare initial capability of the bomber in the mid-2020s.

The new platform would replace the service’s 75 B-52 Stratofortress and 63 B-1B Lancer bombers. (The USAF

fleet of 20 B-2 stealth bombers has a service life goal to 2058.) Northrop Grumman and the team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin have made known their intentions to seek the LRS-B contract.

In a report earlier this month, the Congressional Research Ser-vice (CRS) said the Air Force may have already spent a sub-stantial amount on developing the LRS-B, which would help explain service’s expectation of reaching initial operational capability of the bomber in the next decade.

The projected LRS-B budget in the Pentagon’s Future Years Defense Program rises from $258.7 million in FY2013 to $3.4 billion in FY2019, a spending level that suggests a production rather than a development pro-gram. The funding stream “may indicate that significant LRS-B development has already been completed, presumably in clas-sified budgets,” the CRS said. Last September, a former dep-uty assistant of the Air Force for acquisition revealed that the service had issued contracts for risk-reduction work.

Assuming there has been considerable prior develop-ment, “the Air Force will be

challenged to construct a truly competitive RFP,” the CRS said. In a statement announc-ing the RFP’s release, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said, “We have established an achievable and stable set of requirements that should make this capability a hallmark for the future. We’ve set a realistic target cost for the system and have a procurement strategy which allows us to affordably field a new bomber fleet.” o

UTC Aerospace Systems and Selex ES announced they will jointly develop the TacSAR (tactical synthetic aperture radar) reconnaissance sys-tem, a long-range SAR system designed for overland and mari-time reconnaissance and sur-veillance. TacSAR uses Selex active electronically scanned array radar technology.

More than a dozen countries employ UTC Aerospace Sys-tems’ DB-110 EO/IR reconnais-sance pod, which can be fitted on tactical jets, maritime patrol aircraft and business jets. Cur-rent DB-110 EO/IR users will be able to integrate the TacSAR pod using the same aircraft inter- faces, real-time data links and intelligence exploitation sys-tems, UTC said.

UTC Aerospace Systems (Hall 3 Stand AS6-17) is part of United Technologies Corp. Selex ES (Outdoor Exhibit 1) is a Finmeccanica company. v

AT THE STANDS

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Sentinel fleet looking seaward by David Donald

Monday’s announcement by British Prime Minister David Cameron that the RAF’s Raytheon Sentinel R1 fleet will be extended in service until at least 2018 has breathed new life into the program, and sparked real interest in further development.

One of the key features that could be added is greater maritime capabil-ity. While the RAF is quick to stress

that a maritime-capable Sentinel is not a maritime patroller, it could be used as a gap-filler in certain scenarios, and has considerable applications in littoral oper-ations, such as amphibious landings or humanitarian missions.

An embryonic maritime capability for the Sentinel radar first came to the fore during Operation Ellamy in 2011. RAF

Sentinels working along the Libyan coast noted that the moving target indica-tor mode of the dual-mode radar could track vessels entering and leaving Libyan harbors, resulting in intelligence that was swiftly acted upon.

Now the question of adding further maritime modes to the system is on the table for inclusion in an updated Senti-nel. Raytheon has developed technolo-gies across its sensor range that could be applied to the Sentinel’s Astor radar, and maritime modes could be adapted from those developed for the APY-10 radar that is operational in the Boeing P-8 Poseidon.

Canoe SensorOther new functions that the Senti-

nel could gain include a signals intelli-gence-gathering capability and a standoff electro-optical/infrared sensor. Changes to the way the aircraft communicates via satellite have made some original com-munications systems redundant, with the result that enough SWAP (size, weight and power) capacity could be freed up in the canoe fairing to install a system in the class of the UTAS DB-110 or Ray-theon’s sensor for the Global Hawk. The Global Express business jet platform, upon which the Sentinel is based, can easily accommodate any rapid changes in altitude that the different sensors might require, unlike an airliner-type platform.

Adding a long-range EO/IR system

would not only allow the Sentinel to pro-vide high-quality imagery to complement that from the synthetic aperture mode of the radar, but also give it a visual positive identification capability, something that is not possible under UK rules of engage-ment when using radar imagery alone.

With a number of options avail-able and funds now becoming available, the RAF is now in a position to priori-tize which capabilities and upgrades it adopts, and in which order. This process should take about six to seven months.

One element that is currently under development by Raytheon is the Overseer enhanced airborne mission management system, which would facilitate the inte-gration of these additional capabilities, as well as providing an improved and “de-cluttered” human-machine interface. One of the five aircraft will be assigned as a tes-tbed for new systems when they are added.

In the meantime, the RAF Sentinel fleet has been undertaking some impor-tant missions away from the principal operational theater in Afghanistan (Oper-ation Herrick). In Operation Newcombe the Sentinel flew 58 missions in support of French forces during the Mali inter-vention, while an aircraft was deployed on Operation Turus in the hunt for the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram. Closer to home, the Sentinel mapped flooded areas of southern Eng-land during Operation Pitchpole. o

14 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Having seen some success tracking surface vessels during Operation Ellamy in Libya in 2011, the newly reinvigorated RAF Sentinel R1 program is turning its attention to expanding its maritime capability.

Kongsberg And rAytheon Join Forces on JsM

Kongsberg and Raytheon announced a teaming agreement this week to develop and market the Norwegian company’s JSM (joint strike missile) for the air-launched OASuW (offensive anti-surface warfare) mission.

For Raytheon (Chalet C7-9) this represents an opportunity to add a state-of-the-art, air-launched, anti-ship weapon to its offering without the burden of development costs, while Kongsberg (Cha-let K6) not only gains better access to certain markets, but can also draw on some of Raytheon’s technologies for adding features and for future versions. The two companies have not defined detailed workshare, but would treat campaign leads for export on a case-by-case basis.

Development of the missile has been funded by the Norwegian government, with the final phase currently undergoing parliamentary review, but Raytheon and Kongsberg see considerable opportunities for the JSM elsewhere. The two companies have a good history of co-operation, notably through the Nasams surface-launched Amraam program.

Derived from the Kongsberg NSM (naval strike missile), the JSM has been sized to fit in the inter-nal bay of the Lockheed Martin F-35 JSF. Although Norway is cur-rently the only nation with a stated requirement for the JSM, it could prove attractive to other partners in the program. The weapon is sched-uled to be included in the Block 4 iteration of JSF, but that is not due until around 2022. JSM’s development should be complete by 2017.

Given this gap, a market could be found for JSM outside of the JSF world. To that end Kongsberg has already performed fit-checks on a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet and a Lockheed Martin F-16. Captive-carry flights are likely to be undertaken on an F-16 next year, and Norway might move ahead with integration of JSM on the type for its own air force to cater for the delay in F-35 integration. –D.D.

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Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missile is sized to fit the internal bays of the JSF, but can be carried externally on most fighter types.

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Aegis comes ashore in Romaniaby David Donald

Next year the U.S. Navy is scheduled to start operations of an Aegis missile defense system at a land base at Deveselu in Romania, representing the second phase of a four-pronged program known as EPAA (European phased adaptive approach). This is being undertaken to provide defense against ballistic missiles, with Iran considered the primary threat.

The first phase of EPAA has already been implemented, comprising the Lockheed Martin Aegis air defense sys-tem and SPY-1 radar paired with Ray-theon’s SM-3 missile on ships of the U.S. Navy in the Mediterranean theater. Phase 2 of EPAA is the first element to be land-based in the Aegis Ashore configuration.

To minimize risk it has been created by simply lifting the in-service elements of the Aegis system from the ship and placing them in a land-based scenario. The first such system, comprising Aegis command and control, SPY-1D radar and Mk 41 vertical launch system, has been constructed at the Pacific Missile Test Range at Barking Sands, Hawaii. This installation conducted the first test of the Aegis Ashore with a firing in May of an SM-3 Block IB control test vehicle. The trial interceptor lacked

a warhead and was fired against a tar-get simulated in the system to prove the basic elements of the system.

A second Aegis Ashore system has been completed at the Missile Defense Agency’s facility in Moorestown, New Jersey. This system is now ready for transfer to the Romanian site later this summer, and is scheduled to become operational with 24 SM-3 missiles next year. A second test of the Hawaii-based Aegis Ashore is planned for next year, involving a live intercept.

The Romanian Aegis system will ini-tially employ the Block IB version of the SM-3 missile, which is in low-rate ini-tial production. Block IB achieved oper-ational capability at sea earlier this year. This version has numerous improvements over the IA, including a variable-throttle attitude control system and a two-color imaging infrared seeker. The Aegis sys-tem for Romania employs the current BMD 5.0 software standard, and will be integrated into a wider defense network that includes forward-based Raytheon TPY-2 radars, including one located in Turkey. The TPY-2 will initially detect and track targets before handing over the track to the Aegis system.

For Phase 3 of EPAA a second land-based Aegis Ashore battery is to be installed at Redzikowo in Poland, scheduled to become oper-ational in 2018. This will fire the Block IIA version of SM-3 with Aegis BMD 5.1 software. This upgrade can be applied to other Aegis systems so that they can fire the new version of the missile.

Co-developed with Japan, the Block IIA confers greater velocity and more range on the SM-3 sys-tem, offering a greater capability against IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) threats. It employs a larger body but can still be fired from the Mk 41 vertical launcher, as demonstrated in launches of propulsion test vehicles last year. During 2015 the tests of Block IIB will involve launches of test vehi-cles with greater functionality, leading to guided tests against live targets in 2016.

Beyond the Poland deployment the EPAA roadmap calls for a system using the Block IIB interceptor some time after 2020, but the fourth phase remains a research and development program only. In the meantime, Raytheon sees a number of opportunities for its SM-3 missile, including the application of the Aegis Ashore concept to other parts of the world such as Japan and Korea.

The missile is also being offered to the Royal Netherlands Navy, whose four De Zeven Provinciën-class air defense frigates have compatible Mk 41 launch-ers and a system based on the Thales SMART-L and APAR radars that can track ballistic missiles. o

www.ainonline.com • July 17, 2014 • Farnborough Airshow News 15

This SM-3 Block IIA test was undertaken at White Sands last October to prove that the larger version of the missile could be fired from a Mk 41 vertical launcher.

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L-3 helping operators make NextGen avionics upgradesby Matt Thurber

As mandates for NextGen equipment push operators to upgrade their avionics, the five divisions making up L-3 Aviation Prod-ucts are positioned to meet those needs.

The key new mandate is for automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) out equipment, with some countries in Southeast Asia plus Canada and Australia already implementing ADS-B operations at certain altitudes. The European mandate begins in January 2015 for new aircraft and December 2017 for in-service aircraft, fol-lowed by U.S. airspace on Jan. 1, 2020.

This year, L-3 Aviation (Chalet A10-15) should generate more than $500 mil-lion in sales, according to Ralph DeMarco, v-p of marketing and sales. The five divi-sions include Aviation Communication and Surveillance Systems (ACSS) in Phoe-nix, Arizona, which is an L-3 and Thales joint venture; L-3 Aviation Recorders in Sarasota, Florida; L-3 Avionics Systems in Grand Rapids, Michigan; L-3 Display Systems in Alpharetta, Georgia; and L-3 Electronics Systems Services in Canada.

Helping meet the NextGen mandate are ACSS’s ADS-B out NXT series tran-sponders, which recently received FAA TSO approval. The NXT-600 is DO-260B- and DO181E-compliant, which meets FAA and Eurocontrol ADS-B out requirements. The NXT-600 was selected as standard equipment for Bombardier’s Q400 and ATR’s 42/72-600 models and will begin flying on these aircraft in the first quarter of 2015.

L-3 certified the first ADS-B out tran-sponder in 2012 and is working with a number of airlines on upgrade programs, including JetBlue (35 A320s), US Air-ways (20 A330s) and UPS (747, 757, 767, A300 and MD11).

Here at Farnborough, Airbus recog-nized ACSS as one of its top five suppliers and also the most improved supplier for

2013 at an awards ceremony held on July 15. “This is a testament to the dedication of the ACSS and Thales avionics teams in supporting our products worldwide,” said Terry Flaishans, president of ACSS. Air-bus’ supplier ranking was based on input from 111 airline operators.

Cornerstone of SESAR“ADS-B is a cornerstone of NextGen

and SESAR [single European sky air traf-fic management research],” said DeMarco. ADS-B-equipped aircraft transmit posi-tion, speed and intent information to air traffic controllers and other aircraft. If an aircraft is equipped with ADS-B in as well, it can view traffic information from other nearby targets. The advantage of ADS-B over existing radar surveillance systems is that ADS-B information is sent once per second versus the update rate of every four seconds or more of typical secondary sur-veillance radar systems. Also ADS-B can work anywhere that an aircraft can datalink its position information to ATC, including in non-radar areas over oceans and remote land areas (generally via satcom where VHF is not available).

ACSS doesn’t just concentrate on the ADS-B out market, however, and has developed a suite of ADS-B in applications called “SafeRoute.” These applications are hosted on ACSS’s 3000SP TCAS or its T3CAS, which combines TCAS, TAWS, transponder and ADS-B all in one LRU.

SafeRoute ADS-B in features can be delivered on a variety of cockpit displays. The U.S. Navy selected the TCAS 3000SP coupled to the P-3 cockpit’s primary flight displays, as part of a P-3C, EP-3E and P-3 SPA upgrade program that is the first application of SafeRoute in a military flight operations platform. The P-3 appli-cation is also the first time that SafeRoute has been displayed in the pilot’s forward

field of view. All previous SafeRoute implementations have been displayed on electronic flight bags, according to ACSS.

While there is no mandate for ADS-B in applications like SafeRoute, DeMarco sees benefits from widespread adoption of ADS-B out. “ADS-B in becomes more robust with more ADS-B out in the field,” he explained. “This will happen in the next three to five years, and that’s one of the key points of getting more broad implementation of ADS-B.”

SafeRoute applications include inter-val management, in-trail procedures (ITP), cockpit display of traffic informa-tion assisted visual separation (CAVS) and surface area movement management (SAMM). Airlines have already certified and have been flying with these SafeR-oute applications on Airbus A330s and Boeing 757s and 767s. Delta Air Lines 767s use ITP on three 767s, while US Airways is flying CAVS into Philadel-phia International Airport in 20 A330s. The P-3s are using another SafeRoute application, enhanced visual acquisition (EVAcq), which “provides the crew traf-fic passive surveillance ranges beyond 100 nm,” according to ACSS.

L-3 Aviation Recorders announced that Airbus received certification of the L-3 AFIRS 228S for the A320 family. AFIRS

(automated flight information and report-ing system) is an Iridium satcom that delivers cockpit voice and data services, including for air traffic control, aeronau-tical operational control and air-to-air communication as well as ACARS-over-Iridium messaging. The A320 program was done in partnership with FLYHT Aerospace Solutions. “We’re hoping to expand this beyond the single-aisle Airbus family,” said DeMarco. o

16 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

L3 Aviation’s SafeRoute-ITP application can be delivered to the cockpit in a number of ways, shown here running on a tablet electronic flight bag (EFB).

Thales reveals Talios PDL-NG, a next-generation targeting podby David Donald

Thales Optronique (Hall 4 Innova-tion Zone A1) unveiled its successor to the Damoclès targeting pod on the eve of the Farnborough show. The new sensor system, called “Talios,” should be ready in time for deployment on a major new operational standard of the Dassault Rafale multi-role fighter that is due to enter service in 2018. A new-generation targeting pod, known as PDL-NG, has been one of the key ele-ments associated with the Rafale’s F3R upgrade standard. Development of PDL-NG started in 2009, with approval to pro-ceed affirmed in January 2013. Funding has been approved for at least 19 pods for the French air force and navy.

The Rafale currently uses the Damoclès targeting pod, the performance specifica-tions of which have fallen behind those of competing systems; it also lacks a daytime function. Talios addresses these deficiencies by introducing a higher resolution sensor for greater targeting accuracy, as well as a number of other features that allow it to be

used for non-traditional ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) tasks.

Drawing heavily on operational feed-back, Talios has been developed to cover what Thales calls “the entire critical deci-sion chain from intelligence-gathering to weapon delivery.” Various air-to-ground functionalities allow it to conduct attacks in co-operative and autonomous modes, as well as to provide real-time reconnais-sance capability through a data link. It can operate by day and night, and also provide air-to-air target identification and forward-looking navigation imagery.

Thales has created a user-friendly interface for the Talios, including pic-ture-in-picture capability and intuitive symbology. It also has an advanced 3-D geo-location and tracking capability. Talios is an open-architecture system that allows new features to be implemented, and is a “plug-and-play” system that can be easily integrated with a wide range of modern aircraft. o

Talios is packaged into a pod similar to that of the Damoclès that it will replace.

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fly or drive? take your pick

Gilo Industries’ (Hall 4 C20) SkyRunner is at home on a highway, or traversing rough terrain. But for the ultimate in off-road travel, just switch to paraglider mode and rise above it all says Charlie Nicoll, Gilo head of group operations.

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Barco, GE sign MoU for helicopter avionics by Matt Thurber

Barco’s Defense & Aerospace division signed a memorandum of agreement with GE Aviation to collaborate on a new family of cockpit displays for helicop-ters. The new family will feature an open system design, which facilitates development of third-party applications for display system functionality.

“We are a tier 3 supplier,” said Steven Luys, v-p of strate-gic marketing, defense and aero-space for the Kortrijk, Belgium-based technology company, “and we offer our products to systems integrators. We offer the best dis-play to fit the application.”

On exhibit here at Farn-borough (Hall 1 Stand A13) are a variety of Barco prod-ucts, including the 15.4-inch LED-backlit LCD that Barco is supplying to the Chinese Aero-nautical Radio Electronics Re-search Institute (CARERI) for the Comac C919 program. The C919 cockpit features five of the

big DHA-3138 Barco display head units (i.e., the glass with-out electronics), which feature WSXGA+ (1680 by 1050 pix-el) resolution and high bright-ness and excellent contrast when viewed from any angle. The contract with CARERI cov-ers 7,500 DHA-3138 displays for 1,500 airplanes from 2014 through 2030.

Barco displays are found on a variety of aircraft and with different levels of integration. The DHA-3138 is the display head only, and the integrator–CARERI–will supply the elec-tronics that run the display. In the Pilatus PC-12, by con-trast, Barco supplies its 10-inch smart displays incorporating electronics, knobs and buttons directly to Honeywell, which is the system integrator for the PC-12’s Honeywell Primus Apex flight deck. The new Pilatus PC-24, which rolls out August 1 in Stans, Switzerland,

will feature four 12-inch Barco smart displays.

“We don’t try to compete with customers,” Luys said, referring to the system integra-tors that Barco supplies. “We’re offering the best displays, very lightweight display heads, high quality front ends and fully integrated smart displays. [We build] at the level that they want, and we try to be as reli-able as possible.”

Better Backlights Other Barco technological

advantages include the capabil-ity to build its own LED back-lighting systems, which adjust brightness as the LEDs age, and also integrated night-vision imaging system compatibility (NVIS). Including NVIS capa-bility into the displays avoids having to install a filter over the display, which makes the normal day mode more appear yellow-ish. “We have a separate LED backlight for day and night,” Luys explained. “This makes us independent of filters.”

Meanwhile, Barco is work-ing on projected-capacitance touchscreen displays. This type of display is the same that is used by Apple for its mobile

devices and thus will be a famil-iar interface for pilots. While projected-capacitance displays are prone to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) issues, he said, “We made the displays so there is no interfer-ence.” Barco also adds an addi-tional sensor in the touchscreen so that the user must posi-tively push against the glass to elicit an input. This will allow pilots to wear ordinary gloves while using the display. The amount of pressure needed to force the input is adjustable

by the system integrator. The move to install more

touchscreens in cockpits is likely going to mean the disappear-ance of the ordinary and bulky control display unit (CDU) with its many alphanumeric charac-ters, buttons and knobs. “This is the virtualization of CDU real estate,” said Luys.

The virtual display still offers pilots a keyboard, albeit vir-tual, but nonetheless somewhat familiar. “Touch will trickle into cockpits,” Luys concluded, “and it is here to stay. It’s an unstop-pable trend.”` o

www.ainonline.com • July 17, 2014 • Farnborough Airshow News 17

Paris Air Show ’15 getting crowdedby Thierry Dubois

Organizers of the Interna-tional Paris Air Show 2015 (here in Hall 1 Stand A15) opened res-ervations for exhibit space in April and have already seen 40 percent of the available space booked. This is an increase over the same time for the previous edi-tion, CEO Emeric d’Arcimoles told AIN. Rates remain the same as the 2013 event, he said.

Except for the weather, which was quite stormy, the 2013 show

was deemed a great success. The number of exhibitors increased by 5 percent to 2,200, 140,000 trade visitors passed through the gates, and exhibitors announced some $150 billion worth of orders.

Nevertheless, the organizers promise they will continue to invest in improving the service for exhib-itors and visitors. “Given the lim-ited space we have, our priority is improving the quality of the facil-ities and ensuring the show runs

smoothly,” d’Arcimoles empha-sized. Over the past 10 years, a $68 million investment plan has further improved the Le Bourget exhibition center, as its promoters want it to be one of the best equipped in France.

The Paris Air Show is certi-fied under the new ISO 20121 standard for sustainable events. The standard offers guidance and best practices to help event organizers control its social, economic and environmental

impact. This can go from rely-ing on tap water instead of plas-tic bottles to encouraging use of public transport.

French IndustryMeanwhile, the French aero-

space industry seems to be in excellent shape, with its com-bined order book representing five to six years of production, D’Arcimoles said. All the play-ers are grouped under the Gifas lobbying association, from prime contractors to small- and medium-sized enterprises, with all the systems and parts manu-facturers in between.

“There is permanent dialogue between all those involved and they are all united,” d’Arcimoles claimed. “The French aero-space industry is dual–both civil and military–and therefore all-encompassing.”

Referring to the nine per-cent revenue growth in 2013 and the hiring of 10,000 people this year, d’Arcimoles concluded these “fantastic numbers” make the French aerospace industry a technology and economic center of excellence. The trade balance was positive by $30 million last year and is expected to be in the black again for 2014.

The next International Paris Air Show will take place June 15 to 21, 2015. o

Aviation Industry Corpora-tion of China (Avic) has cho-sen Pratt & Whitney Can-ada’s PW150C engine to power the new MA700 re-gional turboprop, P&WC (Outdoor Exhibit 3/4) an-nounced at Farnborough 2014. The PW150C will pro-vide increased performance over the PW150A turboprop designed for the Bombardier Q400, the manufacturer said.

Thales has developed a 13-pound, unpowered, glide weapon that is especially suitable for application to unmanned combat aircraft and light attack aircraft.

Known as FFLMM (free-fall light multi-role missile), the weapon draws on many of the components devel-oped for the powered LMM weapon that Thales is pro-ducing for the Royal Navy’s FASGW(L) requirement, but is much shorter (just 28 inches in length), as it lacks a rocket motor, and has fixed instead of folding wings.

The FFLMM is being dis-played here at the Thales exhibition, as well as under the wings of the Britten Nor-man Defender and Beechcraft AT-6. Thales has partnered with Textron for the U.S. mar-ket, where FFLMM will be branded as the Fury. v

AT THE STANDS

Bookings are up for next year’s Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, compared with early reservations for the last running in 2013.

Barco’s cockpit of the future brings touchscreen controls to cockpit displays and eliminates the need for a bulky control display unit.

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Patriot draws a bead on European marketsby David Donald

Operational with 12 nations, of which five are NATO mem-bers, Raytheon’s Patriot air defense system is pursuing three key campaigns in Europe as part of a global resurgence in inter-est in the system. That trend has already resulted in Qatar signing a letter of acceptance for Patriot this week. With the U.S. Army committed to Patriot through 2048, Raytheon is working on a new-generation Patriot and other developments to maintain the system’s viability in the face of emerging and future threats.

In Europe, Patriot is being targeted at requirements in Ger-many, Poland and Turkey. Ear-lier this month the system was down-selected from a field of four to answer Poland’s Wisła medium-range air defense requirement. With the Rafael David’s Sling and Lockheed Martin/MBDA Meads now out of the picture, Patriot is competing with the Eurosam SAMP/T for the requirement. A decision is expected in the coming weeks, perhaps around the end of August.

Among the avenues that Raytheon is exploring is a “com-posable” command and control (C2) system, and this has partic-ular relevance to countries that are looking for common C2 for various missile types, such as Poland. Industrial participation is invited in the development of such systems, providing Poland or other nations with an avenue for a stake in the workshare. As it is, Patriot development costs are shared on a pro-rated

basis among the user nations, with each nation receiving software upgrades as they become available.

German NeedGermany is another coun-

try that has a requirement for medium-range air defense. The nation already operates the Patriot, and Raytheon is pro-posing the upgrade of the sys-tem with modern digital systems and new interceptors. Com-petition comes in the form of the Meads, which is currently a development-only program in which Germany has a stake through MBDA Deutschland.

Selection of Patriot would allow Germany to leverage some of the development work already performed on Meads, such as the Lockheed Martin PAC-3 MSE missile that can also be fired by Patriot fire units. Germany was also working on integrating vertical launch Iris-T missiles with Meads, and much of that work is also applicable to a Patriot solution. A review of German requirements is cur-rently under way, with a con-clusion expected to be reached around the end of the year.

Raytheon’s proposal to sup-ply Patriot to Turkey remains an active bid, despite Turkey hav-ing made a surprise announce-ment regarding the selection of a Chinese system for its missile requirements. However, there has been growing pressure from allies that Turkey should acquire a NATO-interoperable system, and increasing anxiety within Turkey about this decision. The other bidders have been asked to extend their proposals until August 30. The Patriot is again facing the Eurosam SAMP/T in this contest.

Patriot is already operational in Turkey, but not with the local armed forces. Following a request from Ankara, six NATO-con-trolled batteries were deployed to provide air defense in response

to the outbreak of fighting in neighboring Syria. Pairs of bat-teries were deployed by Dutch, German and U.S. forces.

With the PAC-3 MSE inter-ceptor soon to be fielded on Patriot units, the overall system is undergoing a period of sig-nificant development. As well as the composable C2 system mentioned above, Raytheon is developing a new-genera-tion Patriot with 360-degree air defense capability through the use of e-scan radar anten-nas using the latest GaN (gal-lium nitride) technology. This would address one of the sys-tem’s shortfalls compared with the MEADS program. o

18 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Breeze eastern redesigning rescue Hoist operations

Hoist and winch manufacturer Breeze Eastern is taking rescue hoist technology for helicopters to the next level with enhancements and sensor integration concepts that will help mission crews improve their situational awareness.

The heart of the situational awareness improvement program is Breeze Eastern’s MissionView Situational Awareness System, working in tandem with the company’s DC-power rescue hoists. MissionView incorporates aerospace-grade sensors that gather and record key mission information for display on tablet computers. The parameters include cable load, hook height above ground, aircraft altitude above ground and other information, all of which can be overlaid on day or night video images.

“This will not only improve mission effectiveness but also may be saved and used as a valuable training tool,” according to Breeze East-ern, which is also evaluating the possible addition of an interactive flight crew checklist. Adding LED lights to the enhanced hook improves visi-bility during hoist operations.

Breeze Eastern is showing video demonstrations of the MissionView system in operation here in the U.S. Pavilion (Hall 3 Stand B23c). Private demos were done earlier this year for helicopter manufacturers, military and government operators, airborne law enforcement crews and emer-gency medical providers.

“Rescue hoist systems are critical components, but they have changed very little since helicopters first started performing search and rescue missions,” said Brad Pedersen, president and CEO. “We are looking at the rescue hoists as an integrated system that can provide data and information to the flight crew for improved safety.” –M.T.

clean sky looks to laminar Flow tecHnology

Clean Sky (Hall 4 Stand B10), a European aero-space research venture, is exhibiting a model of a modified Airbus A340 with so-called “laminar flow” on an outboard section of the wings. The technol-ogy, if applied to the entire wing, could bring a 5-10 percent improvement in fuel burn. The A340 testbed is scheduled to fly next year.

“Laminar flow is well known in laboratories but very complex on a real aircraft so if we succeed in measuring it on the A340, it will be a big step for-ward,” project officer Helmut Schwarze told AIN. A conventional wing profile sees essentially turbulent air. Schwarze targets a laminar flow of air on about 30 percent of the wing chord. This means that, flow-ing from the leading edge to the trailing edge, the air will run along constant streamlines.

To achieve this, the wing should be thinner. It should be perfectly clean–splattered insects can ruin the profile’s effectiveness. A special coating is in

development to prevent dirt and insects from stick-ing to the surface. However, it will not be ready for the upcoming flight tests, Schwarze said.

Both outboard sections are being built in carbon fiber but with different techniques. Saab is responsi-ble for an integrated design on the right one. GKN uses a more conventional method, with more parts, on the left wing.

To evaluate the actual laminar flow in flight, an infrared camera will be installed at the top of the ver-tical tail plane. It will measure surface temperatures on the wings. The level of turbulence, if any, can be deducted from these, Schwarze explained. Before the 150-200 flight hour campaign starts next fall, the old, modified A340-300 will have to apply for a flight permit–not the smallest challenge in the proj-ect, Schwarze said.

Airbus is a stakeholder in Clean Sky and owns the test A340 aircraft. –T.D.

Raytheon’s Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor represents a big upgrade for the system.

Seeing a worldwide resurgence, Raytheon’s Patriot air defense system is under consideration by several European countries.

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UK aerospace alliance celebrates its 20th yearby Ian Sheppard

The UK’s North West Aero-space Alliance (NWAA), with more than 220 members and a combined turnover in excess of £7 billion, rep-resents and supports about 25 per-cent of the UK aerospace industry. Many of its members have booths at the Farnborough Airshow in the NWAA area in Hall 1.

Adrian Moore, chairman of

the Isle of Man Aerospace Clus-ter, one of the NWAA exhibitors, told AIN that Isle of Man’s con-tingent has two main objectives here at Farnborough. “First, we’re looking for suppliers, as there are certain gaps in our sup-ply chain, for example those spe-cializing in stock control, surface treatments and specialist, high-value metals. And second, we’re looking for new aerospace busi-nesses that want [to base them-selves in] the Isle of Man.”

Areas such as space and addi-tive manufacturing are of partic-ular interest, with the emphasis being more on companies that need nurturing to help them to start up and/or grow. Richard Slee, a marketing manager with the Isle of Man Department of Economic Development, said that education and training are also a major focus. “We want to dispel the myths about engineering…[for example

engineers] actually have bigger average salaries than bankers.”

The Isle of Man has a new center of excellence for engi-neering opening in September.

An NWAA spokesperson told AIN that the Alliance has developed considerable technical expertise to support aerospace companies through the deliv-ery of more than £20 million of supply chain improvement pro-grams, such as Aerospace Sup-ply Chain Excellence, GAMMA and the National Aerospace Technology Programme. o

20 Farnborough Airshow News • July 17, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Adrian Moore, chairman of the Isle of Man Cluster of the NWAA.

news clips

z Firth Rixson to Supply UTC for 10 More YearsFirth Rixson (Hall 5 Stand G20) has signed a 10-year

agreement with United Technologies (UTC) to supply engine and system components. The components will be part of Pratt & Whitney PurePower engines as well as systems, such as landing gear, on the Airbus A320 and Boeing 787. The agreement is valued at $1 billion.

z Myanma Airways Orders Six ATR 72-600sMyanmar’s state-owned national airline, Myanma Airways

(to be renamed Myanmar National Airlines in the near future), ordered six ATR 72-600 regional turboprops and placed options for another six on Wednesday here at the Farnborough Airshow.

The new aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2015 to 2017 and will be used for both increasing and replacing Myanma’s existing ATR fleet.

The Toulouse-based manufacturer will also assist Myanma Airways in establishing a modern maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Yangon.

z EASA Approves EC175 SimulatorThe first level D flight simulator for the Airbus Helicopters

EC175 medium twin has just received EASA certification, thus allowing the manufacturer to use it to train customer pilots. Designed by Spain-based Indra and located at the Helisim training center adjacent to the Airbus factory in Marignane, France, it features a 210- by 80-degree continuous field of view. Another EC175 full-flight simulator will be installed in the U.S. Airbus Helicopters is here at Outdoor Exhibit OE13.

z Storm Shadow Go-ahead for Typhoon The contract to begin full integration of the MBDA Storm

Shadow long-range precision attack missile with the Eurofighter Typhoon is expected to be signed today. Philip Dunne, UK Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, announced the signing while speaking at Farnborough yesterday.

The contract is between Eurofighter and NETMA, the four-nation Eurofighter management agency, and is worth €150 million ($205 million).

Storm Shadow has already begun captive-carry tests on an Italian development aircraft, but this contract initiates the full integration effort. UK aircraft will certainly be involved in flight tests, and the use of test aircraft from other nations has not been excluded.

Fielding of Storm Shadow on the RAF Typhoon fleet is expected to begin in mid-2016.

z IAI Continues Its Expansion in Brazil IAI subsidiary European Advanced Technology (EAT) has

acquired a 40-percent stake in Brazilian company Avionics Services. The acquisition is another step in IAI’s strategic move into the Brazilian marketplace, which it sees as offering considerable opportunities in the years to come, particularly in the defense and public security sectors.

EAT and Avionics Services also signed an agreement to market and manufacture aircraft systems, UAVs, sensors and platform upgrades.

Having established a marketing office in Brasilia, IAI (Chalet A29) has also invested in Brazilian radar company IACIT.

z Aviator 300 Broadband Satcom Approved Cobham Satcom’s Aviator 300, a SwiftBroadband voice and

data system, has been approved under an FAA supplementary type certificate (STC) for installation on the Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. The company is planning to seek the same approval from European and Chinese authorities.

The Aviator 300 allows airline operations departments to stay connected with their aircraft at all times. It can be used to relay aircraft tracking data, as well as provide Ethernet ports for connecting aircraft-interface devices and electronic flight bags. The system has sufficient bandwidth to send real-time data from aircraft health monitoring systems.

DiamonDs are Forever, With neW noses, anD noW a raDar

Diamond Aircraft is showing a maritime-surveillance version of the popular DA42 MPP Guardian, equipped with the company’s own radar, in the static park here at the Farnborough Airshow. Founder of the Austrian com-pany, Christian Dries, told AIN that Diamond developed the spinning AESA radar in the past 12 months, because conventional radar houses could offer only a two-year lead time. Diamond’s radar weighs less than 20 kg (44 pounds), offers a range of 120 km (75 miles), and also includes AIS, the maritime equivalent of IFF. Endurance of the aircraft is 12 hours.

Diamond (Outdoor Exhibit 18) has built 130 special mission DA42s, and three are on display here. They include the Centaur optionally-piloted aircraft (OPA) version sponsored by Aurora Flight Sciences; a DA42 MPP shown by DO Systems, the British surveillance specialist and Diamond distributor; and another one outside the Thales pavilion equipped with that company’s sensors. –C.P.

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Correction

In its latest 20-year market fore-cast published on Tuesday, Bom-bardier predicted 13,100 twenty- to 149-seat commercial aircraft worth more than $658 billion in the period 2014-2032. These figures were approximately two percent up on the airframer’s June 2013 forecast. In Wednesday’s edition of Farnborough Airshow News we incorrectly reported this forecast as representing a decrease. AIN apol-ogizes for the error. n

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