farnborough airshow news 7-21-10

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SDAY

• Flybe does 140-ship E-Jet deal with EmbraerBritish low-cost carrier Flybe is set toswell its fleet with up to 140 Embraer170 twinjets. The Brazilian airframeralso announced new orders from AirLease and Azul Linhas Aereas. 0

• NewGen tanker still under wrapsCiting competitive reasons at abriefing here in Farnborough, Boeingrefused to discuss the technicaldetails on the new cockpit andrefueling boom, or how it can becombat ready when substantialdevelopment work still needs to be done. Page 16

• Supersonic Bloodhoundhopes for negative liftThe Bloodhound SSC team isshowing a mockup of their car,expected to be powered by theEurofighter’s EJ200 turbojet and aFalcon rocket, which they hope willpropel the car to 1,000 mph, aboutMach 1.4, while staying firmly on the ground. Page 28

• Teamwork on new trainerGerman aircraft manufacturer GrobAerospace and Israeli electronicspecialist Elbit Systems arepartnering on the development of anew family of turboprop trainingaircraft. Page 30

• Turks show off their new UAVTurkish Aerospace Industriesexpect to start test flying the Anka UAV in October, preparing it for action with the country’s armed forces. Page 37

INSIDE...

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Boeing announced hereyesterday a set of potential en-hancements to the F/A-18E/FSuper Hornet that it will mar-ket to export prospects. Theyinclude an enclosed weaponspod that is intended to lowerthe aircraft’s radar cross sec-tion. The countries currentlyevaluating or expressing inter-

est in the Super Hornet includeBrazil, Denmark, India, Japan,Kuwait, Malaysia, and Qatar.

There are six elements towhat Boeing calls the “SuperHornet International RoadMap.” The first is already underdevelopment and was seen byAIN during a visit to St. Louislast month. This is the Next

Generation cockpit, whichbrings to the F-18 the large(11- by 19-inch) one-piece,touchscreen display, seen pre-viously only on the LockheedMartin F-35. Such a displayhelps improve the fused pres-entation of the integrated sen-sor suite that is already a bigSuper Hornet feature. The newcockpit could be made avail-able for deliveries in 2013, ac-cording to Shelley Lavender,Boeing’s vice president GlobalStrike Systems.

The other enhancements

Super Hornet modsadded to export list

July 21, 2010 Vol. 42 No. 19

by Chris Pocock

by Ian Goold

First came the Middle East carrierson Monday, then yesterday it was theturn of Asian and Latin American air-lines to keep the Farnborough airshowcash registers ringing with deals donecovering roughly $6.5 billion in newbusiness for Airbus.

Hong Kong Airlines is to upgrade ex-isting orders for 15 A330s to the newA350 XWB widebody and is to order 10A330-200s as well. From Chile on theother side of the globe, LAN Airlines saidit will acquire 50 A320-series machinesthat include 10 A321s.

HKA’s A330s are to begin delivery intwo years’ time, followed by the initialA350 in 2018. The four-year-old carrier,which has orders covering a further eightA330s and 30 A320s, will fly the twin-aisle aircraft between Hong Kong, Eu-rope and North America.

If converted to an order, the LANmemorandum of understanding will be-come the European manufacturer’slargest single sale to Latin America. Italso will bring the operator’s total Air-bus orders to 152 aircraft. �

Asian, Latincarriers joinbuying binge

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At precisely 4:45 p.m. yesterday, BoeingDreamliner S/N Z003 departed FarnboroughAirport with a Spitfire escort. It headed backto Seattle to rejoin flight-testing efforts.

BOEING 787’S FARNBOROUGH VISIT NOW NOTHING BUT A DREAM

Continued on page 38 �

INTERNATIONAL DEBUTS REACH SKY-HIGH PROPORTIONS

A bumper crop of new aircraft are making their international public debuts here at Farnborough. The list includes this airshow’s star, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner,as well as the Airbus A330-200F Freighter, Chengdu/PAC JF-17 Thunder fighter and Saab Gripen NG demonstrator.

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

The Airbus A380 has made its name as the world’s largest, greenest passenger aircraft. But the

big news is that the A380 is also making big profi ts for operators. Whether it’s being used to reduce

the number of fl ights and create real cost savings while keeping similar capacity. Or to offer more

capacity with fewer take-off slots at a lower cost per seat than any other large aircraft. Either way,

passengers simply love it, and operators love the commercial advantages it brings. The A380’s

benefi ts are in hard cash, not just headlines. Airbus A380. See the bigger picture.

It’s making more than just headlines.

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Arab carrier Royal Jordan-ian Airlines and Avalon, a newaircraft-lease company, havebeen confirmed as the previ-ously unidentified customersfor three Boeing 787-8s andtwelve 737-800s, respectively.Royal Jordanian’s order is val-ued at “approximately $500million” and brings its 787

commitments to 11. The airline, the first Middle

East carrier to order the 787,had first ordered four examplesin 2007; it also plans to leasetwo each from CIT Aerospaceand International Lease FinanceCorporation. Royal Jordanianplans to fly initially to Chicago,Detroit, New York, and Toronto.

"The [airplane’s] superioreconomics and range capabilitywill allow us to competitivelyserve North America and otherdestinations from Amman,"said president and CEO Hus-sein Dabbas.

Launched two months ago,Avalon now has commitmentscovering more than 30 AirbusA320s, A330s, and Boeing737s. The 737-800s announcedhere yesterday are nominallyworth $921 million and werefirst recorded as orders lastDecember.

Avalon chief executiveDomnhal Slattery said heexpects single-aisle aircraft tocomprise 80 percent of the fleetafter five years. He is aiming to

acquire about 150 machines,thanks to the “deep pockets” ofhis shareholders: Cinven, CVCpartners, and Oak Hill CapitalPartners. The lessor has head-quarters in Ireland and otheroffices in Hong Kong, NewYork, and Shanghai.

Asked about interest in anyprospective re-engined 737 thatBoeing might offer, Slatterysaid Avalon had considered theidea for three months. “It is anextremely difficult question and[the project] will have to bepaid for,” he said. He believesindustry appetite has waned fora re-engined 737. “Ultimately,it is for the customer to decide,[but] we were concerned aboutresidual values.” –I.G.

4aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

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Airshow NewsFarnborough

Paul LoweNigel MollJulian MoxonChris PocockGregory PolekStephen PopeIan SheppardChad TrautvetterPaolo Valpolini

Executive charter operator VistaJet hasordered six more Bombardier aircraft for itsplanned expansion into markets in WestAfrica, the Middle East and Russia. The dealannounced in Farnborough includes fourGlobal Express XRS and two Challenger605 jets that are due for delivery in 2011 and2012. The additional aircraft will expandVistaJet’s fleet to more than 30 airplanes.

VistaJet outfits all its jets with identicalcabins and the same distinctive silver-and-red paint scheme, following a trend startedby fractional ownership providers. Butunlike fractional operators, VistaJet sellsblocks of time rather than aircraft shares.The company has a policy of keeping itsairplanes for no longer than three years.

VistaJet founder Thomas Flohr said thefirm is seeing signs of a resurgence indemand for long-range airplanes, particu-larly in Russia as the economy recovers.Business in Europe has fallen off in

recent months, but he noted that VistaJetwas one of the few private jet operators toreport a profit last year.

Bombardier also announced a firm order

for four Global Express XRS jets fromundisclosed customers in Russia. It said thetotal value of those orders is approximately$213 million based on 2010 list prices. �

VistaJet adds six bizjets to its global fleet

Mystery 787 buyers: Royal Jordanian, Avalon

by Stephen Pope

At the Farnborough Airshow, AIN is in Hall 4,Tel: 01 252 418 110www.ainonline.com

At the Farnborough Airshow AIN is located in Hall 4,Tel: 01252 418 110, E-mail: [email protected]

Swiss-based aircraft charter firm VistaJetplaced an order for six more Bombardieraircraft, including two Challenger 605s.

The unidentified customers forthree Boeing 787-8s and twelve737-800s came to lightyesterday, with Royal JordanianAirlines and newly formedleasing firm Avalon confirmedas the dealmakers.

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Fifteen years after the conceptwas first mooted, NATO may fi-nally acquire an alliance groundsurveillance system (AGS). North-rop Grumman last month sub-mitted a firm baseline proposalplus options on behalf of atransatlantic consortium that alsoincludes EADS, Selex Galileoand a variety of smaller Euro-pean companies.

The Europeans will provide themobile ground stations, whileNorthrop Grumman provides upto eight Global Hawk Block 40high-altitude unmanned air vehi-cles (UAVs) carrying the Ameri-can company’s new ground sur-veillance radar–the MP-RTIP(multi-platform radar technologyinsertion program).

Northrop Grumman declinedto reveal the cost of the proposal,but the NATO AGS concept haspreviously foundered on thegrounds of affordability. An ambi-tious acquisition plan that involvedthe transatlantic development of anew surveillance radar and its de-ployment on modified AirbusA320 airliners as well as Global

Hawk UAVs was scrapped in2007. The latest proposal “takesadvantage of national investmentsalready made in operationallyfielded and proven systems for thegood of the entire alliance,” saidPat McMahon, a sector vice presi-dent for Northrop GrummanAerospace Systems.

The MP-RTIP radar has flownon a test bed, and the first GlobalHawk Block 40 airframe wasrolled out in June 2009. The U.S.Air Force plans to buy 22 ofthem. The NATO requirementcalls for two separate orbits andthe request for proposal coveredeight UAVs. However, the indus-try proposal also offers optionsfor fewer airborne platforms,“taking into account our experi-ence with the [U.S. Air Force]Global Hawk,” said Matt Copija,Northrop Grumman’s programdirector for NATO AGS.

The NATO Alliance GroundStation Management Agency(NAGSMA) has selected Sig-onella airbase in Italy as the mainoperating base. The U.S. Air Forceand U.S. Navy are also planning to

base Global Hawks there. All 28 NATO nations are sup-

posed to contribute funding for theAGS. But only 15 of them signedthe memorandum of understand-ing that created NAGSMA in Sep-tember 2009 and entitled their in-dustries to some degree of indus-trial participation. They were Bul-garia, Canada, the Czech Repub-lic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany,Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxem-bourg, Norway, Romania, SlovakRepublic, Slovenia and the U.S.

Contributions in KindSome NATO countries that al-

ready operate their own similarcapability may contribute mostlyin kind, following the precedentset by the long-running NATOAWACS program. This will cer-tainly be the case for the UK,which has already fielded theRaytheon ASTOR (airborne stand-off radar) system. “The entireAGS system will empower a net-work-enabled approach to sup-port interoperability with nationalsystems and to perform the entirerange of NATO missions frompeacetime to crisis management,”according to Northrop Grumman.

Although Northrop Grummansaid that the ground element ofAGS “will be wholly produced by

European industry,” a briefing tojournalists at Berlin’s ILA showlast month revealed that the fixedair and ground mission operationssupport (AMOS and GMOS)ground stations at Sigonella most-ly comprise U.S. technology thathas already been designed forother Global Hawk programs. Forinstance, the UAV control ele-ments are from the U.S. NavyBAMS (broad area maritime sur-veillance) program. “We’re lev-eraging over five million existingU.S.-designed lines of computercode for the AMOS,” noted Copija.

However, the European indus-try is providing all of the mobileground stations that would enablethe AGS system to deploy for cov-erage of trouble spots such asAfghanistan. This mobile groundcomponent accounts for 42.6 per-cent of the program’s acquisitionvalue. The EADS-led team willenjoy 29.5 percent and SelexGalileo 13.1 percent. In addition,General Dynamics of Canada has7.6 percent of the action to providethe airborne data managementsubsystem and server.

“We are building on our previ-ous experience in the developmentof trailer-based exploitation anddissemination systems. We expecta return on investment of 70 to 80

percent,” said Maren Dammaschkeof EADS Defence and Security(D&S) Systems.

EADS D&S is the “first tiersubcontractor” to Northrop Grum-man. Its main partners are RetiaICZ (Czech Republic), Terma(Denmark), Aktors (Estonia), Dati(Latvia), Elsis (Lithuania), Kon-strukta (Slovakia) and HermesSoft lab (Slovenia).

No Export RestrictionsCopija noted that the European

nations in NAGSMA specifiedthat the mobile ground stations befree of American ITAR export re-strictions so that those nations arefree to use them in other, non-NATO programs. Regarding po-tential U.S. restrictions on the MP-RTIP airborne radar technologythat is being developed at a cost of$3 billion to American taxpayers,Copija admitted that it is beingsupplied as a discrete, “black box,but there is no U.S.-only filter onthe information that it provides.”

The MP-RTIP will provideground moving target indicatorand synthetic aperture radar im-agery, which is one or two gener-ations ahead of previous systemssuch as JSTARS and ASTOR.Some additional radar modes arebeing developed for the NATOAGS application.

Separate from the EADS team,Selex Galileo is providing thetransportable general ground sta-tion. This would likely be deployedwhen NATO engages in a medium-long term operation out-of-area,such as Afghanistan, where “AGSis urgently required,” according toNorthrop Grumman’s Copija.NATO’s Conference of NationalArmament Directors will vote onthe AGS proposal in October. �


NATO nearing alliancefor ground surveillanceby Chris Pocock

Euro Hawk for Germany

The version of the Global Hawk that is being developed for the German AirForce (GAF) flew for the first time on June 29 and will be ferried to Manchingtest airbase in southern Germany next March.

The Euro Hawk is a Block 20 Global Hawk modified to carry the IntegratedSignals Intelligence System (ISIS) that has been developed by EADS Defenceand Security Systems.

The ISIS equipment will be installed and test-flown at Manching, before theUAV is transferred to Schleswig-Jagel airbase in northern Germany in Decem-ber 2011. This location has been selected as the Euro Hawk operating base,but the system will have to pass acceptance tests before Germany commits toanother four production aircraft.

The GAF has just retired the last of three Dassault Atlantic SIGINT aircraftthat the Euro Hawks are intended to replace. –C.P.The various potential missions and the basic communications network of the NATO

alliance ground surveillance system are shown here.

An impression of the Global Hawk flying for NATO, whose alliance ground surveillance system has been a long time coming, but may finallybe funded for production later this year. Fifteen of the 28 NATO nations agreed on an MOU for the project last year.

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The latest member of the Airbus A330family is the Series 200F cargo variant,which was launched in early 2007 and isscheduled for mid-2010 entry into servicewith Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Crystal Cargo.The manufacturer had taken orders from11 customers for 66 A330Fs by May thisyear, as it also continued to develop theestablished passenger variant.

The global widebody freighter fleetincludes over 300 aircraft more than 20years old, according to Airbus chief oper-ating officer for customers John Leahy.“The A330-200F is well positioned as theonly new midsize freighter,” he told arecent press briefing.

European airworthiness approval for thefreighter was received in April 2010, fivemonths after the first flight. According toTom Williams, Airbus programs and cus-tomer support executive vice president, theaircraft has been performing “better thanexpected.” The aircraft is offered in payloador range modes–delivering ranges of between3,200 and 4,000 nm, carrying payloads of143,300 to 154,350 pounds.

Airbus marketing v-p Andrew Shank-land claimed that the much larger Boeing747-400F freighter has a cash-operatingcost per 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) ofpayload that is some 15 percent higherthan that of the A330-200F. His figuresassume an A330F flying a 70,000-kilo-gram (154,320 pounds) load five times aweek over a 3,000-nm sector compared witha 747-400F operating three such flights car-rying 109,000 kilograms (240,345 pounds).

Reinforced Fuselage and FloorsPrincipal changes from the passenger

A330 comprise the introduction of a rein-forced fuselage and floors, new main-deckcargo door, accommodation for up to 12couriers behind the cockpit and a new noselanding-gear bay. The cargo door is thesame size as that developed for the earlierA300-600F, while the stronger floor willsupport “improved shear and bending/run-ning loads,” according to A330/A340 chiefengineer Christian Favre.

The Airbus 20-year market forecastperceives demand for more than 400freighters in the 60-plus metric ton cate-gory, a “large percentage” of which Airbusbelieves can be met by the A330-200F. Upto 23 side-by-side pallets can be accommo-dated on the cargo aircraft’s main deck,which also can be configured for single-row loading of 16 pallets, and a mix ofnine industry-standard AMA containerswith four pallets. Below the floor, the two-compartment belly hold will take up to 26LD3 cargo containers, with additionalroom for 695 cu ft of bulk freight.

Leasing and service companies placingorders for A330-200Fs include Iceland’sAvion Aircraft Trading (which has a leaseagreement with Icelandair Cargo) andAsia’s BOC Aviation (the former Singa-

pore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise). U.S.investment fund Matlin Patterson GlobalAdvisers has booked six through an affili-ate and expects the aircraft to be used bysome of its airline portfolio companies,such as new Airbus operators Varig Logisticain Brazil and Global Aero Logistics in theU.S. Apart from Etihad, airline customersinclude India’s Flyington Freighters andTurkish cargo operators MNG Airlines andACT Airlines of Istanbul.

Overall, Airbus has taken firm ordersfor more than 1,080 A330 variants, ofwhich about 700 have been delivered to

almost 90 customers. There is “significant”unfulfilled demand for 250- to 350-seat,short- and medium-range aircraft in thecoming decade, according to Shankland.

Leahy is keen to point out that thetwin-aisle twinjet has not suffered fromcompetition, around 630 orders havingbeen taken since the Boeing 787 waslaunched in April 2004. Shankland said theA330 has averaged between four and fivenew operators a year during 2005-09, withthe number having doubled from 41 to 82in the past eight years.

The fleet has logged more 3.5 millionflights and some 14.5 million flight hours,said Leahy, making average sectors a littlemore than four hours long. Utilization isgrowing at about 200,000 flight hours permonth, roughly equivalent to each aircraftflying between nine and 10 hours a day.

Upgrades ContinueBy 2012, the A330 will have enjoyed 20

years’ “continuous upgrade,” said Favre.Performance has improved as Airbus hascontinued A330 development, according toWilliams. Since introduction of the A330Enhanced standard (from MSN 550), oper-ational dispatch reliability has been 99.4percent; aircraft flown by Singapore Airlinesunder a “flight hours services” contract have

been achieving a higher 99.64-percent rate.Two changes involve reduced airframe

inspection frequency: A-check line-mainte-nance intervals have been extended from600 to 800 flight hours, while the heavierC-check is now conducted every 21 or 24months, rather than 18 months.

One innovation is airborne traffic situa-tional-awareness (ATSAW) equipment,which Airbus claims will permit operatorsto save fuel by flying at optimum flight levels.ATSAW, which entered service last month,receives traffic information via automaticdependent surveillance-broadcast andshows it on the navigation display. The dataidentifies other traffic, providing position,heading, relative altitude, vertical-speed“tendency,” and ground speed, said Favre.

Other A330 enhancements enteringservice or under development include anon-board information terminal (OIT)mounted on a sliding table in front of each

pilot; some 40 aircraft are expected tohave the equipment by year-end. This willbe followed by a side-mounted OITdisplay unit, for which an installation kitshould be available by December 2011 forfour-day retrofit.

Also next year, Airbus plans to intro-duce an enhanced RNP-AR (requirednavigation performance with authorizationrequired) system that will offer an 0.1-nmmissed-approach accuracy–compared withthe 0.3 nm of initial equipment introducedin 2007). The A330 application, certifiedlast year, is the “first and only” such equip-ment with widebody approval, saidShankland. Such GPS-based precision-approach capacity gives “the A330 accessto airports in challenging terrain or withlimited navigational infrastructure.”

More Changes ComingComing in the next two years is con-

flict-awareness equipment first offered onthe A380. The traffic alert and collisionavoidance system has been integrated withthe autopilot/flight-director to give vertical-speed guidance based on a TCAS target.“This provides an optimum avoidancemaneuver in case of conflicting traffic,”said Favre. The maneuver will be auto-matic if the autopilot is engaged; otherwise

flight-director orders will be displayed.Before 2012, Airbus hopes to have

introduced its runway-overrun protectionsystem (ROPS). Development waslaunched last year in response to growingincidence of such events. An initial run-way-overrun warning facility computesoperational landing distances (accordingto prevailing conditions) for comparisonwith available landing distance and alertsthe pilot, who would normally be requiredto go around. If a pilot elects to land on arunway perceived to be too short, theROPS would automatically stop the air-craft in the shortest possible distance usingfull braking power and maximum reversethrust if required.

In September, Korean Airlines is to intro-duce an A330 optional higher maximumtakeoff weight of just over 507,000 poundsfor passenger variants. This increase ofaround 11,000 pounds comes courtesy of the

new A330-200F and is “easily retrofitable”for aircraft from MSN 555, said Favre.

Another benefit derived from freighterdevelopment is an aircraft empty-weightreduction of about 250 kilograms (or about550 pounds). The retrofit, which involves a“fastener-material change only” and nowing modification for a “large majority” ofaircraft, should be available by March2011, he said.

The additional takeoff weight can betranslated into 350 nm extra range or anextra 7,500 pounds of payload (beyondabout 4,900 nm), according to Leahy.Shankland said the growth makes the A330more competitive against the Boeing 787-8, with 246-passenger ranges of 6,850 nmand 6,990 nm, respectively.

Airbus has launched a two-phase programto extend A330/A340 airframe service goalto permit 30 years of operation. The A340first intermediate increase came in late2009, with the full extension expected in2012, with the A330 expected to reach itsfully extended goal in 2016-17. �


First A330-200F prepares for launch customer Etihadby Ian Goold

As Airbus continues to develop the A330 twin-aisle twinjet, the family’s latest variant is the Series 200Fcargo aircraft, for which it has received orders for more than 60 examples.

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Flybe yesterday placed what will likelybe the biggest regional airliner deal of theFarnborough show week, committing tobuy up to 140 Embraer 175 aircraft with apotential combined value of $5 billion. Thecontract signed here includes 35 firmorders (worth $1.3 billion), 65 options and40 purchase rights.

The UK low-cost carrier will take its 175jets configured in a single-class layout for upto 88 passengers with a 30-inch seat pitch.The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery inthe second half of 2011. Flybe already oper-ates 14 of the larger Embraer 195 aircraft.

Embraer’s crop of new business har-vested yesterday also includes anagreement with new leasing group AirLease Corp. The company, formed by for-mer ILFC boss Steven Udvar-Hazy, hassigned a letter of intent for 15 Embraer 190orders, plus options for five more.

Meanwhile, Brazilian low-cost carrierAzul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras orderedfive more Embraer 195 regional airlinersfor delivery this year in a deal valued at$211 million at list prices.

But Azul founder David Neeleman isalmost certain to have received a pricebreak given the circumstances of the deal.“We needed airplanes, and Embraerneeded to sell a few airplanes by the endof this year, and so we were able to getsomething done that benefited both of us,”Neeleman said yesterday. “That’s howpartnerships work. We help one anotherout.” Embraer did not reveal the circum-stances that led to the five delivery spotsbecoming available.

Neeleman, who is also the founder andformer CEO of JetBlue, warmly embracedEmbraer president and CEO FredericoCurado before the low-key ceremony.“These are tough times,” he said afterward,“but we’re lucky in that we are in a grow-ing market and we have the highest loadfactors in Brazil.”

Azul is succeeding with a unique strat-egy that includes matching some airfares tothe prices of bus tickets for advance pur-chases and providing financing forpassengers who can’t afford to pay for theirtickets upfront.

The carrier operates 18 airplanes,including two ex-JetBlue Embraer 190s.The deal announced at Farnborough bringsAzul’s firm order commitment to 41Embraer airplanes plus options and pur-chase rights for an additional 40 E-Jets.The airline started flying in December2008 from Viracopos Airport in Campinasto Porto Alegre and Salvador. Azul today

serves 21 Brazilian cities and is the coun-try’s fastest growing airline, carrying morethan three million passengers in the lastyear and a half.

Embraer also has announced on Mon-day that Trip Linhas Aereas, SouthAmerica’s largest regional airline, hasordered two 106-seat Embraer 190s in adeal worth $80 million. �


From left: Embraer CEO Frederico Fleury Curado, Air Lease president and COO John Plueger, Air Leasefounder and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy and Embraer executive vice president Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva seala deal for 15 Embraer 190 jets, plus options for five more.

E-Jet sales take off asFlybe places $5B order

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The Boeing 787’s flightdeck elevates the level ofavionics integration to a wholenew level for an airliner, con-necting a vast array of systemsand capabilities through acommon Ethernet-based net-work. Rockwell Collinssupplies most of what pilotssee and touch in the 787cockpit, from the big 151-inch-diagonal LCD fightdisplays to the dual head-upguidance systems and even thethrottle, speedbrake and flapcontrols on the center pedestal.

Crews interact with the

avionics using cursor-controldevices and a multi-functionkeypad designed by Boeingand Rockwell Collins specifi-cally for the Dreamliner.Rockwell Collins has alsodeveloped the 787’s crewalerting system and the physi-cal control stand, includingauto throttles, flight controlsand the interface to the air-plane’s fly-by-wire systems.

The setup is designed tomeet Boeing’s goal of creatinga cockpit that has a look andfeel similar to the Boeing 777while achieving significant

weight savings and minimiz-ing training transition time,said Jeff Standerski, vice pres-ident and general manager ofair transport systems at Rock-well Collins.

Rockwell Collins also sup-plies the 787’s integratedsurveillance system, includingweather radar, traffic alert andcollision avoidance, mode-Ssurveillance and terrain aware-ness and warning as well as thecommunication radios and dig-ital flight deck audio system.

All of the 787’s flight sys-tems are tied together throughRockwell Collins’ AFDX-based Core network, whichintegrates cockpit data and isconnected to a massive harddrive for storing maintenanceand other systems data. –S.P.

Manufacturers of airliners typi-cally offer customers a choice ofengines for their various models.The new Airbus A350 XWB is notone of them, however. It is poweredonly by the Rolls-Royce Trent tur-bofan, and one question often askedis, “Will GE offer an engine topower the Airbus A350 XWB?”

Here in Farnborough, DavidJoyce, the president and CEO ofGE Aviation, made the company’sclearest statement yet as to itsintentions. “We still do not see abusiness case to launch a competingengine,” he told AIN.

Good news for Rolls-Royce,which has already sold more than1,000 Trent XWBs on all three ver-sions of the new Airbus. SaidRobert Nuttal, Rolls-Royce head ofstrategic marketing, “It’s the fastestever selling Trent engine.”

GE was an engine supplier forthe original A350, with a versionof its Boeing 787 GEnx engine.Then Airbus re-launched the A350as the heavier, wider A350 XWB,leaving Rolls-Royce alone on theaircraft. Until recently GE had notgiven up on powering the twosmaller versions of the new Air-bus, the -800 and -900 with theGEnx. However, it was never ableto offer anything for the -1000

variant because it competesdirectly with the Boeing 777-300ER for which GE is theexclusive engine supplier.

Now, the A350XWB-900 thrustrequirement has grown to 83,000pounds. “My engine isn’t bigenough for that aircraft,” saidJoyce of GE Aviation, “so I haveto consider an all-new engine forall three versions of the A350, andI can’t make a business case forthat.” He added that GE also hasto recognize its obligations toBoeing on the 777-300ER. “We’recommitted to not developing anengine for a competing aircraft,”he added.

Rolls-Royce’s Nuttal refuses tobe complacent. “The fact that we’restill the only supplier on the A350shows we made the right businessdecisions as to the size and attrib-utes of the Trent XWB,” he said.

The first Trent XWB went totest in June, on schedule, and therig test program, involving 50component test rigs, is half waycompleted. Service entry of theA350XWB-900 and -800, bothpowered by 84,000-pound TrentXWBs, is set for 2013 and 2014,respectively, and of the largerA350XWB-1000, with 93,000-pound Trent engines, is 2015. �

GE doesn’t see business casefor 2nd A350 engine launchby Julian Moxon

Avionics integrationat a new high on 787

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Rockwell Collins supplies most of what pilots see and touch in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner cockpit.

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A prototype of the very latest type ofactive electronically scanned array(AESA) radar will be flying on aEurofighter Typhoon in 2013, so that cus-tomers can take delivery in 2015. TheCaptor-E will feature an innovative “re-positioner” with two rotating joints sothat the array can cover a wide field ofregard (WFoR). The Eurofighter andEuroradar industrial consortiums are“pre-funding” the development, but hopeto secure financial support from the fourpartner nations beginning next March.

Eurofighter has been at a disadvantagein recent export campaigns because thepartner nations were in no hurry toembrace AESA technology. In particular,the Indian air force has specified that thecontenders for its 12-aircraft requirementbe so equipped.

Euroradar modified a standard Captor-Mradar with a fixed-plate AESA, which flewon a Eurofighter development aircraft in2007 as a risk-reduction effort. Now, theWFoR development could allow the Euro-pean jet to leapfrog the competition,provided that the partner nations do eventu-

ally step up to the funding plate.“A fixed AESA cannot perform well

beyond about a 50-degree angle because itcannot phase shift, and thereby loses a lotof power,” explained a Eurofighter official.The re-positioner provides a plus/minus100-degree view, and it articulates in twodimensions to maintain radar polarization.This device is a further improvement onthe swashplate-type AESA design thatSelex-Galileo (the Anglo-Italian companythat leads the Euroradar consortium) pro-duced for the Gripen NG, as the Raven1000P radar.

Technology GrantIn addition to its own investment in

the Raven series, the British part ofSelex-Galileo is using a $30 million tech-nology development grant from theBritish government to further its expert-ise in AESA radars.

“The UK is looking at some specialrequirements,” explained Bob Mason,vice president marketing and sales forSelex-Galileo. But, he added, these wereadditional software modes, and therewould only be one Captor-E hardwareconfiguration. It will use the existing,well-proven processor and receiver of theCaptor-M, with the new AESA front end.Gallium Arsenide will be used for thetransmit-receive modules, because it ismuch cheaper than the latest GalliumNitride technology, Mason said.

Twelve countries are interested inacquiring Eurofighters, according the lat-est list produced by the consortium:Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, India, Japan,Malaysia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia,South Korea, Switzerland and Turkey.Missing from the list is Oman, previouslythought to be a hot prospect because ofthe long-standing ties between its air forceand the UK Royal Air Force. It is nowevaluating alternatives. �


Latest-tech E-scan radarto fly on Typhoon in 2013

DREAMLINER AND A380 GO NOSE TO NOSE

The latest aircraft from Boeing and Airbus fought for attention this week at Farnborough.While the double-decker Airbus A380 has been in service for a few years, it still maintainsits airshow appeal. However, it was hard to match the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s airshowdebut, not to mention its first European outing. �

by Chris Pocock

A Captor-E electronically scanned array radarprototype is slated to fly on a Eurofighter Typhoon inabout two years.

Rolls-Royce is putting all its cards on anew engine to power future single-aisle air-craft and told AIN that as far as it isconcerned, “the numbers do not stack up”for re-engining either the Airbus A320 orBoeing 737.

The company insists that an all-newengine for an all-new aircraft is the onlysolution that makes business sense,whether the engine is an advanced turbo-fan, as proposed by CFM International, oran open-rotor design. Rolls-Royce hasalready rejected Pratt & Whitney’s geared-fan engine. “It’s no better than an advancedturbofan,” said Robert Nuttal, Rolls-Roycehead of strategic marketing.

Nuttal gave AIN three reasons for notpursuing any re-engining program. “First,we don’t think it offers any significant netfinancial benefit to the industry. Second, atthe manufacturing level the program willbe only half as long as a new engine pro-

gram, so the returns are far less. Andthird,” he said, “if re-engining occurs, itdelays an all-new aircraft, which willbring real benefits in terms of fuel econ-omy and emissions.”

The costs of modifying the aircraft, thereplacement engines and the loss of resid-ual airframe value would leave Rolls-Royce“struggling to find a business case for re-engining,” he added.

Nuttal said offering all-new engines fornew airframes has been company philoso-phy all along. “Rolls-Royce believes inrelentless pursuit of advanced technologyto bring new engines to market.” He citedthe case of the all-new Trent 700, devel-oped for the Airbus A330. Rolls-Royce hadthe lowest sales on the aircraft at entry intoservice, but now holds 50 percent of theorders and has won 70 percent of orders inthe last three years. “We got tremendousbenefits from that approach,” Nuttal said.

Rolls-Royce believes open rotorsremain the only “game-changing” technol-ogy around, with the potential to deliver atleast 10 percent lower fuel burn than anyadvanced turbofan under consideration.This puts the UK company fundamentallyat odds with Pratt & Whitney, which toldAIN developments of its PW1000Gengine will have similar fuel economy asan open rotor.

Nuttal said the four open-rotor rig testscarried out to date by Rolls-Royce haverevealed the concept will comfortably meetStage 4 noise requirements and produce a30-percent fuel saving over today’s engines.“We’ve cracked the physics. Now its anengineering problem,” he added. �

Re-engining today’s narrowbodies a waste of time, says Rolls-Royce

Pratt & Whitney and General Electrichave bought their high-stakes battle overthe provision of an alternative engine forthe Lockheed-Martin F-35 Joint StrikeFighter to Farnborough.

The GE-Rolls-Royce Fighter EngineTeam is determined to recover funding forits F136 engine, which was removed fromthe 2011 budget by the Pentagon. At theshow, Jean Lydon-Rogers, GE militaryengines vice president, said the F136 pro-gram is “of enormous importance to GE. Itis critical for us to be in the combat aircraftsector. We want to be part of JSF.”

Pratt & Whitney president Dave Hesscriticized GE for spending “orders of

magnitude” more than P&W on CapitolHill trying to convince Congress to restoreF136 funding. “It’s fair to say there isplenty of lobbying on both sides,”responded Lydon-Rogers, referring to apublic relations exercise that has includedextensive advertising on U.S. radio sta-tions to persuade the general public toexpress their indignation on the issue toCongressmen. She insisted that there is “alot of bipartisan support” to keep GE inthe program.

Pratt & Whitney, which installed its firstproduction F135 engine in an F-35 lastmonth, has campaigned tirelessly against thesecond engine option even though Congress

implemented competitive procurement in1996. Its president, Dave Hess, pointed outthat the late 1980s Great Engine War, whichpitted the two companies’ respective F-16engines against each other every year wasthe only U.S. Air Force engine acquisitionprogram ever to have two engines compete.

GE claims the competition bought F-16engine prices down by 30 percent and saidcompeting the F-35 engines would result in$20 billion in savings over the life of theprogram that would cost $100 billion. “It iswrong to give Pratt & Whitney a $100 bil-lion monopoly,” said Lydon-Rogers.

At the show yesterday, GE FighterEngine Team president Al DiLibero warnedthat the some of the eight internationalpartners in the F136 program are becoming“vocal” about the stand-off. “They areunder budget pressures of their own,” hesaid. “Cost reduction through competitionis important for them.” –J.M.

Pratt and GE butt heads againover F-35 engine alternative

by Julian Moxon

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Among new helicopter orders and deliveries it isrevealing here, AgustaWestland has announced itsJapanese distributor, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace,signed a contract with the Japan Coast Guard for sixmore AW139 medium twins. The coast guard has sofar ordered a total 11 of the model as part of amodernization program that envisions the eventualacquisition of up to 24.

In addition, AgustaWestland said the Spanishmarine safety agency Sasemar has ordered onemore AW139, which will bring its fleet to eight.The helo maker reports receiving orders for morethan 460 AW139s, some 300 of which are inservice. The fleet leader, operated by CHC in theNetherlands for oil platform support, recentlylogged 5,000 flight hours.

AgustaWestland also said that the government ofRwanda has taken delivery of an AW139 and aGrand light twin. Both will be operated by AkageraAviation. The AW139 will transport members ofthe government, while the Grand will be used for

emergency medical service missions.Meanwhile, the Malaysian maritime enforce-

ment agency has received its first AW139. An additional two examples of the twin are to be delivered later this year. Local subsidiaryAgustaWestland Malaysia will be in charge ofmaintenance services for the MMEA’s AW139s.

In South Korea, the helo maker said, SamsungTechwin has taken delivery of a second AW139 andthe Korea National Police Agency (KNPA) acceptedan AW119Ke light single. UI Helicopter, a localapproved AgustaWestland customer support facility,will support the KNPA.

AgustaWestland also announced that its Alessan-dro Marchetti training academy, headquartered inSesto Calende, Italy, has received flight trainingorganization certification from the Italian civil avia-tion authority. It will offer classroom instruction, aswell as time in procedure trainers and flight simula-tors. Actual flying will be conducted in Vergiate, onAB206 singles and AW109 Power twins. �


Wider cabin gives MC-21an edge over B737, A320

SAVE THE VULCAN: DON’T LET ‘SPIRIT OF GREAT BRITAIN’ BECOME A GHOST OF AIRCRAFT PAST

In honor of Vulcan XH558’s first flight 50 years ago, The Vulcan To The Sky Trust renamed the ship “Spirit of Great Britain” and announced a new mission of stimulating the interest of youngpeople in aircraft design and engineering. In parallel, the group also launched an annual appeal and a corporate sponsorship program based on its “Inspire the Young” mission to help fund the£2 million annual costs of the program. The trust aims to keep XH558 flying for about four more years, which is the estimated useful life expectancy of the aircraft’s engines given current usagelevels. Additionally, this would allow the aircraft–the last flying Vulcan, as well as the oldest one–to take part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. �

Agusta notches orders, deliveriesby Thierry Dubois

The government of Rwanda has recently taken delivery of an AW139 that will be operated by Akagera Aviation.

Irkut unveiled a cabin interiormockup of its MC-21 narrowbodyairliner this week in Farnborough.The mockup includes the cockpit,a business-class cabin, a represen-tative length of an economy cabinand a galley.

The Russian manufacturer saidit brings passenger comfort “closeto business-class level” in itseconomy cabin, where the layoutis six abreast. Irkut claims themaximum internal diameter of the MC-21 cabin is almost 144inches, compared to 139 inches inthe Airbus A320 and 136 inches in the Boeing 737.

Zodiac Aerospace is supplyingthe seats and the in-flight enter-tainment system for the MC-21.

Lighting will be LED technology.In the lavatory, touchless optionsare available for the faucet, waste-container flap and soap dispenser.All supplier contracts should befinalized this year.

Irkut is offering the MC-21 inthree capacities–150, 180 and 210passengers. The company expectsto cut metal starting in 2012. Firstflight is planned for late 2014 anddeliveries are expected to beginin 2016. Company officials claimthat the Russian government hasallocated enough funds to theMC-21 program to bring it suc-cessfully to completion. However,when asked for an amount, “severalbillion dollars” was Irkut CEOOleg Demchenko’s response. �

by Thierry Dubois

Zodiac Aero is supplying the seats for the Irkut MC-21 cabin, seen here in mockup form.

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In the U.S. Air Force KC-Xcompetition size matters, but notmuch else, according to a Boe-ing briefing here. The companyrefused to discuss how its New-Gen Tanker could be “combatready” when substantial develop-ment work must be done. Citingcompetitive reasons, Boeing gaveno technical details on the newcockpit, the new refueling boom,or even which version of the 767it was based on.

“How big is big enough?” askedChuck Johnson, vice presidentmobility for Boeing’s governmentoperations team, referring to themuch larger A330MRTT thatEADS North America has proposedto meet the KC-X requirement.“You can always want more, butit’s going to cost you in weight,fuel burn, ramp space and so on.Has everyone understood thephysics?” he added. Boeing con-tends that the 767 tanker is theright-size widebody replacementfor the narrowbody KC-135, justas the C-17 airlifter was the obvi-ous replacement for the C-141.

“The A330MRTT is 27 percentlarger than the KC-10,” he contin-ued, but carries 100,000 poundsless fuel. Being so much heavierthan the 767 means that the A330will cost more to operate and sup-port, according to Boeing.

The average tanker offload offuel during combat operationsfrom Vietnam through to present-day Afghanistan has been only57,000 pounds, Johnson said. TheKC-X requirement does call formore, and Boeing’s NextGen Tankwill deliver substantially morethan the requirement, he added.

$29B in Fuel SavingsComparing the fuel burn

of the commercial Boeing 767-200ER to that of the commercialAirbus A330-200, Johnson pro-duced a calculation that theBoeing KC-X contender couldsave the U.S. Air Force as much as $29 billion in fuel overa 40-year period (based on a179-aircraft fleet flying 485hours per annum each and adoubling of today’s oil price to$150 per barrel).

But enough of statistics. Whatabout the transfer of 787 Dream-liner technology into the NextGenTanker? “It’s not a direct transferof the 787 cockpit,” said Johnson.He did note that updating theavionics of legacy aircraft wasgenerally a good idea, and citedBoeing’s own avionics moderniza-tion program (AMP) for U.S. AirForce C-130s. But perhaps thiswas not such a good example,given Boeing’s poor performance

on the AMP, which has now ledthe Pentagon to seek a second-source supplier.

What about the new refuelingboom? “It will take the best fromthe KC-135, KC-10 and KC-767,a fly-by-wire system with anincredible envelope,” Johnsonsaid. “I don’t want to reveal toomuch,” he added. Apparently, it isbased on the KC-10 boom butwith increased fuel offload rate.

Talking of flight envelopes,Johnson held firm to the Boeingbelief that the Airbus flight con-trol system is too automated toserve in a frontline tanker. “I’veflown lots of aircraft and had mis-siles fired at me,” said the formerB-52 pilot. “Boeing ensures thatpilots have full access to the flightenvelope and can override thecomputer,” he added.

Finally, there was a routine ref-erence to the subsidies to Airbusthat were most recently detailed inthe WTO report. Why do they mat-ter? “To me, its about the integrityof the process,” Johnson said.

Let us all hope that the KC-Xevaluation under way in thePentagon can demonstrate to all concerned parties that theprocess, indeed, has total integrity.Otherwise the U.S. Air Force mayhave to wait even longer for itsnew tanker. �


NewGen Tanker still under wraps

GLOBAL HAWK DISPLAYS VERSATILITY

This is the Global Hawk full-scale model as it appeared on opening day here at Farnborough, configured torepresent a NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS)/U.S. Air Force Block 40 aircraft with a big radar belly pod.By Tuesday, the unmanned aerial vehicle had been reconfigured to represent the Euro-Hawk signals intelligence(SIGINT) version in Luftwaffe markings.

NEWS CLIPS

by Chris Pocock� VT Takeover Will Boost Babcock’s ProfileBabcock claims to have become Britain’s second largest defense

company, with the completion of its takeover of the VT Group onJuly 8. The firm isn’t exhibiting at the Farnborough airshow thisweek, but its presence in the defense aviation sector is set to risesignificantly through programs such as VT’s role as joint primecontractor with Lockheed Martin in the Ascent partnership that isrunning the UK’s new military flying training system.

“Following the acquisition of the VT Group, Babcock nowoffers 70 years’ experience delivering flying training, aircraftprovision and through-life support to the UK’s armed forces,” said Babcock defence and security division’s chief executive John Davies. “This is characterized by the total integration ofengineering, maintenance and logistics support services fromdevelopment to delivery, providing the skilled professionals whoensure both the availability of our customers’ asset and supportinfrastructure, and the safety of personnel.”

� NRC Completes Hornet Semi-synthetic Fuel Test National Research Council Canada (Hall 4 C19c) has

completed qualification testing on a 50:50 mix of a syntheticparaffinic kerosene (SPK) fuel derived using the Fischer-Tropschprocess and regular JP-8 in a General Electric F404-400 engine,as used in the country’s CF-18 Hornets. The trials wereundertaken by the NRC’s Institute for Aerospace Research at theorganization’s Gas Turbine Laboratory. The tests revealed noperformance or interoperability issues, and noted that specific fuelconsumption decreased with the SPK mix, as did particulate andsulfur dioxide emissions. However, carbon dioxide and nitrogenoxide emissions were slightly increased.

� More Bell Helicopters Going to JapanIn an agreement concluded at Farnborough by Yukihiro Tanaka,

CEO of Mitsui Bussan Aerospace, and John Garrison, president andCEO of Bell Helicopter, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace has signed forseven additional helicopters, specifically four Bell 429s and threeBell 412s. All seven have been acquired for private customers inJapan and will be used on a multitude of missions, such as utility,corporate transport and emergency medical services.

Including this latest agreement, Bell has converted to firmpurchase agreements for the Bell 429 only 22 of the some 300letters of intent in place when the light twin obtained certificationin July last year. Just one Bell 429 has been delivered to acustomer to date.

Mitsui Bussan has been the Bell representative for more than50 years, during which the company has brought more than 1,400helicopters into Japan.

� P&W Awards Firth Rixson Forgings ContractAerospace metals specialist Firth Rixson (Hall 4 Stand E13) has

won a new long-term contract from Pratt & Whitney to make mostof the seamless ring forgings for the engine maker’s entire rangeof commercial and military engines. The agreement runs throughto the end of 2015.

“With this agreement, Firth Rixson once again continues tostrengthen its position as the leading supplier of forged rings tothe aerospace industry,” said the Sheffield, UK-based company’sCEO David Mortimer. “We are especially pleased to extend ourparticipation and strengthened role as a strategic supplier toUnited Technologies in support of its many aerospace offerings.”

� Hawker Beech Brings EVS-1500 to King AirHawker Beechcraft has added the MaxViz EVS-1500

enhanced-vision system to its parts and distribution order systemfor operators of King Air 200 and 300 twin turboprops. Theapproval allows operators of in-service King Airs to install theinfrared camera for viewing in the cockpit on video-capabledisplays. Buyers of new King Airs can also install the EVS-1500system as a post delivery modification through Hawker BeechcraftService, linking the camera through the airplane’s standardRockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system.

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* CRISTAL-ITP Benefi ts Analysis. The “Annual Fuel Burn Saving per ITP Aircraft” assumes an aircraft making two NAT crossings per day. Fuel cost is assumed at �0.71734 per kg.

T A K E T H E E X P R E S S L A N E I N T H E S K Y

W I T H S A F E R O U T ETM I N - T R A I L P R O C E D U R E S



Qinetiq, which is feeling thesqueeze from the dip in researchand development budgets, hasannounced plans to shed severalhundred jobs.

“Our markets are likely toremain uncertain for some time,but we have a decisive program ofself-help to restore value,” QinetiqCEO Leo Quinn said on July 6.“We are acting to make our costsmore competitive and improve ourproductivity.” He added that whilethe privatized research-and-devel-opment company that evolved fromthe UK’s former Defence Evalua-tion and Research Agency (DERA)had no choice but to review thecost base of its business; its goalis to remain a full-service provider.

Hardest hit will be the facilitiesand highly qualified scientificstaff working at Farnborough andMalvern. Around 390 jobs willgo, mostly at Malvern, the formerRoyal Radar Establishment, whereinnovative breakthrough technolo-gies ranging from liquid-crystaldisplays to nano electronics and digital security devices havebeen developed.

400 Jobs To Be CutAt Farnborough’s Cody Tech-

nology Park some 130 Qinetiq jobsare expected to go initially. This fol-lows earlier rounds of job cuts anda major confrontation with unionsand employees last year when thecompany decided that despite a 22-percent increase in annual profitsand a 12-percent rise in shareholderdividends, it proposed to cut 400jobs, even though there had beenstaff agreement on a pay freeze.

When DERA became a privatepublic partnership in 2001, thedepartments with the highest ratedsecurity activity were retainedwithin the control of the Ministry ofDefence (MOD) and renamed theDefence Science and TechnologyLaboratory (DSTL). The remain-ing 75 percent of the organization,including all the scattered outsta-tions, was partially privatized,renamed Qinetiq and floated on the London stock market inFebruary 2006.

The transfer of these facilitiesinto the private sector has longbeen a contentious issue in the UK,not least because of the way Qine-tiq’s top executives became instantmillionaires on the floatation ofwhat had been widely recognizedas a key national R&D asset. Sinceprivatization, Qinetiq has beenhighly successful in cutting costsand achieving high profitability.

While the UK government hasactively encouraged Qinetiq toexploit its world-class Internet-pro-tocol (IP) potential, and acquisitionshave improved access to the U.S.defense market, business realityfor the company has been some-what out of step with its corporateaims and the main source ofrevenue has remained firmlyembedded in MOD-sponsoredwork. Now, with UK defense R&Dactivity in steep decline, Qinetiqis speeding up the axing of highlytalented scientists and technolo-gists, causing much concern as itstechnology centers of excellenceface an uncertain future.

Qinetiq currently employs 6,500people in the UK, out of a total of13,000 worldwide. On top of theplanned 390 now to be cut in theUK, more are widely expected tofollow with the news that thecompany is conducting a furtherreview of its businesses this sum-mer. The trade union Prospect haswarned that the cuts will have anadverse effect on the UK’s defensecapabilities, with up to 700 morejobs at stake. Analysts have sug-gested 400 may be the likely extrareduction in UK jobs followingthe summer review.

UK Budget SlashedOver the last few years the UK’s

defense R&D spending has fallenby 25 percent, placing an extrastrain on revenue-generating expec-tations from Qinetiq. Though it hasattempted to diversify, MOD testand evaluation, systems integrationand R&D in support of programsworking closely with industryremain at the heart of what Qinetiqdoes best. However, last year itfaced severe criticism in the Had-don-Cave Report, commissionedby the previous government, whichnoted that the transfer of previouslyin-house MOD specialist expertiseinto the private sector had placedmuch expert knowledge, adviceand support behind a commercialwall and thereby had changed thedynamics of the relationship.

Unless the government’s steadyfall in defense R&D spending isreversed, which seems unlikely inthe short term, the collective capa-bility of the Qinetiq workforce willbe increasingly at risk. Ironically,this comes at a time when the gov-ernment says it wants to encouragegreater investment in science andtechnology, and is calling for moreyoung people to seek a career inscience and engineering. �

Feeling UK budget axe,Qinetiq shedding jobs by Jim Patterson

Fokker Services, part ofFokker Aerospace is preparing tomodify a prototype Fokker F100airliner as a demonstrator vehiclefor the proposed successor to thetype being planned under the nameAircraft XF100NG. If launched,this planned revival of the formerDutch aerospace manufacturer’slast production model–manufac-turing of which ceased in 1996–would be powered by new, mod-ern engines and equipped withnew avionics, winglets and havemore fuel capacity.

NG Aircraft, a renaming ofthe previous Rekkof Restartcompany set up some years agoto support an earlier attempt torelaunch the F100 family, hopesthat the European Commission(EC) will soon approve a $27million loan offered by theDutch government in March.The company, which is part ofthe Panta Holdings group led byaerospace and aviation entrepre-neur Jaap Rosen Jacobson, hasindicated that EC approval couldcome as early as September.

More Investment SeenCompany officials expect the

EC approval will trigger the invest-ment of further sums toward the$120 million Phase 1 investmentneeded to upgrade the F100 pro-totype as a proof-of-conceptdemonstrator aircraft. NG Aircraftvice president Maarten VanEeghen told AIN the companyhas two possible sources–“oneprivate, one industrial”–for the

balance of the Phase 1 develop-ment cost, for which agreementswould be signed only after ECapproval is obtained. Second-phasedevelopment would require anadditional $675 million to set upseries production.

Van Eeghen said a designreview of the XF100NG lastmonth concluded there aremajor engineering hurdles tolaunching the program and thatNG Aircraft is ready to sign acontract with Fokker Services aslead contractor. Fokker Aero-space (Hall 3 Stand C2) willact as a subcontractor and will not invest in the initiative of Rekkof/NG Aircraft. In theevent that Rekkof launches aFokker 100/70NG, Fokker Aero-space and Rekkof have acooperation agreement regard-ing intellectual property, toolingand so on, which has been inplace for more than 10 years.

Fokker Services has beenproviding engineering support toNG Aircraft for the requiredmodifications since late lastyear, according to Wim Pasteun-ing, vice president for Fokkerprograms, and is among anumber of XF100NG partners.Others include French groupSagem and engineering consul-tancies Atkins Aerospace andADSE. Almost 50 technicalemployees are engaged on theproject under a 12- to 15-mem-ber management team.

The first engineering prioritywill be installation of the new

powerplants, with a choice of“about three” suitable designs,said Van Eeghen, a former FokkerAircraft marketing executive. It isthought that Rolls-Royce BR725engines have been selected toreplace the earlier F100’s Tayturbofans from the same manu-facturer, although NG Aircraftcannot confirm the choice.

Winglet WorkPasteuning said the XF100NG’s

winglets, for which NG is under-stood to be studying severalsolutions, would be the secondpart of development activity,ahead of avionics integrationwork. NG Aircraft has plans toinstall a new auxiliary powerunit to improve the basic air-craft’s cabin air conditioning andtemperature control.

Work to increase the F100’soriginal basic fuel capacity bymaking the outer wing sections“wet” will not start until theflight-test program is under way,since NG Aircraft wants toobtain an indication of thedemonstrator’s specific fuel con-sumption before incurring thecost of modification.

NG also needs to validate theperformance targets it has adver-tised for the XF100NG. Comparedwith the parent design, theXF100NG is expected to offer afaster cruise speed (Mach 0.80),a higher cruise altitude (FL390)and different wing loading.

NG has said it needs up to40 launch orders and would liketo win 20 percent of the esti-mated 7,000-unit market for 70-and 100-seat RJs up to 2026.Development of retrofit kits forexisting F100s could comprise a“fall-back scenario,” said Jacob-son earlier this year. �

Born-again Fokker 100waits on loan approvalby Ian Goold

ONE GRAND PC-12

Pilatus Aircraft reached a significant milestone last week when the 1,000th PC-12 single-engine turbo-prop business aircraft was delivered in Canada to David Fountain, a private owner from Halifax, NovaScotia. Since its introduction in 1994, the PC-12 has amassed more than 2.6 million flight hours in a varietyof roles ranging from transport, commuter, air ambulance, police and border surveillance, cargo, incidentresponse, military liaison, and as regional airliner.

“The traditional Pilatus qualities of high performance, rugged durability, versatility and superior operat-ing economics have been the foundation of every PC-12 we build,” said Oscar Schwenk, chairman andCEO. “Today’s PC-12 NG is generations ahead of the first Pilatus delivered back in 1994. But it still holds tothese same principles that have made the PC-12 program such a great success.” –G.G.E.

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Goodrich Corp. (Stand OE4) has beguncollaborating with researchers at an Ohiouniversity to produce a nanomaterial nick-named “fuzzy fiber” that has metal-likeconductive properties and can be formedinto large composite structures for use inaerospace.

The University of Dayton ResearchInstitute (UDRI) is collaborating withGoodrich and two other companies, Rene-gade Materials and Owens-Corning, tobuild a lab where researchers can producethe nanomaterial–known by the scientificname NAHF-X–in resin composite sheets.

URDI gets the credit for inventingNAFH-X. Now, Goodrich hopes to use thehybrid composite material in new-genera-tion engine nacelles and will explore otherapplications, including aircraft structuralhealth monitoring, wheels and brakes andelectrical de-icing systems.

What intrigues engineers is NAFH-X’sability to deliver structural, electrical and

thermal properties in a single structure. Anengine nacelle made from NAHF-X, forexample, could withstand lightning and haildamage while also providing protectionfrom ice buildup. Besides reducing weightand complexity, this would also provide amore efficient alternative to ice-removal sys-tems that use hot-air ducts, Goodrich said.

The breakthrough that led to the cre-ation of NAHF-X occurred whenresearchers determined how to control thegrowth of the nanotubes to create large,uniform structures with properties suitablefor products like engine nacelles. So far,the UDRI research team has demonstratedit can produce the materials in continuoussheets that are 12 inches wide. The goal isto increase the size of the resin sheets to 60inches wide.

“UDRI’s NAHF-X fuzzy fiber is a game-changer,” said Harry Arnold, vice president,enterprise technology, at Goodrich. “It has areal potential of bringing affordable capabil-ity to composite production.”

Goodrich has committed $1 million tothe fuzzy-fiber program. Goodrich’sAerostructures team in Chula Vista, Cali-fornia, and its Materials and SimulationTechnical Center in Brecksville, Ohio, willbe tasked with evaluating potential businessopportunities for the material. –S.P.

Robust and versatile, the series of small-medium tactical transports designed byCASA in Spain are still enjoying steadysales after more than 40 years. Now ownedby EADS and marketed by Airbus Military,the C-212, CN-235 and C-295 have logged817 sales to 127 operators in 58 countries.“These aircraft are little jewels. They areour bread-and-butter, and deserve moreheadlines,” said Airbus Military CEODomingo Urena.

The top-of-the-line C-295 is on showhere at Farnborough. CASA has sold nearly100 of the aircraft and is currently produc-ing units for Chile, Mexico, Poland andPortugal, with five for Vietnam to come.Capable of carrying 71 troops or nine met-ric tons for 2,900 nm, the C-295 has a

cargo hold that is actually one inch longerthan that of a C-130, said commercial sen-ior vice president Antonio Rodriguez.

Airbus is particularly proud of the pal-letized maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) fitthat has been developed for Portugal’s C-295s. “We have the only multi-role MPAfor sale,” Rodriquez claimed.

These C-295s carry the same fully inte-grated tactical system (FITS) thatEADS-CASA designed for the upgrade ofSpain’s P-3 MPAs, albeit with fewer opera-tor consoles. In fact, the FITS has also beeninstalled in CN-235s and C-212s. Accord-ing to Airbus, it is the world’s top sellingaircraft in its class, with 108 units sold.

The FITS uses rugged COTS hardwareand is being migrated to Windows using

the free Linux software. It is adaptable todifferent sensors and missions, such asground surveillance.

“We develop all the code ourselves, so itis fully exportable,” said Miguel-AngelMorell, senior vice president technology.Airbus Military also provides ground-basedmission support and training systems.

The C-295 can fly for up to 11 hours inthe MPA role and can be equipped withunderwing hardpoints. Torpedo drop trialswere done last spring, from the prototypeASW aircraft for Chile. The internal con-figuration for these aircraft was designedon the same CATIA system that CASAused to design the C-295 in the late 1990s.In fact, Morell claimed that the C-295 wasthe first aircraft to be completely designedin CATIA. That claim is also made by Das-sault with respect to the Falcon 7X, butMorell said CASA used Version 4 for theC-295 before Dassault used Version 5 forthe 7X, “and we designed the tail for thatplane,” he added.

The CN-235 has a payload of six metrictons or 51 troops, and a range 2,600 nm. Itcarries one less 108- by 88-inch pallet thanthe C-295, that is, four instead of five. Morethan 250 CN-235s have been sold, abouthalf of them from a second production linein Indonesia, where Nurtanio (later IPTN)was the launch partner back in 1979.

The headline customer has been the U.S.Coast Guard, which has been using the air-craft to monitor the BP oil spill in the Gulfof Mexico. Two more CN-235s are cur-rently in production for the USCG, plusone for the Colombian Navy and eight forFrance.

The C-295 and the CN-235 are nowbuilt on a common assembly line on thesouth side of San Pablo airfield in Seville,in the huge new production facility thatalso houses final assembly of the A400M.

“We’ve never had a big backlog for theseaircraft–that’s the type of market they arein,” said Urena. It is therefore important, headded, that the low-rate production is man-aged as efficiently as possible, which isdone by outsourcing key sections to sixcountries, including Indonesia, Turkey, Por-tugal and the EADS-PZL factory in Poland.

As the aircraft comes together on fourstatic line positions at Seville in southernSpain, customization of the final configura-tion can be delayed as long as possible, soearly delivery can be offered to newprospects. Urena said the total market seg-ment is only about 30 aircraft per year, andhe is happy that EADS-CASA has achievedabout two thirds of that in recent years.

The C-212 first flew on March 26,1971, and has evolved through three ver-sions into today’s 400 series. It carries 20troops or three metric tons, and flies for1,000 nm. Five aircraft for Thailand arebeing completed.

According to Urena, the C-212 faces lotsof competition in its weight class, most ofthem faster, but none of them offering a rear-loading ramp. However, he added, “We needto be more price-competitive...I can’t affordto produce it in Europe.” He is thereforeexploring the possibility of licensing or sub-contracting production to IndonesianAerospace (formerly IPTN). “They have theskills...why not try this adventure?” he asked.

Airbus Military sees a bright future forthe C-212/235/295 series. The increase indrug trafficking and smuggling, and thegrowth of organized illegal immigration, isdriving new applications and new sales.Meanwhile, fisheries control, pollution con-trol and search-and-rescue remain staplemissions. “We sell aircraft to Ireland sothey can capture illegal Spanish fishermen,”said Morell with some irony, given the air-craft’s Spanish heritage. �


CASA in it for long haulwith military transports

Fuzzy fiber to lowercost of composites,says Goodrich

Carrying underwing pylons and a belly-mounted radar, the ASW version of the C-295 arrives at Farnborough in the colors of launch customer Chile.

by Chris Pocock

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ITALY’S C-27J FLEET PASSES 10,000-HOUR MILESTONEThis month the Italian air force’s fleet of 12 Alenia Aeronautica C-27J transports

racked up its 10,000th flying hour, during the course of which the type has consis-tently demonstrated high operational efficiency. The fleet was delivered to the 46thair wing at Pisa between 2007 and last year, and since 2008 the airplanes have beenused on theater operations in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Alenia Aeronautica hasinstalled a full-motion simulator for the C-27J at Pisa. It has been evaluated exten-sively by the air force and is to be officially handed over soon.

Pg-20_d3_v4.qxp 7/19/10 6:49 AM Page 1

Boeing’s Test and Evaluation(T&E) division is spread out over78 locations, but testing is done atmany more locations, including atsuppliers and other areas whennecessary. The OEM doesn’t ownall 78 locations. One, for exam-ple, is at the U.S. Navy’s PatuxentRiver air station in Maryland.“We take our airplanes wherethey need to be tested in terms ofsome of the environmental condi-tions,” said Barbara Cosgrove,vice president of Flight TestOperations. T&E is responsiblefor testing all Boeing products,including airplanes, fighters, heli-copters, UAVs and missiles.

T&E is not just for flight test-ing but also includes lab testingsuch as wind tunnel tests andother non-airborne functionsthroughout the product’s lifecy-cle. “[Boeing’s] business unitsare responsible for defining theproduct, designing it and build-ing it,” Cosgrove explained.“We’re woven into that as they

go through the process. It couldbe as simple as a component in alab, a coupon–a piece of mate-rial that we’re testing–for ournext-generation airplane orfighter. Or it could be as com-plex as a buildup of systems [inthe lab] to see if, say, moving theflap system on the airplane isgoing to work.”

787 TestingAs an example of how busy

T&E is, the division ran 718flight tests during May. Many ofthose were for the 787 program.When Boeing engineers firstbegan conceiving the 787 almost10 years ago, T&E’s structureslab had the important task offiguring out how to build a safe,reliable and certifiable airliner outof composite materials.

Now that the 787 is well intoits flight test program, T&E keepsclose track of each airplane, itsstatus and what it has accom-plished. “In order to get an

airplane up every day,” Cosgrovesaid, “we’re looking at ourovernight maintenance cycles,how long it’s taking us to returnthe airplane, whether we’rereleasing the airplane in themorning at the earliest possibletime. We test during the daylight,so the earlier we can release thatairplane in the morning, the moreflight time we get.”

As of June 22, 787 ZA001 hadflown more than 100 hours permonth and ZA004 had loggedmore than 140 per month, flyinglong eight- to 12-hour trips toassess fuel efficiency. By the endof the summer, 10 airplanes willbe in the commercial flight testfleet (six 787s and four 747-8s).

“When you put 10 of them inthe air, you’ve got a real issue withlogistics,” said the operationscenter’s Steve Blair, “not only try-ing to keep them in the air, buttrying to keep straight where theyare.” A fleet strategy team keepstrack of how testing will be done,the sequence of testing and whatthe priorities are. And the teamfor a 787-type program involvesabout 200 people who need to bekept in the loop at all times.

The operations center has twobig displays, one shows live flight

tracking of every airplane, andthe other reports on each air-plane’s location, release time,departure time, arrival time andgeneral status. Engineers can alsoview the same feeds through theircomputers. Calls come for parts,maintenance and logistics issues,chase and support aircraft sched-uling and the twice-daily Dornier328Jet logistics support flights upand down the U.S. West Coastcarrying about 20 people and 200to 300 pounds of cargo.

Both the 747-8 and 787 have

dedicated telemetry rooms. Testdirectors monitor each aircraft,and a big flight visualizationmonitor shows a real-time top-down telemetry map view of theairplane in flight. Boeing capturesflight test data at the rate of 15megabits per second. The datalink is line-of-sight VHF whenflights are local, but for flightsaway from the VHF stream, theairplane sends data to a systemthat receives the data and sendsthem to a satellite, then to theoperations center. �

www.ainonline.com • July 21, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa21

Boeing’s test-center groupmaintains a busy schedule

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Many of the 718 flight tests executed out of Boeing’s Test & Evaluation Center duringMay were for the 787 Dreamliner program.

The first customer to take delivery of the new Viking Twin Otter Series 400.

Thank you for your confidence in our ability to produce a modern legend.

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Some aircraft fulfill their mis-sions so well that they seem tolast almost forever. The SikorskyS-61/H-3 Sea King helicopter, theprototype of which made its firstflight way back in 1959, appearson its way to achieving this“never die” status.

The U.S. Department of Statelast month accepted the first twomodernized S-61s to come out of apurchase agreement with SikorskyAerospace Services (SAS) thatcould see as many as 110 S-61Tsdelivered over five years. U.S.rotorcraft modification specialistCarson Helicopters developed allthe modifications, owns the sup-plemental type certificates (STCs)and rebuilds the modified aircraft.

The S-61T is the result of anumber of S-61/H-3 improve-ments: composite main rotor; afive-screen, integrated glass cockpitdeveloped with Sagem Avionics;engine air-particle separator; fixedlanding gear; high-speed electricrescue hoist; fire-fighting tankprovisions; Martin Baker energy-absorbing troop seating; improvedfuel-quantity indicating system;cockpit air conditioning; elec-tronic equipment designed tomeet military requirements; and ashortened fuselage.

Additional Upgrades The following new elements

are in the works: composite tailrotor blades (STC expected in sixmonths); an upgrade of theGeneral Electric T58-140 tur-boshaft engines to T58-16 engines(increasing power from 1,500 shpto 1,870 shp and expected to flyin August); an IFR-approvedRockwell Collins primary flightdisplay (STC expected in twomonths); and a new autopilot toreplace the helicopter’s original,50-year-old stabilization system.

According to Carson Heli-copters CEO Frank Carson, thecomposite main rotor bladesalone provide the aircraft with2,000 pounds more lift capabilityat the same horsepower than acomparable S-61 with the origi-nal blades, as well as a 15-knotimprovement in cruise speed. Heexpects the T-58-16 engines willprovide a 3,000-pound improve-ment in lift at 35-degrees C and6,000 feet pressure altitude, aState Department goal for opera-tions in Afghanistan.

“The re-engining project isvery important,” said AnthonySerksnas, Sikorsky director of

S-61 programs, “because it willgive the modernized S-61 per-formance comparable to thelatest Mi-17v5 [designed byRussian company Mil], espe-cially in hot and high conditionsin Afghanistan.” He said Sikorskyhopes to “qualify” the T58-16 inthe S-61T within 18 months. As amilitary aircraft, the S-61T doesnot need civil certification,approval by Sikorsky’s qualifica-tion assurance board beingsufficient. Frank Carson said hewill seek an STC for the engineupgrade. Serksnas said the StateDepartment has also requestedcrashworthy ballistics-tolerantfuel bladders for its S-61Ts.

The Sikorsky-State Departmentcontract for S-61Ts is an indefi-nite-delivery/indefinite-quantity(IDIQ) purchase agreement. Thistype of agreement, Serksnasexplained, “is a broad-based con-tracting vehicle that is used whenthe government is uncertain ofthe quantities of aircraft it wouldlike delivery of. In this case, itcould be from four to 110 air-craft.” The Department requested

this wide range because several ofits own agencies and the Depart-ment of Defense expressed interestin the S-61T, in part as a replace-ment for Mi-17 helicopters nowin use in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The baseline S-61T uses theH-3 military helicopter, whichhas the shorter fuselage. The firstfour S-61Ts, which will supportmissions for the U.S. Embassy inAfghanistan, are actually formerS-61Ns, two of which were short-ened and two that were not. TheState Department is looking at 15to 20 follow-on aircraft for deliv-ery this year and next year, andthe majority of these will be mod-ified H-3s. Carson Helicopters isdoing all the modification work,with a rebuild taking about six

months per aircraft. Some 300 civil and military S-

61s and H-3s remain around theworld, he said, some built underlicense by Agusta and Westland.The State Department’s primarysource right now is the U.S. Navy,which has 65 H-3s stored at theDavis-Monthan Air Force Base“aircraft boneyard” in Arizona.

Serksnas said the Departmentin late June initiated the transferof 20 of these Navy H-3s for theS-61T program. Sikorsky hasaccess to other airframes throughcustomers looking to trade in air-craft. Carson Helicopters, whichhas been acquiring and modify-ing Sikorsky helicopters since1963, obtains airframes on theopen market.

Serksnas said Sikorsky offi-cials had expected customerinterest in the aging S-61 fleet tobegin to decline about 10 yearsago, but then the company noticedthat spare parts sales continued toremain healthy. “A whole industrysprang up around supporting theS-61,” he said. “We knew Carsonwas doing some things and wetook a closer look.”

Frank Carson said he thinksthere are at least 20 to 30 years oflife in his rebuilt S-61s. “In somerespects our aircraft are betterthan the original–with new wiringand radios, the glass cockpit, thecomposite blades, the upgradedengines and new parts for variousdynamic components being builtby Sikorsky.” �


Life begins at 50 forupgraded Sea Kings

AgustaWestland is boosting itscustomer-support capability withthe opening of a new fleet opera-tions center. The facility, locatedclose to the Italian helicoptermanufacturer’s headquarters nearMilan Malpensa International Air-port, is staffed and equipped tohandle urgent technical questionsand spares requirements aroundthe clock. Its most immediatevalue will be to help larger com-

mercial and government operatorsinvolved in critical support mis-sions such as emergency medicalservices and offshore transporta-tion in the energy sector.

The company’s main goal hasbeen to establish a dedicated teamto handle all aspects of resolvingaircraft-on-ground (AOG) situa-tions more quickly. The fleetoperations center is the next stepin AgustaWestland’s long-term

plan to expand its customer sup-port and services division,following the creation last July ofa new logistics center in Italy.

The customer-support complexalso includes a brand-new 108,000-sq-ft warehouse, fully dedicated torepair and overhaul operations. Thelogistics center already employs600 people who concentrate onfleet service support.

The fleet operations centerpersonnel work in three shifts toprovide 24/7 cover; approxi-mately 10 people are on duty atall times. Each shift is led by anAOG supervisor who coordi-nates the activities of three maindesks dedicated to technicalexpertise, material support andwarranty issues.

The technical expertise desk ismanned by product-support engi-neers who can provideinformation on maintenance pro-cedures, such as inspectioncriteria and task clarification.They can also cover the followingsupport functions: preparing andapproving repair schemes; con-firming part numbers andclarifying configuration issues;providing special authorizationfor ferry flights following specificevents; giving health and usagemonitoring system support; andissuing “no technical objection”

approval for temporary repairs. Customer-order administrators

manning the material supportdesk operate together with thewarranty desk to fulfill spare-parts orders and respond to salesquotation and shipping requests,as well as to check applicabilityfor part numbers, warranty claimsand power-by-the-hour serviceplans. In an AOG situation, sparesare shipped within 24 hours; in an“urgent” situation they areshipped within 72 hours.

When an AOG situation can-not be solved locally andadditional factory field support inthe field is needed, the supervisorcan dispatch an on-site teamwithin 24 hours. The respondersmay be in the form of a mobilemaintenance team to carry outrepair, or troubleshooting andspecial- inspection personnel toassist the operator’s own mainte-nance team.

The new fleet operations centerfully interfaces with AgustaWest-land’s regional support andservice network, which alsoincludes facilities in Philadelphiain the U.S.; São Paulo, Brazil; theMalaysian capital Kuala Lumpur;and Liege, Belgium. There arealso more than 70 AgustaWest-land authorized service centersaround the world. �

AW’s helo support centerpromises 24/7 coverageby Paolo Valpolini

by R. Randall Padfield

The fleet operations center personnel at AgustaWestland’s new customer-supportfacility near Malpansa Airport, Italy, work in three shifts providing 24/7 cover.

Carson Helicopters has developed all the modifications and rebuilds the heavily modified Sikorsky S-61T helicopters for a SikorskyAerospace Services’ contract that could see 110 of the venerable and much improved heavy-lift helicopters go to the U.S. StateDepartment over the next five years. The first two aircraft were delivered in June.

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Paris Air Show commissioner Louis LePortz wants nothing but the best for thisweek’s Farnborough International show,while predicting that next year’s Paris showwill be as successful as its 2009 edition in terms of the number of exhibitors andcountry delegations expected. “Le Bourgetand Farnborough are crucial for our profes-sion; the industry needs us both,” he said.

Improvements at the Le Bourget Air-port site are already under way, he said, at the same time acknowledging thatexhibitors will continue to cut costs,reducing their chalet space and closelywatching budgets they allocate delega-tions to send to the event. For Le Portz theevent is a “must” for the industry, andsome countries, such as China, India and Russia, have requested more spacethan they took in 2009.

Le Portz also indicated he expects at leastthe same number of exhibitors as at the lastevent. “The low point of the crisis is behindus. Sales began to take off at the beginningof March and the signs are very positive,”he stated. “Aerospace is ramping up, withproduction rising and air traffic growing. Weexpect a vintage Paris Air Show in 2011.”

Despite the tough economic times, Le Portz maintained that airshows arevital shop windows for the aerospace anddefense industries. He pointed out thateven the business aviation sector, whichhas been especially hard hit by the falloutfrom the financial crisis, has seen success-ful trade shows in the U.S. at the NBAAevent and at EBACE in Europe.

Expansion Plans“Le Bourget and Farnborough are not

competitors and are international forumsrather than regional shows, so the fact thatin these circumstances Farnborough is soldout is very good for us, too,” said the ParisAir Show boss. But, he added, increases inattendance at Le Bourget are never likelyto be spectacular because of the physicallimits on expansion due to the airfield’sproximity to the crowded Paris suburbs.Nonetheless, there is scope for expandingspace within the show area itself

GIFAS, the French aerospace industryassociation that organizes the biennial eventthrough its subsidiary SIAE, will providemore exhibition halls with a new look andan upgraded air-conditioning system.

“In 2011 all 200 of the most important[aerospace] companies will be in Paris,”predicted Le Portz. “Indications from theU.S. are that no major companies intendto cancel next year and one very bigcompany is even considering holding aboard meeting at the show.” He expectstwo or three new countries to attend andmore small- and medium-size companiesfrom France and abroad to take up spaceleft by the big companies.

Le Portz said that GIFAS always tries tohold down costs, but he pointed out that

major trade shows are inherently expensiveto run. “Every two years we have to build atemporary town accommodating 20,000people with quality air-conditioned struc-tures and modern telecommunicationssystems, including free Wi-Fi access insideand outside the show,” he said.

GIFAS (Hall 1 Stand A15) itself has cutits Le Bourget costs by halving its perma-nent organizing team 30 to 15. At the sametime, the group has sought to improve itsapproach to project management, workingto tighter budgets and deadlines with aprogram based on 7,000 separate actionsthat have to be 95 percent complete onemonth before the show opens.

Exhibitors’ opinions about the airshoware assessed in surveys by an independentagency and Le Portz claimed that Parisscores higher each time. “After eachshow we assess the survey’s findings and the main problem remains traffic,

something we always target but cannotmaster alone,” he said. “We are in perma-nent contact with the authorities who areaware of the area’s traffic problems. Wewill again hire 200 buses to carry peoplearriving from Paris at the Le Bourgetrailroad station to the show site. We areimproving entrance and parking facilitiesthere for cars. And inside the show therewill be an extra street for golf carts. In2007 we solved the problems concerningboth the organization of badges and park-ing. These systems worked much better in 2009 and will be closely monitored in2011,” he added. �


Paris expects vintage Le Bourget show in 2011by Jeff Apter

The success of the inaugural BahrainInternational Airshow earlier this yearpaved the way for the announcement thatthe second biennial show will be held Jan.19 to 21, 2012. The event is organized byFarnborough show organizer FarnboroughInternational Ltd. in partnership with theKingdom of Bahrain’s department of CivilAviation Affairs.

The first show, held this January, drew40 exhibitors, 94 aircraft and more than5,000 trade visitors. The event is focusedon ensuring that exhibitors have access tothe highest level of decision makers fromprospective buyers in the Middle East.More than 20 official delegations fromabout 25 countries attended.

Exhibitors operated from VIP chalets andcould park their aircraft directly in frontthem. This year’s show featured a three-hour flying display, which included twounmanned air vehicles. Demonstration flightswere also conducted from the purpose-builtshow site at Sakhir air base, home of theBahrain royal flight department.

The 2010 show generated approximately$1 billion worth of newly announced

business, including a deal for 10 AirbusA320s for flagcarrier Yemenia, nineSikorsky Black Hawk military helicoptersordered by Bahrain, a lease signed by GulfAir for a pair of Embraer 170 jetliners anda contract for Selex to provide Bahrain

International Airport with a primary sur-veillance radar and two mode-S secondarysurveillance radars.

Farnborough International chief execu-tive Shaun Ormrod said the organizerswill be making improvements for the nextBahrain show, including a larger flyingdisplay and more structured visits by officialdelegations. The 2012 show will benefitfrom being timed to have almost a fullmonth’s gap between it and the SingaporeAirshow, which is scheduled for Feb. 14to 19, 2012. �

Paris Air Show 2011 organizers are implementingimprovements to the show site, which they expect will

attract at least the same number of exhibitors andcountry delegations as did the event in 2009.

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Success of first Bahrain showtopped with news of follow-on

DEAN SCRAMBLES HISTORIC FLYING DISPLAY

Rod Dean looks care-free astride a SupermarineSpitfire, but FarnboroughInternational airshow’s direc-tor of flight operations hashad plenty on his mindplanning and preparing forthis week’s daily flyingdisplay. The flight director’sjob to ensure that, first andforemost, the displays areas safe as they can be, whilenot losing sight of the need

to entertain and inform show-goers. The Spitfire sharing the stage with Dean is part ofspecial flying display commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Thespectacle includes two Spitfires and a pair of its former adversary–the MesserschmittME109 fighter–as well as a Mk. 1 Hawker Hurricane R441. �

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Israel’s latest remote-sensing satellite, Ofeq-9,was successfully placed in orbit on June 22 by anIsrael Aerospace Industries Shavit vehicle launchedfrom Palmachim Air Force Base, near the cities ofRishon LeZion and Yavne. Three days later theIAI-built satellite began transmitting its first high-resolution images.

Ofeq-9 joins a growing constellation of Israelireconnaissance satellites that include the opticalsensor, Ofeq-5 and Ofeq-7, and the TecSAR satel-

lite with imaging synthetic aperture radar. IAIdeveloped Ofeq-9 in response to an Israeli ministryof defense requirement, working with other Israelispecialists such as Elisra, El-Op, IMI, Rafael andTadiran-Spectralink.

El-Op (part of Elbit Systems) supplies high-specification cameras for the space program. Its latest product is the lightweight Jupiter, currentlyin the advanced integration stage and intended for carriage by micro/mini platforms. It offerspanchromatic and multi-spectral options, providing0.5-meter resolution across a 15-kilometer swath inthe pan mode from an altitude of 600 kilometers.

In addition to its domestic sales, El-Op has provided cameras for Indian and Koreanspace programs. �


Israel launchesnew satellite

Boeing retools as competitors multiply� Virgin Picks Rockwell Digital for A330-300s

Virgin Atlantic has selected avionics from Rockwell Collins forits fleet of 10 Airbus A330-300s announced in an order here thisweek. According to Rockwell Collins, Virgin Atlantic will be thelaunch customer for the LRA-2100 digital low-range altimeterwhen the first of its A330s is delivered next spring. The units usedigital signal processing to judge the airplane’s height above theground, achieving greater accuracy than previous radio altimeters.Additional avionics selected for the Virgin Atlantic A330s includeRockwell Collins’s MultiScan weather radar and GLU-925 multi-mode receiver, the first such product certified for precision landingusing GPS or ILS.

� Aviation Partners Wins New Winglet OrdersAviation Partners Boeing has announced that Hainan Airlines,

the first and largest operator of blended winglet-equipped aircraftin China, has confirmed that all of its 45 Boeing 737-800s currentlyon order will be operated with these fuel-saving devices. Blendedwinglets are particularly well suited to Hainan Airlines, whichoperates a mix of short- and long-haul operations from somechallenging airports. All Nippon Airways of Japan has also recentlyexercised options to purchase winglets for installation on five new Boeing 767-300ERs, scheduled for delivery starting in 2011,bringing the total commitment for its B767 fleet to nine systems.

� Marshall To Work on Orion Down UnderMarshall Aerospace Australia (Hall 4 Stand A11) has signed a

contract with Australian Aerospace to support a repairassessment program on the country’s P-3C Orion maritime patrolaircraft. Australian Aerospace already provides maintenance onthe Royal Australian Air Force’s 18-strong fleet at Richmond AirBase. Marshall Aerospace Australia is a “defense recognizedsupplier” down under.

� Seaward Displays Electric Safety TestersFirst-time Farnborough exhibitor Seaward Group (Hall 1 Stand

D11), a company that specializes in electric safety testing andprecision measurement instrumentation, is showing its range ofproducts, including portable microhmmeters (low-resistancemeasurements), cable testers, hipot testers (devices checkinginsulation) and high-voltage detectors.

The Cropico DO4000 portable digital microhmmeters, forexample, can measure the ground points on aircraft, which isnecessary to create a safe electrical network inside an aircraft.Seaward has also developed a new voltage indicator to ensuresafety when working on airfield ground lighting systems. Thenew AGL-5 two-pole voltage detector enables serviceengineers, maintenance personnel and airport technical staff tocheck that runway and airfield lighting circuits have beenisolated from the power supply before maintenance orinspection work begins.

China Sticks with CFM Engines for New A320sChinese flagcarrier Air China announced it has selected the

CFM56-5B engine to power 20 Airbus A320s on order for deliverystarting in 2011. The deal is valued at $600 million at list price,including a long-term maintenance agreement.

All of Air China’s new CFM56-5B engines will be of the TechInsertion configuration, which was introduced in September 2007and has already logged 11 million flight hours. Tech Insertionprovides a 1-percent improvement in fuel consumption andconsiderably lowers carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.

This latest order has come as no surprise, as 179 aircraft inthe current Air China fleet are already powered by CFM engines,including 55 A320s (CFM56-5B), 118 B737s (CFM56-3/7B) and sixA340-300s (CFM56-5C).

Air China has also signed a rate per-flight-hour agreement withCFM to provide a comprehensive maintenance service for theCFM56 engines in the airline’s fleet.

NEWS CLIPS

Boeing Commercial Airplaneschief executive Jim Albaugh fullyacknowledged here at Farnbor-ough that the new 787 faces apossible seventh delay if firstdelivery slips into next year, whichwas hinted at in a statement fromthe company last week. Such a slipwould be a small setback, but byno means an end to Albaugh’seffort to restructure the division inthe face of continuing interna-tional competition.

The company’s position as theleading airliner manufacturer hasbeen usurped in recent years byAirbus and, at the lower end of theproduct range, it is being chal-lenged by aspiring manufacturerswho want to enter the market forthe below-100-seat sector.

Accordingly, the company hasneeded a shot in the arm–some-thing achieved through hisreorganization that could restoreconfidence and assure employeesthat, under his leadership, Boeingcan regain market dominance.

This new strategy involvesmany tactics, including tightermanagement, long-term planningand sharper focus on prime func-tions. Outlining moves here

yesterday, the BoeingCommercial Airplaneschief executive said hehas strengthened over-sight of enterpriseengineering, establishedsenior advisory groups(including the recall fromretirement of formerexecutive vice presidentsales Seddik Belyamani)and established programmanagement functions.

The five test 787s(three of which will not be deliv-ered) have accumulated some1,200 flight hours in 370 flights.Albaugh confirmed that unex-pected problems with replacementof flight-test instruments hasreduced “schedule margin,” withdeliveries perhaps moving “a mat-ter of weeks” into early 2011compared with the original mid-2008 target date. He attributed theproblems to Boeing’s “probably”having outsourced too much 787work. “We lost control and, infuture, I believe we will outsourceless,” he said.

Albaugh believes that 737 pro-duction could be increased beyondthe planned 35 per month, with the

company continuing tomull single-aisle marketplans. As for continuedproduct development, hesaid Boeing could producean all-new single-aisledesign, re-engine the cur-rent 737, or “do nothing.”

He said the manufac-turer was talking toGeneral Electric, Pratt &Whitney and Rolls-Royceabout alternative power-plants, from which it

would choose one before decid-ing “in all probability” beforeyear-end whether to offer a re-engined variant. Leading 737customer Southwest Airlines is“very involved” in discussions and“might not want to wait until 2022[for a solution],” said Albaugh.

Boeing also is considering the“most effective” strategy toimprove the 777, spending “a lotof time” talking to airlines to getthe right solution, he said. In anexercise dubbed “777X,” Boeingis considering a new engine, anew [composites] wing and anall-new design, he said, addingthat the matter is “very openright now.” �

by Ian Goold

BoeingCommercialAirplanes chiefexecutive Jim Albaugh

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MONTHS OFPLANNING, JUST

MINUTES OF FLYING

Boeing experimental andevaluation test pilot Steve“Bull” Schmidt and his col-leagues have spent monthsplanning the F/A-18 SuperHornet’s six-minute, 40-second flying routine at the Farnborough airshow.Schmidt is flying the fighterhere daily, showcasing itscapabilities. To date, Boe-ing has delivered 434 SuperHornets to customersaround the world. �

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Richard Noble broke the land-speed record with a speed of 633mph in October 1983 in a turbojet-powered vehicle called “Thrust2.”Then in October 1997, AndyGreen drove the turbofan-poweredThrustSSC, designed by Noble, toa speed of 763 mph, breaking thespeed record again and becomingthe first person to drive a vehiclefaster than the speed of soundwhile still on the ground.

Here in Farnborough, Noble,now the director of the Blood-hound SSC project (Stand OE16),and his team are showing amockup of their car, expected to bepowered by an EJ200 turbojet (theEurofighter’s engine) and a Falconrocket, which they hope will reachsome 1,000 mph (about Mach 1.4).The project also has an educationaltarget–to inspire young people topursue careers in science and tech-nology so they can replace retiringaerospace engineers.

From an aerodynamic stand-point, the design is complete. “Wenow have a safe car,” Noble toldAIN. It took three years and 10redesigns. “For example,” he said,“one configuration did provide adownforce of 0.5 metric tons atMach 0.5 but gave 12 tons of liftat Mach 1.4, whereas engineerslook for negative lift to keep thecar on the ground.”

A lot of systems still have togo through the detailed design

phase. Aerostructures specialistHampson builds the back end ofthe car–everything aft of the airintake–which is made of a steelframe and aluminum skin. Man-ufacturing takes place in Wigan,in the UK.

The Bloodhound will be assem-bled in Bristol and the project teamwants to roll it out in December2011. For the first tests, up to 200mph, the car will use a runway inthe UK. Then the team will moveto Hakskeen Pan in South Africa,where the ground surface is analkali layer, which has the requiredfirmness and flatness. After a seriesof trials, Noble hopes to establishthe new record in 2012.

Before that, they “may welldiscover unknown phenomena,”

Noble warned, pointing out, forexample, that the wheels will bespinning at 10,500 rpm. However,every hurdle will spur interestfrom the pupils and students fol-lowing the project, he said. “Theywill want to understand what hasgone wrong,” he explained.

The project was set up withUK government support (nofinancial support, though) toencourage young people to seekcareers in aerospace, where some60 percent of the workforce is dueto retire in the next 20 years,Noble commented. The estimatedtotal budget of the project is in the$20- to $23 million range. So far,the Bloodhound team has spentabout $4 million and it is lookingfor additional funding. �

The Emivest Aerospace SJ30 ondisplay in the Farnborough Busi-ness Aircraft Park promotes itsinner chameleon which can turnthe jet from VIP transport to airambulance with a “quick-fit” med-ical interior in about three hours.

Designed by Lifeport, a med-ical interior specialist owned bySikorsky, the SJ30 medevac inte-rior includes a seamless floor,advanced life-support systemsand an access ramp for loadingpatient gurneys into the cabin.The specialized interior is a$196,000 option that is intendedfor change out with the twinjet’sstandard five-passenger executiveseating layout.

Plenty of business jets and tur-boprops can be converted for use asaeromedical transports, but theSJ30 is suited to the role better thanmost, said Hamish Harding, chair-

man of Action Aviation, the SJ30’sworldwide distributor. “When apatient is in need of an air ambu-lance, they are already experiencinga high level of stress and anxiety,”he said. “The SJ30, with its abilityto maintain sea-level cabin pressureto 41,000 feet, provides the idealcomfortable environment” for long-range missions.

Comfort isn’t the SJ30’s only

advantage. The $7 million jet hasa top speed of 486 knots, a rangeof 2,500 nm and excellent fueleconomy, meaning it can trans-port critical-care patients in theshortest time possible over longdistances for less cost than otherjets in its category. “The cost permile of the SJ30 as an air ambu-lance is probably the lowest in theindustry due to the low fuel burnper mile and the high cruisespeeds,” Harding said.

The SJ30’s specific range–based on nautical miles traveledper pound of fuel burned–is simi-lar to those of the Cessna CitationMustang and Embraer Phenom100 very light jets. �


� London Heliport Opens New TerminalThe new passenger terminal at the London Heliport opened

just in time for the Farnborough airshow. Managed by businessaviation services group PremiAir, the terminal is described as a“major improvement” on the original facilities, which were built in1959. A new luxury hotel is due to open next to the terminal inSeptember. Both the hotel and heliport are owned by PremiAir’sparent company, von Essen.

� Bombardier Plans Service Network in AsiaHaving long recognized the importance of developing a strong

presence in the Asia-Pacific region and the recent rapid growth inthe area’s aviation market, Bombardier Aerospace plans to invest$30 million as a first step in building a comprehensive hub-and-spoke service network. Support will be centered in China, withcomplementary facilities throughout the region.

‘We expect our [Asia-Pacific] fleet to grow significantly over thenext five years,” said James Hoblyn, Bombardier president ofcustomer services and specialized and amphibious aircraft. Byyear-end, the OEM plans to open a parts depot in China tosupport facilities in Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney and Singapore.

� Bell Strengthens Collaboration with NRCThe National Research Council Canada (NRC) and Bell Helicopter

have signed a 10-year framework agreement to identify andundertake work of mutual interest in the research and developmentof technology solutions. John McDougall, NRC president (left), andMichael Kohler, president Bell Helicopter Canada, signed theframework agreement here. With this pact, the two organizations will

continue their productive relationship well into the future, they said.Projects include the continued exploration of the use of compositematerials for aircraft structures. Flight testing of new avionicssystems is under way, and wind-tunnel testing of proposed designmodifications is slated to begin in the fall of this year.

� Noranco Nets Spirit AeroSystems ContractCanadian manufacturer Noranco has been awarded a long-

term contract from Spirit AeroSystems of Wichita, Kansas, toprovide wing box components for the Boeing 737NG airliner.Noranco is a leading manufacturer of fixed- and rotary-wingaircraft aerostructures, landing-gear components and assemblies,and sheet metal fabrications. The contract covers an eight-yearperiod from 2010 through 2017. The components will bemanufactured at Noranco’s Pickering division, one of threedivisions in the Greater Toronto area.

Noranco (Hall 4 Stand C18) also picked up another newcontract here, this one from Honeywell Aerospace for themanufacture and assembly of forward and aft bypass ducts on theHTF7500E engine–a deal estimated to be worth $7 million annually.at peak production rates.

NEWS CLIPS

Emivest’s SJ30 in theBusiness Air Park hereat Farnborough has aquick-change interiorthat can switchbetween a VIP and amedical configurationin about three hours.

Bloodhound aims for Mach 1.4

Quick-change SJ30goes from VIP to EMSby Stephen Pope

by Thierry Dubois

Bloodhound SSC project team director Richard Noble and Mark Abbey, marketingand business director of Hampson, said they hope their car, which is powered by anEJ200 turbojet engine and a Falcon rocket, will reach 1,000 mph.

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ProMexico, the governmentagency in charge of promotingtrade and investment for Mexicoheld a seminar here at the Farn-borough airshow to promote the“Hecho en México” (“Made inMexico”) label, highlighting thebenefits of building factoriesand maintenance workshops, aswell as research-and-development(R&D) offices in that country.ProMexico officials claim thelocale compares favorably withChina if all costs are factored in.The number of aerospace compa-nies established in Mexico isgrowing very fast, it said, risingfrom 193 in 2008 to a projected300 this year.

According to Eduardo MedinaMora, ambassador from Mexicoto the UK, time to market for aNorth American or a Europeancompany wanting to create amanufacturing facility in a lower-labor-cost country is shorter inMexico than in China.

ProMexico documents don’thide from the fact training ismore expensive in Mexico thanin the U.S., however, because of such factors as the language

barrier and possible differencesin education levels. However,the situation may be much morecomplicated in China, theyindicated, starting with findingexpats who speak excellentChinese–a rare and expensivecommodity.

Addressing its aviation indus-try, Luis Olive, ProMexico’s headofficer for international trade andinvestment, said Bombardier’sassembly line for the Learjet 85business jet composite fuselagewill be ready by year-end. Foraircraft parts manufacturing, hesaid, Mexico claims its 2008 costindex stood at 77.8, while that ofthe U.S. was 100, and Germany’sand Japan’s each were 113.

Manufacturing and assemblyranks first in the country’s aero-space business, at almost 80percent, he added. Engineeringservices and R&D account for10 percent, while maintenance,repair and overhaul accounts forthe remaining 10 percent.

Citing statistics, Olive said70,000 technicians and 13,000engineers graduate from Mexicanuniversities every year. The aero-

space industry there employed27,000 people in 2008, up from20,000 in 2007 and 10,000 in2006, he said, adding that Mexi-can aerospace exports amountedto $3.1 billion in 2008.

ProMexico insists on “sim-plicity of operation,” the agencysaid, explaining, for example, thattime involved in opening a busi-ness there averages only 13 dayscompared with 37 in China (andsix in the U.S.). It also reported

that the corporate tax rate in2009-2010 stood at 30 percent,against 25 percent in China and40 percent in the U.S.

According to a ProMexicospokesperson, the relationship thatmanufacturing industries havewith unions is “friendly.” As forthe crime scene, the agencyreported that the homicide rate isonly slightly above that of the U.S.

During the show, in addition toother deals, ProMexico (Hall 3

Stand D16) has presided overthe signing of memorandums ofunderstanding to strengthencooperation between the MexicanAerospace Industry Federationand the Flemish AerospaceGroup, as well as with the UK’saerospace agency ADS.

Also of significance was itsannouncement of the 2011launch of the Mexican SpaceAgency, which is to be based at Guadalajara. �


Thanks to a business-friendly climate and wages that are at least 20-percent lower than that in the U.S., aerospace companies areincreasingly moving work to Mexico. In fact, an aerospace cluster has formed in the Mexican city of Queretaro, where Bombardier,Hawker Beechcraft, Sikorsky, Embraer and other companies have set up facilities.

Mexico highlights itsbusiness-friendly side

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GROB, ELBIT TEAM ON G-120TP TRAINER

German aircraft manufacturer Grob Aircraft and Elbit Systems, theIsraeli specialist in electronic defense, have signed several agreementsto partner in the development of a new family of trainer aircraft calledthe G-120TP. The aircraft will be based on a modular concept, whichwill result in one aircraft in three different configurations: side-by-side,tandem-seat and a four-seat models. All three will maintain maximumcommonality, thus guaranteeing high operating cost effectiveness.

The G-120TP will be manufactured and marketed by Grob andwill feature an Elbit avionics suite, which includes a glass cockpit with a high level of mission simulation capability incorporating virtualtactical training. –G.G.E

Launching the new Grob/Elbit G-120TP trainer family here at the Farnborough showare (from right): Andre Hiebeler, Grob CEO; Yoram Shmuely, Elbit Systems’Aerospace Division general manager; and Menachem Bargev, vice president ofElbit’s Aircraft Upgrades.

Etihad CEO James Hogan (right) takes ceremonial delivery of the first A330-200F Freighter from Airbus president and CEO Tom Enders.

TIME FOR A WINNER

On Monday evening, Police ConstableHelen Thomas was picked as one of the win-ners of a Breitling watch. The Soldiers,Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) hasteamed up with watchmaker Breitling and israffling one of their chronometers each dayduring the airshow. SSAFA is also takingdonations here at Farnborough.

Police Constable Helen Armstrong (center) won aBreitling watch here at Farnborough.

ETIHAD TAKES DELIVERYOF FIRST A330 FREIGHTER

Launch customer Etihad Airwaystook delivery of the first AirbusA330-200F Freighter at a ceremonyon Tuesday here at the Farnboroughairshow. The aircraft, which can haulup to 70 metric tons of cargo, willenter service with Etihad’s cargobusiness, Etihad Crystal Cargo, inSeptember. It is on display for theduration of the airshow, after which itwill undertake final pre-deliverypreparations by Airbus in Toulouse.M

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Every day, military personnel worldwide count on Rockwell Collins to provide the technology UAVs require

to effectively operate in manned and unmanned airspace. From advanced flight control, navigation,

communication, and sensor systems to a worldwide support network, we provide the critical solutions

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Visit us at the 2010 Farnborough Air Show, Hall 4, Stand F-9.

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Lockheed Martin may befocusing a large proportion of itspromotional efforts on the F-35Joint Strike Fighter, but the com-pany insists there is still a lot oflife left in the F-16 and thatproduction could continue along-side that of the F-35 for someyears. Meanwhile, the companyhas outlined a sustainment andsupportability plan that projectsto at least 2040.

In what has been the world’slargest international industrialprogram, Lockheed Martin andits partners have delivered morethan 4,400 F-16s in 132 distinctvariants. The F-16 is the back-bone of U.S. airpower and thetype has flown 57 percent of theoperational sorties in the Central

Command theater. The customerbase spans 25 nations, and 14among them have notched up 53follow-on buys. The worldwidefleet has racked up more than 14million flying hours.

Orders for the F-16 currentlystand at 4,520, with backlog of86. This takes F-16 productionthrough to May 2013. Pakistanreceived its first three of 18 new aircraft last month, whileMorocco is due to receive its firstnext year. Other outstandingorders are for Egypt and Turkey.

Bill McHenry, director ofbusiness development for the F-16, estimates that between 100and 200 more new-build aircraftcould be added to the currentorder book. As well as further

follow-on orders, Lockheed Mar-tin is marketing the aircraft toseveral new nations, the mostimportant of which is India,where the F-16IN, based on theAPG-80 AESA-equipped Block60, is one of six competitors forthe medium multi-role combataircraft (MMRCA) competition.Other prospects include Romania,as a follow-on to a proposedbatch of used F-16s, and Iraq. Aspart of the latter nation’s rebuild-ing, there is a stated requirementfor an ultimate force of 96 fight-ers, and the F-16 is a leadingcandidate in both new-build andsecondhand form.

With more than 3,000 F-16sin service worldwide, LockheedMartin has put in place a sustain-ment roadmap to keep the F-16viable for another three decadesat least, but will not change theshape. “We don’t see a need forany aerodynamic changes,” saidMcHenry. “Nine G is doing justfine, and there’s no need to gobeyond.” There are structuralissues as aircraft age, however,and various life-extension pro-grams are either in place orbeing examined.

More important is a technol-ogy insertion path to maintainthe F-16 in the front line asfifth-generation fighters begin toproliferate. AESA radars are oneobvious answer to keeping the F-16 at the cutting edge, as are the provision of low-probability-of-intercept datalink throughwhich information can flowbetween F-16s and later-genera-tion fighters in a networkedbattlespace. A continuing core-computer capability upgrade pathprovides the processing power tohandle increased amounts of data,while the F-16 will adopt newweapons to maintain the increasein precision targeting. �


Plenty of life is leftfor exported F-16

GKN exploring rangeof new technologies

by David Donald

Pakistan is currently receiving 18 Advanced Block 52 F-16s, the first of which were delivered last month.

Ilyushin Finance Co. has signed a memorandum of understandingto buy 50 of Irkut’s MC-21 airliners. The deal was sealed here yester-day by Irkut CEO Oleg Demchenko (left) and his counterpart atIlyushin Finance, Aleksandr Rubtsov.

GOLDEN ORDER FOR IRKUT’S MC-21

GKN Aerospace is here atFarnborough with news that it isworking to develop new tech-nologies, materials and processes,and to determine how they maybe used over the next decade.Composites constitute a majorarea of materials development, aspokesman said, notably to drivedown costs and increase the speedof manufacture. Damage protec-tion and repair techniques willalso become increasingly impor-tant for composites structures,while there is considerable scopefor expanding their use in struc-tures and engines

Regarding metallic structures,GKN is researching a range ofideas, such as robotics, cutting andjoining processes and machining,with the aim of reducing materialconsumption by some 50 percent

while improving speed and qual-ity, especially in the enginessector. It also is highlighting nichedevelopments, such as ice-protec-tion research using fiberoptics,improved electrothermal tech-niques and detection technologies.

Coatings are another area inwhich GKN Aerospace hasexpertise, and the company isresearching various coatings thatcould offer benefits in terms ofice-phobic performance anddamage detection, as well asdimmable and conductive coat-ings for transparencies. GKNAerospace is also investigatingacoustic liners and other tech-nologies to reduce engine noise,in line with the 50-percent reduc-tion target laid out by theAdvisory Council for Aeronau-tics Research in Europe. �

ASIAN AEROSPACE 2011 BOOSTS KEY SECTORSLion dancers from Hong Kong were in Hall 4 yesterday promoting

the next Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress, whichreturns to Hong Kong’s Asia World Expo from March 8 to 10, 2011.Several major aircraft and engine manufacturers, airlines and engi-neering companies have already signed up to exhibit, leading the500-plus companies expected.

New for 2011 is the formation of the China Advisory Board,embracing senior past management from Comac, Avic, Air Chinaand the Ministry of Transportation, as well as representatives fromthe China Civil Aviation Maintenance Association, who will provideadvice and guidance on engaging the aviation community in China.

For the first time at Asian Aerospace, there will be a dedicatedexhibition area at the Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre to com-plement the static display and hospitality chalets. Asian Aerospace2011 (Hall 4 Stand D8) will also focus on pilot and maintenancetraining. Special activities are planned around the show tocelebrate 100 years of powered flight in Hong Kong. �

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Airbus is mulling a fourthA320 engine option as a tactic inits single-aisle product strategy,which is expected to lead to anall-new design for service entryin 2025 or soon after. The Euro-pean manufacturer’s deliberationsare taking place in the broadercontext of company-wide plans tofocus on core competencies andto establish additional avenues ofinterest, according to future pro-grams and strategy senior vicepresident Ian Dawkins, speakingbefore he took a new position lastmonth as chief executive ofOnAir, the Airbus/SITA cabincommunications joint venture.

Dawkins told a press briefing inearly May that Airbus is seekingpartners to drive a move away fromAirbus handling “elementary”processes, while retaining overallbusiness management. “Our long-term strategy is not just off-loadingwork,” he explained. “We want tokeep control and master overalldevelopment processes.”

The company intends to inte-grate all activities, including itsmilitary business, while establish-ing major aerostructures and cabininterior suppliers as it extends itsinternational engineering foot-print. This global expansion in-volves setting up U.S. final assem-bly capacity “irrespective of the[U.S. Air Force] tanker decision.”

Looking AheadBeyond current aircraft related

services, Airbus aspires to offersupport capacity “all around theaircraft,” in areas such as air traf-fic management, airline solutionsand training, as well as distribu-tion and material management.The company’s strategy in thisdirection comprises three ap-proaches: expansion of its existingbusiness, external growth throughacquisitions in key sectors, aswell as internal and naturalorganic growth. The last wouldsee Airbus branching out intosectors such as cabin interior andsystem upgrades, consulting ac-tivities and software interests.

Innovation will drive long-termstrategy in three areas, accordingto Dawkins: industrial organiza-tion, product policy and servicesrequired by the industry. He said akey factor in working out themanufacturer’s future will be act-ing at the right time. “We do notwant to ‘go’ too early,” he said.

This does not mean Airbus isnot thinking about tomorrow.

Looking at the immediate future,John Leahy, chief operating offi-cer for customers, was char-acteristically optimistic, seeing–atworst–zero change in interna-tional passenger traffic trends thisyear, followed by 6- to 7-percentgrowth next year. A best-case sce-nario allows for nearly a 5-per-cent increase this year. In thelonger, 15-year term, the manu-facturer’s market forecast predictsthat traffic will double and thatglobal growth over 30 years willaverage 4.7 percent.

But whatever the averagetrend, are manufacturers facingthe familiar rollercoaster as deliv-eries chase economic cycles?Leahy suggested this is not thecase. Rather he foresees greaterstability, a point missed by someforecasters who mistakenly pre-dicted 2009 shipments would falldramatically, echoing the down-turn that followed the recession inthe early 2000s. Now, accordingto Leahy, doomsayers see adelayed fall occurring this year orin 2011. But, “they’re still notright,” he said.

Leahy claimed that Airbus andBoeing have learned from the pastand have disengaged from thecycle that tied delivery rates toeconomic trends. He said Airbusdeliveries stayed flat during theperiod 1999-2004 as the companysought a stable backlog, comparedwith Boeing shipments that fol-lowed volatile economic trends–first rising steeply before declining.The U.S. manufacturer has sincefollowed Airbus’s model.

Deliveries vs. BacklogAnalysis of deliveries versus

order backlog shows Airbus witha 1:5 ratio in the 15-year period1990-2004, which gave it aboutfive years’ work in hand at anygiven time. For Boeing, the rela-tionship was 1:3.3, albeit withsomewhat less stability, accordingto Leahy.

Now, the past five years haveseen more moderate deliverytrends. Although airlines remainedkeen to order large numbers ofaircraft in a prolonged shoppingbinge, the two manufacturersacknowledge a practice of “over-booking” that accommodatesprospective cancellations or de-ferred deliveries. Accordingly,Leahy concluded, “The currentcycle will be flat. Solid salesbacklog sustains productionthrough the downturn.”

The Airbus executive pointedout that in spite of high productionrates that saw more than 1,900deliveries in the past two years,airlines have been retiring or oth-erwise withdrawing aircraft, withthe result that the overall fleet hasgrown much less. The 2008-09deliveries were equivalent to al-most 14 percent of the existingfleet of aircraft carrying 100 ormore passengers. In-service air-craft grew in number by less than3 percent, according to Leahy. Thedifferential is accounted for by theretirement or storage of almost1,550 aircraft. According to Air-bus data, these comprised 430“old” designs, 830 “mid-genera-tion” aircraft and 279 “new-generation” units [see box].

The disengagement of newaircraft deliveries from orderbacklogs may not be the onlyestablished link that is being bro-ken. Using industry data andinformation from airlines, Leahypointed out that passenger trafficdevelopments have been trackingglobal GDP trends through therecent recession–from about minus1 percent in September 2008down to nearly minus 4 percent inMarch last year.

Historically, movements in in-ternational scheduled-service pas-senger traffic have followed worldeconomic developments, but usu-ally by a multiple of 1.5–that is, atthe peaks and troughs traffic trendshave been 50 percent greater thantrends in GDP. During 2007,growth in passenger traffic wasaround 6 percent against a 4-per-cent increase in GDP.

Since March 2009, traffic trendsstarted to exceed the economic

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Expanding Regions(2008: 5.7 billion people)

World Air Transport 20-year Average Growth*

Airbus predicts significant growthin air travel in the next two decades,with much of that growth comingfrom developing regions, such asIndia and China.

Airbus examines strategyas new markets emerge

By “disengaging” delivery rates from trends in order backlogs, Airbus should be able to operate with greater stability. Markets in more than50 emerging economies will lead growth in passenger traffic that will drive demand for new aircraft, says the European manufacturer.


by Ian Goold

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Notes: *per year; **Asia excludes India, China and Japan Source: AirbusContinued on page 36 �

The Shrinking FleetAccording to Airbus data, in the last two years, airlines have retired

or withdrawn some 1,550 aircraft from their fleets. They are comprised of:

Number Category Type

430 Old designs Airbus A300BBoeing 707, 727, 737-100/-200; 747-100/200Lockheed L-1011 TriStar

830 Mid-generation

McDonnell Douglas DC-8, DC-9, DC-10Airbus A300-600, A310 Boeing 737-300/-400/-500, 757, 767, 747-300Fokker 100

279 New generation

McDonnell Douglas MD-80, MD-90, MD-11Airbus A320 series, A330, A340 Boeing 717 (MD-95), 737NG, 747-400, 777Embraer ERJ 190

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cycle, with both showing increasesafter about a year of continualdecline. By the end of 2010’s firstquarter, passenger traffic growthwas 4 percent, around one per-centage point above GDP growth.

Leahy also declared he isencouraged by cargo and tradedevelopments, with freight traffic“recovering quickly.” The air cargobusiness established pattern ofleading general economic trendssaw that segment decline in early2008 and finishing that year wellover 20 percent down on late 2007.Likewise, it picked up earlier thanoverall global trade and was backin the black about nine monthsago, followed three months later byworld GDP. This year freight traf-fic has performed well, beginningApril one quarter up on levels 12months earlier, according to Leahy.

Expansion in the EastLooking forward, he said India

and China, ahead of other devel-oping nations, will lead commer-cial airline expansion. Breakingdown the passenger market by re-gion, Leahy reported that, takentogether, more than 50 “emergingeconomies” (comprising all areasexcept Japan, North America andWestern Europe) are enjoyingdouble-digit growth. He said April2010 OAG data indicates passen-ger traffic in these markets was up13.5 percent over the equivalentfigure a year earlier.

Indeed, year-on-year growth inthese economies was not alwayspositive through the recent worldrecession, but it boasted almost16-percent growth in February2010. This compares with U.S.and Western Europe markets thatin April 2010 had seen negativegrowth for more than 20 straightmonths. Immediately after this,international passenger trafficoperations were hit by the effectsof volcanic ash over the NorthAtlantic and Europe.

Finally, Leahy said that overthe coming 20 years India andChina will see annual economicgrowth of 8.7 percent and 7.2percent, respectively (see chartson page 26). The rest of Asia(minus those two countries andthe developed economy inJapan) will grow at 5.9 percenta year, he said. “Air transport isstill emerging in 85 percent ofthe world,” concluded the Air-bus executive. �


Airbus examinesmarket strategy�Continued from page 34

TEXT NOW, BUY LATER

When you see this sign at a Farnborough International exhibitionstand, it means you can send a text message or e-mail to the exhibitor torequest further information or follow up via your mobile phone.Exhibitors registered ahead of the show to take advantage of this mar-keting service, paying a £150 fee in the hope of receiving so-called“warm leads” from prospective clients who might not have the time towait for a company representative to be free at a busy stand or may sim-ply prefer to make contact after the show. �

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Canadian company Viking Airand Moscow-based Vityaz AviaCorp. have signed a memorandumof understanding for the potentialdevelopment of a final assemblyfacility in eastern Russia for thenew Twin Otter 400.

Viking would establish qual-ity, maintenance and trainingprocedures and the facilitywould also potentially become afactory endorsed service center(FESC) and Series 400 trainingcomplex, once the type has beenintroduced in the territory.Viking Air launched the DHC-6Twin Otter Series 400 produc-tion program in 2007.

Here at the Farnboroughshow yesterday, Viking receivedthe Canadian type certificate forthe new Twin Otter. The firstexample is being delivered toZimex Aviation.

Viking Air has also enteredinto a multi-year agreement withAvtrak of Colorado, for the useof the Avtrak Globalnet platformto assist operators with theirmaintenance management needs.The program, known as VikingMX, will be managed by AircraftTechnical Liaison and Support

(ATLAS), Viking’s customer sup-port division.

The International Civil AviationOrganization, acting on behalf ofthe government of Argentina andthe Argentine Aeronautic Adminis-tration (AAA), has awarded VikingAir the maintenance contract foroverhaul of the second of eightDHC-6 Twin Otter Series 200operated by the AAA. The workwill be carried out at the Argentine

air force base at Quilmes (BuenosAires) and will encompass a heavymaintenance visit, including com-pletion of C-check, installation ofuprated engines and a new avion-ics suite, and incorporation ofapplicable Airworthiness Direc-tives and Service Bulletins.Viking’s representatives willsupervise, instruct and trainArgentine air force personnel tocarry out the work. –G.G.E.

www.ainonline.com • July 21, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa37

Celebrating the Twin Otter Series 400 Canadian certification (l-r): Viking Aerospacevice president Robert Mauracher, Western Canada economic diversification ministerLynn Yelich, Transport Canada director of civil aviation David Nowzeck, Zimex Aviationmanaging director Hugo Kopp and Viking president and CEO David Curtis.

Twin Otters, made in Russia? NEWS CLIPS

� China Airlines Opts for V2500 EnginesInternational Aero Engines has boosted its orderbook with China

Southern Airlines by approximately $600 million with a repeat orderfor the V2500 to power a new fleet of 20 Airbus A320 family aircraft.The contract includes a long-term IAE Aftermarket Servicesagreement. China Southern has opted to upgrade its entire V2500-A5 fleet to V2500 SelectOne standard as part of the deal. In anotherrepeat order, Vietnam Airlines has ordered V2500s to power 36new Airbus A321s in a deal worth more than $700 million.

� First Customer for New International Black HawkThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has become

the launch customer for the new S-70i, the latest model in thecelebrated Black Hawk helicopter line. The ministry has signed afirm contract for three and has taken options on another 12aircraft. Delivery of the first helicopter is scheduled for early 2011and will be used on transport, border protection and other missions.

The new S-70i was developed for the international market andincludes the latest technology with advanced features such as afully integrated digital cockpit with a dual digital automatic flightcontrol system and coupled flight director. It also features anactive vibration control system. The S-70i uses a global supplychain and is the first Black Hawk assembled in Europe. PZLMielec, a Sikorsky company in Poland, has been established asthe hub of the S-70i program for international customers. The firstflight of the S-70i took place on July 1 at the Sikorskydevelopment flight center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

� Liebherr-Aerospace Gains Further Work in ChinaLiebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg has been selected by

Commercial Aircraft Co. of China (Comac) to develop, supply andservice the landing gear system for the new single-aisle C919 jetfamily. This work, which includes the main landing gear andnosewheel, extension and retraction system, nosewheel steering,and position and warning system, will be undertaken in a jointventure with the Chinese AVIC company Landing-gear AdvancedManufacturing (LAMC), based at Changsha in the Hunan province.Liebherr-Aerospace is already participating in the C919 with thecomplete air management system, developed and supplied bysister company Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS. Liebherr-Aerospace is already on board the ARJ21 regional jet programwith the landing gear and air management systems.

� Boeing Adds Dominator To MALE SolutionsThe Boeing Co. has signed a memorandum of understanding

with Israel’s Aeronautics to market the DA42 Dominator unmannedaircraft system (UAS), which is based on the Diamond DA42 lightpiston twin built by Diamond Aircraft of Austria. The DA42 UAS isdesigned for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissancemissions with an all-composite construction that providesdurability, reduced maintenance and lower aircraft weight toenhance mission endurance.

“The medium-altitude, long-endurance [MALE] portion of theunmanned systems market is expanding as the world’s armedforces acquire a variety of vehicles for use in current conflicts andfuture missions,” said Chris Chadwick, president of BoeingMilitary Aircraft. “By collaborating with Aeronautics to market theDA42 Dominator, Boeing is able to offer a wider range of MALEsolutions to customers, both domestically and internationally.”

� Cable To Chair Aerospace Leadership GroupDr. Vince Cable, Britain’s secretary of state for business,

innovation and skills, announced here at Farnborough that he is to chair the UK’s Aerospace Leadership Group that will holdregular meetings to focus on strategic issues facing the nation’saerospace sector. Other members of the group are Sir Kevin Smith(GKN), Sir John Rose (Rolls-Royce), Tom Williams (Airbus) andAlberto de Benedictis (Finmeccanica). Supporting the group is the Aerospace Growth Partnership, to be chaired by Mark Prisk,minister of business, innovation and skills.

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Ankara-based Turkish AerospaceIndustries rolled out a new tacticalmedium-altitude, long-endurance(MALE) UAV last Friday. NamedAnka, the UAV has been developedto answer the Turkish armed forces’TIHA (tactical UAV) requirement,but is also to be offered for export.

The Anka has a 3,300-poundmaximum takeoff weight, 1,100pounds of which are fuel and 440pounds are payload, although thelatter can be increased at theexpense of the other. It has a 24-hour maximum endurance and

service ceiling of 30,000 feet, andfeatures retractable undercarriage.The UAV includes an IMS-suppliedice protection system, and is pow-ered, at least in prototype form, by a155-hp Thielert heavy fuel engine.Alternative powerplants are anoption, and Turkish Engine Indus-tries may become involved.

A complete Anka system com-prises three air vehicles, radar-based(with differential GPS backup)automatic takeoff and landingsystem, a ground data terminal,transportable image exploitation

station, ground control station andpower generator. There is also aportable video terminal capabilityto allow soldiers to receivestreamed imagery in the field. TheGCS is accommodated in a stan-dard NATO ACE III shelter, and hastwo switchable operator consoles.

TAI (Hall 3 Stand C4) hasdeveloped a dual-redundant, high-rate datalink, the antenna for whichis mounted under the rear fuselage.This gives a 200-kilometer line ofsight range, but that could beextended through re-broadcaststations. The current requirementdoes not call for satellite commu-nications, but the vehicle has beendesigned to incorporate a satcomantenna in the forward upperfuselage if required.

The TIHA program began witha development contract in Decem-ber 2004. The UAV underwent itscritical design review in June2009, and the prototype was rolledout just over a year later. TAI isplanning to fly the vehicle for thefirst time in October, and it is oncourse to achieve IOC with Asel-san’s AselFlir 300T EO/IR (electro-optical/infrared payload) in Sep-tember next year. Full operationalcapability, which adds an Aselsansynthetic aperture radar/groundmoving target indicator/movingtarget indicator radar, is expectedin December 2012. �

Turkish Aero unveils the Anka from Ankaraby David Donald

The first Anka air vehicle is seen during itsunveiling ceremony in Turkey last Friday.

Pg-37-d3_v3.qxp 7/20/10 3:44 PM Page 1

Boeing executives basking inthe reflected glory of the 787Dreamliner’s world debut at theFarnborough airshow have failedto give clear assurances aboutexactly when and how the tortur-ous route to certification and firstdeliveries will finally be com-pleted. Having revealed last weeka possible fresh delay that couldpush back initial deliveries into2011, the airframer would notelaborate on the exact status of theprogram at a press briefing here atFarnborough even though the lat-est issues could make the programlate by at least 32 months.

Boeing Commercial Airplanessales vice president Marlin Dai-ley said he “can’t wait” to take hisfirst 787 commercial flight, whichcould happen in early 2011,although Boeing first must com-plete certification of the newtwin-aisle twinjet, which returnedto Seattle last night. Formal U.S.Federal Aviation Administrationairworthiness approval of the air-craft must precede delivery of aninitial airplane to launch customerAll Nippon Airways (ANA). Firstdelivery was originally scheduledfor May 2008 before the programencountered a succession of hur-dles, partly driven by Boeing’s

adoption of new technologies andmaterials and a large proportionof outsourced supplies.

Now the manufacturer’s marginfor error is close to nil, as it accom-modates further delays associatedwith changes to flight-test instru-ment configuration, according to787 vice president and programmanager Scott Fancher. That, andrecent inspection work involving“quality issues” (such as thosefound in the airplane’s Alenia-sup-plied horizontal stabilizers) couldpush first delivery into very earlypart 2011. “And we’ve seen a hand-ful of other things that are kind ofthe normal course of business. Thiswas kind of a cumulative effect onthe margin recently,” said Fancher.

Chief project engineer MikeSinnett was very coy here yester-day about the prospective timingfor certification. “We’re doingperformance testing and FAAdemonstration. I can’t say howmuch we’ve completed [but] thehard bit–the bulk of the risk–isbehind us.”

Despite this, Sinnett was unableto confirm that certification wasexpected before the end of theyear. He acknowledged Boeing’srecent notice that delivery couldslip into next year, saying that

communication had included anallowance to accommodate any“pop-ups.” Any such delay couldbe exacerbated in the event thatthere were additional pop-ups,said Sinnett, who said that there“no killers” among flight-testitems awaiting clearance.

John Roundhill, a former BCAvice president of product devel-opment who was recently recalledfrom retirement to serve in a senioradvisory group to chief executiveJim Albaugh, is “absolutely excited”at the step change offered in the 787package and “absolutely thrilled”at the progress of the project,program delays notwithstanding.

For Fancher, having the aircrafthere for three days provided theproof of the pudding. “The 787 isthe airplane we’ve been talkingabout–it’s real. We’re proud of theteam and we’re proud of the air-plane that we have created.”

No one in the industry wouldrefute the feel-good effect of hav-ing the Dreamliner here at theFarnborough show. But unlessBoeing can be more convincingabout how it will get the aircraftdown the final straight to serviceentry, some will go home fromthis week’s show with lingeringdoubts about the program. �


787 shines at F’boro, but doubts linger

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Envious eyes may be on thelatest fighters flying here at Farn-borough, but in these fiscallychallenging times the question formany of the world’s air arms isnot what to buy next, but how tokeep their existing equipment flyinglonger. One type that is seen ashaving several years of life left init is the rugged and functionallystill capable Northrop F-5 Tiger II.

To provide support and sustain-

ment activities for the few hun-dred F-5s that are still inoperational service, NorthropGrumman Technical Services hasjoined forces with Astronauticsand Switzerland’s Ruag Aviationto form what it calls the UltimateTiger Team. All three companieshave extensive experience of theF-5–more than 50 years, in thecases of Northrop and Astronau-tics–but now they have joined

together to offer an integratedapproach, leveraging the capabili-ties inherent in each company.

Northrop Grumman is the type’sOEM and has intimate knowledgeof the structural challengesinvolved. The F-5 was built in sucha way that structural enhancementscan be achieved relatively easily.On its own admission, the companydid focus its attention elsewherefor some time, but now is keen tore-engage with the F-5 market.Astronautics has provided instru-ments, displays, computers andother components throughout theF-5’s long career, while RuagAerospace assembled and sup-ported the F-5s for the Swiss airforce, as well as providing servicesupport for other customers.

The team sees a continuingfuture for the F-5. “We know fromour experience with the Swiss air-craft that, if it is maintained andlooked after properly, it can lastfor another two decades,” assertedWalter Paukner, Ruag Aerospace’sgeneral manager. For F-5 operators,the formation of the team and itsdeclared long-term commitmentto the type, can only be goodnews at a time when they maybegin to worry about how longthe Tiger will be supported.“We’re in it for life,” stressed DanWade from Astronautics. �

Keeping theTigers flying

The United States remains one of the largest F-5 users through the U.S. Navy’sadversary program.

ATR took orders for 42 aircraftand options for a further 72 dur-ing the first six months of thisyear. The Franco-Italian regionalairliner manufacturer announcedall of these twin turboprop trans-actions in one batch here at theFarnborough show.

Formally identified for the firsttime as 2010 customers are AzulLinhas Aereas and Air Lease,which have signed for 20 ATR72-600s (and taken options on afurther 20) and 10 ATR72-600s(and 10 options), respectively. ATRhas confirmed pairs of ATR72-500s ordered in the same period byLao Airlines and Golden Air.

Brazilian regional airline Azul’s$850 million deal (includingoptions) makes it the first LatinAmerican customer for any Series600 ATR design. When deliveriesbegin late next year, the aircraft will

be used to continue expansion of itsdomestic network, a growth initi-ated with Embraer regional jets.Also scheduled for delivery in late2011 are the ATR72-600s orderedby newly formed Air Lease.

Lao has operated ATR equip-ment since 1994 and will receivethe two new machines later this yearas the airline completes renewalof its fleet, which now has beenexpanded to four ATR72-500s.

Swedish operator Golden Airwill take its two ATR72-500s nextmonth and in October. The newaircraft will fly for Finnishregional Blue 1, which alreadyemploys three other Golden Airaircraft on its SAS feeder serv-ices. Danish lessor NordicAviation Capital has acquiredseven used ATR 42s from themanufacturer in a fourth deal withATR in 10 months. –I.G.

Air Lease founder and CEO Steven Udvar-Hazy (left) and ATR CEO Filippo Bagnato toasta deal for 20 ATR72-600s and options for another equal amount.

would be available from 2015,she said. These include the en-closed weapons pod, which wouldbe carried on the centerline sta-tion, and may possibly be par-tially faired into the fuselage. It issized for four AIM-120 AM-RAAMs, but can also take air-to-ground weapons. According toMike Gibbons, the Boeing F/A-18 program manager, an elementof stealth was already designedinto the Super Hornet. “We in-serted some offerings from ourJoint Strike Fighter proposal, interms of shaping and materials,”he said in St Louis last month.Stealth on the aircraft is comple-mented by the active electronicwarfare system, he added.

Conformal fuel tanks canstraddle the upper fuselage, andconfer an additional 10 percent

range, according to Lavender. Anenhanced performance engine(EPE) version of the GE F414would provide a 20-percent in-crease in thrust. India has re-quested this extra power. The finaltwo enhancements on offer are aninternal IRST (infrared searchand track) system, carried in thenose, and a spherical missile andlaser warning system, housedabove and (presumably also)below the airplane.

With a “hot” production linelikely to be secured until at least2015, thanks to the 124 aircraft forthe U.S. Navy that are now beingnegotiated as a third multi-year buy,Boeing is confident of securing fu-ture exports of the Super Hornet.To date, only Australia has bought,and deliveries are underway. Theprice of the aircraft currently beingdelivered to the U.S. Navy isroughly $54 million, which indi-cates that the international SuperHornet is “a lower cost platform,”according to Gibbons. �

by David Donald

Super Hornetmods for export�Continued from page 1

First-half ATR sales soarwith deals for 100-plus

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