Farnborough Airshow News 7-20-10

TU ES DA Y

A PUBLICATION OF

An independent publication, solely owned by The Convention News Co., Inc., Midland Park, N.J. July 20, 2010

• Eurofighter partners to fund e-scan radar The Eurofighter Typhoon partner companies today will announce their decision to kick-start, through prefunding, the development of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the four-nation combat aircraft. The driving force behind this move is the Indian air force competition for 126 AESA-equipped fighters. Page 14

• ATR cabins get a makeover ATR has turned on the Italian style to give the cabins of its regional airliners a new look and feel. And the airframer has been ringing in the changes in the cockpit, too, with help from Thales. Page 24

Airlines boost backlogs by the billion

by Ian Goold Jumbo-sized airliner orders came back into fashion on the first day of the 2010 Farnborough airshow as Boeing and Airbus led the charge to seal new deals. Other leading airframers, including Embraer, Sukhoi and Bombardier, followed suit in a wave of new business reported throughout today’s edition of Farnborough Airshow News.

Emirates Airline got the ball rolling when it gave Boeing a $9.1 billion contract for 30 more 777-300ERs. Later in the day, Norwegian Air Shuttle chipped in with a $1.15 billion order for 15 narrowbody 737-800s.

Leasing group GECAS also ordered 40 Boeing 737-700s, -800s and -900s valued at $3 billion.

Never willingly outdone in the airshow orders stakes, Airbus GECAS committed to 60 firm orders for A320s.

At list prices, this business is nominally Continued on page 61

DAVID MCINTOSH

INSIDE...

Vol. 42 No. 18

Etihad Airways’ new Airbus A330-300 freighter touches down to take its prime spot on the Farnborough airshow static display, but it was rival Arabian Gulf carrier Emirates that kick-started the aircraft order machine here yesterday, when it signed a deal with Boeing for 30 more 777-300ERs. Airbus also shared in an impressive first-day orders tally.

Qatar stalls over C Series orders, but buys Globals

• NRC Canada bridges the research gap

• U.S. presence peaks The size and scope of the U.S. Pavilion at the Farnborough airshow has grown so much since its inception in 1996 that it now extends through three of the exhibit halls.

That’s good news because it indicates a resurgence in the North American aerospace sector after a challenging couple of years. Page 50

by Julian Moxon

Giuseppe Orsi, presiding over the unveiling.

“We are unveiling the AW169 here at Farnborough because of the real and exciting potential this aircraft will have for the UK in terms of the market, and industrially.

Our company’s commitment to the UK industrial base, I believe, is widely recognized, and the AW169 is another opportunity for the UK to support and participate in a major new program,” he said.

That opportunity was recognized by the presence of Vince Cable, UK secretary of

Last-minute “commercial issues” connected with the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan engine have proved the stumbling block to the expected Qatar Airways order for Bombardier C Series regional jets at the show.

“We hope our negotiations with Bombardier will be concluded in the not too distant future,” said Qatar group chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker. “We’re having discussions with them with respect to Pratt & Whitney. There are some sensitive issues that we have not resolved yet.”

Announcing a $90 million order for two Bombardier Global 5000s yesterday, Al Baker left little doubt that the C Series remains on the cards for the airline’s planned expansion to regional routes up to three hours away from its new hub at Doha International Airport. “An aircraft of this size is perfect for airlines such as ours,” he said. He added, however, that if Airbus launched a re-engined version of its A318 or A319, “we’d have to think about that.”

The 5,200-nm-range Global 5000s will join a pair of Bombardier Challenger 605s and a single Challenger 300, considerably

Continued on page 61

Continued on page 61

DAVID MCINTOSH

The National Research Council Canada Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC Aerospace) fills an innovation gap between academia and industry. Among its many current projects is icing research on large engines, including studying the effect of ice crystals in the atmosphere and on engines, as well as ice accretion and shedding inside engines. Page 42

AgustaWestland sprung a surprise here yesterday, unveiling a new twin-engine rotorcraft aimed at applications such as law enforcement. It could be partly-built in the UK, but only if the UK generates sales.

AgustaWestland unveils AW169

by David Donald AgustaWestland revealed yet another new helicopter yesterday in Farnborough– the twin-engine, 4.5-metric ton AW169.

Nestling between the GrandNew and AW139 in the company’s product line, the AW169 (shown here as a mockup) is aimed primarily at the government, parapublic and commercial markets, offering an eight- to 10-seat cabin that can be rapidly reconfigured for a variety of roles.

“The AW169 keeps us in line with the latest market needs, and ahead of our competitors,” said AgustaWestland CEO

It’s greener in more ways than one.

The Airbus A380 has earned its reputation as the world’s greenest long-haul jet. But it’s been earning hard dollars at the same time. The moment it entered service, its sheer popularity, combined with the lowest cost per passenger of any large aircraft, has meant more profit, much quicker. Giving its operators a competitive edge in tough times. Simply by introducing A380s on long-haul routes, operators can save millions of dollars a year in cash operating costs, while creating thousands of extra seats. The most exciting plane in the sky is also a proven, working aircraft, making real money, day after day.

airbus.com

Airbus A380. See the bigger picture.

Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks.

New Standards. Together

Farnborough

Airshow News

DAVID MCINTOSH

A400M PROTOTYPE BEARS A NEW NAME

Airbus Military CEO Domingo Ureña-Raso and aerobatic champion Catrine Maunoury christen the A400M as the Grizzly.

So the A400M is now named the Grizzly. Or is it? Upon closer investigation, yesterday’s christening ceremony may not have conferred a definitive moniker on Europe’s new airlifter. Airbus Military spokeswoman Barbara Kracht told AIN that the bearish name applies only to the flight test aircraft. For the moment. “Maybe it will become official, eventually,” she said.

And yes, those large yellow footprints painted all over the show walkways are part of the same story. A spokesperson for the show organizers confirmed to AIN that this was no guerrilla marketing scheme. “Airbus Military asked us for permission to do this about a week ago. We have sold them our tarmac,” she said. The trouble is, if you follow the footprints, you don’t actually “Get Up Close to a Grizzly,” as the painted legend promises.

The A400M in the static park is quite some distance from the nearest marked walkway.

Anyway, what’s wrong with Liftmaster, the name for the A400M that was suggested by now-retired Airbus Military marketing manager David Jennings? No one that AIN spoke to last night even liked the name Grizzly. We think that should give Airbus Military paws for thought.

–C.P.

UK waves flag with Taranis and reviews UCAS alliance

by Chris Pocock The British government is reviewing a security agreement signed previously with the U.S. that could preclude future cooperation with Europe on unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs). Last week’s unveiling of the all-British Taranis stealthy UCAV demonstrator by BAE Systems has brought renewed focus on whether European governments and industry can or should unite to fully develop such a system.

The existence of the agreement was confirmed to AIN by Jonathan Barratt, Team Leader for Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) in the Defence Equipment and Support (DES) organization that is part of the UK Ministry of Defence. Officials at Dassault, which leads the pan-European Neuron UCAV demonstrator program, previously told AIN that when they approached the UK to discuss the possibility of cooperation, “the British were not able to discuss low observables with us because they had signed an exclusive agreement with the U.S.” Barrett said technical knowledge gained from the U.S. could be ring-fenced from any future international collaboration. Further,

know-how. It allows us to bring credible skills to the market,” he said. He confirmed that BAE and partners GE Aviation, QinetiQ and Rolls-Royce had provided £40 million for the Taranis demonstrator program. The British government has provided £142.5 million, up from the original £124.5 million, to extend the project by one year to include additional risk reduction and airborne low-observability measurements. The aircraft will fly next year.

Kershaw said that BAE’s experience in developing autonomous systems could be a key discriminator in any future UCAS fullscale development. But at the Taranis unveiling ceremony, and again at yesterday’s briefing, BAE and government officials carefully noted that human intervention must be a key part of the design.

Can the UK afford to go-it-alone?

Despite the British flag-waving at Warton last week, no one is prepared to say yes.

“It’s a demonstrator. We don’t know what might come out of it,” said Gerald Howarth, UK Minister for International Security Strategy.

he told journalists attending a BAE Systems briefing on the Taranis here yesterday that a program in which two British representatives participated in the Pentagon’s UCAV development programs had ended last year.

It was called Project Churchill and lasted five years, but did not involve any technology development or exchange, he said. “The project discussed the CONOPS [Concepts of Operations], doctrine and through-life costs of a UCAS. Both we and the U.S. side derived great value from it,” he added.

However, Barrett did not rule out future cooperation with the U.S. “We’re exploring all opportunities to collaborate with Europe, or with the U.S. Project Taranis provides us with a good basis to open that dialogue,” he said.

BAE Systems’ strategy and business development director for autoNeuron Reaches the Hardware Stage nomous systems Dave Kershaw While the British are touting their UCAV capabilities to the world, the six delivered the same European countries that have partnered to produce the Neuron UCAV demonmessage. “Taranis strator are quietly getting on with their own tasks. is a catalyst for The five-year, ?400 million program is scheduled to last until 2014, after a technology and first flight in 2012. Unlike the Taranis program, test flights will include the

operation of a purpose-built EO/IR sensor and the dropping of weapons.

France is providing half of the funds, so Dassault is prime contractor and design authority. The other industrial partners are Alenia Aeronautica (Italy); EADS (Spain); HAI (Greece); and Ruag (Switzerland).

Saab program manager Mats Ohlson admitted last month that the Neuron schedule has slipped, but said it was largely the result of additional risk reduction work on low-observability that was performed in the first two years. The program was launched in 2006.

–C.P.

CORRECTION: L-3 FINANCIAL FIGURES

At the Farnborough Airshow AIN is located in Hall 4, Tel: 01252 418 110, E-mail: shows@ainonline.com

In yesterday’s issue of Farnborough Airshow News we incorrectly reported a group-wide drop in sales figures for L-3 of 20 to 25 percent in 2009. In fact, this dip in sales applied only to the company’s commercial business and was of the order of 13 percent. Overall consolidated sales for L-3 grew by 5 percent in 2009 over 2008, largely reflecting the strength of the company’s defense activities. L-3 has indicated that so far this year it expects to achieve consolidated sales growth of around 3 percent. Financial analyst Moody’s upgraded L-3’s credit rating to

investment grade during last year’s turbulent trading conditions.

4aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

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The KAI/Lockheed T-50 is being produced in both trainer and light attack versions for the Republic of Korea Air Force.

For the T-X competition the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 has been redesignated as the T-100.

ROGER BAIN

BAE Systems is likely to base its Hawk offering on the T.Mk 2 that recently entered RAF service.

All eyes focus on U.S. trainer contest

by David Donald Northrop’s venerable T-38 Talon supersonic trainer entered service with the U.S. Air Force in March 1961 and has provided the advanced portion of the service’s training syllabus ever since. Over 1,100 were delivered and more than 450 remain in service.

The T-38C avionics upgrade program was begun in 2001 and, combined with the Pacer Classic structural and systems overhaul program, was intended to see the Talon through to at least 2020.

However, a fatal accident two years ago was the catalyst for a plan to accelerate the T-38’s replacement, with a new planned in-service date of 2017.

That date would suggest the award of a system design and development contract in 2013, and the world’s trainer manufacturers are working hard to come up with attractive proposals. In today’s climate all competitions are worth fighting for, but it is the sheer scale of this one that is remarkable. The U.S. Air Force has outlined an initial requirement for around 350 aircraft, but this is likely to grow considerably and may also involve light-attack and carrier-capable versions. As with most U.S. programs, the export spin-off potential is also huge.

Studying the T-X

For some time the USAF has been working on studies for what it calls the T-X, and a request for information was issued in March 2009. On the face of it, the obvious T-X candidates are the trio that have battled over most recent advanced trainer competitions: the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master, BAE Systems Hawk and Korean Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin T-50 Golden Eagle. All three are built overseas, but the establishment of production lines in the U.S. and incorporation of a large degree of domestic content

would overcome many of the political challenges.

Given the potential scale of the T-X it seems likely that the prime contractor would be a major U.S. company. In the case of the T-50 it would be unthinkable that Lockheed Martin would not throw its weight behind what is, after all, partly its own product. Italy’s Aermacchi, through its Alenia North America arm, and the UK contender, through U.S.-based BAE Systems Inc., could feel they have enough of a domestic footprint to go it alone, but would more likely team up with a U.S. major. In May Alenia rebranded the M-346 as the T-100 Integrated Training System for the U.S. market.

The big U.S. companies have yet to show their hands, raising some interesting questions about the T-X. Boeing, in particular, is weighing a number of options. Via the merger with McDonnell Douglas it inherited and has perpetuated a close relationship with BAE Systems through the Harrier and T-45 Goshawk programs. The latter, in particular, would appear to make BAE the most obvious partner.

However, in May 2008 Boeing signed an agreement to jointly market the Aermacchi M-346 (and M-311) in non-U.S. markets. At the same time, Boeing has not ruled out a new, all-American design.

Although the T-38 line ended in 1972, Northrop Grumman is the incumbent advanced trainer

Raytheon ready for air-to-ground ID Blue-on-blue incidents have always been an unfortunate factor in warfare, but a series of tragic events in recent times has brought the subject into sharp focus, in turn driving a need to devise and improve the means by which friendly forces can be identified as such on the battlefield. The introduction of longer-ranged precision weapons has heightened the challenge in recent years.

Raytheon’s Netcentric Systems division believes it has the answer with a system that it has been developing for some time that is ready for production.

Numerous combat identification technologies have been mooted.

Thermal panels have been proposed, but they also provide the enemy with ID information, marking the vehicle out as a target.

Laser-based systems have been studied, but the laser quickly breaks up when encountering vegetation or other cover.

“This program came out of bad incidents in Desert Storm and now we are virtually ready for production,” explained Billy Mitchell, Raytheon’s business development manager of combat identification systems. “Initially it was a big system that could be fitted only to vehicles, but over the years we’ve driven down the size so that it can fit on a rifle. Size equates to cost, so now it’s become a lot more affordable.”

Millimeter-wave Radio

Raytheon’s system is based on millimeter-wave (MMW) high-frequency radio operating at around 35 GHz. Mitchell described this as a “sweet spot in the spectrum, where we can see through humidity.” At lower frequencies the directionality is difficult to achieve, while higher frequencies entail much more expensive systems.

The concept is similar to that used by identify-friend-or-foe

6aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

manufacturer and could enter the fray with a new design. Perhaps a more likely offering would be a radical modernization program for the T-38 itself, with considerable cost savings compared to new procurement.

To meet the 2017 schedule, the Pentagon must allocate some T-X funding in the next budget, the request for which is due in February. If it is approved, a request for proposals would most likely be issued soon after.

At present the USAF is studying only the training element of the T-X, but there are obvious opportunities for light-attack capability. For the training role the aircraft would prepare pilots for the F-22 and F-35, and by (IFF) equipment in the air-to-air world. The system uses a small millimeter wave radio interrogator mounted on a vehicle or aircraft that emits a highly directed beam.

The receiver picks up the signal and broadcasts back a positive ID, which can then be overlaid on sensor imagery in the cockpit, or at a fire control operator’s station in a vehicle. An “F” appears on the imagery, immediately giving the operator a positive identification correlated with the image.

The directional nature of the system makes it difficult to detect, while the signal is encrypted.

Raytheon’s system was demonstrated in 2006 in a vehicle application, collocated with an LRAS3 turret on a Humvee. The air-toground capability was demonstrated in Exercise Bold Quest 09.

The interrogator was fitted to a SHARP reconnaissance pod on an F/A-18 Hornet, which also carried an electro-optical targeting pod.

The pod found targets and also cued the combat ID system. The combined image in the cockpit display showed friendly forces with the “F” icon, even as they moved.

Data suggested that a fair degree of identification could be achieved

definition would need an advanced cockpit with mission management capability. The supersonic capability provided currently by the T-38 is rarely used and is probably an expensive luxury. Similarly, radar and weapon systems can be emulated satisfactorily in the modern decoupled cockpits of the three main T-X candidates.

While the T-X is an Air Force program, the U.S. Navy is keeping a close watch as it may join at a later date to satisfy a long-term requirement for a T-45 replacement. The ability of the T-X aircraft to be carrier-compatible is not being considered initially, but may become factor at a later stage. Alternatively, the U.S. Navy may plow its own furrow going forward, perhaps proceeding with the proposed T-45D Goshawk, a much-improved version of the current trainer.

from more than 60 miles, and that in a close-air-support environment within 10 miles the identification capability was universal. The system’s capability in the dismounted soldier arena will be demonstrated in Bold Quest 2011.

Currently the U.S. Joint Forces Command is in the planning stage for the Joint Cooperative Target Identification program, which will analyze technologies for possible fielding, with technical development to begin next year.

Meanwhile, Raytheon is confident that its solution is mature enough to be ready for production. The aircraft-mounted system is small enough to not require a pod and could be mounted under a small blister, or as part of another sensor installation. There is also significant interest from NATO nations, as the interoperable system is already ratified to the relevant NATO STANAG 4579. Raytheon recently signed a manufacturing licensing agreement with Selex in Italy.

–D.D.

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Gripen NG matures and waits for India

by David Donald Sweden is advancing its own Gripen development path alongside that of the Gripen Next Generation aircraft intended for export, which is currently awaiting the outcome of major competitions in Brazil and India. The Swedish air force is now talking openly about a JAS 39E/F version that would draw on many of the technologies being applied to the NG program.

In the shorter term, in March Saab received a contract worth around $256 million from the Swedish defense material administration (FMV) for an upgrade package that will improve countermeasures and communications, integrate new weapons such as the Meteor (the acquisition of which was recently approved by the Swedish government) and provide extra range and functions to the Gripen’s PS-05/A radar. It also includes measures to reduce operational costs, based on experience from the 130,000 flying hours achieved with the Gripen fleet.

This contract helps define the Gripen’s Material System 20 as part of the rolling capability sustainment program that is in force for the type. Shortly after this deal was done, Saab received another commission to expand the capabilities of the aircraft’s SPK 39 reconnaissance system. This enhances night capability and user interface, and will also allow the Gripen to feed imagery into the sensor source intelligence cells being produced to support the country’s new Shadow 200 unmanned air vehicles.

ogy to be demonstrated in a “Demo” aircraft that would also become a de facto prototype for the NG. Initial estimates put the cost at approximately $230 million but that was considered too high, leading to the formation of an industrial partnership that cut the costs by 60 percent. In fact, the Gripen Demo came in some 15 percent below that budget.

The Gripen Demo technology demonstration program has been conducted in two phases and involves a flying demonstrator and an avionics rig. Phase 1 flight tests got under way with a first flight on May 27, 2008, during which the extensively modified

two-seater validated the aerodynamic changes caused by moving the main undercarriage to under the wingroots, the addition of underfuselage pylons, new drop tanks and the installation of the uprated General Electric F414G engine. Phase 1 was completed after 79 flights.

Phase 2 introduced further modifications to the aircraft, including extra fuel capacity and, most importantly, installation of a development version of the Selex/Saab ES-05 Raven AESA radar. This phase was brought to a conclusion this February after a further 73 flights. During the initial Demo

High-altitude Ops

The Gripen Demo aircraft, above, carries a pair of LGBs under the new fuselage pylons. The bulge under the wingroot houses the repositioned main undercarriage.

MS21 Version

Saab already has the next major iteration in its sights. The MS21 version is to include a major review of the aircraft’s avionics system, including computers and displays, with the accent placed on handling vastly increased amounts of information at differing security classification levels. The architecture will also to be able to handle new types of sensors.

It is evident that the MS21 will become the JAS 39E/F, and that it will be based closely on the AESA-equipped Gripen NG. Although the exact nature of an “MS21 Gripen” has yet to be defined, it will almost certainly incorporate the more powerful General Electric F414G engine. An avionics development contract was awarded to Saab in May and is expected to lead to a concept evaluation review later this year. Preliminary design reviews will be undertaken next year, leading to full development starting in 2012.

Sweden expects to have the JAS 39E/F in service by around 2017, although it has committed to bring that date forward if Brazil adopts the Gripen so that the customer does not shoulder the burden of fielding a major new version on its own.

Development of what is now known as the Gripen NG began around 2004, a year before the JAS 39C/D achieved IOC. Predictions of airpower requirements for the 2015-2020 time frame suggested the need for new sensors, greater range and larger warloads. After analysis of other options, it was concluded that a developed Gripen NG could meet the requirements, with technol-

campaign, all goals were achieved, including a Mach 1.6-plus speed and a supercruise (non-afterburning) capability of greater than Mach 1.2.

Following the end of official Phase 2 trials, the Gripen Demo aircraft continued development work, but in May was dispatched to India in support of Saab’s entry in the country’s MMRCA multi-role fighter competition. MMRCA envisions the acquisition of 126 aircraft, with the first 18 to be built by the original manufacturer, followed by a stepped transition to Indian production.

Saab is pitching its Gripen NG against the Boeing F/A-18E/F, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16IN and the Mikoyan MiG-35.

Although Saab had already demonstrated the JAS 39C/D in India in March (20 evaluation flights), and Indian pilots had flown the Gripen Demo in Sweden during April, the demonstrator deployed to India for an in-country evaluation. Earlier it had been announced that ongoing test work would mean the Gripen Demo was unavailable to make the trip. This was widely seen as being detrimental to the Gripen bid’s cause and resulted in a reversal of the decision. Routing via Kecskemet in Hungary, Athens, Hurghada in Egypt, Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates, the Demo aircraft and its Raven AESA radar arrived in India in late May.

Saab has confirmed the feasibility of a carrier-borne Sea Gripen, shown here at right, in this impression with two RBS 15 anti-ship missiles, four Meteors and two Iris-Ts.

Gripen Goes Green Sweden is currently outlining a three-year test plan to test a locally developed biofuel in a Gripen, in a scheme that is partly funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In November 2007, Swedish Biofuels entered into an agreement with U.S. defense technology agency, which is funding several development programs to produce militarygrade biofuel from a variety of sources, including algae- and cellulose-based raw materials.

In 2009 the Swedish government launched an effort to reduce the military’s dependency on fossil fuels, seeking to address the challenges of a sustainable fuel supply for the air force. The arguments for biofuel are compelling: not only does it have a dramatic effect on environmental impact, but it also allows the production of fuel in-country, reducing the dependency on a volatile international market that cannot guarantee future supplies.

What is particularly attractive about Swedish Biofuel’s process is that it uses waste vegetable mass, and therefore has no impact on potential food-producing land, which has been one of the main criticisms of other biofuel projects. Waste is first turned into alcohol, and then further refined into a JP-8 surrogate known as BJ-8. This meets all the performance requirements of JP-8 and

8aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

exceeds them in some key areas, such as having a better heat capability and lower freezing point.

Developing a fuel for the military follows on from civilian projects and focuses on the ability of the fuel to perform in the harsh environment of the military jet engine. Before the fuel is tested in a Gripen, extensive bench tests will be performed.

If the trials are successful, the questions of production and distribution at an industrial level will be examined. The goal is to produce a fuel that not only replicates or improves performance, but that does not increase costs or maintenance needs, and does not require aircraft or engine modifications.

Biofuel research is ongoing in several nations, notably the U.S., and is beginning to achieve notable milestones. A number of airlines have flown biofuel trials, and last November an Air France-KLM Boeing 747 conducted the first passenger-carrying flight, with one of its engines powered by a 50:50 mix of regular kerosene and a camelina-based fuel. The same blend was used to power a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter in a flight on April 22 (Earth Day). Last month the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Boeing scored a rotary-wing first by flying an AH-64 Apache powered by a 50:50 mix of JP-8 and a bio-synthetic paraffinic kerosene processed from algae and cooking oil by UOP, part of the Honeywell group. –D.D.

During its stay, the Gripen Demo flew eight evaluation sorties, including in-flight refueling from an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker and operations from Leh. Located in disputed Jammu and Kashmir, close to the scene of the 1999 Kargil war, Leh is of strategic value to India but, at 10,826 feet elevation, is one of the world’s highest airfields. The Gripen Demo operated with ease from the base, and performed well in other trials. According to Eddy de la Motte, Saab’s India campaign director, “We are confident that this aircraft meets, or exceeds, every operational requirement raised by the Indian Air Force.”

The return to Sweden of the Demo aircraft brought to an end the MMRCA flying evaluation phase. Meanwhile, the final bid deadline has been extended a year, allowing some of the competitors to refine their proposals. It is expected that the technical evaluation will initially produce a down-select to three competitors, after which the politics are likely to become an increasing factor.

Politics have certainly played their part in the Brazilian FX2 new fighter competition, in which the Gripen is pitched against the Rafale and Super Hornet. In September last year President Lula announced the selection of the Rafale, but at the time of writing there is no sign of a contract.

An interesting aside to the Brazilian and Indian deals is the proposal by Saab of a Sea Gripen, as both countries have aircraft carriers. Developed initially to meet Sweden’s stringent dispersed short-field operations doctrine, the Gripen already possesses many of the characteristics required in a carrier-borne aircraft. Modifications for sea-going operations are said to be relatively straightforward, but Saab has signaled that it would pursue this avenue further only if Brazil or India signed up for the Gripen NG.

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Airbus keeps A350XWB on the 787’s tail

by Ian Goold While it seems like the A380 first flew only a short time ago, Airbus is well into its next program–the A350 XWB (eXtra widebody). The planned family is scheduled to begin operations in mid-2013 competing against the Boeing 787 (expected to enter service early next year) and some variants of the 777, which began commercial flights in 1995. Manufacturing of the first A350 began last year and final assembly plants are under construction in France, Germany and the UK. The XWB variant arose after Airbus abandoned the proposed 222-inch diameter cross section of the A300, A310, A330 and A340 programs for a new, wider structure. Its 10-abreast seating, not previously available from Airbus, will accommodate up to 475 passengers in stretched, highdensity variants.

A350 product marketing director Sophie Pendaries said the -800, -900 and -1000 variants constitute a “single family well positioned for a market of over 5,000 aircraft with the right capacity mix and right cross section.” And, at a briefing in May, customer and business program development v-p Francois Caudron said Airbus had orders for 530 aircraft from 33 customers, including three private customers and five lessors, adding that the A350 “industrial setup is on track with ‘extended-enterprise’ suppliers on board.”

Detailed design of the initial A350-900, which will hold 314 passengers in a three-class layout, has been completed as Airbus continues to establish manufacturing facilities. According to A350 deputy chief engineer Alain de Zotti, A350-900 design work is well advanced, with first parts manufactured and major development testing started.

The second model, which is scheduled for service entry in 2014, is the A350-800 with 270

seats, compared with 220 in the equivalent Boeing 787-7. Detail definition is under way, following design freeze at the end of last year. The A350-800 and -900 offer up to 900 nm more range than the 787-8 and 787-9, said Pendaries.

Still in the concept phase, with design freeze planned for 2011 and service entry four years later, is the 350-passenger A350-1000. The A350800 and -900 will be powered by 84,000-pound thrust Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, while the larger -1000 will be equipped with 93,000pound-thrust units.

Systems Commonality

The Series 800 and 900 will enjoy a high level of structural and systems commonality. The two models share a forward fuselage, outer and center wingbox, rear fuselage and empennage, wing leading and trailing edges and related high-lift devices, and engine pylon. Compared with the Series 900, smaller Series 800s will sport modified forward- and aft-fuselage geometry, including re-sizing of the forward section 13/14 and aft section 16/18 and the center fuselage upper shell.

Among the common systems

are landing gear, flight controls and hydraulics, slat/flap actuators, shafts, power-control unit and wingtip brakes, the auxiliary power unit, fuel and inerting systems, and the electric power generation and distribution. Both variants have an optional 79,000-pound enginethrust rating. A350-800 systems differences from those of the -900 include adapted crew oxygen and fire-extinguishing bottles, flight control software and six rather than seven cabin ventilation zones.

The larger Series 1000 has increased design weights and payload, stretched fuselage (six frames forward of the wingbox and five aft), reinforced airframe structure and revised wing trailing edge. Its main landing gear adopts six-wheel bogies accommodated

in a one-frame-longer undercarriage bay, while the engines feature “bespoke fan module and core technology.” Air conditioning also is modified.

Airbus is aiming to reach program maturity at service entry through a series of structureand systems-testing pyramids involving design, component and subassembly demonstrators and systems integration, full-scale airframe structures and “iron-bird” systems testing. Caudron said technology readiness will involve fuselage, pylon and wingbox demonstrators. Some 84 percent of overall tools had been deployed among major partners and all A350 work programs had been allocated as of this May. According to Airbus, it has learned from the challenges it endured with the A380, on which commonality issues arose between manufactured parts and assembled structures. Buyers also had too much latitude for cabin customization, the manufacturer said.

Physical and Digital Mockups

Airbus is building a A350 final assembly facility close to the A330/A340 production line in Toulouse. Scheduled for completion later this year, the L-shaped building is expected to be able to handle more than 10 aircraft a month. Half the required electrical power will be generated by roof-mounted solar panels.

The A350 XWB’s cockpit design is to depart from that of the A380, featuring six large 15-inch screens with two central displays mounted one above the other, and a single primary flight/navigation display for each pilot.

10aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

Caudron explained that what he called de-risking the manufacturing phase to secure a quick ramp-up in serial production required “a lot of work upfront.” Having also burned its fingers by relying too much on A380 digital mockups (DMU), Airbus has re-introduced a physical mockup (PMU) for the A350.

Engineering centers engaged in A350 work outside Europe include facilities in China and the U.S., said engineering executive v-p Charles Champion. In Beijing, almost 200 engineers work on several projects, including A350 movables such as the rudder and elevators. The U.S. center in Mobile, Alabama, employs about 150 engineers engaged in cabin-related design work.

Manufacturing on the A350 began in late 2009 with the first composites lay-up. Metal-cutting started in March with production of center wingbox attachments, said Caudron, adding that final

Airbus is using both digital and physical mockups to plan the manufacture and assembly of the A350 twin-aisle twinjet, having learned a hard lesson from its experience with the A380.

assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg are taking shape. Production of the first aircraft is under way. Initial major parts have included wing and center-wingbox panels and the first forgings.

The 904,000-sq-ft A350 final assembly building in Toulouse is located close to the A330/A340 production line. It is expected to be able to handle more than 10 aircraft a month.

Scheduled for completion later this year, the L-shaped facility covers some 18 acres, with the aircraft halls occupying 570,500 sq ft. There are 226,000 sq ft of ancillary buildings.

Airbus is preparing for production of the 106-foot A350 wings at its UK factory at Broughton in north Wales, where a 495,000-sqft facility is being built. To make best use of internal volume, the plant will build the largely composite wings “in the horizontal,” rather than “in the vertical” as with previous such Airbus parts.

‘Branding’ Cabin Products

As well as using both DMUs and PMUs to improve production management, Airbus is working hard to permit A350 operators to brand their cabin products while ultimately limiting their options.

“Customization is where the A380 is in trouble: the A350 will be a much more rigid process,” said programs executive v-p Tom Williams.

Customization is offered “where it matters,” said Caudron. The A350 is designed to meet specific operational requirements and to allow operators to differentiate their aircraft from those of other carriers. For example, customers can select from a number of module options–such as trim and finish, color and materials–when choosing cabinet, countertop, mirror, wall panel and flooring.

Similarly, there is a range of passenger seat and galley options.

This modular approach aims to give Airbus greater assurance in managing production ramp-up, while offering A350 owners confidence about future residual values since less work will be required in “decustomization.”

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Volcanic disruption boosts case for SES

by Julian Moxon The total closure of European pace,” said Jeff Poole, director of skies in April because of the industry charges and taxation with volcanic ash cloud was consid- the International Air Transport ered by many observers to be an Association and one of the airline unnecessarily severe reaction. champions of the SES, “but we More than 100,000 flights were are concerned that the system cancelled and, according to the won’t deliver adequate performAssociation of European Airlines, ance if some very important the airlines clocked up losses of at issues aren’t resolved.” least $1 billion. But The end of this year there was one very posiair navigation service tive outcome, which was providers are to have that the chaos undercompleted their reports scored the urgency of outlining how they intend the need for the Single to meet the SES performEuropean Sky (SES), a ance targets. In October fact readily admitted by 2011, the European ComEurocontrol, which bore mission will assess them the lion’s share of the for consistency–potenairspace management tially a rocky process that challenge during the ash Bo Redeborn, will come up for review Eurocontrol director cloud crisis. (See related for in two reference periods: cooperative story on page 48.)

2012-14 and 2015-19. network design The unified, panThe way SES performEuropean air traffic management ance is to be measured is based (ATM) environment heralded in on the idea of key performance the SES would have considerably indicators (KPIs). Four areas simplified the task of directing have been identified: safety, traffic around the system, provid- the environment, capacity and ing more flexibility to open and cost efficiency. close airspace sectors as required.

The Safety KPI will concenInstead, the old, fragmented sys- trate on the maturity of safety tem of national airspace areas culture within member states, prevailed, delaying the measures including the all-important applinecessary to solve problems as cation of a “Just Culture”–an they occurred. “honest” approach to accident This year is the most critical for and incident reporting that does the SES since its official launch in not carry any threat of punishment.

November 2000 because by the Environmental performance will close of 2010 a number of key cover enroute flight efficiency elements must be in place if the and monitoring of how civil and system is to be up and running by military airspace is being shared, the December 2012 initial imple- while the capacity KPI will deal mentation date. While the general with delays and monitoring of view is that most of the key drivers airport data such as taxiing issues are on the right path, there is sig- and arrival/departure sequencing. nificant concern from the airlines Finally, the cost-efficiency KPI that there still is not enough will establish a unit rate for enurgency behind ensuring that the route air navigation services and overall performance of the system will monitor airport charges. meets expectations.

Bo Redeborn, Eurocontrol’s Three major activities are director for cooperative network under way: establishment of a design, said the development of European Union-wide protocol mandated performance targets setting performance targets for “will, for the first time, give the the ATM system, development of Performance Review Commission a new ATM charging system and the right to make changes to deciding which organization will improve the network, where before be responsible for managing the a consensus was needed among SES network–a crucial task. all of the players.” He added that While improving European not only will this save time, “but ATM performance is the reason it will give us a quicker response for the SES, getting there requires to changing requirements.” unanimous agreement among all According to Redeborn, there European Union member states, a is little doubt that Eurocontrol process that demands considerable will be the network manager diplomacy by those trying to push “because it is the least risky through the measures needed. “It’s approach,” but he added that moving along at a reasonable there will be a need to balance

Above, Eurocontrol's Central Flow Management Unit operations room in Belgium. Left, its Institute of Air Navigation Services in Luxembourg.

member states’ considerations.

“We need unanimous acceptance that Eurocontrol will play this role. If we can achieve that we’ll be looking at a new chapter in the history of European aviation because it will provide a new baseline for cooperation between the European Commission, European Aviation Safety Agency and Eurocontrol,” he told AIN. Manager’s Role

Poole said he is happy about the choice of Eurocontrol as network manager, but added that it is “essential that the role of the manager is clear and that Eurocontrol meets its requirements, not the other way around.” Questions of governance have to be settled. “It is as important to say what the manager cannot do as to say what it should do,” he added.

While the principles are already agreed, “the devil is in the detail,” said Redeborn. “We have to see what the final text contains.” The worst-case scenario is that the service provision and regulation functions will be insufficiently separated, leaving the network

12aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

manager with too many conflicting tasks. “The airlines’ expectations are very high,” he said.

One of Poole’s main worries is the lack of progress toward the functional airspace blocks (FABs), a key element of the SES which, in the European Commission’s SES II package, are recognized as “drivers to performance and change of the ATM industrial landscape.” The EC has set a firm 2012 deadline for the FABs “so that they can play their roles as adequate vehicles to achieve performance improvement.”

Nine FABs have been created so far, which might seem a remarkable success given that only a few years ago there was only one–the Maastricht Upper Area Control Center. “I remain concerned that the FABs at present are little more than cozy gentlemen’s clubs of ANSPs that are not focused enough on performance improvement,” cautioned Poole.

While they may be defined, “we’re still not really seeing a commitment to significant restructuring and reducing costs,” he said.

Pressure to nominate an FAB

coordinator to drive the FAB process forward is growing. It will be an organization charged with visiting ANSPs and FABs, essentially to bang heads together.

The process received a boost in early June when the ANSPs of FAB Europe Central (FABEC: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland) agreed to cooperate on air traffic controller training, the first move they had made toward genuine operational cooperation.

Eventually the EC hopes to see further integration between the nine FABs, but for now the main aim is to ensure that they all work together to improve the overall system approach called for in the SES, which is where the concept of a network manager comes in.

Earlier this year, the EC’s air transport directorate published a report called “Towards a Roadmap to Implementation of the SES.” This leaves no doubt about the mammoth task still facing SES implementation.

Equally, there is no doubt about the outcome, however. The EC has made sure that the whole process is backed up by regulations that set firm dates for necessary actions to be taken.

Within two years many of those actions will have become reality and the SES will be closer than ever to achieving the onceimpossible goal of unifying the European ATM system.

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Alcan treads lightly with new alloys for C Series,A350

Thomson is the launch UK customer for the Boeing 787. It has placed an order for 13 Dreamliners, with options for another equal number.

UK’s Thomson Air dreams of the day it gets Boeing 787s

by Ian Goold The international industry debut of the Boeing 787 at Farnborough International this week has provided a major opportunity for local carrier Thomson Airways to fly its flag as the UK launch customer for the new aircraft, which is on display here until this afternoon. Thomson is a wholly owned subsidiary of international leisure group TUI Travel, which has ordered 13 of the 787s and has purchase rights on a further 13.

Eight of TUI’s aircraft have been assigned to Thomson, with the parent company taking the balance into its almost 150-strong overall fleet. The first 787 for Thomson is scheduled to be delivered in January 2012, with the balance following over three years to the first quarter of 2015, Thomson Airways managing director Chris Browne told AIN. The airline has chosen the 787 to replace its current Boeing 767s, believing the new design offers “fantastic, 20-percent better” operating economics and will provide even greater customer comfort than it was seeking. Thomson is also impressed with the “8,500-nautical-mile range,” which Browne said would permit the operator to “push the [holiday] envelope” and introduce previously unlikely nonstop destinations.

For example, she cites the possibility of offering Pacific holiday flights from Bristol in southwest England to Hawaii. The airline said more than 40 percent of surveyed interviewees cited the Hawaiian Islands as the most preferred of newly offered potential destinations.

Another positive factor seen as providing a commercial advantage to the holiday airline is the enhanced travel experience arising from the 787’s lower, 6,000-foot (rather than usual 8,000-foot) cabin altitude. Perceiving slightly higher cabin oxygen levels as likely to reduce symptoms of jet lag–a particular consideration in eastbound travel–Thomson may use the 787 to introduce seven-day vacations in which body-clock adjustment would become a less significant factor. Previously, this consideration has made some longer-range destinations less attractive.

Browne explained that the airline has not yet decided on the cabin configuration for its 787s. A major element in the decision will be the recent UK government proposal, announced in last month’s emergency budget, to explore changes to current airline-passenger duty arrangements from a tax payable by individual travelers to a peraircraft charge (that also will apply to cargo aircraft for the first time). Browne is keen to maintain a differential in its UK holiday market offerings over competing services promoted by British Airways.

Following its selection and planned introduction of the 787, Thomson Holidays will consider its future single-aisle requirements. The operator needs a new narrowbody airliner to succeed current Boeing 757 equipment, a market for which Airbus claims its current A321 is a candidate, especially if equipped with recently offered winglets.

Chemring Strengthens Malaysian Link in Bid for Asian Market UK-based ammunition specialist Chemring Group (Hall 4 A12) and Malaysia-based National Aerospace and Defence Industries (NADI) signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday that will allow NADI-owned SME Ordnance to offer Chemring’s full range of products. SME Ordnance will be able to offer military pyrotechnics and demolition materials, for example, to the Malaysian forces and those of other Southeast Asian countries. The agreement builds on a 25-year relationship between the two firms, as SME Ordnance has been manufacturing pyrotechnics at Batu Arang, Malaysia.

14aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

Aluminum maker Alcan Global Aero- which can translate into 20- to 30-percent space has won two major contracts on the weight savings on a given part and result new Airbus A350 XWB and the Bom- in lower costs.

Villemin said Airware products can bardier C Series aircraft for which it will supply light alloys from its new Airware “live in hybrid environments,” meaning range. Airware combines technologies they have no problem being nearby and services to improve metal perform- other materials–titanium or composites, ance, reduce cost and facilitate recycling. for example. Alcan has also worked on The contracts allow Alcan (Hall 3 Stand B26a) to invest approximately $55 million in upgrading its facilities in Issoire and Voreppe, France.

For Airbus, the company will supply light alloys, such as aluminum-lithium, for A350 wing structural parts, CEO Christophe Villemin told AIN. The materials will be in the form of sheets and extrusions. For Bombardier, Alcan Global Aerospace has manufactured a milled fuselage frame prototype using its Airware lightweight aluminum it will provide Airware plates, alloy.

The company will be supplying Airbus with aluminumsome of them pre-machined, for lithium for the A350 wing structure and Bombardier with Airware plates for the C Series fuselage. the C Series’ fuselage.

Airware is based on aluminum alloys that include other metals, recyclability and claims Airware alloys such as lithium (the lightest metal in can be recycled at 100 percent. nature), silver, copper and magnesium.

The Issoire and Voreppe facilities will Lithium has been used in aerospace benefit from a major investment, beginbefore, but only marginally and not ning in 2012. Issoire will become the on major parts, according to Villemin. first foundry in the world able to mass“These alloys combine lightness, fatigue produce aluminum-lithium, Villemin resistance and performance” and resist claimed. Voreppe, the research-andcorrosion better than other alloys, he said. development site, will receive new Moreover, they can be machined to have equipment and become a training center

different thicknesses across their section, for the new Airware technologies.

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by Thierry Dubois

EUROFIGHTER PARTNERS TO FUND E-SCAN RADAR The Eurofighter Typhoon partner companies will announce here today their decision to kick-start the development of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the four-nation combat aircraft. The Indian air force competition for 126 AESA-equipped fighters is driving the move because the four European air forces that fly the Typhoon have no immediate requirement for an AESA. The partners have therefore agreed to “pre-fund” the development. Two British Typhoon versions of the jet are flying daily here at Farnborough. One aircraft from the Royal Air Force is flying “clean,” while the other from the development fleet (pictured above) is flying with a full “swing role” weapons load. All 13 hardpoints of this jet are occupied, as it carries four Paveway II laser-guided bombs, four advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs), two

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NEWS CLIPS Raytheon Gets the Nod for P-8I Radar Boeing has awarded a development contract to Raytheon for an international version of the APY-10 surveillance radar fitted to the P-8 Poseidon maritime patroller. Raytheon has already developed the U.S. Navy version of the APY-10 and has delivered on schedule four systems to Boeing already, with two more left to supply under the initial contract. The international version of the radar will be for export customers, the first of which is the Indian navy, which signed up for eight P-8Is in January 2009. The aircraft are tailored to Indian requirements, and differ in detail from their U.S. counterparts.

Hamilton Wins Additional Work from Comac Comac has selected Hamilton Sundstrand’s Ratier-Figeac division to provide pilot controls, including side sticks, rudder brake pedals, speed brake control lever, control panel and the thrust control quadrant for its C919 airliner. The company previously chose two other Hamilton Sundstrand business units–Electric Systems and Kidde Aerospace & Defence–to provide, respectively, electric power generation and distribution, and integrated fire and overheat protection. The combined value of these awards is estimated at $1.5 billion over the program’s life.

One aircraft that has benefited from the company’s expertise is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Onboard Hamilton Sundstrand systems include the electric power generating and start system, APS 5000 APU, environmental control system, nitrogen generation, primary power distribution and motor controls, galley cooling, electric-driven hydraulic pumps and emergency power and engine gearbox system.

British Airways, Solena team on bio jet-A plant

by Ian Goold Plans by British Airways and U.S. energy solutions company Solena Group to establish Europe’s first sustainable jet-fuel plant–dubbed “GreenSky”–are being outlined here at the Farnborough airshow by the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), which claims to lead the development, testing, environmental acceptance, qualification and deployment of alternative aviation fuels.

The CAAFI (Hall 3 Stand A9a) presentation offers an “indepth look [at] carbon-neutral growth for aviation as an emerging reality and a new sustainable fuel dynamic for aviation buyers.”

Solena plans to build a selfcontained plant in east London to convert 500,000 metric tons of waste per year into some 16 million gallons of fuel. From 2014, British Airways plans to power some of its aircraft using low-carbon fuel derived from waste biomass otherwise destined for landfill. The airline says this is “more than twice the amount required to make all [our] flights at London City Airport carbon-neutral.”

Fischer Tropsch Process

Waste biomass fed into Solena’s high-temperature gasifier will create synthetic “fuel gas” from the

Rolls-Royce and BA Search for New Aviation Fuels Under a plan first revealed two years ago, Rolls-Royce and British Airways have invited fuel suppliers to participate in tests to evaluate alternative aviation fuels in a study to seek practical alternatives to kerosene, the current standard fuel. The two companies have requested samples for possible laboratory and rig trials and, ultimately, tests on a Rolls-Royce RB211-524G engine from a British Airways Boeing 747-400.

Funding will come from the U.S. Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (Cleen) program, the Federal Aviation Administration’s principal next-generation environmental effort to demonstrate new technologies, procedures and sustainable alternative jet fuels. If sufficient volumes of candidate fuels are available, tests would be carried out on a Rolls-Royce indoor engine testbed in the UK. Candidate fuels for consideration are expected to be derived from non-petroleum sources, be used neat or blended to meet requirements and have potential for a better overall environmental footprint than kerosene. They also must not unduly compete with food production, cause land or water stress, have potential adverse effects on eco-systems or lead to deforestation.

Testing the engine in a Rolls-Royce testbed enables more accurate data to be gathered in a controlled and consistent environment. The trial aims to explore fuel –I.G. types different from those currently approved or undergoing certification.

Messier Services Inks Landing Gear Mx Contracts Messier Services (Hall 4 Stand B12) announced a contract with Virgin Atlantic to overhaul the landing gear of its 19 Airbus A340-600s.

The maintenance program started in April and will last until 2017 at the company’s Molsheim, France facility. Messier Services, a Safran group company, has been also selected by Thomas Cook Airlines for Airbus A320 family landing gear exchange and overhaul. Work on the carrier’s 23 A320s and A321s is continuing in the UK until 2017.

Kartika Signs Deal for 30 Superjet 100s Indonesian regional carrier Kartika Airlines has finalized an order with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft for 30 Sukhoi Superjets in a deal valued at $951 million. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft president Vladimir Prishyazhnyuk and Kartika CEO Kim Johanes Mulia Jiauw put pens to paper here yesterday afternoon, signing the contract confirming a December 2008 deal for 15 Superjet 100 firm orders and 15 options. With the formal signing, all options have been converted to firm orders, the executives said. Kartika Airlines also signed a letter of intent for long-term support with Superjet International, the airframe maker’s marketing, sales and support division. Deliveries to the Jakartabased carrier are planned to occur between 2012 and 2015.

thermal conversion of hydrocarbons. Bio fuel and bio-naphtha, used in petroleum blending and as a petrochemical feedstock, will be produced through the Fischer Tropsch process.

Solena said the conversion method offers “lifecycle greenhouse-gas savings of up to 95 percent, compared to fossil-fuel derived jet kerosene.” The bio fuel involves a 50-percent blend of jet-A kerosene.

Tail gas arising from the conversion process can be used to produce 20 megawatts of electricity to feed the UK national power grid or to provide steam for a neighborhood heating system. The only solid waste would be an inert vitrified slag material for use as an alternative to construction aggregates, while the plant will be carbon-dioxide neutral, according to British Airways.

The project will avoid production of methane that otherwise would arise from the biomass being consigned to landfill and also could reduce local-authority landfill tax bills that by 2014 are expected to be £72 per metric ton ($100/U.S. short ton). British Airways acknowledged it would emit oxygen, plus small quantities of nitrogen, argon, steam (water vapor) and carbon dioxide. Earlier this year, the airline announced it had signed a letter of intent to buy the plant’s entire output.

According to British Airways, the program will contribute to its goal of halving net carbon emissions by 2050. “We believe it will lead to a sustainable alternative to kerosene. We are determined to reduce our impact on climate change,” said the carrier.

Dr. Robert Do, Solena Group chairman and CEO, is scheduled to present details of the scheme at the CAAFI stand at 1:30 p.m. today.

LM Joins with Finmeccanica, L-3 for ISR Solutions Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems and Global Services business area has entered into an agreement with Finmecannica’s Elsag Datamat and L-3 Communications Systems-West to pursue international business in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sector (ISR). The three companies bring a wealth of experience in ISR, command/control and networking, which can be applied to providing innovative solutions in the arenas of territorial situational awareness and homeland defense/security.

Flight training group CAE has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. to develop and deliver training for the new Mitsubishi regional jet (MRJ). The agreement includes a 10-year exclusive training-provider program for pilots, maintenance technicians, cabin crew, dispatchers and ground support personnel. In addition, CAE will establish two training centers in Japan and the U.S. and develop 7000 Series MRJ full-flight simulators (the first for the aircraft) and CAE SimFinity procedures trainers for the centers. The company will also design the curriculums and courseware for the training program, which is to be ready by 2013. The 70- to 90-seat MRJ is planned to enter service in 2014 with launch customer All Nippon Airways.

DAVID MCINTOSH

CAE Will Provide Mitsubishi MRJ Training

SKY-Y UAV IS TESTING ALENIA’S HOMEGROWN FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM Alenia Aeronautica’s Sky-Y UAS technology demonstrator recently started its fourth flight-test campaign, during which the company will test a homegrown prototype flight control system that includes an avionics computer, inertial, air data and GPS sensors and electrical actuators for the primary and secondary flight controls.

16aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

A380 sales continue as weight increases Emirates Airline could not wait until this week at Farnborough to order more Engine Alliance GP7200-powered Airbus A380 airliners. Instead it chose last month’s ILA airshow in Berlin as the stage on which to announce its plans to acquire a further 32 of the widebodies. The additional aircraft, valued at an $11.5 billion catalog price and to be delivered by 2017, will bring its A380 fleet to 90, representing 38.5 percent of the 243-strong order book.

This booking well exceeds the 20 orders from all sources that Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy had predicted in May when doubling his A380 sales forecast for 2010.

Two years after receiving its first A380, Emirates accepted its tenth last month. It also has 70 A350s on order among 95 other aircraft worth a nominal $48 billion from Airbus and Boeing. The Arab airline serves eight cities with the A380 and plans to add two more by October 1, when it also expects to resume New York operations.

Weight Increases

The announcement of the order and the presence of the newest Emirates A380 in Berlin will have boosted Airbus and the 30-plus German major program suppliers, following the aircraft’s hesitant birth and late entry into service. The A380 supports an estimated 40,000 “direct, indirect and induced” German jobs, according to the manufacturer.

The new A380 orders come as Airbus announces increased weights for aircraft being delivered beginning in 2013, permitting increased range or payload. Maximum takeoff weight will grow by around 4,410 pounds to almost 1,263,500 pounds, which will provide an extra 100-nm range– to 8,300 nm–on mtow-limited flights. Services limited by maximum zero-fuel weight will benefit from a 3,300-pound increase in maximum structural payload when a new 811,500-pound max zfw is introduced. The A380’s maximum landing weight also will be increased by 4,410 pounds, to 866,565 pounds.

The weight increases follow

Airbus’s analysis of continued full-scale fatigue testing, said programs executive vice president Tom Williams. “[We have been] leveraging output from more than 45,000 flight cycles [to the end of April 2010]. That is 2.4 times the design service goal, and tests are continuing to more than 2.5,” he explained.

The higher A380 weights have been achieved through reductions in airframe loads, generated partly through an optimization of flight-control laws and unspecified “minor local modifications.”

Airbus engineers are encouraged by recent A380 progress in ramping-up final assembly following well-documented delays, with Williams claiming that the “major challenges are behind us.” He added that there is a constant reduction in outstanding “out of sequence work” as the manufacturer focuses on stabilizing production.

During 2009, the volume of outstanding work on the two A380 final assembly lines fell by 50 percent, the backlog of production drawings dropped by 80 percent and the time taken to resolve queries decreased by 40 percent, according to Williams.

Looking back over the past three years, “out-of-sequence work [has

AIRBUS DEUTSCHLAND/BENGT LANGE

by Ian Goold

Emirates Airline now operates 10 Airbus A380s and last month increased its overall commitment to the very-large-aircraft design by raising orders from 58 to 90 aircraft, giving it almost 40 percent of the total order book.

declined] by a factor of seven, from over 350,000 man-hours to around 25,000.” By May, Airbus had managed to meet its targets as planned levels established in early 2007 finally were achieved.

The A380 has carried over 5.5 million passengers on more than 15,000 revenue flights to Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, New York, Paris, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Zurich, according to Airbus. The statistics suggest an average load of more than 365 people on each flight.

As the global network of A380 services expands from its current 21 routes, product marketing

director Richard Carcaillet said the company has identified some 200 potential markets for a super widebody in the A380 class, with “considerable potential to almost triple” to 540 within 10 years.

As annual delivery rates continue to increase toward the long-planned 20 or more, Airbus nevertheless still has to revise plans. For example, Asian operator Korean Airlines will now have to wait until at least next April for the first of its 10 A380s, which previously was slated for handover in December.

More positively, another Asia Pacific carrier–Qantas of Australia– expects to receive its seventh example in the October-December 2010 time frame, permitting Syd-

Newquay aspires to be aerospace hub Newquay Cornwall Airport (Hall 1 Stand B16) is hoping that helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland’s recent decision to establish a new flight training facility could prove to be the first step in building an aerospace

business hub at the former Royal Air Force base in the southwest of England. The $1.5 million development was announced on March 31, and includes funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

18aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

AgustaWestland Training Organisation will run its helicopter flight training program for up to 50 students each year at Newquay, with courses covering rotorcraft applications such as search and rescue, and policing.

ney-London flights to become daily. A further three A380s should arrive before next April, in time to provide daily flights between Melbourne and London and six a week to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Emirates’ rival Etihad Airways reportedly has been renegotiating its A380 delivery schedule so that 10 late2012 units now will arrive the following year or later. Along with fellow Gulf carrier Qatar Airways, the Abu Dhabi operator has been ordering huge numbers of aircraft in recent years in an apparent attempt to “out-Dubai Dubai” in its plans to build a huge tourism industry. The latest Emirates order has not made that endeavor any easier.

The program will use AW139 and AW109 Power helicopters.

The airport is owned and operated by the Cornwall County Council via its subsidiary, Cornwall Airport Ltd. The council wants to develop the site as a cluster of aerospace firms, covering a wide range of aviationrelated activities, as part of its strategy of generating new, high-value jobs in a county that has largely depended on agriculture and tourism. There is land available around the airport site to allow companies to build new premises with direct connections to the airside area. The council also is encouraging development of nearby hotel and conference facilities.

Newquay Cornwall Airport aims to build an aerospace business hub at a former RAF base in southwest England. The $1.5 million development has thus far attracted the AgustaWestland Training Organisation.

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THE FUEL EFFICIENT ENGINE FOR THE A380

Shadow to cast net over Afghanistan

by David Donald Sweden became the first export customer for the Textron/AAI Shadow 200 tactical unmanned aircraft system when a contract for two Shadow systems was finally completed on May 18.

The contract was to be signed in

2008, but was deferred due to budgetary problems.

Each of the Shadow systems comprises four unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), plus ground control segments, remote video terminals for troops and vehicles

in the field, and a maintenance section. Normally three of the vehicles are considered operational, with the fourth held at readiness as a reserve.

The RQ-7 air vehicles are launched from a ramp or a runway,

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20aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

and are recovered either by a parachute system or by an arrested strip landing. The vehicle is fully autonomous and typically carries a POP 300 EO/IR payload from Israel Aerospace Industries.

Sweden identified a time-critical requirement for a tactical UAV in May 2007, primarily to support its operations in Afghanistan. The country’s current UAV system, the

AAI’s Shadow 200 has racked up over 420,000 hours of in-theater operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sperwer/Ugglan, is unsuitable for this role, and Swedish forces have only the small Skylark available.

The FMV defense procurement agency awarded Saab a contract to act as lead system integrator.

Five competitors were evaluated, but AAI’s Shadow 200 was selected on the grounds of cost, reliability and combat-proven performance.

Under the contract AAI will supply the two systems, including eight air vehicles, while Saab will repack components to fit Swedish vehicles, provide logistics and training, and integrate systems into the Swedish network, including the delivery of two sensor source intelligence cells [SSICs].

The SSICs will also support other reconnaissance platforms, such as the Gripen.

AAI is to deliver the first Shadow 200 system early next year and the second about a year later.

The first SSIC is to be delivered by Saab 16 months after contract signature and be deployed to Afghanistan along with the first Shadow system in the fall of 2011.

The second SSIC follows toward the end of the year and will remain in Sweden with the other Shadow system for training.

The U.S. Army has racked up its millionth hour of unmanned air operations, and the RQ-7 Shadow 200 has flown over half of that time. Included in the 510,000 hours of Shadow flying to date are 420,000 hours of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Around 20 to 25 systems are deployed for brigade level support, and at times they have been launching a vehicle every 20 minutes.

AAI received orders for 115 Shadow 200 systems from the U.S. Army and has delivered around 100. The U.S. Marine Corps has also acquired the type.

The U.S. company is continuously improving the Shadow series and has completed testing a vehicle with wingspan extended from 14 to 20 feet. This increases the payload capability and raises typical endurance from six to nine hours. The parachute recovery system is being improved to provide softer landings, and by the end of the year AAI expects to have completed trials with a laser designation system.

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Demonstrating its weapons versatility, the AT-802U carries 500-pound bombs under the fuselage, with seven-round rocket pods and GAU-19/A rotary machine guns under the wings.

Industry must boost IT to grow and cut costs

by Julian Moxon

Turret imagery is matched to an AeroComputers UC-5100 moving map to provide real-time targeting and cueing.

Imagery can be displayed on flat-panel LCDs in the front and rear cockpit, the screen in the back being a 17-inch display with split-screen and picture-in-picture capability. An Avalex DVR recording system allows imagery to be reviewed in flight or after the mission, while an L-3 CMDL datalink allows imagery to be transmitted to ground forces, including to Rover-equipped units. The cockpit has also been updated through the adoption of a Garmin G600 EFIS. AT-802U also brings new weapons capability to Farnborough. The type now has a fully tested gun capability in the form of the General Dynamics GAU-

19/A 0.50-inch three-barreled Gatling gun, two of which can be carried on the inner underwing pylons. The Air Tractor can also fire Hellfire and DAGR laserguided weapons, as well as deliver 500-pound laser-guided bombs and a range of unguided ordnance. Eight hardpoints are provided, three under each wing and two more under the fuselage.

A notable new weapon is the 100-kilogram class Moog/FTS Mini Talon missile, of which six can be carried under the wing pylons. Also known as the Border Protection Weapon, this is a GPS/INS-guided, folding-wing missile with a 12-kilogram warhead that offers a circular-error probability (CEP) of less than three meters, and capability against both moving and stationary targets.

Light attack AT-6 is ready for action

and advanced datalinks that can support video and other data transmission to the ground. Esterline CMC Electronics provides its integrated Cockpit 4000 avionics and navigation suite for the AT-6, as well as for the T-6B. Hawker Beechcraft has flown two PRTVs, the first being fitted with the mission system. It has made more than 100 flights since first flying in July 2009 and has spent more than 200 hours in the air. In April it was deployed along with a T-6C to Nellis AFB, Nevada, sponsored by the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, to participate in the Joint Expeditionary Forces Experiment.

During the course of this exercise the two aircraft flew 24 times, posting 100 percent reliability rates and demonstrating key capabilities in a range of irregular warfare scenarios. Among them were digital close air support, interoperability with existing equipment, longendurance, rough-field operations, rapid re-arming and dry refueling

with Special Operations Command MC-130 tankers. During the two weeks the aircraft burned just 15,640 pounds of fuel; Hawker Beechcraft pointed out that an F16 burns 16,500 pounds in a single three-hour on-station assignment.

After its return from Farnborough, the first PRTV is also to receive the uprated Pratt & Whitney

Canada PT6A-68D engine, and be integrated with the Gentex Scorpion helmet-mounted cueing system. The second PRTV initially flew without a mission system, but did feature the 1,600-shp PT6A-68D and optimized Hartzell propeller from the start. It now has more than 50 hours flying time, and is to be fitted later this month

DAVID McINTOSH

Air Tractor’s AT-802U light attack and surveillance aircraft made its debut at Paris last year, but comes to Farnborough this year with new capabilities.

Chief among them is a mission endurance extended to more than 10 hours thanks to a new fuselage fuel tank. This extended loiter capability is of particular benefit in the surveillance role, allowing the AT-802U to remain on station long after other manned platforms have had to return to base.

The AT-802U is based on a proven ag-plane, giving it outstanding rough-strip capability, but incorporates armor and a sophisticated mission suite. The primary surveillance system is the retractable L-3 Wescam MX15Di multi-sensor turret, which also includes a laser designator.

Information technology (IT) specialist CSC aims to increase its European aerospace and defense business by up to 10 percent yearon-year as it seeks to capitalize on the trend for companies to look for business in new areas.

U.S.-based CSC, which employs 94,000 and has annual sales of $16 billion, sees “major opportunities” in Europe, mainly helping companies achieve greater efficiency and find new market sectors. “IT has traditionally been seen as an overhead,” Gareth Evans, CSC European vice president for aerospace and defense, told AIN in Farnborough, “but it is time to move out of the basement and become a strategic enabler for growth.”

While European markets may not be at their most active in terms of sales, he said, “We can provide a lot of help getting costs out of the system.” Other growth areas include helping major international companies like BAE Systems strengthen their position in new regions of the world, such as India and Saudi Arabia. CSC is working with BAE Systems on product lifecycle management solutions for combat aircraft, including older types such as the Tornado, Hawk and Nimrod. “We develop the IT needed to gather

Capabilities expanded for AT-802U

by David Donald

with aerodynamic fairings representative of the defensive aids suite. These aids will then be tested on the No. 1 aircraft, at which point it will become representative of anticipated U.S. Air Force LAAR requirements. In the meantime, the second aircraft will receive mission avionics and equipment appropriate to Foreign Military Sales. –D.D.

The first light attack/armed reconnaissance AT-6 production-representative test vehicle (PRTV) is making its international debut here in the UK. The Hawker Beechcraft-manufactured aircraft comes on the heels of successfully completing a two-week U.S. joint forces exercise.

22aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

DAVID McINTOSH

Hawker Beechcraft’s first AT-6 PRTV (production-representative test vehicle) has taken time out from its busy test schedule to make its international debut here at Farnborough. It arrives having completed an impressive demonstration of its light attack and armed reconnaissance capabilities during a two-week U.S. joint forces exercise.

The AT-6 has been developed from the T-6A/B/C Texan II for the close support and irregular warfare mission, with an eye on the U.S. light attack/armed reconnaissance aircraft (LAAR) requirement and exports. Lockheed Martin has integrated the mission system based on that installed in the A-10C upgrade. Key elements are L-3 Wescam targeting pod, hands-onthrottle-and-stick (HOTAS) controls

data for predictive maintenance, spares support and so on,” said Evans.

For Airbus and EADS, CSC is working on new radio frequency identification technology, which will label components at the point of manufacture so they can be traced throughout the lifetime of the aircraft. Evans said “auto ident” technology is a major area of growth and, besides recording every detail of manufacture, will eventually include such details as the qualifications of the engineers who worked on the component.

Evans said a “very attractive” growth area is in the aero-engine industry. CSC recently announced a five-year, $1.5 billion extension to its existing IT contract with United Technologies, under which it provides IT infrastructure support in 22 countries.

He added that the company is talking to “several other manufacturers,” but he declined to be more specific.

CSC is one of four aerospace companies working for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on a demonstration of netenabled operations technology, aimed at spotting rogue aircraft entering U.S. airspace and sharing air traffic control information amongst federal agencies.

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French-Italian regional turboprop manufacturer ATR earlier this month unveiled a new partnership with Italian design house Giugiaro Design for the development of the cabin of its ATR 42/72-600 series. The makeover, called Armonia, reduces the aircraft’s total weight by the equivalent of two passengers and will be available as a retrofit on the ATR’s current -500 series.

Visitors to the Farnborough airshow can see, for the first time, a full-scale mockup of an ATR 72-600 with the Armonia cabin and a new avionics suite.

Certification and entry into service of the 72-600 is expected in the second half of 2011, probably during the summer, Bagnato said. Just before the Farnborough show opened, ATR said it had orders for 59 of its 42/72-600 series, comprising 52 examples of the 72-700 and seven copies of the 42-600. The company, which claims to have 56 percent of the market for 50- to 74-seat regional turboprops, is considering a possible 90/100-seat turboprop. Nothing has been decided and, in any case, no announcement would be forthcoming before certification of the 72-600, which is the company’s priority.

“Simplicity” is how Filippo Bagnato, who has returned as ATR CEO after a

three-year term as board chairman, describes the partnership of Giugiaro Design and the ATR joint venture and that between Alenia Aeronautica (a Finmeccanica company) and EADS. Toulouse, France-based ATR selected Giugiaro Design for its experience, especially with automobiles, in blending design and integration capability. While Giugiaro Design has been involved with several aircraft projects from private individuals, the ATRs represent the company’s entry into the commercial aircraft sphere. Fabrizio Giugiaro, co-chairman and Giugiaro Design styling director, said his company sought to translate its know-how from automobile design to the ATR project and that this experience could also be valid for possible future ATR programs.

The “latest in attractive, comfortable cabin interior design adds to ATR’s many advantages in terms of operating costs, performance and environmental friendliness for the -600 series, which has the widest cabin in the regional aircraft market,” Bagnato told AIN. He confirmed the option of retrofitting the interior on the present 42/72-500 series “to protect customers’ investments.” The Thai air force has chosen to retrofit its corporate and VIP -500s, but

New-generation Avionics for the ATR 600 Thales is supplying the cockpit control display and onboard airport navigation systems for ATR’s new -600 series turboprops as part of an extensive package that also includes autopilot, navigation and communications equipment and the integrated modular avionics (IMA) system.

Luc Baron, Thales’ design authority for the ATR 600, said the IMA, an innovation for regional aircraft, means functions can be modified without modifying the system. So it will be possible to add new functions needed in the future either by adding a new circuit board supporting several functions or by a new software partition. The system includes the avionics full-duplex switched Ethernet (AFDX) developed for the A380.

The initial version of the software flew in July 2009. One year and four interim standards later, the version in the Toulouse labs was 100percent functional for Cat 2 operations, Cat 3 capability being an option that no airline has requested so far. The system comprises around two million lines of computer code, Baron said, and every new version requires 7,000 elementary tests. Thales delivered the Cat 2 version to ATR last month and certification is expected late this year or early next.

Compared with the current -500 models, the new flight deck replaces all instruments with five large displays as big as those on the A380. Thales is also integrating equipment from other vendors, including Honeywell’s Primus 660 weather radar and Rockwell

Collins radios. The Cat 2 version uses a Sagem attitude and heading reference system (AHRS), which would be replaced for Cat 3 by a Honeywell inertial reference system. “Our ambition in the long term is to be able to be able to provide a complete avionics suite based on our sensors,” Baron said A retrofit would likely cost as much as the aircraft was worth, he added, “It is conceptually feasible, but we’re sure it won’t be done.”

Thales has also delivered the full Cat 2 version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 software, which is in the final stages of flight tests aimed at freezing the configuration and winning Russian certification. “Sukhoi is doing a significant part of the software development,” Baron commented. “We trained their people to develop software that we then integrate, so they will be have useful competence to leverage in other programs, or possibly for future –B.J.F. Thales programs.”

24aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

Selex Galileo highlights its warfare sensors, optics Selex Galileo (Stand OE1 & OE2) is displaying a range of its radar, electrooptic/infrared and electronic warfare sensors here at Farnborough. The company, part of the Finmeccanica group, has been selected to supply sensors to many of Europe’s leading programs, as evidenced by its place on Eurofighter’s Typhoon combat aircraft as provider of the Captor radar, Praetorian defensive aid suite and Pirate infrared search and track. The company also provides the ES-05 Raven active electronically scanned

MARK WAGNER

by Jeff Apter

ATR has partnered with Italian design house Giugiaro Design to develop the cabins for its ATR 42/62-600 regional turboprops.

engineering and support needed to launch new vehicles into the market. In the 1970s the company did interiors for privately owned Agusta helicopters, including one for the Shah of Iran and another for an African head of state. Giugiaro Design also developed an interior for an Alitalia Airbus A321 and a Piaggio Aero P180 Avanti. array radar and Skyward G IRST for the Saab Gripen NG, making its international debut in the UK. Another Farnborough debutant, the AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat, has Selex Galileo systems in the form of the Seaspray 7400E radar and HIDAS 15 defensive suite. HIDAS has also been specified by several Apache operators, including the UK. Selex Galileo also produces a range of electro-optic systems such as the EOST 46 four-sensor turret, and is developing the VigilX distributed sensor system to provide 360-degree coverage around the platform.

Radars and EO/IR turrets are brought together in the company’s Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance (ATOS) family, primarily for maritime patrol applications such as the Nigerian ATR 42MP here in the static display, which has a Gabbiano radar and EOST 45 turret. As well as producing systems, Selex Galileo has moved into the platforms business with a range of UAVs led by the Falco.

–D.D.

MARK WAGNER

ATR cabin development loses weight, gains comfort

no list price is available either for that option or for the 72-600.

In addition to cleanly styled seats, ceiling, side panels and overhead bins that make the cabin more spacious, airy and comfortable, Armonia uses new durable lightweight materials, reducing total weight by 440 pounds, the equivalent of two passengers. The new interior features wider, lightweight ergonomically designed seats to ensure greater knee clearance, an enhanced sense of space and increased under-seat capacity.

The seats will have a basic four-inch inclination with seven-inch in first class.

As an option, the -600 offers a two-class configuration with a basic two-plus-one 29-inch seat layout in first class with wider seats, more space, windows for each row and large armrest tables. The interior’s overhead bins provide 10 percent more cabin storage space and 30 percent more carry-on capacity, enabling up to 70 percent of passengers to store their roller bags overhead. LED lighting creates a more welcoming environment, while improving energy efficiency and weighing less than other lighting systems. A further option is a jetwaycapable forward door with a new designed spacious entrance area.

The company Italdesign-Giugiaro was founded in 1974 as a service company to provide automobile makers with prototype

Radars and electro-optic/infrared from Selex Galileo work in concert to form the company’s Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance platform, which has been selected for the maritime patrol Nigerian ATR 42MP.

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We’re Coming Up On Radar Lately, North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad has been coming up a lot on the radar as a center for aviation. That may be because we’re the new home of Honda Jet and a base for a growing fleet of aviation-related manufacturers, suppliers and maintenance facilities.

It may also be because today the Piedmont Triad has more than 30 aviation-related firms employing nearly 4,000 highly skilled engineers, mechanics and corporate personnel.

SR Technics claims to offer reduced turnaround times through its programs of “equalized maintenance” checks and intermediate layover checks for the Airbus A320 family.

SR Technics to open MRO facility in Malta

But one thing’s for sure. The blip that first appeared on the radar a couple of years ago is now a region being tracked by the leading firms in the aviation industry.

To find out more, call 800-669-4556 or go to PiedmontTriadNC.com.

We’re Taking Flight

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26aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

by Thierry Dubois Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) specialist SR Technics plans to build a new facility at Malta International Airport, with construction commencing soon, and to begin operating there in an existing hangar in the third quarter of this year. It hopes to benefit from lower labor costs in the region and from its location which gives the Switzerland-based group a foothold in the European Union.

“We have appointed a general manager and our local recruitment campaign is running very successfully,” a spokesman told AIN. The company envisions creating up to 350 jobs in Malta by 2014. At present, it will be very busy thanks to an 11-year extension of an approximately $1.6 billion contract to support EasyJet’s Airbus A319 fleet.

SR Technics is launching its Maltese operation in an existing two-bay hangar and plans to start construction on a fourbay hangar imminently. Initially, the MRO facility will focus on the Airbus A320 family, for which it will perform intermediate layover (IL) checks and C-checks. It also expects to offer support for the Boeing 737 family from early 2012, once the new hangar is completed.

Choosing Malta, where rival Lufthansa Technik also has a base, was driven not only by lower labor costs. “A workforce with relevant skills is available locally,” a spokesman said. Moreover, SR Technics sees a significant number of potential customers within a four-hour ferry flight radius of the Mediterranean island–resulting in a prospective MRO market spanning the whole of Europe, as well as significant parts of Africa and the Middle East.

SR Technics also is touting its reduced turnaround times for aircraft checks. The company is introducing to the market its “equalized maintenance” (or E check) concept, which has reduced downtime on A320 family aircraft by 17 days over a six-year maintenance period. It developed the concept while maintaining EasyJet aircraft during 2003-2009.

In addition, it has reduced the turnaround time for an Airbus A320 family IL check from 21 to 14 days. For the fleet’s CFM International CFM56-5B, CFM565C and CFM56-7 engines, turnaround time stands at 45 days.

Meanwhile, SR Technics has plans to enter the U.S. market and in March opened a sales office in Sunrise, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. In May, it opened a technical training facility in Abu Dhabi, and beginning in September, will offer base maintenance services in Zurich for Boeing aircraft.

In another move, in April, the company closed its component services organization at London Stansted Airport with the loss of 340 jobs, consolidating that work at its Zurich facility.

SR Technics (Hall 4 Stand D9) is exhibiting in Farnborough alongside its partner company Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, also part of the MRO network of the Mubadala Development Co.

Sunaero’s quick fixes aim to plug fuel leaks

where the signal is pneumatic, but Sunaero also offers electronic systems for greater flexibility. All these systems have a number of safety features, mainly to avoid human error. For example, they warn the operator if the tank still contains too much fuel for the test.

So far, Sunaero has found military customers in its home country, as well as in the Middle

Sunaero is here at the Farnborough show (Hall 1 Stand A15) promoting its quick-repair equipment and services for repair of fuel leaks in military and civil aircraft. The trend in this area is toward smaller, more portable hardware, a spokesman said. The French company is also developing a new solution for composite material repair, he noted.

Although air forces generally don’t acknowledge it, fuel leaks rank second in aircraft-on-ground issues, just after engine failures, with some of them resulting from combat damage, said Sunaero’s vice president for quality and training Thierry Regond. Since the 1990s, when DGA, France’s defense procurement agency, commissioned the company to work on the problem, the firm has been offering a range of solutions for leak detection and repair, with a focus on achieving shorter turnaround times.

Sunaero’s processes allow technicians to mend the aircraft in eight hours. “Sealants usually polymerize in 72 hours,” Regond told AIN, but can take longer in cold air, he added. The technology hinges on low-temperature infrared emissions, he said, explaining that so-called thermoreactors (also known as rapid curing devices, or RCDs) accelerate the polymerization process, completing it overnight.

RCDs also can be used to repair a leak on the windscreen or to polymerize some special military coatings.

Leak detectors that use a tracer gas to can help technicians visualize three different pressure levels in several fuel tanks at a time, are also in Sunaero’s product range.

Among its other products are desealing processes that use pneumatic and vibrant tools.

The leak detection process still uses a sort of air computer,

EMMANUEL FOUDROT

by Thierry Dubois

East, Australia and northern Europe. Most contracts are for hardware, technician training and hardware maintenance, and some sales include on-site operational assistance, Regond said.

Regond also said he sees growth potential in the civil market.

“We have to explain that our system’s cost can be recouped in two repair events,” he said, estimating that the daily cost of a commercial

airliner being stuck on the ground can be between $110,000 and $180,000. Sunaero solutions are shown as approved in Airbus and Boeing maintenance manuals.

The leak repair kits–for both civil and military markets–are transportable. To carry them, the company offers pairs of 70-pound suitcases (rather than much heavier carts) containing all the detection and repair equipment.

Airlines can transport them them as luggage, but the suitcases must be designed to be shock-proof to withstand rough handling.

Sunaero also is developing new repair methods for composite parts. “We aim at making deep repairs without the need for part removal or an autoclave,” Regond explained. The target turnaround time is eight hours.

The company employs a staff of 12 in France, mainly engaged in research and development. In the U.S., where its Aerowing subsidiary has fulfilled U.S. Air Force contracts, it employs 28, mostly in production.

Sunaero v-p Thierry Regond shows a military aircraft fuel leak detector system– weighing around 70 pounds–that can be transported in a durable suitcase.

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www.ainonline.com • July 20, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa27

Dunlop stays on growth path, despite dip

by Charles Alcock Having celebrated its 100th birthday last month, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres is working toward the lofty goal of doubling the size of its business, profitably, by 2013. “We made this strategy before the recession and it has become more challenging to the extent that it might push the timeline out,�

Ian Edmonson

acknowledged chairman and managing director Ian Edmonson. He insisted that there is still more growth to be had from the sector and that it likely will come through expansion into Asia and the Americas, as well as through an extension to its product line.

The aircraft tire business is essentially about customer support, he

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28aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

said. Airlines and military operators need to know that they will get the replacement tires they need in an efficient and flexible way and that they can be sure of a dependable cost-per-landing. “Supporting the customer is the most important factor [in achieving market growth],� Edmonson told AIN. “The key is product availability and customer service, with an emphasis on responsiveness, flexibility and addressing customer concerns. We are focused on these issues and give better customer service.�

Dunlop still makes its tires at its factory in Birmingham and has no plans to move the core-manufacturing task to lower cost economies. But to support customers around the world it needs to be able to supply retread tires as economically and efficiently as possible, and it was this necessity that prompted the UK firm to build a new factory at Jinjiang in southern China. Its next step will be to establish retreading capability at a location in North America.

The Jinjiang facility, located about an hour’s drive from Hong Kong, recently secured its first order when Taiwan’s Mandarin Airlines signed a three-year deal covering bias tires for its fleet of eight Embraer E-190/195 airliners. The new subsidiary operates as Dunlop Taikoo (Jinjiang) Aircraft Tyres Co. Ltd. and is a joint

Dunlop Tyres technicians trim and retread tires.

Factored into the cost of operating an aircraft is the cost-per-landing, which takes into account how many landings each tire can make and how many times it can be retread.

venture with Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co. Ltd. (with a 28-percent stake) and Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Co. Ltd. (9 percent).

Also this year, Dunlop acquired the aircraft tire making equipment from Japan’s Yokohama Rubber Co., which is exiting the aircraft tire sector. This equipment has been transferred back to Dunlop’s UK plant and will give it the capability to make tires for aircraft such as the Boeing 777. Included in the purchase is an additional dynamometer, which will help Dunlop to bring new products to market more quickly.

Most of the emphasis on technological development of aircraft tires is now focused on improving the cost of operation cost-perlanding, which largely comes down to how many landings each tire can make and how many times it can be retread. Manufacturers generally provide tires on a cost-per-landing basis, so they have a vested interest in achieving a high degree of product reliability and knowing as much as possible about

Dunlop makes both bias and radial tires, the latter (above) generally being lighter and able to make more landings before having to be retread, thus reducing operating and maintenance costs.

the anticipated service life.

Like the other leading manufacturers, Dunlop makes both bias or cross-ply and radial tires. Generally speaking, bias tires are more robust and can be retread more often, giving a lower direct ownership cost.

Radial tires are generally lighter (meaning lower fuel burn) and can make more landings before having to be retread, giving reduced operating and maintenance costs.

Manufacturers have been concentrating research-and-development efforts on goals such as changing the rubber compounds used for tires to make them more resistant to damage by foreign objects. They have also been trying to have more control over the ways tires do fail and more efficient ways to handle the overhaul process.

Dunlop is also concentrating its engineering efforts on the impact tires can have on an aircraft’s environmental footprint. In addition to reducing their weight, the company is looking at the use of bio-materials and ways to reduce the rolling resistance and noise generated by tires. Another initiative could see the application of radio frequency identification technology, using chips embedded in tires for counting usage cycles and suppressing temperature.

Having been owned by a family foundation since the 1980s, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres was acquired by private equity group AAC Capital Partners in May 2007, and it was this takeover that prompted the ambitious goal of doubling the size of the business in just six years. Looking beyond the current air transport down-cycle, Dunlop expects to benefit from the next rising tide. “We do expect the global market to grow and we will grow market share in growing market,� concluded Edmonson.

The company has no record of which type of aircraft first used its products at the start of the last century, but its archives show a first published price list dating from June 1910. There are also records of the company having produced tires for the Howard Wright Biplane soon after that date.

You can see more current examples of Dunlop’s tires here at the Farnborough airshow on the new Airbus A400M military transport, for which it developed new technology to protect the tires against foreign object damage.

Dunlop (Hall 4 Stand C14) has been chosen as a supplier option for Bombardier’s CRJ1000 regional jet and it is also working on achieving the same status with Boeing for the 777 family.

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Boeing’s new care program is worth its weight in gold

by Matt Thurber With the advent of the 787 Dreamliner, touted as a “flying WiFi hotspot” chock full of useful data that will be passed along to airline maintenance and engineering departments, Boeing has an opportunity to revamp the way airliners are maintained.

What if an airline could transfer its huge maintenance and engineering burden to Boeing and focus on its primary function of moving people around?

That concept is at the heart of Boeing’s GoldCare service, which allows airlines to select from a menu of three burdenrelieving options. A full GoldCare package would include maintenance, engineering and materials (parts and consumables).

Airlines can select any two of those options when signing up for GoldCare, as long as engineering is one of them. Some airlines may opt for only one of the three, but then that won’t be a GoldCare package.

German airline group TUI has selected

GoldCare for four of its operations that have ordered the 787. The TUI package includes the entire GoldCare package except for line maintenance and covers 13 airplanes over a 12-year period (to coincide with the 787’s heavy check interval).

GoldCare integrates a number of Boeing tools along with Maintenix, a maintenance planning and tracking software suite by Mxi Technologies. Boeing tools include Airplane Health Management and the Maintenance Toolbox electronic logbook, which plays on the electronic flight bags in the 787 cockpit. Materials management is also a key element of GoldCare and is handled by an internal Boeing group to provide a cost-per-hour parts program for 787 operators.

Boeing has built a GoldCare operations center in Renton, Washington, to manage customers’ maintenance and engineering on a 24/7 basis. Customers can also access the

CAE blends computer modeling, simulators for better integration

by Curt Epstein While best known for its comprehensive aviation training courses and its lineup of flight simulation devices, CAE has moved further upstream into the aircraft design process with new modeling and simulator products. The Canada-based company’s augmented engineering environment (AEE) is a suite of software and hardware products that will assist aircraft manufacturers with the design and systems integration of prototypes.

AAE is currently seeing its first full operation in support of the design of Bombardier’s new C Series airliner, which is expected to enter service in 2013 with launch customer Lufthansa. Bombardier signed a seven-year contract with CAE last year as part of its complete integrated aircraft systems test area (CIASTA) program, which should take it through the design phase to initial training and two-years past the C Series’ entry into service.

In creating the system, CAE has leveraged its computer modeling and simulator experience into a customizable hardware and software integration backbone that can develop along with the aircraft design from concept through series production. The system consists of four work packages that are presented to the customer at predetermined steps in the design process. The first step, delivered last winter to the Canadian airframer, was a computer cluster loaded with the software needed to simulate the aircraft design in a virtual environment.

The AEE is aimed primarily at systems function and integration and is viewed by its creators as a complement to computer solid modeling platforms such as Dassault’s

CATIA. “System integration is a discipline that does not enjoy the same kind of progress as structural design with CATIA,” said Marc St-Hilaire, CAE’s vice president of core engineering. “It does not enjoy the same type of progress as aerodynamic design with a super computer. System design is still very conventional; requirements on

CAE’s hardware and software combo known as augmented engineering environment is aimed at systems function and integration. Its creators view it as a complement to computer solid modeling platforms such as Dassault’s CATIA.

paper, flowing them down to a supplier managing the interface and then testing the design very close to aircraft integration.

I see simulating the requirements and animating the design very early into the program to validate your system design, for sure is going to have a benefit.”

The second work package to be delivered next spring to Bombardier is an engineering simulator with a cockpit.

“Some of the OEMs want an animated cockpit quite early in their design process,” said St-Hilaire. “We supply them with that

30aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

same information via the MyBoeingFleet Web portal. Boeing doesn’t perform the maintenance but works with third-party providers such as the UK’s Monarch Engineering, which will service the TUI 787s.

“What GoldCare does is to seamlessly in real time take the data from the airplane into the system and translate it into knowledge,” said Bob Avery, vice president for fleet management with Boeing’s Commercial Aviation Services. “We can have the scheduling opportunities looked at very quickly, check for parts, check for faults through the electronic logbook straight into [the] Toolbox or Airplane Health Management [systems]. It’s a rapid way of getting to what you need to make that next flight or to schedule the next maintenance event.”

GoldCare also relieves airlines of the burden of initial provisioning for new airplane types, minimizing the infrastructure that airlines need to buy and build. An airline that signed for a full GoldCare package, for example, wouldn’t have to buy any ground service equipment or build special tools for maintenance or order a boatload of parts that cost money to store.

Parts needs are handled by Boeing suppliers, as well as Boeing itself, depending on the source of the parts, but the result is cockpit, which is reconfigurable, and that cockpit is driven by a software suite on the computer cluster.” At that point in the development, the engineering simulator can also communicate with actual avionics components. “It’s got the ability to interface between the virtual world and the real world,” St-Hilaire told AIN. “From that simulation environment you can drive real push buttons, you can drive real screens, you can even talk to real aircraft boxes.”

The third work package, to be delivered next year, consists of an integrated systems test and certification rig and software to test the flight controls. The final delivery to Bombardier in 2013 will be the CAE Series 7000 full flight simulator, which |the company will initially use in its flight test program for cockpit operational evaluations and other tests, including wind shear certification.

One of the system’s major functionalities lies in its ability to enable designers to create virtual cockpit control panels and displays early in the development phase, before any metal is cut. “You can construct this whole virtual cockpit on touch-screen panels and you can modify those virtual panels within minutes. Then you can hook up those panels back to the simulation immediately,” noted St-Hilaire.

In addition to the CIASTA contract with Bombardier, CAE has also signed a similar agreement with the Indian National Aerospace Laboratory to develop and refine the avionics configuration for the RTA 70 turboprop. The engineering simulator will be used for cockpit configuration and avionics equipment studies, as well as to explore the effects of human factors. The company also supplied engineering simulators to Embraer for use in developing the fly-by-wire control systems for the E-170 and E-175 regional jetliners, and to the Korean National Aerospace Laboratory to help define the flying characteristics of a new helicopter.

the airline can pay a predictable per-flighthour amount and not worry about all the logistics. “We’re trying to get the whole supply chain aligned,” Avery explained.

“The suppliers–if their products perform well and they keep improving them, they’ll do better than they planned.”

A key feature of GoldCare is that the system keeps detailed records of everything that’s ever been done to a covered airplane. The benefit is that when the airplane switches owners or goes back to a leasing company, all the records are up to date and no one has to go digging through boxes of logbooks to find out which components are installed and the status of time-life parts, airworthiness directives and service bulletins.

Boeing is discussing GoldCare with two non-787 customers, even though the program was intended to be implemented after the 787 entered service.

GoldCare is still in the development phase, with completion due by the end of the first quarter of next year. “It is critical that we do that successfully,” Avery said.

“We’ll get to a business case for the non-787 stuff probably in the third quarter this year.”

So why is Boeing going to the expense of integrating all the maintenance-related software tools and service products under GoldCare? “If you have a reasonable share with GoldCare, you are embedded in a customer’s operations,” Avery said. “If you’re taking care of airplanes on a daily basis and doing a good job and a customer wants to buy a new airplane, why wouldn’t they come to us? Being embedded with a customer’s operation may give us some additional opportunities.”

IT Is the GoldCare Key “The secret sauce of GoldCare is e-enablement and IT integration services,” said Bob Avery, vice president for fleet management with Boeing’s Commercial Aviation Services. “Many of those functions are already done either by airlines or outsource firms, but this is where Boeing’s investment really plays and makes a difference.”

GoldCare functions are run at a dedicated operations center where large-screen displays show GoldCare customer airplane status in real time. The primary screen shows the Mxi Technologies Maintenix tracking software: where airplanes are, where they are going and time between flights so that any upcoming maintenance can be slotted into available time, or whether flights need to be rescheduled. For larger problems, say a structural repair, GoldCare specialists will walk across the room to Boeing’s big operations center to make arrangements.

The GoldCare operations center doesn’t replace an airline’s maintenance control department but helps the airline keep its airplanes available for revenue flying. “We have these visual tools,” Lee Cantrell, duty manager, said, “to help us keep track of where the airplanes are, what’s going on with them…if they’re having delays and cancellations. We’ll be able to talk with the folks at the airline or at the maintenance provider to try to get everything back on track.” –M.T.

Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks.

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Watchkeeper UAV on course for deployment

by David Donald Just over three months ago, on April 14, Thales undertook the first flight in the UK of the Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle (UAV), 54 of which are on order for the British Army, plus 13 ground control stations. The 20minute sortie took place at the ParcAberporth test site on the west coast of Wales and marked an important milestone in the program as the focus of testing shifts from Israel to the UK in preparation for service-entry next year.

Europe’s largest current UAV program is led by Thales and employs a modified version of the Elbit Hermes 450. Designated the WK450 and first flying in Israel in April 2008, the Watchkeeper vehicle has a strengthened wing, rugged undercarriage and deicing. It is fully net-enabled, allowing it to cross-communicate throughout the Army’s network.

An important lesson from Hermes operations in Afghanistan was the need to get information to the ground quickly, and the Watchkeeper system includes remote video terminals for use in the field, as well as ground control stations.

The Watchkeeper is intended to operate in all weathers, and tests in Israel have proved the air vehicle’s impressive crosswind landing capability, which includes a last-minute “de-crabbing” maneuver just before touchdown, as well as its ability to operate from rough strips.

The WK450 carries an electrooptical/infrared/laser turret and an I-Master synthetic aperture and ground moving indicator target radar. It has a 16- to 18hour endurance and is fully autonomous.

Production WK450s are being built by UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS), a joint Thales/Elbit

venture based at Leicester in the UK. The first full production vehicles are to be available this fall.

The test fleet includes prototype test vehicles in Israel and five production-representative vehicles in the UK. Three of them are already at Link X-secure ParcAberporth, which has recently added a large overland test area more applicable to operational Watchkeeper testing than the previous overwater range area.

While tests are ongoing, Thales is completing the Army’s integrated training facility at Larkhill, which will be opened soon to allow operator instruction to begin. Next year operations are planned to start from Boscombe Down, close to Larkhill and the Army’s Salisbury Plain training area. With training beginning this summer, and operational vehicles to be delivered soon after, the Watchkeeper is on course for an in-service date next year.

Afghanistan Deployment

The WK450 will be deployed to Afghanistan as soon as possible. In the meantime, Thales continues to provide UAV capability to the British Army in-theater through a service contract under which it provides “ISTAR-by-the-hour” (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) with a fleet of Elbit Hermes 450s based at Camp Bastion.

This operation was the result of a UK ministry of defence urgent operational requirement raised in July 2007. The fleet recently passed the 30,000 operational flying hour mark in over 2,000 sorties. The Hermes 450s provide the British Army with the bulk of its in-theater ISTAR flying a variety of missions. As well as convoy protection and support

The Watchkeeper lifts off into UK airspace for the first time on April 14. Testing is being undertaken at ParcAberporth, but could expand to include Boscombe Down next year.

to troops in contact, Hermes missions are aimed at countering improvised explosive devices, monitoring narcotics growth and traffic, indirect fire support and for pattern-of-life surveillance.

Under the original terms of the contract, the Afghanistan Hermes mission was due to end this October, but it will be extended to provide a seamless transition to the Watchkeeper as it enters service. The process is scheduled to begin next year and should be completed by April 2012. The WK450 will bring added capability as it is a two-payload system, whereas the Hermes has only EO/IR capability.

Thales could offer a similar interim service to other European nations, several of which are monitoring the Watchkeeper program closely. Among them is France, which is expected to release a request for proposals covering a similar type of system next year, for service entry in 2015-16. Italy and Poland have also expressed requirements in this class, with NATO compatibility and certification seen as important factors in these cases.

The Watchkeeper’s development for the British Army answers the compatibility issue and it is the only current UAV to be certificated to European airworthiness standards.

Thales provides the Elbit Hermes 450 to the British Army in Afghanistan under a UOR service contract. The fleet, seen here at its Camp Bastion base, has passed 30,000 hours of operations.

Morpho baggage scanner is more accurate, quicker

by Thierry Dubois Safran’s Morpho subsidiary is here in Farnborough (Hall 4 Stand B12) exhibiting a mockup of its CTX 9800 machine for detecting the presence of explosives in passenger baggage, which was approved just last year by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. Olivier Andries, Safran’s executive v-p for defense and security, claims the system is much faster and has better detection performance than other explosive detectors.

Using improved tomography technology, the CTX 9800 can process up to 1,000 pieces of luggage per hour. “This has to be compared to a typical 500 pieces per hour,” Andries told AIN. Moreover, greater resolution helps spotting smaller quantities of explosive material and the false alarm rate also is lower. San Jose Airport in California is the first customer for the new system.

The smaller, less expensive Morpho CTX 5800 is derived

34aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

from the CTX 9800. It has the same detection performance but handles just 400 to 500 pieces of baggage per hour. Safran bought this baggage scanning business from GE last year.

Also on Morpho’s display is “Finger on the fly,” a contact-free fingerprint identification system.

For future products, design engineers are endeavoring to improve

security performance, especially in detecting hazardous liquids and explosives hidden on a passenger’s body. Simultaneously, they are looking for ways to accelerate security checks at airports.

Through acquisitions in recent years, Morpho has grown its offerings in biometry, secure identity documents and homeland protection. Andries said most of the company’s future growth will be organic, although “targeted acquisitions” are still an option. On Friday, news agency Bloomberg reported that Safran is considering taking over U.S. biometry specialist L-1.

Safran’s Morpho subsidiary makes the CTX 9800, which detects the presence of explosives in passenger baggage. The company is here displaying a mockup of the unit, which was approved last year by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

Selex slims down helo obstacle warning system

Selex’s laser obstacle avoidance and monitoring system can guarantee to “look-into-turn� during demanding maneuvers at high speeds and elevated bank angles. With the aim of attracting civil applications, the company has reduced the weight of its LOAM by some five pounds.

by Paolo Valpolini Since almost one third of helicopter accidents with fatal casualties are caused by impact with obstacles and cables, developing and improving anti-collision systems against low-visibility obstacles is clearly a key objective for avionics specialists. Finmeccanica’s Selex Communications has had success with various military users of its laser obstacle avoidance and monitoring (LOAM) system since introducing it in 2000.

With a view to broadening its applications into civil applications, the Italian company has continued to develop the system with the aim of reducing the LOAM’s weight.

As a result, its sensor head unit (SHU) structure, which is located in the aircraft nose, now weighs just over 47 pounds, some five pounds less than previously, while maintaining the same dimensions, center of gravity and performance. The improvement was achieved through an analysis of the rigidity needed to maintain a stable optical path for the electro-optic components.

The 320- by 239- by 419-mm LOAM SHU contains a 1.55-mm wavelength Class IV laser emitter with a 10-kW pulse power, but thanks to its pulse duration of 3 to 5

nanoseconds, its repetition frequency of 60 kHz and a laser beam that scans the area around the flight path twice per second, it becomes a Class I equipment–that is, fully eye-safe. With a field of view (FOV) of 30 degrees in elevation and 40 degrees in azimuth and its capability to tilt automatically, as well as the FOV centerline of around 20 degrees both in azimuth and elevation according to flight data to adapt the scanned area to the flight situation, the LOAM can guarantee to “look-into-turn� during demanding maneuvers at high speeds and elevated bank angles.

The SHU also includes a swash mirror, which rotates at a constant speed around its axis reflecting the laser beam and draws a pseudo-ellipse in the airspace, while the turret periodically sweeps the FOV in azimuth. The combination of these two movements generates the required pseudoelliptical scan pattern that Selex considers best suited to detecting wire-like obstacles while maintaining an inherent high capacity to keep the detected obstacle shape unaffected by the helicopter motion, allowing it to reconstruct the obstacle shape. False echo

reduction, sun cancellation and sensitivity optimization systems are all incorporated into the LOAM sensor.

The first aircraft to receive the latest version of the LOAM with the lighter SHU will be the ICH-47F Chinook helicopter, 16 of which have been ordered for the Italian army (plus four options). The same equipment should be installed on eight Italian navy EH 101s in the amphibious support configuration.

A LOAM system also has been installed on a Bell UH-1H helicopter belonging to Lockheed Martin. This sensor has been operating since 2006 and is part of a sensor package that Lockheed Martin is evaluating for a possible proposal within the degraded visual environment program aimed at the

U.S. military helicopter fleet.

At the same time, Selex is looking at future markets, such as light and medium corporate helicopters needing a smaller, lighter and less expensive system. This could function with a lower level of performance to military requirements. For instance, while the current system can detect a 5-mm diameter cable (less than quarter of an inch) from a distance of around 800 yards with an optical visibility of about a mile and a quarter, a detection range of about 550 yards would be sufficient for a helicopter flying at a lower speed. This would provide a similar warning time while not only decreasing the physical constraints of the equipment but also reducing system, integration and qualification costs.

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www.ainonline.com • July 20, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa35

A BUSINESS AVIATION PERSPECTIVE

One the most popular pre-owned business jets are the Dassault Falcon 900 line, which includes the 900EX.

Business aviation takes a battering

by Nigel Moll

Business Aircraft Take a Bow at Farnborough You can inspect a fine selection of business aircraft in Farnborough International’s Business Aircraft Park, including:

Sino Swearingen SJ30 (shown by Action Aviation)

The Big Three’s SUV-size Blunder

Business aviation could see storm clouds on the horizon as summer in the Northern Hemisphere drew to a close in 2008, but the hammer blow was dealt by the CEOs of the three struggling Detroit car manufacturers when, in December, they each made the staggeringly stupid decision to fly

Bell Helicopter 429

Cessna–Citation Mustang, XLS, CJ3 and Grand Caravan Cirrus Aircraft SR20

to Washington aboard their $40 million business jets to beg for taxpayer bailout money.

The ensuing “fatcats in their luxury jets” headlines launched a savage backlash on business aviation and did more damage than the economy alone could have wrought. President Obama, a staunch supporter of business aviation in that he has used Air Force One more than any other president in history, chose to portray business jets as yet one more symbol of wretched excess by the very same people who got us into this mess in the first place.

We have subsequently had to witness House Speaker Pelosi clamoring for use of a 757 because a Gulfstream is just too small for her needs, and now we learn that establishment of a TFR (an exclusionary protective bubble placed in the airspace over a

SOME POPULAR PREOWNED MODELS

AgustaWestland Grand New helicopter

Bombardier Learjet 60XR, Challenger 850, Global 5000

Demand for large-cabin business jets, such as this Bombardier Global Express, has held up better than that for light and midsize jets.

PHOTOS: DAVID MCINTOSH

the people in business aviation’s trenches. Their message was polite, loud and clear, and the TSA withdrew its original LASP. A revised proposal is due out for comment by late this year.

The specter of LASP was actually a more menacing threat to business aviation than the crumbling economy, which (although never on this scale since the 1930s) has wobbled before but always righted itself. A bad rule made law, however, could have inflicted a harsher and more enduring blow on bizav. Until the TSA releases its revised large aircraft security proposal it would be premature for business aviation to regard LASP as a bullet dodged, but so far this has been a victory of sorts.

The sour economy, however, is many tentacled and continues to ensnare business aviation by bloating the inventory of used aircraft and stifling demand for new ones. Since the recession took hold in the latter half of 2008, business aviation has lost some 30,000 jobs at OEMs, flight departments and the service industry that supports them. Most disturbing, this damage has been inflicted on a $150 billion industry employing 1.2 million people with the active approval of the U.S. government.

Model CJ1+

No. in operation

Percentage Average price for sale 2008 ($M)

Average price 2010 ($M)

98

12.2

4.7

3.9

165

9.0

6.9

4.0

PREMIER IA

137

13.1

5.6

4.4

LEARJET 45

240

15.4

6.6

4.5

ENCORE

Dassault Aviation–Falcon 2000LX, Falcon 7X

FALCON 50

241

18.6

9.0

5.7

HAWKER 850XP

100

20.0

13.3

9.9

Diamond Aircraft DA42

G200

224

10.2

17.0

12.1

GIV-SP

286

7.7

27.7

14.3

139

14.3

19.1

13.9

105

5.7

31.0

21.2

Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i and Hawker 4000 Pilatus PC-12 Viking Air Twin Otter 400

FALCON 900B CHALLENGER 605

Note: Averages are based on published asking prices. Such prices are not available for all aircraft on the market. Actual selling prices may vary.

36aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

presidential destination) has now become a status symbol for other government high-ups as they mingle with their subjects.

Wisely, business aviation’s public voices have chosen to portray this appetite for private lift by government officials as a ringing endorsement of bizav’s benefits and advantages. Privately, of course, all in bizav are seething at the rampant hypocrisy.

In some ways, business aviation had been setting itself up for this “exposure” for decades. Bizav has been aviation’s stealth operator since long before the F-117 Nighthawk and B-2 were declassified. It has almost always preferred to operate in relative secrecy, and secrecy breeds just the sort of suspicion that erupted after the Big Three Auto bosses blew it. Bizav has been drifting down in the ash cloud ever since.

INVENTORY OF USED JETS PEAKED IN 2009 june 2008–june 2010 3,200 3,000

NO. OF AIRCRAFT FOR SALE

If journalism is the first draft of history, the front pages of Aviation International News over the last two years serve to chronicle the forces that have darkened business aviation’s sky for the past two years. It has been a rough flight, riding a spectacular updraft until encountering a brutal shear 18 months ago and fighting a severe downdraft since.

Despite some breaks in the weather recently, the business jet is by no means in the clear yet.

It’s well known that business aviation’s fortunes are elastically hitched to the ebb and flow of the economy, lagging them by a year or so, and the last down cycle was triggered by the chaos and angst that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Aviation, both commercial and business, felt this event hard because airliners had been commandeered as the weapon, and the process of beefing up security to prevent a repeat is still under way nearly 10 years later.

The TSA’s so-called Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP) proposal revealed how little it knew (or how little it would acknowledge) about the way business aviation operates, but lobbying and education efforts by the Washington alphabet groups and scathing coverage by the aviation press persuaded the agency to hold a series of public meetings around the U.S. to hear from

3,069

2,800

2,777

2,600 2,400 2,200 2,000

2,027

1,800 1,600

2008 Source (all statistics and charts): Jetnet, LLC

2009

2010

This is not to say that money has not been tight for the past couple of years, but business jets were suddenly cast in the same disapproving light as red Ferraris in hard times and seen as perks, not as the business transportation tools that the industry had thus far been increasingly successful in portraying.

Bloated Used Inventory

As public furor grew, flight operations declined and pre-owned inventory swelled to alarming new highs as owners felt compelled to hang a for-sale sign on their aircraft. And therein lies a key factor in the bloated inventory of used aircraft: for an unidentifiable number of owners, hanging that for-sale sign was primarily a gesture to symbolize “I feel your pain.” With values slashed by half in some cases, owners knew there had never been a worse time to sell a business aircraft, and those who could possibly avoid it had no intention of parting with their jet or turboprop at a fire-sale price.

Market forces have butchered used prices over the past 18 months.

From the standpoint of the buyer, bloating and stagnation in the used jet market is a function of fear of future impoverishment/buying prematurely (missing the bottom) or greed driven by targeting and holding off for that same bottom. Either way, some airplanes have languished on the used market for a couple of years.

Engine makers engaged in quest for material grail Snecma and GE Aviation are developing new materials to make future engines lighter and improve their efficiency. In the works are alloys using exotic metals such as niobium, and composites using organic, ceramic or metal matrices. The two companies will employ these technologies for the Leap-X engine they are developing under their CFM joint venture (Hall 4 Stand B13) and possibly for other projects.

Current engines are made using titanium alloys in their cold section (that is, the fan, booster and compressor). “Titanium, which has a relatively low density, can be used up to 500 to 550 degrees Celsius,” Jean-Yves Guédou, a Snecma expert in metals, told AIN. Steel, composites and aluminum also can be found in the cold section.

For the hot section, engine makers prefer to use nickel-based and, to a lesser extent, cobalt-based materials called superalloys, he said. This means the metallurgic process has given them higher resistance to heat and mechanical stress. “Cobalt is heavier and more expensive than nickel but is slightly better at very high temperatures, around 1,100 degrees Celsius. It is also more resistant to corrosion,” Guédou said.

Next-generation Materials

In the hot section, GE has traditionally used cobalt alloys, but change is coming.

About a decade ago, Japanese researchers identified cobalt-based, precipitationstrengthened superalloys as showing greater high-temperature strength. In 2006, researchers said these superalloys–made of cobalt, iridium, aluminum and tungsten–were very promising as candidates for next-generation high-temperature materials.

This is only the beginning of looming change, experts say. There are two motives driving a quest for new alloys and composites. First, as engineers try to make engines less fuel-thirsty, they tend to increase the bypass ratio. This increases the fan diameter and, in turn, makes the turbofan heavier–a condition that cries out for lighter materials.

A second way to cut fuel consumption is to improve the engine’s thermal efficiency.

“If we strongly increase the compression ratio and raise combustion temperatures by around 200 degrees Celsius, we have a potential 5- to 10-percent gain in fuel efficiency,” said Vincent Garnier, Snecma’s research and technology director. This calls for higher operating temperatures for parts and therefore suitable materials, he said.

GE is already using titanium aluminide (TiAl) in its GEnx engine, which is powering both the Boeing 747-8 and 787 in test flights. A so-called intermetallic compound, TiAl features an ordered structure with strong interatomic bondings, which provide high strength at lower ductility than metal alloys. In other words, TiAl’s behavior is close to that of ceramics and, therefore, is relatively brittle. This drawback can be

ALCHEMIST-HP

by Thierry Dubois

A titanium crystal bar. Titanium aluminide provides higher strength at lower density and in a composite material, a titanium alloy matrix can help make parts smaller. “Meltless” titanium could simplify the manufacturing process.

countered by the addition of other elements, such as niobium and chromium.

TiAl’s main feature is its ability to withstand heat up to 800 degrees Celsius, which is more than aluminum or titanium separately. Yet, its density is about half (3.9 versus 8) that of more typical nickel alloys. It also can operate in severe conditions such as high-corrosion or highoxidation environments.

“There is a challenge in processability, which is why development has taken so long,” said Bob Schafrik, general manager for materials and process engineering department at GE Aviation. Still, the GEnx’s low-pressure turbine won’t likely be the last engine component that benefits from the use of TiAl. “We are studying other intermetallic compounds,” Guédou added.

Engineers seem to place renewed hopes in ceramics, which had been much touted in the 1980s, as they can withstand 1,300to 1,500-degree Celsius temperatures.

However, this family of materials is still in an early research stage.

Closer to production are ceramic-matrix composites, which can work at 1,100 degrees Celsius. They can used for turbine blades and nozzles, for example, Guédou said. “Ceramic-matrix composites are already tested on several of our engines,” added Schafrik, who sees applications in the next five to 10 years for powerplants such as a later version of the Leap-X. New Metal Matrix

Another group of composites with a metal matrix also looks promising. They can be made of a titanium alloy matrix around a silicon carbide reinforcement, for example. Thanks to the strength of the silicon carbide fibers they have higher resistance, so parts can be made smaller.

“Such materials can help in designing parts submitted to high centrifugal forces and cycle fatigue,” Garnier said. This makes metal matrix composites suitable for parts in the booster and compressor, such as disks.

However, Shafrik only partly agrees with this approach. In his view, metal matrix composites are a niche material because of their high cost. “Titanium matrix composites, thanks to their strength and stiffness, are suited to certain sorts of

38aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

link parts, such as long cylinders. But we usually find cheaper solutions,” he said.

Among materials used for lower temperatures, polymer resin matrix composites compete with titanium and aluminum.

They can withstand temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius, or even a bit beyond, depending how long they are exposed to the temperature.

Snecma has begun full-scale endurance tests with three-dimensional-woven fan blades for the Leap-X1C–the first version of the engine, for the Chinese Comac C919 airliner. The resin transfer molding (RTM) process wraps the woven carbon fibers into a resin designed for crack resistance. The development schedule calls for the new fan blades to undergo certification tests in 2014.

The design uses the same material for the fan case. In total, Snecma expects to save 1,000 pounds in weight on the airplane, thanks to the new fan section and knock-on benefits such as the fact that a lighter pylon will be sufficient for the lighter engine. The RTM fan blade, as Snecma calls it, will be ready for the 2016 entry into service of the C919.

In the high-pressure turbine range, it is hoped that a silicon-niobium intermetallic compound will help in manufacturing more heat-resistant blades–up to 1,300 degrees Celsius. The challenge is in protecting the compound against oxidation. Tin and aluminum can be added to the mix, but while this improves the situation, it is not a complete solution so an effective coating also is needed. “We are now working on a metalbased coating,” Guédou explained. Engines equipped with silicon-niobium turbine blades will not fly until 2020, he said.

These new alloys, superalloys and compounds are less ductile–more brittle–than today’s engine materials, and engineers have to take these properties into account right from the design stage. “Manufacturing is more challenging,” Guédou said.

Steel and Alloys

GE also wants to continue improving steel. This high-strength metal is used in bearings, shafts and gears, where strength is critical. “For a shaft, the higher the strength, the smaller the diameter, which greatly influences the configuration of the engine,” Schafrik explained.

In future engines, there is room for further improved nickel superalloys, he said.

“We desire higher temperature alloys, with lower thermal expansion for some applications. Also, we have learned that protective coatings should be developed concurrently with new superalloys.”

Titanium components could be formed from “meltless” titanium powder that is derived from a vapor or liquid. “This meltless titanium technology can substantially decrease the number of major processing steps and provide large improvements in product yield, energy use and emissions,” researcher Eric Ott said in a recent paper. However, meltless titanium is still at an early stage of research and development.

Some rare materials, like rhenium, will be less commonly used mainly because there is concern about their long-term availability. “That’s a change from the past, when conventional wisdom was that such materials would always be readily available,” Schafrik said.

iXMotion’s 3-axis positioner empowers antenna stations iXMotion, a French supplier of mechani- customers for positioners include the cal, electronic and software engineering and French ministry of defense and EADS systems and a manufacturer of motion simu- subsidiary Cilas. lators, is here at Farnborough (Hall 1 Stand So far, iXMotion’s activities in inertial A15) exhibiting its range of antenna station component testing have focused on platforms, also known as posimotion simulators through which it has tioners. The company began developed capabilities in automatics, delivering the platforms two mechanics and software. Inertial years ago and currently is component manufacturers completing several conThales, Sagem, Northrop tracts. Positioners are one Grumman and Honeywell of several applications for are all iXMotion customers. iXMotion’s expertise in moExports account for over tion simulators, which are 60 percent of iXMotion’s revused to test gyroscopes and enues. “But we need the accelerometers.

French authorities to give the “Our skills are in precinecessary authorizations for sion motion,” sales vice Coverage provided by us to access foreign military president Bertrand Laubie iXMotion’s POS-30 three-axis markets,” Laubie said. platform for antenna stations told AIN. A positioner is a includes According to Laubie, an azimuth of 360 pedestal that holds an degrees continuous. iXMotion, which has been in antenna or an optical device business for 30 years, has had in place with great precision so it can be no sudden upturn or downturn in its business aimed at a radio or video transmitter. To “because we are in long cycles,” he said. achieve this, iXMotion supplies the posiDespite the fact that some customers tioner with its embedded control unit, have suffered during the continuing including gyrostabilization and tracking. economic downturn, Laubie said the comPlatforms can be provided with one-, pany expects its overall volume of two- or three-axis for various military, business to remain fairly steady this year civil and space applications. iXMotion’s and next.

–T.D.

Ruag preps to deliver new-gen Dornier 228

by Gregory Polek Ruag Aerospace plans to deliver its first new-build 19-seat Dornier 228 New Generation to a still-unidentified Japanese commuter airline at the end of September. The Switzerland-based group is one of two companies to recently re-introduce a vintage 19seat unpressurized turboprop to the regional airline and utility market.

Canada’s Viking Aerospace relaunched the de Havilland Twin Otter in 2007 and holds a backlog of more than 50 airplanes worth more than $200 million. However, Ruag Aerospace Services sales director Hubert Seher sees the Do 228 as a more credible replacement for aging Beech 1900s, Fairchild Metros and Embraer Bandeirantes still flying due to its superior payload capabilities and takeoff performance.

Seher told AIN that the company plans to build between 12 and 18 airplanes a year and sees Asia, Africa and South America as its primary markets. Capable of flying at least 450 nm with a full payload, the 228NG needed no special exemptions to comply with FAR 23, which requires oneengine-out takeoff capability. It also boast good short takeoff and landing performance.

The new 228NG is expected to complete European certification by the end of the third quarter, with U.S. approval to follow soon after.

Of the 1,600 19-seat airplanes on the market, more than 60 percent have flown for more than 30 years, said Seher. Ruag now supports Do 228s flown by U.S. tour operator Vision Air of Las Vegas and Sheridan, Wyoming-based charter operator BigHorn Airways.

Worldwide, the company expects the airplane to play a larger role in utility and military operations than in airline passenger service. “There is a big gap especially in Brazil and South America, because there is no successor to [the Bandeirante],” said Seher.

Ruag Aerospace plans to deliver its first new-build 19-seat Dornier 228 New Generation to a Japanese commuter airline at the end of September. The re-launched model has improved performance thanks to its 776-shp Honeywell TPE331-10 engines and five-blade propellers.

On November 12 last year, Ruag rolled out its first Do 228 at its Oberpfaffenhofen facility in southern Germany, where Dornier and its successor, Fairchild Dornier, built more than 200 of the airplanes between 1982 and 2002.

In 2003 Ruag bought out of bankruptcy the Aircraft Services division of the defunct Fairchild Dornier, and with it, the type certificate for the Do 228. It announced the launch of the Do 228NG in 2007 and since then has secured an order for a single airplane from Lufttransport of Norway and the new Japanese customer, along with “a few” other undisclosed operators in Australia, Argentina, Vietnam and Mexico.

Built in Germany using subassemblies and airframe sections produced by Hindustan Aeronautics in India, the 228NG has improved performance thanks to its new 776-shp Honeywell TPE331-10 engines and new fiveblade propellers.

The cockpit features a glass avionics suite with an improved

The 228NG’s cockpit features a glass avionics suite with Universal Avionics’ flight management system and four-screen electronic flight information system, as well as Rockwell Collins navcom equipment.

flight management system and a four-screen electronic flight information system from Universal Avionics, as well as radios and navigation equipment from Rockwell Collins.

The powerplant improvements for the new-generation version are covered by STCs and will be available for retrofit on earlier models.

The new avionics suite is already certified, having been incorporated into a pair of 228s now in service with the Dutch coast guard.

The propeller, which weighs 77 pounds less than the original four-bladed unit, is designed and manufactured by Germany’s MT Propeller. In a series of some 350 modifications, Ruag has also replaced a number of minor parts around the airframe to further reduce weight and improve reliability.

Figeac branches out into hard metal

by Thierry Dubois Part and subassembly specialist Figeac Aero is a first-time exhibitor here at the Farnborough airshow (Hall 1 Stand A15), with the news that it is expanding its activities to include hard metal machining. After having been badly hit by the economy last year, the French company hopes revenues are back on an ascending curve.

“We have begun to grow our business in the UK through our first contracts with Airbus’s factories in Broughton and Filton,” sales and marketing v-p Luc Rouan told AIN. Figeac Aero has also contacts with Rolls-Royce, GKN and Spirit AeroSystems in Britain, and he indicated that it sees its relationship with Spirit as a step to eventually reach Boeing.

“We are expanding the hard metal machining activity–steel, titanium and inconel [a specialist alloy]–in a new building with more machines,” Rouan said. The company also is adding aluminum extruded parts to its product range and it plans to increase the number of machines it employs for aluminum, titanium and extrusion milling from 40 to 70.

The firm also now can provide entire work packages, from design to manufacturing. “We are a risksharing partner with Aerolia for the Airbus A350’s floor in Section

40aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

Figeac Aero, which manufactures subassemblies for Airbus, including the floor structure of the A330 freighter’s Section 15, is expanding thanks to an uptick in business.

12,” Rouan said. The subassembly, which is located in the forward section, close to the passenger door, will be made of aluminum and titanium. Figeac also does work on Section 15 of Airbus’s A330.

Opening Tunisia Facility

Continuing its expansion plans, the company is set to open an aluminum machining facility in Tunisia, hoping to benefit from lower labor costs there. The factory is scheduled to start operations in the first half of 2011 with 15 employees–a number expected to rise to 150 over three to four years.

According to Rouan, Figeac Aero’s revenues dropped from ?64 million ($77 million) in 2008

to ?48 million ($58 million) in 2009. The company forecasts it will be back to ?64 million this year and grow to ?90 million ($108 million) in 2011 and ?110 million ($132 million) in 2012, as a result of a growing workload from Airbus, Embraer, Aerolia and Bombardier, among others.

“We’ll begin being busy with the A350 in [the] 2013 to 2014 [time frame],” Rouan added.

However, the recent downturn has taken its toll on the company’s own workforce. In 2008, it employed 520 in France before cutting back to 470 the next year.

The workforce now numbers approximately 500 and Figeac said the company anticipates increasing that headcount by another 150 to 200 in the near term.

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NEWS CLIPS

NRC Canada bridges the gap

Rolls-Royce Opens JSF LiftSystem Facility

by Gregory Polek

Rolls-Royce has opened a new $17 million cell at its Bristol plant dedicated to the manufacture of the unique 3BSM (threebearing swiveling module) system that is a critical element of the F-35B’s short takeoff and vertical landing capability. The 3BSM directs the main jet thrust from the conventional horizontal thrustline to the vertical for hovering. The three elements of the system rotate to deflect thrust up to 95 degrees from the horizontal while operating in the high-temperature, high-pressure environment of the engine’s exhaust. The full traverse is accomplished in just 2.5 seconds. Rolls-Royce supplies the main components of the F-35B’s LiftSystem, comprising the 3BSM, forward lift fan, variable-area vanebox nozzle and roll posts.

The National Research Council Canada Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC Aerospace) generally doesn’t engage in the sort of fundamental research commonly done at the university level. Instead, it occupies a sort of a middle ground between academia and industry, filling an innovation gap as wide as three technology readiness levels

its geometry so that it can delay separation and allow the laminar boundary layer–rather than turbulence–to cover more of the airfoil, explained Yimer.

In the field of propulsion, the NRC performs studies on the performance of ice crystals on engines. “Even the FAA has come to tell us that we’ve got the worldwide lead on that,” said

Boeing Picks Collins for E-3 Avionics Upgrades Boeing has selected Rockwell Collins to upgrade the avionics in dozens of U.S. Air Force and NATO E-3s as part of a modernization program called Dragon. The upgrade includes cockpit controls and displays, flight management systems and a suite of navigation and communication equipment designed to support future airspace requirements.

Rockwell Collins will initially design a flight management system for 33 air force E-3B/Cs and 17 NATO E-3As. Boeing built 68 E-3 Sentrys–an Awacs aircraft based on the Boeing 707–between 1977 and 1991. Most of the remainder are in service with the air forces of Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Third Gulfstream G250 Joins Flight Test Program The third and final Gulfstream G250 test airplane has joined the flight-test program, taking off on June 28 from Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel–the location of Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI’s) main facility. The three aircraft are part of the 1,300-hour flight-test program that started in December 2009 with S/N 2001, which is focused on in-flight performance.

Serial number 2002 is being used to test avionics, while S/N 2003 concentrates on systems functionality and reliability.

The G250 super mid-size business jet, an upgrade of the G200 (previously the Galaxy) is a collaborative program of IAI and Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. Gulfstream holds the type certificates for the G100, G150 and G200 business jets, and will hold the type certificate for the G250. Concurrent certification of the G250 by Israeli civil aviation authority and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is planned for next year.

Dunlop Launches First Products for ATR Aircraft Dunlop Aircraft Tyres (Hall 4 Stand C14) has developed the radial main wheel and bias nose wheel tires for the ATR 42 and ATR 72 regional turboprop aircraft, following demand from operators for more tire choice. These first products for ATR ensure that the UK company is ideally placed to support all of the major regional aircraft operated by the world’s airlines, said chairman Ian Edmondson.

“Thanks to the opening of our new distribution and retreading facility in China, Edmondson added, “we are well placed to support the ATR fleet that operates in Asia Pacific, alongside our traditional markets of Europe, the Americas and Africa.”

Airbus Gets FAA Nod for A330/A340 EFB Airbus has received U.S. certification for the “Flysmart with Airbus” electronic flight bag (EFB) on the A330/A340 family. The system was certified in October 2008 and is already in operation with Thai Airways, Aeroflot and Oman Air. With approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, Saudi Arabian and Hawaiian Airlines will follow.

Airbus’ EFB is a Class-3 system, which means that the hardware is certified and integrated in the cockpit. It can host applications such as navigation charts, performance calculation and electronic logbook. Among other features, it includes Wi-Fi, GSM and satcom links.

NRC is studying ice accredition and shedding inside turbine engines.

(TRLs). As a result, it engages primarily in what Dr. Ibrahim Yimer calls mission-oriented research. “The goal is always [keeping] the end user in mind, even if we do innovative type research,” he said.

For example, NRC Aerospace (Hall 4 Stand C19c) works with a partnership between Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce called Glacier LLC on a large-engine test facility in Thompson, Manitoba, set to open this autumn. NRC’s role centers on icing research at the facility, where it installed an icing mast capable of producing a cloud of supercooled liquid droplets. The facility carries the capacity to hold engines producing up to 150,000 pounds of thrust.

Other areas in which NRC Aerospace specializes include advanced materials and structures, propulsion, aerodynamics, advanced manufacturing and avionics/flight operations. Much of its research centers on conductive bonding technologies for composites. “One of the downsides of composites is that they’re not conductive,” said Yimer. “So how do you make them conductive so they’ll act more like aluminum during lightning strikes, for example.”

In aerodynamics, perhaps NRC Aerospace’s most remarkable studies involve what Yimer called “morphing-wing technology.” By actively measuring the boundary layer separation on the surface of the wing, small hydraulic actuators and sensors on the skin automatically modify

42aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

Yimer. One major area of study involves the detection of ice crystals in the atmosphere and NRC researchers have developed an isokinetic probe that can measure total water content when flying at high altitude through clouds with ice crystals. Claimed to be the only fully functioning device of its kind in the world, the probe is planned for flight testing next year.

NRC is also studying ice accretion and shedding inside aircraft engines. “On the inside of the engine, where it’s warm, people don’t think that ice crystals can be formed,” said Yimer, “but they do and they do so very quickly to the point where you accumulate enough to choke the engine.”

In the field of avionics and flight operations, the NRC works on a program called high altitude aircraft research capability (HAARC), for which it placed special instruments on a Lockheed T-33 jet trainer to study turbulence and aircraft emissions at altitudes up to 40,000 feet. The HAARC also allows the T-33 to perform wake vortex research

and measure how the wake interacts with aircraft performance.

The NRC Aerospace research fleet comprises three helicopters: a Bell 412 HP, a Bell 205A and a Bell 206; and six fixed-wing aircraft: the T-33, a Falcon 20, a Convair 580, a de Havilland Twin Otter, a Harvard Mark IV trainer and the newest addition, an Extra 300 aerobatic aircraft.

The Bell 412 HP is undergoing an engine modification by Calgary-based Eagle Copters, contracted to replace the 412 HP’s engines with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-9 Twin-Pac. “NRC gets new engines,” said NRC director Stewart Baillie, “while Eagle Copters will acquire a new service it can offer to Bell 412 operators around the globe.”

Transport Canada is expected to award Eagle supplemental type certificate approval for the modification after it is completed on the NRC 412.

NRC Aerospace also provides highly specialized facilities and equipment, including eight wind tunnels, the largest of which measures 30 feet by 30 feet.

Employing more than 350 fulltime staff, the institute also houses about 100 guest workers, students and representatives from industry partners “at any moment,” said Yimer.

The group’s holdings also include a full-scale structural test rig large enough to accommodate an F-18 wing for static and dynamic loading; engine and combustion test cells large enough to house engines that produce up to 25,000 pounds of thrust; material characterization and testing equipment; and acoustic reverberant chambers capable of holding a full-scale satellite. The institute also maintains a machine capable of manufacturing about 30-foot-long composite fuselage segments with a diameter of a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320. NRC Aerospace has also used the machine to make a full-scale helicopter tail boom.

NRC Does Flight Testing for Smaller Companies NRC Aerospace is now offering developmental and certification flight testing for the needs of smaller Canadian and international aerospace companies.

The designation of Rob Erdos, NRC chief test pilot, as a Transport Canada design approval representative (DAR), is a major part of this new service. As a DAR, Erdos will be able to examine the airworthiness of aircraft designs and determine their compliance with air regulations, and assess the pilot skill required to operate the aircraft. “We developed this capability because we wanted to support the needs of smaller companies, which may not be large enough to have test pilots and the associated support people on staff,” said Stewart Baillie, director of NRC Aerospace Flight Research Laboratory. –G.P.

BAE’s helicopter terrain awareness system is a Blast

by Stephen Pope BAE Systems is preparing for the start of flight trials of a landing-vision aid for helicopter pilots that uses millimeter-wave radar to see through brownout conditions created by blowing dust or sand.

Called Blast, the technology can create 3-D or top-down views of a landing site and portray those images in the cockpit on a helmet-mounted or LCD multifunction display.

Blast’s computer compares topography data

with the radar image to determine the location of obstructions down to the size of a one-eighth-inch wire. Potential hazards are shown on the display in red.

BAE Systems plans to begin flight tests of Blast’s 94-GHz monopulse radar sensor next year in preparation for sales of the product to military customers. The technology would be particularly welcome in places like Afghanistan and Iraq where brownoutlanding conditions are common, said Paul Cooke, director of business development for defense avionics at BAE Systems.

Real-time Situational Awareness

BAE Systems’ Blast uses millimeter-wave radar to create 3-D or top down views of a helicopter’s landing site, enhancing situational awareness.

“Blast gives the pilot real-time situational awareness of objects in and around the landing zone,” Cooke said. “It uses a low-power, high-resolution modulated continuous wave radar that weighs just 10 pounds, so it’s perfect for use in a helicopter.” The radar signal is digitized and processed using monopulse processing to provide terrain details, including the height of objects, and create a 3-D terrain model. Missile maker MBDA supplies the radar.

A complementary technology, according to Cooke, is BAE Systems’ helmetmounted Q-Sight display, which clips to any standard pilot helmet and can be used with night-vision goggles. Launch customer for Q Sight is the UK Royal Navy, which has ordered several units for upcoming missions. First deliveries are scheduled to start within 30 to 45 days, Cooke said.

As part of the shift in focus to

the Q-Sight product, BAE Systems has decided to stop marketing its Q-HUD for commercial applications, Cooke said.

The decision will enable the HUD development team to focus more of its resources on the Q-Sight product, he explained.

This week, BAE Systems is offering demonstration of the Blast and Q-Sight technologies in the Farnborough show site’s FIVE building.

CockpitNG leads Elbit assault Elbit Systems is showcasing a wide range of its products and capabilities here at Farnborough (Hall 1 Stand C14).

Among them is CockpitNG, a new pilot interface system based on a 22-inch highdefinition central display. All avionics components are integrated into a single suite employing touch-sensitive technology for ease of operation.

CockpitNG is intended for adaptation to a range of aircraft, from trainers and helicopters to transports and fighters. It can be fully integrated with head-up and helmet-mounted displays, and also includes a full suite of avionics applications. It includes a smart electronic flight bag and a 3-D vector map to provide highway-in-the-sky presentation capability. It

can also accommodate embedded virtual avionics to provide for virtual radar, electronic warfare and targeting pod training.

The new cockpit is just one element of Elbit’s portfolio, which includes electrooptical sensors, helmet-mounted displays such as the new Targo, countermeasures, the Elisra range of electronic warfare equipment and unmanned air vehicles. In this latter sector Elbit has scored many successes with its Hermes family, including being adopted as the platform for the British Army’s Watchkeeper program.

In May this year, Elbit received its first customer for the larger Hermes 900, which has been ordered by the Israeli Ministry of Defense alongside additional Hermes 450s.

–D.D.

www.ainonline.com • July 20, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa43

U.S.Army funding unmanned K-Max

Unmanned K-Max prepares to lift a 1,500-pound load during the Marine Corps demonstration at Dugway in January.

by David Donald assets are often overstretched.

Therefore, out of necessity, many supplies are being moved by road, where they are vulnerable to insurgent attack via improvised explosive devices and ambushes.

Getting the trucks off the road is seen as a key means by which the alarming rate of friendly casualties can be reduced. Using an unmanned air system as a means of delivery not only greatly reduces exposure to fire, but is considerably cheaper than using manned helicopters.

Team K-Max

In March 2007, Lockheed Martin joined forces with Kaman to offer an unmanned version of the K-Max commercial logging

ACSS equipping airliners for Euro technology demo

by Stephen Pope Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS), a U.S.-based maker of TCAS and ADS-B avionics, has started equipping dozens of airliners in support of a European-sponsored technology demonstration program aimed at saving fuel on transatlantic flights.

Part of Eurocontrol’s Cascade initiative, ACSS is installing automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast avionics aboard airliners for flight trials planned to start early next year. Three airlines have been picked for the program, the first publicly announced carrier being US Airways, which is equipping 20 Airbus A320s with ACSS ADS-B hardware that features special software allowing pilots flying over the North Atlantic to see other traffic on displays in the cockpit. The idea is to give flight crews a clear view of nearby traffic that in turn will allow them to reach the most fuel-efficient flight levels as quickly as possible.

“Without ADS-B, pilots often have to make multiple calls to ATC to request a flight-level change,” explained ACSS president Kris Ganase. “The in-trail procedures these flights are intended to demonstrate will enhance situational awareness by allowing the pilots to see everybody else so they know the ideal time to contact the controller”

and ask for a climb.

In addition to US Airways, another major U.S. airline and a European airline will participate in the flight trials. The start of the program was delayed by this spring’s volcanic eruptions in Iceland.

ACSS last year participated in an Airbus-led program called Cristal that carried out the first inflight demonstration of new procedures to save fuel and reduce emissions during cruise flights on oceanic routes. The company is also on an ITT team awarded a major contract from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to study ADS-B technologies as part of the agency’s NextGen ATC overhaul.

Safe Route

ACSS is perhaps best known for development of its SafeRoute technology, which UPS is using to speed arrivals at its hub in Louisville, Kentucky. The cargo airline slowed plans to equip its fleet with the SafeRoute technology when the recession hit.

Software applications based on ADS-B technology remain ACSS’s biggest market differentiator, but the company’s bread-and-butter business is sales of its traffic alert and collision avoidance (TCAS) equipment.

ACSS TCAS units are flying on thousands of aircraft worldwide.

The company’s latest T3CAS product has been selected as stan-

helicopter, which can carry slung loads of up to 6,000 pounds at sea level. Within Team K-Max, Lockheed Martin supplies the mission management system.

Last August, under the auspices of the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, contracts were issued to Lockheed Martin and dard equipment on all narrowbody Airbus airliners.

Underscoring the importance of that part of its business, Ganase said recent technology demonstration programs have provided a boost for TCAS sales as well. “US Airways wasn’t even a TCAS customer before we started the [Cascade] trials,” he said. “Now they are equipping their entire fleet” with ACSS products.

ACSS stands to benefit greatly from the move toward ADS-B technology. The company noted that the FAA recently certified its XS-950 air transport datalink mode-S transponder for ADS-B Out functionality, which will be required for all aircraft flying in U.S. airspace by 2020. US Airways and UPS plan to install the equipment in a mix of Airbus and Boeing airliners.

ACSS also recently became the first maker of TCAS devices to obtain approval for Change 7.1 software, a safety enhancement Eurocontrol developed in the aftermath of the 2002 midair collision of a Russian airliner with a DHL cargo plane over Germany. Change 7.1 provides two important safety improvements. The first is “reversal logic,” which allows the TCAS to amend a traffic resolution advisory if it sees a threat aircraft taking the same corrective action–for example, both aircraft climbing to avoid a collision. The software also replaces the “adjust vertical speed” verbal command with a “level-off ” resolution advisory.

Phoenix, Arizona-based ACSS is 70 percent owned by L-3 Communications in the U.S. and 30-percent by Thales in France.

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Boeing to demonstrate a near-term unmanned cargo delivery solution under the “Immediate Cargo UAS” banner. Boeing employed its A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft for the demonstration, which was conducted at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, where the terrain approximates that of Afghanistan.

Team K-Max took N131KA–its unmanned demonstrator–to Utah for three days in January, and Boeing followed in March. The marines had identified a desirable capability of delivering between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds to a location 75 miles away in a 24hour period, a capacity reflected in the demonstration by a 2,500pound transfer in six hours. Team K-Max actually achieved more than 3,000 pounds in five hours, and also demonstrated a required hover with a 1,500-pound load at 12,000 feet. Also displayed were night capability, autonomous and remote-controlled flight, midflight retasking and multidrop capability. Separately, the Unmanned K-Max demonstrated flight cruise at 17,300 feet with a 1,500-pound load.

Perhaps the highlight of the trials involved the Unmanned

K-Max carrying four loads totaling 3,450 pounds on its company-developed carousel load-carrying system. Three loads were deposited autonomously at different locations, demonstrating accuracy within the 10-meter limits, while the fourth drop demonstrated the ability of a controller to remotely and precisely direct the K-Max from the ground.

Following the success at Dugway, Team K-Max conducted a series of airdrop trials in April at its Bloomfield facility in Connecticut. In partnership with the U.S. Army’s Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), Team K-Max undertook 11 airdrops of cargo from altitudes ranging from 150 to 300 feet. The drops used the army’s standard lowaltitude cross parachute, which can handle loads of between 80 and 600 pounds. In one of the demonstrations, the Unmanned K-Max released four separate loads from the carousel system.

Following these successful trials, Team K-Max and the army are studying the employment of the Joint Precision AirDrop System (JPADS) for airdrops from greater altitudes.

DAVID MCINTOSH

In late May, Kaman Aerospace announced that it had received a $2.9 million contract from the U.S. Army’s Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) to further refine its Unmanned K-Max heavylift helicopter for potential theater operations. The contract comes hot on the heels of two successful demonstrations of the Unmanned K-Max for both the army and the U.S. Marine Corps.

Both services have identified a possible requirement for an unmanned system to deliver cargo and supplies around the battlefield. This need has arisen from experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, where manned

TURKISH WEDGETAIL WINGS ITS WAY IN One of the four Turkish Air Force Boeing 737 Wedgetails is being displayed here at the Farnborough show static park. The dorsal fin of the Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft houses a Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems multirole electronically scanned array radar.

New-build Twin Otter will pull oil-field duty

by Curt Epstein

Composites Introduced

Among the changes were the substitution of composite doors and nose to reduce weight and increase payload, the installation of LED lighting, improved airflow in the cabin and cockpit, and the creation of a modern glass cockpit designed around Honeywell’s Primus Apex avionics suite.

Viking initially considered Garmin’s G1000, but the system’s primary flight displays did not meet the level-A software requirements needed for a transport category aircraft with more than nine seats, such as the Twin Otter.

According to Mauracher, North American sales account for only eight of the aircraft in the order book so far, including three to the U.S. Army. “Our market is the rest of the world,” he said, “and we still haven’t tapped India and other developing markets that we see as fertile ground in the future.” Based on its current sales, the company is also pursuing certification in Australia and Russia.

This year, Viking plans to deliver the 10 Twin Otters currently under construction in

Calgary, and next year it wants to build 16 to 18 aircraft before deciding whether to ramp up to peak production of 24 in 2012.

Mauracher noted that the newly opened manufacturing facility at the company’s headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia, could eventually produce enough part sets for nearly 50 aircraft a year, but the actual assembly of that many would require more investment in infrastructure.

While many of the aircraft components are made in Victoria, the company has subcon-

ROB SOWALD

Canada’s Viking Air celebrates a major milestone here this afternoon when it hands over its first new Twin Otter 400 to launch customer Zimex Aviation. The Swiss operator plans to send the aircraft to North Africa to work in support of contracts for the oil and gas industry. The revamped, 21stCentury version of the classic twin turboprop made its first flight in February and completed the Canadian and European certification process last month. U.S. certification is expected by the end of this year.

This first production version of the Series 400, which is appearing in the daily flight display at Farnborough, was given Serial Number 845, thus continuing the type’s original de Havilland run, which ended 22 years ago. Viking (Hall 2 Stand C20a) holds orders for 50 of the new model with a collective value of some $200 million and the Canadian company says it is working on possible deals with some 40 prospective clients.

“We’ve been lucky and have not been hit by any cancellations or delays,” said business development v-p Robert Mauracher, who noted that the values of existing Twin Otters have held strong even during the recent downturn. “Our biggest problem right now is that people don’t want to wait until 2013 to get a new airplane.”

Of the original 844 Twin Otters built, nearly 600 are still flying. While Viking has preserved many features of the original de Havilland Canada DHC-6’s famously rugged airframe–it acquired the original DHC-6 type certificate from Bombardier in 2006– the new aircraft’s engineers have made more than 400 changes from the legacy version.

“We’ve added things only where either obsolescence was an issue or we could add value through technology,” said Mauracher.

tracted others. Fleet Canada in Ontario makes the empennage, while Quebec-based Delastek Aéronautique makes the composite parts.

Under current plans, Viking will build all aircraft to a standard specification and install customer-selected options upon completion.

Currently on the options list are a de-icing package that includes Goodrich boots on the wings and tail, prop de-icing and heated windshield, air conditioning; private and commercial IFR packages, long-range wingtip fuel tanks, and any landing gear the customer wants as long as it’s wheels, straight floats, amphibious floats, skis or wheeled skis. The company expects to offer a Honeywell autopilot option by the end of the year.

Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34s or optional PT6A-35s (tuned for hot-and-high operations) driving three-blade Hartzell propellers, the Series 400 has a top speed of 182 knots at 10,000

Viking Air’s first Series 400 Twin Otter is being delivered to launch customer Zimex Aviation here at the Farnborough airshow. S/N 845 is destined to work in support of contracts for the oil and gas industry in North Africa.

Lynx advanced radar is proved aboard Predator B General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) recently completed flight tests of its new Lynx advanced multi-channel radar (AMR) on its own Predator B unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The AMR combines the functions of a synthetic aperture radar and a ground moving target indicator.

According to the U.S. company, the flight trials in May at its Gray Butte flight operations facility in Palmdale, California, were the first time that radar dismount detection capability has been demonstrated on an aircraft in the Predator class of UASs. “This critical milestone demonstrates the

Flight tests of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ new Lynx advanced multi-channel radar on its Predator B marked the first time that radar dismount detection capability has been demonstrated on an aircraft in that class of UASs.

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feet and a range of nearly 800 miles with standard fuel tanks. The unpressurized twin has a service ceiling of 26,700 feet (with crew/passenger oxygen), and STOL performance that allows the aircraft to clear a 50-foot obstacle in 1,200 feet. While Viking is still evaluating the final performance figures, the 400 series is lighter and faster than the legacy Twin Otter and has a “better than hoped-for fuel burn.”

Cargo and Roll-up Doors

Each aircraft comes equipped as standard with a 54-inch-wide cargo door; in-flight-operable fold-up and roll-up doors for aerial cargo drops and parachuting are optional. The basic seating configuration provides a 19-seat commuter cabin in a one-two layout. Another option provides folding seats for quick conversion for cargo hauling. The cabin–which is more than 18 feet long–also provides locations for a lavatory at either the front or rear.

Viking has even received orders for four aircraft with a VIP club interior, which will be completed either by Wipaire in Minnesota or by California-based Ikhana Group subsidiary RW Martin.

As part of its new 84,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility at Victoria International Airport, Viking opened a new corporate head office last December, freeing up additional space in its previous structure next door that will continue to house its maintenance and FBO operations. The company recently received EASA Part 145 maintenance approval, which will allow it to perform and certify maintenance on European-registered aircraft.

‘plug-and-play’ attributes of the Lynx QRC [quick reaction capability] AMR and is the last major objective we needed to achieve before offering this capability to various customers by the end of this year,” said Linden Blue, president of the Reconnaissance Systems Group of GA-ASI. During the flight tests, the AMR was evaluated for dismount detection performance (that is, the ability to detect ground personnel walking or running). For this function, the Lynx AMR uses space time adaptive processing (STAP) and delivers output to a ground control station and its dissemination channels, which comply with NATO’s STANAG 4607 military standards. The ground station software also supports real-time cross-cueing to the UAS’s electro-optical infrared payload.

The flight trials also included evaluation of the existing Lynx synthetic aperture radar function in nose-on geometry at Predator B loitering speeds. Using a typical route surveillance “push-broom” flight profile, Lynx was able to detect people walking slowly without having to modify the existing

operational software.

“The ability to detect and track dismounts and slow moving vehicles over large areas and to cross-cue the on-board video sensor to areas of interest is an emerging military and civilian surveillance requirement,” said Blue. “The Lynx AMR provides this capability over its full field-of-regard in a low-cost, ‘plug-and-play’ configuration for Predator B and Sky Warrior Alpha aircraft.”

GA-ASI plans to continue development of the Lynx AMR software for the rest of this year to further improve the dismount detection performance before offering the system to U.S. Predator B and Sky Warrior Alpha operators, such as the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army and the Department of Homeland Security/Customs and Border Protection.

In addition to being a UAS developer, GA-ASI (Hall 2 Stand A9) also specializes in tactical reconnaissance radar and surveillance systems. –C.A.

GE Aviation

Something new is coming from GE…again.

See the whole picture at the NG34 touchscreen at Booth 17 in Hall 4.

Airspace closures mandate more volcanic ash research

by Thierry Dubois The air transport industry was caught off guard in April when huge plumes of ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano effectively shut down flying in Europe for a week, stranding thousands of passengers and draining at least $1 billion from air carriers. Now, several months later the fact that engineers are still having a hard time understanding precisely how volcanic ash damages an aircraft and its engines lends weight to the view that the industry was woefully illprepared for this problem.

The general principles are well known–particles cause abrasion everywhere and can create layers of sediment on engine blades, not forgetting corrosion. But understanding the physics of a phenomenon calls for complex equations and number-crunching.

“If the industry had spent on R&D 10 percent of what it lost during the volcano crisis, we would have a much better knowledge of aircraft behavior in small ash concentrations–they could even be certified to fly in such small concentrations,” Jean-Pierre Mesure, deputy technical director for aircraft airworthiness and operations with French civil aviation authority DGAC, told AIN. He explained that ash particles that stay in the atmosphere are the smallest ones–the bigger, heavier ones fall.

The size of these airborne ash particles is in the order of a few micrometers. Most of them are made of silica (SiO2), a very hard material, and have sharp edges. “They are very abrasive,” Mesure said.

Like Rubbing with Sandpaper

Flying into silica-contaminated air can damage air intakes, turbofan blades, propellers, wings, the windshield and antennas–like rubbing them with sandpaper.

In addition, these particles are electrostatic and discharge on to the aircraft itself, causing electromagnetic interference, possibly affecting radio communications.

In an engine, the main damage caused by the ash is erosion.

Fan and compressor blades are especially affected. Compressor performance is degraded, Michel de Gliniasty, the general scientific director of French aerospace research office Onera, told AIN. As a consequence, the combustor is not fed properly with air and the surge margin decreases.

Silica’s fusion point is 1,400degrees Celsius–it melts in the combustor. It can re-solidify into glass on high-pressure turbine blades, creating unbalance. It can simultaneously obstruct the tiny holes that are part of the blades’ cooling system. As blade surface temperature increases, the crew has to pull the throttle back. In some cases, glass can have disappeared from the turbine by the time the aircraft is on the ground so technicians cannot see the problem immediately. Or, flowing down into the low-pressure turbine, silica can re-solidify there and erode the blades.

Silica can even re-solidify in the combustor, causing a power surge. The engine can flame out and relight successively several times in a short period. This can have a favorable effect–breaking the layer of solidified silica, de Gliniasty noted. Another consequence can be the contamination of bleed air, which itself is used in the air pressurization system.

Some other particles are made of silicate–a family of compounds that includes silicon, oxygen and, for example, metal.

“Silicate can melt at lower

temperatures. This can be right at the end of the high-pressure compressor, when temperature reaches 700-degrees Celsius. This leads to the risk of partly blocking air injection into the combustor,” de Gliniasty explained.

Ash can cause a variety of problems. Should an aircraft suddenly enter a dense ash cloud, engines could choke because of a lack of oxygen. Corrosion can be a subsequent effect due to gases from the eruption reconstituting themselves into the very corrosive compound H2S4.

There is great uncertainty as to the exact connection between a certain level of air contamination by volcanic ash and the resulting level of damage to an aircraft.

Sometimes entering the ash cloud causes no more damage than leaving black sediment on fan blades, wing leading edges and the nose. However, corrosion can appear later.

Inspections made after the recent event involved engines that had flown into slightly contaminated air. Each inspection takes six hours using a borescope while slowly spinning the engine rotors. A lot of engines from different operators were monitored, Mesure said, but the technicians found nothing–just a small amount of dust but no sediment or damage. However, despite the time spent on the inspections, some areas at the root of the

blades were not examined. This meant that the precise ash concentration and size of particles into which the aircraft had flown remained unknown.

In the U.S, Honeywell has borescoped the TPE331-5 turboprop engines removed from a Dornier Do 228 that flew 10 hours in the heart of the Icelandic ash cloud and 22 hours in the outer zone. The aircraft was operated by the UK’s National Environment Research Council.

One of the engines was run in a test cell late in June, while the other was torn down for inspection. Honeywell plans to release a full report on the condition of the engines by the end of this month.

In mid-April, the authorities asked the engine makers, “What can your engines tolerate?” The answer was simple, according to Mesure: “We do not know; we have never tried.” In fact, there is no airworthiness specification for volcanic ash.

Nevertheless, a working group was formed, representing airworthiness authorities, navigation service providers, weather experts and airlines–60 organizations in total. The assignment was to define when flights could resume.

The group came back quickly with a few numbers. The main one was a threshold of two milligrams per cubic meter. Below that, it was estimated that neither hazard nor dissuasive economic impact, such

Modified Dash 8 Peers into Volcano The response to the volcanic ash crisis has proved to be an important application for the Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 operated by Iceland’s coast guard. The aircraft was delivered last year after Canada’s Field Aviation modified it for maritime surveillance duties, and in recent months has been pressed into service to keep a watchful eye on the Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

The Dash 8 is the only aircraft in Iceland with the necessary equipment to be able to pinpoint the eruption site accurately in zero-visibility conditions. The data it has gathered about volcanic activity has been invaluable to geophysicists, volcanologists, meteorologists and other specialists.

The radar equipment installed by Field (Hall 4 Stand C20) allows the coast guard to see through the volcanic plumes to photograph the status and exact location of the crater. The Dash 8 Q300 twin turboprop is also equipped with long-range fuel capabilities and an auxiliary power unit, enabling it to

A Bombardier Dash 8 Q300, modified by Field Aviation for maritime surveillance duty and operated by Iceland’s coast guard, has been flying in the vicinity of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano pinpointing the eruption site accurately in zero-visibility conditions.

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perform missions lasting more than eight hours.

Modifications included a maritime search radar, sidelooking airborne radar (SLAR) and an electro-optical/infrared pod (FLIR). These systems are connected and controlled via an L-3 Communications integrated data handling system.

Field Aviation also undertook a series of structural modifications to the Dash 8, which included designing, engineering and integrating a new interior, and installing Bombardier’s proprietary active noise and vibration system.

The company has also designed and approved a flight operable rear cargo door used for more normal maritime patrol functions such deploying location flares, oil sampling buoys and inflatable rafts, as well as by personnel needing –C.A. to “paradrop” to the ground or to a vessel.

as too many inspections or too much wear, could be feared.

Concentration models were run again and scientific aircraft used lidars (laser-based instruments that can measure concentrations), ran particle counters and took air samples. Airliners flew without passengers and were inspected after. “We saw that a lot of areas were below the two-milligram threshold,” Mesure said. Therefore, the authorities decided to allow flying in these areas and a fleet monitoring program was created.

Two milligrams per cubic meter level of contamination looks like a tiny concentration, but you need to consider the air flow through the engine. A CFM56 engine, for example, sucks in 300 cubic meters (10,000 cu ft) of air per second, according to Snecma.

Optimizing turbofans in terms of noise and fuel burn requires highbypass ratios. This means a lot of air, and therefore a lot of particles, go through the engine. In addition, cooled high-pressure turbine blades withstand higher temperatures, which is good for fuel burn, but makes them more vulnerable.

Particle Separators

Could particle separators be useful? All engines have a centrifugal separator, de Gliniasty said. On the ground, gills (located just downstream the low-pressure compressor) open to blow particles from the primary airstream to the bypass airstream. Ideally, this principle could be used in flight but the Onera expert pointed out that this would drastically degrade engine efficiency.

Mesure was negative, too. “This works with sand but not with such small particles, which have too little inertia,” he said.

Volcanic ash is a rare encounter in the sky but air transport cannot ignore it or say it is too unusual to take it into account. In late May and early June, air traffic in New Caledonia was disrupted by a volcano located in Vanuatu.

Records show 90 to 100 aircraft have suffered from encountering ash in the last 30 years; these small incidents caused variable damage and some diversions.

In 1982 and 1989, two Boeing 747s underwent flameouts of all four engines before their crews managed to relight them.

The 1982 serious incident took place in Indonesia as a consequence of the Galunggung volcanic eruption. The 1989 incident happened near Anchorage, Alaska, during an eruption of Mount Redoubt. A Snecma engineer suggested that air transport will have to suffer an actual accident due to volcanic ash if action is to be taken.

Special-mission King Airs continue to find new work Aviation & Applied Ecology in Moscow has just taken delivery of a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350 with provision for dual digital-mapping cameras for photosurvey missions. It is also capable of being rapidly converted to VIP transport configuration. This aircraft is the first King Air to be exported to Russia, the type having received its local certification

Vasilly Popov accepts the first King Air 350 to be delivered to Russia on behalf of Aviation & Applied Ecology. The aircraft will fly photosurvey and VIP missions.

last December. Its rugged reliability and short-field capability make it ideal for mapping in regions where there is little in the way of traditional support, and where runways may often be short and unprepared.

Hawker Beechcraft has also delivered a King Air 200 to Aerodata AG of Germany, which will modify the aircraft for maritime-

patrol work. After installation of mission equipment, such as search radar and EO/IR turret, the aircraft is scheduled for delivery to the armed forces of Malta in early 2011. Malta will use the aircraft on maritime patrol and security missions around the island, and has a second order pending.

In the special-missions sector, however, the big prize is the U.S. Army’s newly launched EMARSS (enhanced medium-altitude reconnaissance surveillance system) program, which is looking at 36 modified King Air 350ERs to replace ageing RC-7 and RC-12 ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) platforms.

EMARSS specifies that the first four units be ready for service within 18 months of contract award. Various prime contractors such as Boeing, L-3 and Northrop Grumman are vying for the mission system integration. L-3 has already produced an ISR version of the King Air 350ER–the MC-12W Liberty–for the U.S. Air Force.

Bell initiates Kiowa cabin conversions Bell Helicopter has begun converting OH-58A Kiowa cabins into OH-58D Kiowa Warrior cabins, the company announced here at Farnborough. The aim of the program is to replace OH-58Ds that have been damaged beyond repair.

In April 2009, the U.S. Army exercised a contract option to have Bell convert one cabin, and to engineer a cabin build line.

The first cabin conversion is now scheduled for delivery next year to Corpus Christi Army Depot. In May, the Army issued a sole-source solicitation for the conversion of more cabins–up to 66 cabins could be required.

Bell is also providing crash damage repairs. One Kiowa Warrior has been repaired and delivered to the army. Another two are undergoing repair. The company is simultaneously continuing to work on OH-58Ds under a safety improvement program. In March, the Army awarded it a contract to

modify a final 30 aircraft. They are scheduled to be completed by the end of next year, bringing the total number of safety-improved Kiowa Warriors to 371.

Meanwhile, Bell is ramping up H-1 production. In June, it received a $546 million contract for Lot 7 in the U.S. Marine Corps H-1 Upgrade program. The contract includes 18 UH-1Y utility helicopters and 11 AH-1Z attack aircraft. Lot 7 aircraft deliveries are to begin in 2011.

GOODRICH SUPPLIES QATAR, HAWAIIAN AIRLINES Qatar Airways will use Goodrich wheels and carbon brakes for its 30strong Boeing 787 fleet, which is scheduled to begin delivery next year.

Goodrich (Stand OE4) has been chosen for nearly 80 percent of 787 orders to date.

The U.S. supplier also has extended its agreement to provide nacelle systems support for Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717s.

The flight-hour deal provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services, as well as management of spares, rotables and technical support for additional Rolls-Royce BR715-powered 717s

introduced in 2008.

To successfully conclude special missions, aircrews need to be able to focus on their task. Reliable self-protection systems give them the necessary confidence to do so. RUAG has developed powerful solutions to protect crew, aircraft, passengers and cargo. We tailor our solutions to meet your needs without compromise and offer comprehensive service packages from requirement analysis, integration, maintenance /repair / overhaul (MRO) to phase-out. RUAG is the performing partner when it comes to protecting your aircrews from becoming easy targets while they are on a mission.

Protect your mission. Rely on our performance.

RUAG Aviation Military Aviation · P.O. Box 301 · 6032 Emmen · Switzerland Legal domicile: RUAG Switzerland Ltd · Seetalstrasse 175 · P.O. Box 301 · 6032 Emmen · Switzerland Tel. +41 41 268 20 81 · Fax +41 41 268 39 95 · military.aviation@ruag.com · www.ruag.com

Please visit us at Farnborough International Airshow, 19-25 July 2010, Hall 1/Booth A16

www.ainonline.com • July 20, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa49

NEWS CLIPS

✪ USA PAVILION ✪

U.S. contingent comes out in full force

by Steve Pope

U.S. Pavilion exhibitor Associated Aircraft Manufacturing & Sales has signed an agreement with Northrop Grumman to further develop the next-generation military identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) transponder–the AN/APX-121. The company will continue to develop, manufacture and make upgrades to the device to meet future requirements. It already provides support for numerous IFF users around the world.

Beaver Boasts New Landing Gear Actuator Beaver Aerospace & Defense is here in the Farnborough airshow’s U.S. Pavilion in Hall 2 unveiling a new electromechanical landing gear actuator. The device does not employ hydraulics and, in case of power outage, the landing gear can deploy by freefall. The technology gives aircraft manufacturers a weight-saving opportunity and also reduces maintenance requirements.

Makino Shows Hi-Tech Machine Tools

DAVID MCINTOSH

Participation by more than 200 American companies at the U.S. International Pavilion here at the Farnborough airshow underscores the strong resurgence of the North American aerospace industry after two years of economic turmoil, organizers and delegates said.

The U.S. Aerospace Industries Association and pavilion organizer Kallman Worldwide have created a global exhibit in Hall 4 showcasing the capabilities of a diverse range of American companies. A highlight is the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), an FAA and industry effort announced in 2006 to develop alternative aviation fuels using everything from grass clippings to mangrove forests and even garbage.

“CAAFI represents a seismic change in how we will think about jet fuel in the future,” said Tom Kallman, president and CEO of Kallman Worldwide. “Millionaires will be made from this emerging initiative, and officials from the U.S. government are here listening to ideas” about alternative fuels.

The U.S. Air Force has announced a goal of increasing its use of biofuels fleetwide to 50 percent by 2016. On April 22 an U.S. Navy F-18 dubbed the “Green Hornet” flew using a 50/50 blend of a biofuel made from corn oil and jet fuel. Several airlines have announced similar initiatives to switch to biofuel/kerosene-blended fuels. “We welcome inquiries and look forward to discussing ideas [here] about securing a sustainable aviation fuel supply for aviation’s future growth,” said Richard Altman, executive director of the CAAFI program.

Associated Aircraft To Develop Next-gen IFF

More than 200 American aerospace companies are exhibiting at the U.S. International Pavilion here at Farnborough, which has real estate in Halls 2, 3 and 4.

In addition to participation by U.S. companies, several states also have a presence in the U.S. International Pavilion at this year’s show.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley and Georgia Governor Sony Perdue have traveled to the show to wave the flags of their respective states.

They have formed an aerospace alliance with Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida aimed at attracting aerospace projects and jobs to the Gulf Coast region. A representative for the Florida delegation noted that 18 companies from the state are exhibiting in the U.S. Pavilion, where officials from 11 U.S. states have joined the trade contingent.

Reserving booth space inside the U.S. Pavilion costs more than going it alone, but companies that participate benefit from the use of offices and a lounge within the U.S. International Pavilion as well as a two-story chalet that features meeting rooms, an elegant dining area and a deck

SOUTH CAROLINA SEEKING MORE AEROSPACE BUSINESS South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, and Lindsey Graham, one of the state’s two U.S. senators, have made the trip to Farnborough to help the South Carolina Department of Commerce (in the U.S. Pavilion, Hall 3 Stand B3) and local economic developers attract more aerospace investment to their sunny, southern state.

South Carolina is already home to “more than 160 aerospace-related companies, which employ more than 18,000 workers,” according to officials. Among these companies are GE Aviation, which in April inaugurated its high-pressure turbine-blade factory in Greenville, and Boeing, which in 2009 chose North Charleston as the location for its second 787 final assembly line.

overlooking the Farnborough flight line. Kallman designed the chalet layout and provides design services for participating companies, which are located in U.S. International Pavilion space in Halls 2, 3 and 4.

“The U.S. International Pavilion came to Farnborough for the first time in 1996,” recalled Kallman.

“We started with a small presence in Hall 2 and now we have spaces the size of football fields in three halls.”

Mind you, those are American football fields, not European football pitches, but the pace of growth is impressive nonetheless. The U.S. International Pavilion had its largest ever presence at a Farnborough show two years ago. Despite the economic havoc since then, 25 new companies are part of the contingent at this year’s show.

Former U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin was on hand yesterday morning to host the opening of the U.S. International Pavilion in Hall 3.

Parker wins systems work for Comac C919 Motion and control-technology company Parker Aerospace (Hall 4 Stand A18), a division of Parker Hannifin, has won valuable systems business from Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac) for the 170-passenger C919 single-aisle airliner. The company designs, manufactures and services fluid, fuel, flight-control and engine components and systems for aerospace and other industries.

The contracts could generate $4 billion in revenue over the life of the program. Parker Aerospace will develop primary flight-control actuation,

50aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

including horizontal-stabilizer trim and motor control; aileron, rudder, spoiler, and elevator actuators; remote electronic units; and all hydraulics. Its fluid and electronic systems divisions will develop fuel inerting systems, including control and gauging software in the integrated modular-electronics cabinet.

Parker Aerospace has established a joint venture with China Aviation Industry Systems (AVIC Systems) to development and support the C919 and also provides fuel, hydraulic, and flight-control

Makino Milling Machine Co. is here at the U.S. Pavilion in Hall 4 (Stand A14) exhibiting its next-generation of MAG series five-axis machine tools–the A7. The company pledges increased accuracy and reduced cycle times for large, complex aluminum monolithic parts.

The A7 features volumetric accuracy compensation and a high-power, high-torque spindle. It can accommodate part sizes up to 276- by 79- by 28 inches for a maximum weight of 11,024 pounds. New linear motors yield 0.5g accelerations. At peak power, the spindle can remove 5,400 cubic centimeters of chips per minute.

For titanium machining, Makino’s Advantige technology quadruples productivity and doubles tool life, the company says. Improvements can be found in spindle performance, coolant delivery, vibration damping, machine rigidity and cutting strategies.

Also on display is Makino’s G5 Grinder horizontal machining center. It can grind, drill, bore and mill–all on the same machine, saving on equipment costs and allowing the user to keep the part in the machine.

LM Picks Marotta for JAGM Lockheed Martin has selected Marotta Controls of Montville, New Jersey, to provide the pneumatic cooling system for the imaging infrared sensor on the joint air-toground missile, which is to replace the Hellfire II, airborne TOW and Maverick missiles in U.S. forces. Marotta Contols is exhibiting here in Farnborough at the U.S. Pavilion in Hall 2 (Stand A13).

systems for Comac’s ARJ21 regional jet, which made its first flight in 2009.

Here at the Farnborough show, Parker Aerospace is emphasizing its expertise in complete flight control systems in an exhibit that includes a cutaway wing model and its “stick-to-surface, adaptable flyby-wire” capabilities. Its engine subsystems and technologies display highlights pneumatic, fuel actuation and fluid conveyance devices and systems.

The exhibit also shows its sealing solutions, electromagnetic interference shielding, alternative energy and “smart” materials capabilities, as well as its “green” technologies and advances in filtration.

Parker Aerospace’s Stratoflex Products division will design

and make the Airbus A350 XWB main landing-gear hydraulic-fluid conveyance system for Messier-Dowty.

The award follows earlier collaboration covering similar work for the Airbus A400M. The company has also entered a risk-and-revenuesharing agreement with RollsRoyce for high-temperature flexible hoses for the Trent XWB, Trent 1000 and BR725 engines. With integration partner Curtiss Wright Controls, Parker Aerospace’s Hydraulic Systems division produces aftstrut fairing hydraulic modules for the Boeing 787.

Asian boom gives lift to Singapore show

by Charles Alcock Last February’s Singapore Airshow defied the economic downturn to draw 62 of the world’s top 100 aerospace companies. The next event in 2012 has already sold 70 percent of its enlarged exhibit space and if you

want to join those already booked you have until this Friday here at the Farnborough show (Chalet 31) to book space at special rates.

According to Singapore Airshow general manager Angelica Lim, two key factors account for

the event’s appeal: the continued growth potential of the Asia Pacific aerospace and defense market and the prospect for access to some 259 government and trade delegations from 80 countries.

According to analysts Frost & Sullivan, the Asia Pacific region will account for around 30 percent of the $1.6 trillion global defense spending over the next 10 years. With this in mind, show organizers are adding a new unmanned systems pavilion for the 2012 event, which will also feature a land defense pavilion

for the first time.

Lim told AIN that the imperative for the industry to achieve significant cost reduction is stimulating outsourcing of manufacturing and services to Asia Pacific companies and the Singapore show is proving to be an important gateway to establishing these partnerships. The region is increasingly emerging as a hub for component manufacturing.

“Our theme for 2012 will be ‘big show, big opportunity’,” said Lim. The show site itself, conve-

niently located on the edge of Changi Airport and with room for flying displays over the adjoining sea, is also getting bigger with the addition of DeBoer temporary structures like those used for the exhibit halls here at Farnborough.

The Singapore event (Feb. 1419, 2012) will once again feature special business forums at which buyers will explain their needs and preferences to prospective vendors. There will also be highlevel conferences focused on security, defense and, now, landbased military.

DAVID McINTOSH

Crane Aero keeps busy with new products

With 70 percent of its exhibit space already sold out, sales for the 2012 Singapore Airshow are off to a roaring start, according to general manager Angelica Lim. Companies that sign up to exhibit this week can get special rates.

Crane Aerospace & Electronics (Hall 4 Stand A21) is developing a new fuel control and monitoring system (FCMS) for under-wing tanks for the Pilatus PC-21 turboprop military trainer. The tanks are a requirement of the United Arab Emirates, which ordered 25 PC-21s. Crane’s Eldec subsidiary in France will be in charge, as it already provides the FCMS for the main tanks.

Crane also said here in Farnborough that its new landing gear control interface unit (LGCIU), recently certified and soon to be standard on Airbus A320 family aircraft, will become available for retrofit this year. Crane claims the new LGCIU improves reliability tenfold, bringing the mean time between unscheduled removals to 45,000 hours. The

unit also is lighter than and fully interchangeable with the previous model. The LGCIU senses the position of the landing gear and its doors, the flap disconnect status and cargo door position.

For premium passenger seats, Crane is introducing the MCX premium modular control system, which reduces overall system hardware and wiring complexity. Expected benefits of MCX are enhanced flexibility for seat manufacturers and less motion noise for passengers.

The company also noted that parent Crane Co. earlier this year acquired Merrimac Industries, a specialist in RF microwave signal processing components. Merrimac has 210 employees and a turnover of $30 million.

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www.ainonline.com • July 20, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa51

A DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE

NEWS CLIPS Champagne Adds Fizz to Middle East Market Dubai Airshow organizer F&E Aerospace (Hall 4 Stand A4) is offering a bottle of champagne at the Farnborough airshow to exhibitors who book space at the next Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show or the Dubai Airshow. MEBA is taking place at Dubai’s Airport Expo, December 7 to 9 this year, and the Dubai Airshow is to follow in 2011 from November 13 to 17. F&E has also confirmed that the third Aircraft Interiors Middle East show will be held in Dubai in 2012 on February 1 and 2.

Alison Weller, managing director of F&E Aerospace, expressed her confidence in a resurgent aerospace industry across the Middle East, both in the civil aviation and defense sectors. “We are here at Farnborough to let exhibitors know that the region is showing very positive signs of a return to business,” she said. “We want to celebrate the fact by offering exhibitors a bottle of bubbly if they book for either the Middle East Business Aviation show or the Dubai Airshow. If they book for both, they’ll get a magnum.”

The organizer’s confidence is based partly on predictions by the International Air Transport Association that Middle East airlines will post profits of $100 million this year--their first profitable year since 2005--and a military market analysis by Forecast International. The latter predicts that the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council will spend $63 billion this year, and with growth in the Middle East defense market at 11 percent over the next five years, will spend nearly $120 billion by 2015.

From FLA to A400M, airlifter war again?

by Chris Pocock So the A400M has finally arrived, 26 years after Europe’s flagship airlifter was first conceived by seven European Defence Ministries. And it is 16 years since an intense battle to protect and promote the project, then known as the Future Large Airlifter (FLA), culminated here at Farnborough. This is a battle that could happen again as Britain’s new government–determined to cut public spending–

Peter McLoughlin, government relations director for BAe, and Mike Wood, the UK marketing director for Lockheed. “You could never mount a campaign like that again. We had the workforce, the unions, the politicians in the Trade Department and the Foreign Office all involved,” said McLoughlin. “There was briefing and counter-briefing. The Ministry of Defence [MoD] eventually demanded a halt,” recalled Wood.

Hawker Beechcraft Selects CAE for AT-6 Training Hawker Beechcraft has selected CAE to provide the groundbased training system for the AT-6 light attack and armed reconnaissance aircraft. CAE will provide a comprehensive training package for both air and ground crew, and will also develop embedded aircraft training solutions for the AT-6 and other T-6 variants. The training systems provider will also support Hawker Beechcraft in its export marketing campaigns for the AT-6.

Thales GateSync Coming to an Airport Near You Thales has finalized an agreement with CSC, a U.S.-based information technology company, to develop a technology called GateSync, which allows airlines to transfer digital content among aircraft on the ground. GateSync can be used to deliver timesensitive information, such as passenger manifests, daily news updates, meal inventories, crew logs and system performance data.

The core of the Wi-Fi system is proprietary management software called AirSync/GS that turns aircraft into active nodes in an airline’s enterprise network. Aboard the airplane, GateSync interfaces with the Thales TopFlight in-flight entertainment system. The technology has been undergoing testing at three major airports in anticipation of its broader deployment starting later this year.

The Future Large Airlifter, unveiled here at Farnborough 16 years ago, eventually morphed into the A400M. At the time, the Royal Air Force was weighing the European transport and a U.S. airlifter (the C-130J). Despite eventually commiting to the A400M, UK budget cuts now threaten to endanger this order and replace it with one for a few U.S.-built C-17s.

decides whether it will have to choose between the A400M and the Royal Air Force’s existing military transports, the C-130J and the C-17.

It’s War!

ADAT Signs Up flydubai Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (Hall 4 Stand D9) has signed a 10-year contract with low-cost carrier flydubai for Boeing 737 maintenance. The Mubadala group company will provide “maintenance services for various fast-track components.” The airline operates nine 737s and has another 45 scheduled for delivery by 2011.

EADS Lightweight Transponder Nears Certification EADS Defence & Security has recently completed development of its LTR 400-A transponder that significantly enhances safety while reducing weight. At just over six pounds the LTR 400-A is much lighter than similar systems, making it ideal for rotary-wing applications. It has already been selected by Eurocopter Germany for installation in EC 635 helicopters. Civil and military certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency is expected this summer, after which the transponder can be used aboard civilian aircraft and unmanned air vehicles.

The LTR 400-A transponder works to the latest civilian air traffic control standard, Mode S Enhanced Surveillance, but also incorporates a QRTK3-NG encryption/decryption function, allowing it to transmit military identification information as well.

“FLA declares war on Lockheed’s C-130J” was the headline for this editor’s story on the front cover of AIN’s opening day edition here on Sept. 5, 1994. The UK Royal Air Force was keen on Lockheed’s upgraded Hercules, as a replacement for its ageing 50strong fleet of C-130s. British Aerospace (BAe–now BAE Systems) was then a full member of the Airbus consortium and took fright at the prospect of losing the FLA wing design and production work. BAe built a full-scale wooden and concrete model of the FLA in the Farnborough static park at a cost of more than $800,000. It was dismantled after the show and never appeared again.

AIN spoke last week to the two men at the heart of the great airlifter debate of 1994. They were

52aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

The FLA war was fought partly in the corridors of power and partly through the media.

BAe’s emotive full-page advertisements claimed that the UK would lose at least 7,500 aerospace jobs and $7.5 billion worth of business if the FLA was rejected. McLoughlin hired a truck-mounted billboard that was driven around Whitehall, timed to catch the eye of Prime Minister John Major as he was driven to and from Parliament.

Lockheed fought back. Wood told AIN that the company spent $600,000 in six weeks on advertising. Some of that money went on a six-page leaflet headlined, “As a Matter of Fact, Not Fiction: C-130J vs. FLA–Setting the Record Straight.” The leaflet explained how Lockheed would place significant C-130J subcontracts with 36 British companies.

The FLA could not be delivered in time to meet the RAF requirement, and would cost “three to four times the price of C-130J,” the leaflet claimed.

Just before the Farnborough Air Show, a “spoof proof ” of this leaflet was mailed to this editor, and others, in a plain brown envelope. Lockheed’s leaflet had been reprinted with no fewer than 30 “corrections” handwritten into the margins. One of the comments read: “Careful. From the SBAC reports we have seen, it is clear that there is much more work on FLA than C-130J for UK industry.” To this day, McLoughlin won’t admit responsibility for the “spoof proof,” which AIN reprinted in its entirety.

The Outcome

The outcome of this extraordinary affair? The UK became the launch customer for the C130J; Wood told AIN that the aircraft were delivered on time at the bargain price of $42 million each. Through Lockheed’s UK Industrial Support Group, British companies gained significant work on the first 125 airplanes, he added.

But the UK ordered only 25 C-130Js. The government indicated that a second order for new airlifters would follow in due course. Over the next few years, the RAF made clear its preference for a mix of C-130Js and the much larger but very expensive C-17. Ironically, BAe recruited Wood to help in the continuing effort to press the merits of the FLA. In 2000, the UK struck a deal with Boeing to lease four C-17s. In 2003, the FLA was finally launched as the Airbus A400M by eight European countries, including the UK, which ordered 25. The program foundered on a mix of bad organization and technical problems. It was apparently rescued last March by an outline agreement to amend the combined development and production contract.

But now the rumors are flying again, saying that the UK may pull out of the European program as a result of the current defense review. The RAF currently owns six C-17s, with a seventh on order (the leases were bought out in 2006). A few more C-17s could be a compromise substitute for the 25 A400Ms. Boeing has already provided the price of an eighth C-17 to the MoD. McLoughlin is retired, and Wood runs his own consultancy company. Maybe they should dust off their campaigning skills.

A re-run of 1994 might still be on the cards: A400M versus C17 this time?

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CleanSky’s green research accelerates after slow start Clean Sky, the European Union’s ?1.6 billion ($1.9 billion) aeronautical research program, is aiming to have several demonstrators running on the ground or flying in 2014-2015. At the first Clean Sky conference, held June 18 in Brussels, project leaders said that after a slow start in 20082009 the joint technology initiative (JTI) is gathering speed.

The Clean Sky team is striving to offer timely solutions to make the next generation of aircraft more environmentally friendly.

In their view, it would be a mistake to work on brilliant technologies that would be available too late. The public-private partnership is to end in 2017, by which time the European Commission and the industry will have each spent ?800 million ($950 million), in cash and in kind, respectively.

The project is structured around six integrated technology demonstrators (ITDs) focused on the following topics: • more efficient engines; • a “smart” fixed-wing aircraft with reduced drag and advanced engine integration; • regional aircraft; • rotorcraft; • on-board systems and optimized flight paths; and • ecological design for a lower environmental impact over the aircraft lifecycle.

In addition, there will be an “evaluator” phase to assess the impact of the technologies using simulation. The technologies are to be brought to at least technology readiness level six, which corresponds to demonstration in operational conditions.

500 Members Eventually

The JTI has gathered 78 member companies and organizations such as universities and research centers–12 have “leader” status and 64 are “associates.” The Clean Sky joint undertaking, now staffed with 20, plans to launch four calls for R&D proposals each year until 2012, which is expected to bring more small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on board, with the total number of external partners eventually reaching 500. Collectively, the SMEs are supposed to contribute about 25 percent of the total work, said executive director Eric Dautriat.

In the field of engines, both Snecma Safran and Rolls-Royce are studying contra-rotating open rotor powerplants.

Safran is working on a direct drive version, while Rolls-Royce is working on a geared engine. Still to be defined is how the choice will be made between the two options when the time comes to prepare an engine for flight-testing on an Airbus A340-600 test bed in 2015.

Meanwhile, one of the toughest challenges will be to cut noise. One concept involves minimizing the interaction between the two rows of blades possibly by altering the sizes of the blades. At the Clean Sky conference, Safran exhibited a

mockup of an engine in a configuration in which the blades in the first row are longer than those in the second row.

Safran and Rolls-Royce representatives told AIN that they still do not understand all the potential risks with open rotors, adding that ground or flight-testing will likely reveal any problems.

The engineering teams do acknowledge that a lot has to be done in aircraft-engine integration with regard to acoustic, vibratory and aerodynamic aspects. Other engine demonstrators are being studied in the ITD phase of Clean Sky, including two- and three-shaft turbofans and a helicopter turboshaft.

Besides Safran and Rolls-Royce, other engine specialists–including MTU, Avio, ITP and Volvo Aero–are working on the sustainable and green engine (SAGE) ITD. The goals for this project are to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 20 percent, nitrous oxides (NOx) by 60 percent and noise by 20 EPNdB. Work in the smart fixed-wing aircraft ITD is being lead by Airbus and Saab.

Their main aim is to cut wing drag by 25 percent for which they plan to use laminarity, either natural or induced through aspiration of the wing structure.

High-speed Demonstrator

Plans call for a high-speed demonstration of this technology on an A340-300 in 2014. In parallel, either an Airbus A320 or a Dassault Falcon business jet is to be selected as a low-speed demonstrator test bed this year. According to Airbus research and technology expert Gareth Williams,

THIERRY DUBOIS

by Thierry Dubois

Under the Clean Sky joint technology initiative, a wide-ranging aerospace research project, European companies are working toward greener air transport, possibly using open rotors such as the one explored by Safran. The mockup was shown at the first Clean Sky conference, in Brussels on June 18.

this work will deal with the high-lift devices associated with the low-drag wing concept. The “smart wing structure concept” with a manufacturing solution is due to be ready in December 2011.

The “green regional aircraft” (GRC) ITD is led by Alenia and EADS-CASA. One major focus is on an all-electric architecture.

Vito Perrupato, Alenia’s chief technical officer for the Clean Sky project, told AIN that if the environment control system (ECS) and flight controls, for example, were to change to being electrically driven, energy management would play a key role. To avoid the need for electric generators to be huge, the power management system would have to be able to disengage non-priority systems, such as the ECS, should power demand be at a temporary peak.

Tests are planned for electromechanic actuators (EMAs) that would replace hydraulic actuators for control surface power. EMAs will be tried at the component level, though, without being integrated

Pros nurture next gen at av-career forum here After four days during which aerospace and defense industry leaders have been the center of attention here at Farnborough International, the focus shifts to the next generation on Friday. International Futures for Youth day, previously known as Youth Day, will allow more than 2,000 young people (aged between 7 and 20) to come to the show and get a taste of career opportunities.

A program under the theme “Inspiring Young Minds Towards a Career in Aerospace and Defence” will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting and ending with special ceremonies involving industry leaders and, perhaps more impressively, astronauts. The event will include a careers fair, a series of 15- to 20-minute lectures, demonstrations and access to flight simulators and robots.

The day will also feature the Build-aPlane Challenge competition between rival schools and, similarly, the biennial Trinational Rocketry Finals between school students from France, the UK and the U.S.

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Young visitors also will be able to take a close look at the Mars Rover program in the show’s Space Zone.

The program also includes a debate about aviation’s impact on the environment, a treasure hunt and various outdoor challenges organized by the British Army and the Royal Air Force. The University of Manchester’s Aerospace & Research Institute will be challenging students to help design an engine.

But, arguably, the headline act will be something that doesn’t have wings at all.

The Bloodhound Project–a UK attempt to break the world land speed record by exceeding 1,000 mph–will make its full debut at Farnborough this year. Young people will have the chance to meet its director, Richard Noble, and RAF Wing Commander Andy Green, who is due to be at the controls of the Bloodhound car itself.

Futures Day is sponsored by Airbus and the UK’s South West Regional Development Agency.

in a full fly-by-wire and power-by-wire system. The GRC ITD’s targets are to cut CO2 emissions by 10 to 20 percent and noise by 10 dB. The envisioned configurations for this work are a 92-passenger turboprop and a 130-passenger aircraft powered by turbofans or open rotors.

Some ITDs are intended to have cross-over functions. In “Eco-design,” for example, research engineers will look for ways to reduce the scrap rates for raw materials in production.

The “technology evaluator” ITD will help to determine how effective Clean Sky’s technologies are. This simulation tool will be able to assess their impact at, for example, the airport level, comparing a given day of operations with and without these technologies. The first release of the technology evaluator is pegged for next year.

The Clean Sky conference took place more than two years after the JTI was born in February 2008. Explaining the delay, Dautriat said that more work to get to this point was necessary than had been anticipated. He told AIN that budgets are now in full swing and research activity is almost at cruise speed, with the first preliminary design reviews set to take place this year.

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

Whether it’s the first time you use your goggle or the one-millionth time, when you pick up an ITT Generation 3 night vision goggle, it will never let you down. In fact, it’s more than a goggle, it’s a workhorse. And, like our warfighters, it’s tough, trusted, and durable enough to take whatever the enemy, or Mother Nature, throws at it. Plus, it protects you with the clearest, sharpest night vision image available. So that when all is said and done, it’s not just about seeing the enemy, but seeing the road home. For more information, visit nightvision.com.

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SYSTEMS

Aluminum remains relevant despite trend toward composites

by Gregory Polek Notwithstanding the unpreceThree years ago Alcoa had just dented scale of composites finished adding sheet and plate content in the Boeing 787 and capacity at its Global Rolled ProdAirbus A350XWB airliners, alu- ucts division mills in Davenport, minum still reigns as the material Iowa; Kitts Green, UK; Fusina, of choice in most airliner fuselage Italy; and Belaya Kalitva, Russia. applications. At least that’s the The additions accounted for some message Alcoa–the aluminum 50 percent capacity expansion. company–wants to send here Today, not only Alcoa, but the in Farnborough, where scores of entire industry faces an overcapacexamples of flying machines ity situation, particularly on the made of the metals the company plate side, [but] “less so on extrusupplies grace the static display. sions,” said Christopher. “[In Of course, the use of carbon- terms of] fasteners and airfoils, fiber products doesn’t there’s some excess preclude the use of capacity but not nearly aluminum and various to the same extent, and other more exotic metals most of that is driven in the same airplane. just by business jet and Even what many conregional jet demand.” sider an all-composite About half of the fuselage in the 787 company’s portfolio uses thousands of consists of its traditional highly specialized and aluminum structural expensive metallic fasbusinesses it started a teners made by Alcoa. Bill Christopher, century ago. The other Alcoa executive v-p In fact, according to and half consists of its group president Bill Christopher, Alcoa of its Engineered Howmet jet-engine executive vice president Products & Solutions investment castings unit and group president division and its Alcoa Fastening of the company’s EngiSystems (AFS) division. neered Products & Solutions Proprietary Technology division, the dollar value of Alcoa’s contribution to the 787 Although Christopher wouldn’t virtually equals that of the alu- reveal what proportion of Alcoa minum-bodied 767.

Aerospace’s revenue now comes Unfortunately, delays to the from proprietary products, the 787 and the A380 along with company clearly has moved away pressures such as inventory from commodity markets and into de-stocking and a collapse in the proprietary technology. In 2004, regional and business aircraft proprietary products accounted for markets resulted in less demand 12 percent of Alcoa’s aerospace for Alcoa’s aerospace products last revenue; in 2007 that share rose year, when sales fell from $4 to more than 20 percent. billion in 2008 to “just north of $3 “If you ask what holds together billion.” However, the company’s a portfolio of jet engine parts, financial position looks better this fastening systems and sheet, year, said Christopher. “If you plate and extrusions for aluminum look at the de-stocking on the jet structures, it is technology,” engine side, that’s behind us; said Christopher. “We look at we’ve seen a pickup in the MRO, each individual segment, we the replacement side of the busi- want highly complex applications ness,” he added. “I think that where, in fact, we expect mission de-stocking through that whole requirements to increase demands supply chain is done.” on the product, which allows us to Thankfully, the underlying develop technologies that solve fundamentals of the large com- customer problems.” mercial aircraft business “held up Christopher explained that the very well” all along, said Christo- economic rationale for replacing pher, and Alcoa remains bullish equipment lies more firmly today about its prospects for the next with the cost savings that come two to three years, as manufactur- with technology improvements ers proceed with planned build than with direct acquisition cost rate increases and the 787 and savings the OEMs sought for A380 programs “ramp up to run earlier projects. The resulting rates.” Still, he said, “it will be demand for more sophisticated later this year, early next year materials plays directly to Alcoa’s before we start to see any signifi- strengths. “Overall, it is clearly cant activity back there again.” what we drive for, whether it’s

proprietary, highly differentiated, a combination of technology or know-how or special dimensional characteristics,” he said. “And that really represents the core of all three segments of what we have.

“For the next five or six years we’re going to go through a renaissance in the industry, where you have all new platforms being run out,” Christopher predicted. “By 2020 you’re going to be talking about everything from twin-aisles to your super jumbo jets all being brand-new platforms.”

The next “battle ground,” according to Christopher, will involve the single-aisle segment, where Alcoa believes its metallic products will prove superior to composites. Since Boeing launched the 787, Alcoa has developed three generations of aluminum lithium alloys, he said.

Stronger than traditional aluminum, aluminum-lithium allows manufacturers to use thinner and, hence, lighter fuselage skins.

Incorporating Hybrids

Another area in which Alcoa believes it can compete with composites on weight involves so-called selective reinforcement, a concept that centers on strengthening certain fuselage

Alcoa Fastening Systems makes lock bolts that fasten together composite and metallic parts. Each Airbus A380 features one million XPL Lockbolts.

Alcoa manufactures airfoil castings at its Howmet facility in Whitehall, Michigan.

56aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

Plate for the Airbus A380’s wing and fuselage skins is produced in Alcoa’s global Rolled Products division in Davenport, Iowa.

points with hybrid material.

“We’re now starting to look at single-aisle applications and saying we think that there’s anywhere between a 3-percent and 14-percent improvement on weight that can be delivered [with selective reinforcement],” said Christopher.

Whether or not aluminumlithium or structural reinforcement technologies find their way onto new narrowbodies might well depend on the partnerships Alcoa manages to forge with OEMs. In fact, the company last year signed a strategic partnership agreement with Comac to help the Chinese company decide on what materials to use on the C919–the new 170- to 190-seat narrowbody scheduled for market introduction in 2016. “We have a full team of people working with their design people on really putting forth our best technologies in the design of that aircraft, from both a fastener perspective and an aluminum structures perspective,” said Christopher.

Of course, Alcoa has shown intense interest in the narrowbody strategies of Boeing and Airbus as well, along with the fortunes of the A380 and 747-8. The A380 alone consumes nine times the metal and alloys required by today’s 737 and A320. The largest supplier to the A380 program, Alcoa provides forgings, extrusions, sheet, plate and castings for the superjumbo’s wing and fuselage skins, along with stringers, frames, spars, gear ribs, engine and pylon supports, seat tracks and floor beams.

The AFS division has developed multi-material lock bolts for

the assembly of the big jet’s wing box and new-generation blind bolts tailored for the program’s robotic assembly techniques.

Each A380 uses about one million Alcoa fasteners.

“When you look at the prospects right now, the 747-8 and A380 [are] both metallic aircraft. They’re not going to change for 25 years,” said Christopher. “You’ve got the single aisles…obviously their lifespan is going to be longer than what everybody expected and we think we have incredibly competitive alternatives for them– especially given a single-aisle mission–that would provide them weight advantage and give them a lot more experience and predictability in both their design and their launch costs.”

Alcoa (Hall 1 Stand A9) can effect further weight savings by replacing titanium with advanced aluminum alloys. “Our fundamental belief is if you had a choice between aluminum and titanium, obviously you’re going to pick aluminum because it machines faster and it’s lighter,” said Christopher. “But then you’re trading off, in certain cases, strength” as well as titanium’s resistance to expansion at high temperatures. “The coefficient of thermal expansion between aluminum and composites unfortunately is very different,” he noted. “So there are places you just can’t put them together because, as the plane heats up or cools off, you’re going to end up with structural issues. So that’s part of the barrier that we face there.”

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Airbus peers into future of single-aisle designs

Among future airliner configurations, Airbus’s A30X concept sports new side- and overheadmounted rear-engine installations to accommodate larger fans.

gies. Dawkins said lower crew workload is among characteristics of innovative cockpits that will offer improved mission management (through next generation “interactivity”). New flight decks will take full advantage of forthcoming ATM systems that Airbus believes provide the “key to airtransport growth.”

Viewing itself as an aircraft integrator, the manufacturer is “defining and developing future on-board ATM capabilities and operations.” As such, Airbus is

working to support “overall coherence and convergence of the 300 [single European sky ATM research] SESAR projects,” at the core of which is the introduction of four-dimensional trajectories that accommodate predicted aircraft positions. Future ATM must ensure air transport growth, while minimizing environmental impact, said Dawkins.

All such potential advances are major elements in the manufacturer’s mind as it works to understand necessary future

design characteristics, said Dawkins. “The requirements will drive technology and decisions [we make],” he noted.

Airbus expects an A320replacement design in the mid- to late-2020s could be an all-composite construction, powered by open-rotor fans. “We do not know enough about all-composites structures yet,” said Leahy. The best powerplant will “probably be an open-rotor fan, but engine-makers have not figured it out. [That will take until] the middle or the end of the next decade–not before.”

More immediately, introduction of a fourth (probably open-rotor) powerplant choice for the A320, if Airbus decides to go down that path by offering a new engine option later this year, would confirm what the company perceives as current industry uncertainty.

Powerplant manufacturers say the best foreseeable technology is not yet available, while airlines are saying that they cannot wait while fuel prices continue to rise: they want an interim improvement.

Marshall/Slingsby linkup is a good composites fit

Slingsby does have a 50-footlong autoclave, however, into which the wing of BAE’s Mantis UAV will just fit. Some of Slingsby’s more sensitive work for the UK defense industry is done at a second site at Prestwick in Scotland, which was opened in 2008.

Boyd described Prestwick as a bold move, but it has evidently paid off, since turnover has risen by 40 percent in the past few years. The company was unprofitable until it made the transition to composite design, engineering and manufacture, he noted. Today, it gains 60 percent of its revenue from the aerospace industry, with the balance gained from the marine and rail industries, and aftermarket services.

Working to the outer mold lines and load cases provided by BAE Systems, Slingsby designed and produced the Raven and Corax experimental UCAV and URAV [unmanned reconnaissance] airframes in only 12 months. Then came the Herti, a multipurpose UAV that BAE has developed from a Polish glider design. Slingsby re-engineered the structure so that the all-up weight could be doubled.

When BAE began pitching the Mantis UAV for long-endurance surveillance missions, Slingsby produced, in only two months, the mockup that was unveiled here two years ago. It has since produced the wing, T-tail and control surfaces for the demonstrator, which flew last October. The company was unwilling to talk about its role in the Taranis UCAV, pending last week’s official unveiling.

Slingsby has done other work

for BAE Systems. Using carbon fiber and other hybrid pre-impregnated materials, it manufactures by hand the inner and outer pilot helmet shells for the Eurofighter to the very high tolerances required to hold the helmet-mounted display optronics in exact position. The company also claims to be producing the world’s first composite stealthy submarine propulsion ducts, rudders and hydroplanes–for BAE’s Astute series now entering service with the UK Royal Navy. It also makes stealthy shields for the anti-aircraft guns on the Navy’s Type 23 frigates.

For Bombardier, Slingsby provides the propeller spinners for the Dash 8 Q400 regional airliner, using pre-impregnated cloth to produce a structure that can withstand a bird strike at more than 250 knots. “Carbon fiber would have been lighter, but more brittle,” Boyd explained. The company also produces the carbon fiber air-conditioning plenum chamber and ducting for the Dassault Falcon 7X business jet, trim panels for the interior of the Lockheed Martin C130J airlifter and an auxiliary seat-cum-fuel tank for the AgustaWestland Lynx helicopter.

Boyd noted that the company aims to provide a total project management solution, from design to delivery. This can be for rapid prototyping, as in the work on BAE’s UAVs, or for series production. Just ahead of the Farnborough show, Boyd said he was expecting a rolling seven-year contract for C130J trim panels to be concluded, and a production order for Herti airframes via BAE Systems.

by Ian Goold As Airbus considers an A320replacement to compete against prospective single-aisle models from Boeing and emerging challengers from Russia and Asia, it is also looking at technologies that could contribute to even longerterm designs in a program dubbed “A30X.” Mindful that modern jetliners are expected to have working lives of at least 40 years, chief operating officer for customers John Leahy said Airbus needs “future technology for future aircraft.”

The company recognizes that its established single-aisle duopoly with Boeing will be diluted if planned projects from Canada, China and Russia progress beyond the taxiway, but is unfazed by such possible competition. Technologically, emerging designs offer “no step change,” said strategy and future-programs senior vice president Ian Dawkins, speaking before he took a new position last month as chief executive of OnAir, the Airbus/SITA cabin communications systems joint venture.

Among its A30X studies, Airbus is looking at “long-term, game-changing technologies” for application in future alternative configurations in 2025 and beyond, including the anticipated open-rotor or high-bypass-ratio engines. Dawkins cited potential in “breakthrough” technology areas such as fuel cells, innovative structures, “smart” wings, and new cockpits and air traffic management (ATM) systems.

Fuel cell technology does not yet offer a viable opportunity for aerospace application, according to Dawkins. The requirement in the coming 20 years will be to find a way to integrate fuel cells into a multifunctional system that will reduce fuel burn and enable aircraft to be emission-free on the ground, he said.

Future composite materials and metals are expected to permit innovative structures that Dawkins said could provide an optimum mix for performance and operability. This would include the novel mechanical properties of nanoscale materials, whose use of very small particles offers new mechanical effects such as altered electronic properties.

The likely high future price of fuel is driving consideration of “smart” wing technologies, including developed winglets (such as the “sharklets” being offered on the A320) and natural and hybrid laminar flow. Dawkins said the

new aerodynamics could provide “anti-contamination” or low-drag wing surfaces.

Airbus believes “a quantum leap in SFC [specific fuel consumption] reduction” could be available through innovative engine technologies, such as openrotor designs. It sees advanced turbofans employing ultra-highbypass ratios as constituting a “next generation after [the CFM] LeapX and [Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan] GTF,” according to Dawkins. The manufacturer has suggested new side- or overheadmounted rear-engine installations to accommodate larger fan diameters (and perhaps reduce internal, if not also external, sound levels).

Nor has the cockpit been ignored in Airbus “blue-sky” thinking about future technolo-

by Chris Pocock Many of the invited guests who witnessed the unveiling of the Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle at BAE Systems’s Warton plant last week won’t have realized the important role of a small company based in the Yorkshire moors. Marshall Slingsby Advanced Composites has produced airframe structures for all of BAE’s unmanned developments in the last decade. The company is also making low-cost composite parts for seven other aerospace majors.

The Slingsby name goes back 80 years. The UK company manufactured sailplanes followed by the T76 Firefly primary trainer at rural Kirkbymoorside. It was owned, in turn, by Vickers, ML Aviation and Cobham until a

management buyout in 2006.

Then, last year, Slingsby became the first-ever acquisition by privately held Marshall Aerospace (Hall 4 Stand A11).

“Their culture is compatible with ours, and we can blend our skills in metals with theirs in composites,” explained Phil Windred, managing director of Marshalls’ technology, products and services division.

According to Stephen Boyd, managing director of Marshall Slingsby Advanced Composites, the company has developed the skill to produce composite structures without recourse to expensive autoclaves. “We cure under vacuum but in an oven, and we prefer resin transfer infusion to resin transfer molding,” he explained.

Marshall Slingsby Advanced Composites is expecting more work from BAE Systems as customers are secured for the Herti UAV. The company produced two airframes for the development program, after completely redesigning the structure.

58aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

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by Richard Gardener Overlooking the airfield, on the northeast corner of the Farnborough International airshow site, and just behind the famous “Black Sheds,” is an old white military building surrounded by colorful red, white and blue aircraft.

Believed to be the country’s oldest purpose-built building in continuous aviation use, this is now the permanent home of the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) museum, opened in 2003. The building was re-named by FAST in commemoration of the fact that it once housed the office of Hugh, later Lord, Trenchard, widely recognized as “The Father of the Royal Air Force” and it became

the first headquarters of the Army’s Royal Flying Corps in 1912.

Since 1993, the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust, a registered charity, has campaigned successfully to save the most important aviation buildings on the former Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) site, including the wind tunnels, and to make available to the public the story of Farnborough’s unique aviation history and the air science that it spawned. The museum, apart from exhibiting the FAST collection, acts as a showcase for the key technological developments undertaken in the former research laboratories of the RAE, test rigs

PETER J. COOPER

FAST museum shows aviation heritage Samuel Cody’s first powered flight in the UK just over 100 years ago is commemorated by this full-size replica of the Cody Flyer (above left) in the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust’s heritage exhibition hall. The Farnborough airshow site has a rich British aeronautical heritage as quickly becomes apparent during a visit to the museum, housed in the hangar-style building (above).

and aboard its test flying aircraft since the earliest days of military flying. Of growing importance, reflected in a great increase in visits by parties of school children and families, is the promotion of all aspects of aeronautical air science aimed at inspiring future generations.

The exhibits and displays include aircraft, missiles, drones, equipment and early jet engine components tested by Sir Frank Whittle, and some historic engines, including a W200 from the Gloster E28/39, the first British

EADS sweetens in-flight sleep

PHOTOS: KIRBY J. HARRISON

Aircraft interiors specialist EADS Sogerma has some sweet sleep for sale. The Airbus subsidiary formally introduced its “Ultimate Sleeper” premium firstclass bed at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg in May, promoting it as having “the comfort of a real bed.”

The Ultimate Sleeper is the product of an earlier partnership with Lufthansa Technik. The

Hamburg-based cabin interiors specialist initially dubbed it the “aerosleeper,” part of Lufthansa’s concept of a superior variant of its super-first-class seat, the “Ultimate 17.”

The Ultimate Sleeper is integrated into a premium first-class suite and combines some of the features of the Harvey bed, a folding cabinet bed for which African-American entrepreneur

Sarah Goode was granted a patent in 1885.

The Ultimate Sleeper mattress folds into two sections and when not in use slides vertically into a credenza built into the side of the suite. When deployed, it provides an 81-inch long, 30-inch wide, horizontal, full-flat surface with built-in, spring-metal comfort.

Adding to the comfort of the suite is an executive seat and a

jet aircraft, and the first afterburning engine jet pipes intended for the supersonic Miles M52 of 1946. The control panel from the world’s first unmanned air vehicle (dating from 1917) is part of the FAST collection, as is a set of wind-tunnel models showing how the Concorde wing shape evolved.

Another unique item is a largescale wind tunnel model of the Armstrong Whitworth M-Wing Supersonic airliner project tested at the RAE in the 1950s. Among the FAST Museum facilities are facing bench seat. A table folds out of a side pocket to allow sufficient workspace or dining area for two persons. The suite includes its own mini-bar, a small built-in hanging wardrobe, and a 30-inch high-definition monitor for entertainment or work.

A sliding door allows privacy when desired.

The surrounding shell is composed of carbon fiber, described as “much lighter” than the composite material currently in use. EADS is already marketing the Ultimate Sleeper and expects it to be available within two years.

–K.J.H.

Among other attributes, EADS’s Ultimate Sleeper suite boasts a table that folds out from a side pocket, a bench seat and a bed that lifts out from a credenza and converts into an 81-inch long, 30-inch wide sleeping surface.

60aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

two fully operating wind tunnels and two flight simulators that can be “flown” by visitors.

At the last Farnborough International airshow a major center of attention in the heritage exhibition hall was the full-size Cody Flyer replica, which had been built by an all volunteer FAST team in just 18 months to celebrate the centenary of Cody’s first powered flight, which was achieved just a few yards from the site.

In October 2008 the FAST museum’s new Cody Pavilion was opened to house the replica and alongside is an extensive exhibition depicting the colorful life and times of this Americanborn pioneer aviator. During this year’s Farnborough show visitors can preview a new exhibition that is planned to open shortly after the airshow closes, dedicated to the 70-strong fleet of captured German aircraft that were evaluated and exhibited at the RAE after the end of World War II. For those who may have missed seeing the Cody Flyer in 2008, the museum will be open (to airshow visitors and exhibitors only) from Monday to Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The museum will be closed at other times because it will be occupied for private functions, but is otherwise open, free of charge, every weekend throughout the year.

FAST always welcomes new members to its supporting association and has a show stand at Farnborough International open during the public days, from Friday through to Sunday. For more information, visit the FAST Web site: www.airsciences.org.uk, or e-mail: manager@farnboroughairsciencestrust.org.uk, or telephone the museum at: 01252 375050.

Airbus lands 51-aircraft order In its first publicly announced order, recently established Air Lease yesterday agreed with Airbus to a deal nominally valued at $4.4 billion and covering 51 A320-series aircraft for delivery from 2011 to 2015. The agreement involves 31 A320s and 20 A321-200s; some of the latter will be long-range variants equipped with “sharklet” upturned wingtips to enhance airfield and climb performance and cruise efficiency.

The new business has been set up by former International Lease

Finance Corp. (ILFC) founder and chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy and John Plueger, who retired as ILFC chief executive less than three months ago. To obtain early delivery, Udvar-Hazy negotiated at least some production slots previously assigned to Air New Zealand. The 51 aircraft will be powered by International Aero Engines V2500 and CFM International CFM56 powerplants.

Unannounced Air Lease orders include an Airbus A330, delivered two months ago to Air

Berlin. The upcoming A350 XWB is said to be a consideration in “the next round” of aircraft acquisitions. Plueger said Air Lease is talking to manufacturers “worldwide” and “will look at any proposal” but expects to concentrate on the “most productive, most profitable” designs.

Meanwhile, the new lessor is completing its management team and establishing more financial support. Air Lease orders also include an Airbus A330, delivered two months ago to Air Berlin.

AW169 unveiled

whether there are significant orders from within the UK. AW’s Yeovil facility is already participating in the design, development and eventual production of some systems where it has considerable expertise, notably the transmission and blades.

Furthermore, AgustaWestland forecasts sales of 900 to 1,000 helicopters over the next 20 years, which would necessitate the establishment of a second assembly line. If sufficient sales

can be made in the UK, then Yeovil would join the Italian production line in building the aircraft, allowing it to also benefit from building aircraft for export. Graham Cole, AgustaWestland’s managing director, put it simply: “The more [orders] we get from the UK, the more work we do in the UK.” During the unveiling, Cole announced the formation of a team to begin marketing the AW169 to UK parapublic agencies. “If they buy AW169s,” he told AIN, “they’ll be putting jobs into the UK and not elsewhere, and helping with the balance of trade.”

Continued from page 1

state for business, innovation and science, who said at the unveiling, “The AW169 is indeed an exciting project that will sustain and grow our domestic high technology engineering and manufacturing base into the future.”

However, just how much involvement the UK arm of AgustaWestland will have in the AW169 is dependent partly on

DAVID MCINTOSH

AW169 on Show

According to AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi, among the roles envisioned for the AW169 are primary and secondary EMS tasks. The helicopter’s 222-cu-ft cabin can accommodate one or two stretchers, either lengthwise or crosswise.

Airlines boost backlogs Continued from page 1

worth just over $13 billion. On top of this, Russia’s Aeroflot signed a contract for 11 A330-300 twinjets, fitted with the new Sharklet winglets, in a deal worth approximately $1.7 billion.

Following in the wake of the aircraft transactions were billions more dollars’ worth of engine orders. The Emirates 777-300ERs are to be powered by General Electric GE90-115 turbofans worth about $2 billion. The GECAS 737s will carry CFM567BE engines worth $560 million,

and CFM56 powerplant will also drive its new A320s. Aeroflot is sticking with the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 for its latest A330s.

CFM International also won new business yesterday from Air China and China Eastern. The Asian carriers have ordered CFM56-5B engines for, respectively, 20 and 30 A320s that they have on order.

Engine Alliance secured a $4.8 billion contract (also covering support) for engines to be supplied for the 32 A380s that Emirates ordered last month.

And, finally, Pratt & Whitney logged a $100 million deal when Brazil’s TAM Linhas Aereas chose its PW4000 engines to power two new A330-200s.

What was revealed yesterday in mockup form is the outcome of the XX9 project that AgustaWestland has talked about since at least 2008. The detailed specifications of the twin-engine AW169 have yet to be finalized, but should be completed in time to be revealed at the Heli-Expo exhibition next March in the U.S. The company is coy about the planned date for the helicopter’s first flight, but said it is aiming toward an FAA/EASA Part 29 certification and service-entry in the 2014 to 2015 timeframe. AW has selected the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210 turboshaft engine to power the type, although alternative powerplants could be offered at some point.

The AW169 is being developed to provide good hot-and-high capability, and has a heavy-duty design so it can handle a range of operations, including military applications. Prospective customers include law enforcement and security agencies, including those with special forces, search-andrescue organizations and emergency medical responders. The type also has natural applications in the commercial world, both onshore and offshore.

DAVID McINTOSH

by Ian Goold

Steven Udvar-Hazy (second from left) is back in the aircraft leasing business, and his newly formed company, Air Lease, made a splash yesterday by signing for a deal for 51 Airbus A320-series aircraft.

M-scan radars not obsolete, argues Northrop Grumman

by David Donald While the world’s radar houses concentrate on developing and fielding active electronically scanned antenna (AESA, or “escan”) radars, there is still a place for mechanically scanned (“mscan”) radars, believes Northrop Grumman. “M-scan radars are still relevant to the world market,” said Tim Winter, v-p of global sensor solutions. “It’s like big screen TV versus plasma screen. Big screen will be around for years.”

Nowhere is that more apparent than in the F-16 retrofit market, where Northrop Grumman continues to pursue sales of the m-scan APG-68(V)9, while promoting its SABR AESA that leverages the company’s APG-80 and APG-81 AESA programs.

Northrop Grumman has built more than 6,000 APG-66 and APG-68 radars for the F-16, the latest version of which is being marketed to a number of nations.

The APG-68(V)9 was developed in collaboration with two international customers, Greece and Israel, and Northrop Grumman has sold about 700 of them. It is in service with the U.S. Air Force and more than five overseas air arms.

While AESA radars offer greater performance and capability, there are several issues that still make the m-scan APG-68(V)9 an attractive proposition. Cost is an obvious one. Northrop Grumman is aiming to keep the price of its SABR e-scan radar within the same ballpark as an m-scan sensor, but admits there is still a premium to be paid for being an early AESA user. There are also development schedule issues, and possibly some export restrictions for some potential customers.

For its part, the (V)9 offers outstanding performance with its mechanically scanned antenna, while offering significant commonality of modes and operating system with Northrop Grumman’s AESA products. Mean time between failures has been increased to around 220 hours, falling not far short of the typical AESA figure of around 300.

The (V)9 has introduced new functions, such as the ability to track 10 to 20 air targets simultaneously, while offering greater protection against advanced jamming. More important, the (V)9 gives the F-16 several advanced air-to-ground modes, including a synthetic-aperture patch map capability and ground moving target indication and tracking.

Qatar stalls over C series orders

Continued from page 1

extending the reach of the airline’s new corporate jet operation–Qatar Executive–launched a year ago.

Deliveries of the 13-seat Global 1000s are to occur this October and in August 2011, respectively. The aircraft will be fitted out to provide the “ultimate in luxury,” said Al Baker, and will be used on nonstop routes to Hong Kong and other important business destinations.

At the Global 5000 press conference, Al Baker had another surprise. “As we speak I have decided to add a Bombardier 605 medevac aircraft to our fleet,” he suddenly interjected. Even Bombardier executives at the press conference were taken by surprise, albeit pleasantly.

www.ainonline.com • July 20, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa61

VEB Leasing signs MoU for 30 MC-21s

by Thierry Dubois Irkut has signed a memorandum of understanding with VEB Leasing, a subsidiary of Russianbased Vnesheconombank, for 15 firm and 15 optional MC-21 narrowbody airliners. The signing took place on Monday and the Russian airframer’s CEO, Oleg Demchenko, promised more contracts will come here at the show.

Meanwhile, Irkut parent company United Aircraft Corp.

(UAC) and Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov are considering a merger. Both parties are making progress and an audit is to start in October, UAC CEO Alexey Fedorov said during a press conference. Antonov will probably be integrated into one of UAC’s units, a process that will take at least 12 to 18 months, starting with marketing and aftersales branches.

Open rotors brushed off

by Pratt & Whitney

by Julian Moxon Pratt & Whitney believes open rotors are not the solution to powering future single-aisle aircraft and will offer developed versions of its PW1000G series of geared turbofans for all new and derivative single-aisle aircraft.

“We believe we can get better fuel efficiency than open rotors with our engine by leveraging the technology we already have,” said Bob Saia, vice president, P&W next-generation product family.

He added that in its most developed form the geared fan engine could bring 30- to 35-percent

reduction in fuel burn over today’s engines. “That’s better than an open rotor and it has none of the noise and installation negatives.

“We are positioning ourselves for all potential applications, whether new or re-engined,” said Saia. “We never really embraced the open rotor because when we tested one on the MD-80 in the late 1980s we found there were serious noise and installation problems. With a geared engine we keep the nacelle, and the fan turns more slowly. It’s simple physics.”

WEST MIDLANDS POLICE CAPTURES NEW EC 135 Eurocopter handed over an EC 135P2i to West Midlands Police assistant chief constable Sharon Rowe yesterday here at the Farnborough airshow. The helicopter, which was ordered last September, is a replacement of an EC 135 that was destroyed by arson last year. In the meantime, the French helicopter manufacturer kept the West Midlands Police in the air by supplying a police-configured interim EC135 shortly after the incident. Eurocopter models comprise 75 percent of the in-service UK police helicopter fleet, with six police helicopters being delivered by Eurocopter UK to police services in the British Isles

this year.

Fedorov promised that the 75to 100-seat Superjet 100, which is built by Sukhoi–another UAC firm–will not have to compete with the Antonov An-148/158, which has a slightly lower seating capacity but still falls in the 100seat class. He explained that the Superjet 100 and the An-158 will be offered to different geographical markets.

In military activities, this year Irkut and India’s HAL are to finalize the details of a joint venture to build a transport aircraft, he reported. He also said Algeria has exercised an option for 16 more Su-30MK fighters, and production of Yak-130 trainers for that country is also under way.

Testing to date has increased confidence in the PW1000 gearbox to the extent that P&W will be able to increase the reduction gear ratio of the fan drive system from today’s 3:1 to 5:1. “This means the relationship between the fan and turbine will be even better,” said Saia. “Coupled with other improvements, we can achieve another 10- to 15-percent reduction in fuel burn over the engine we’re testing today. That puts us in the same arena as the open rotor.”

Currently, the PW1000 has found three applications: the Bombardier C Series and Mitsubishi MRJ regional jets, and the 140- to 220-seat single-aisle Irkut MC-21 airliner. The first engine for the C Series, the PW1500G, is to go to test in August, with certification and first flight in 2012.

Testing of the MRJ engine is to begin at the end of the year, aiming for a 2014 in-service date, while the more powerful MC-21 engine, producing up to 35,000 pounds thrust, is expected to be certified in 2014 and ready for service entry two years later. “By the time the MC-21 enters service,” said Saia, “around 400 PW1000s will be in service and will have accumulated a million hours of revenue service.”

Hopes remain high at P&W that Airbus and Boeing will offer the PW1000 engine for reengined versions of the A320 and Boeing 737. Assuming the geared fan meets performance claims, P&W would then be well positioned to power an eventual all-new aircraft, effectively leaving its International Aero Engines partner Rolls-Royce out of the single-aisle market for the foreseeable future.

Saia said P&W is “still talking” to its International Aero Engines partners about joining the PW1000 program. One of them, Germany’s MTU, is already

62aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

On Monday, VEB Leasing director general Viacheslav Soloviev and Irkut CEO Oleg Demchenko signed an MoU for 15 firm orders and 15 options for the MC-21.

involved in the low-pressure turbine, but despite Saia’s assurance to AIN that “there’s always a way of making partnerships work,” Rolls-Royce has made it quite clear it disagrees totally with the geared fan concept. Like CFM, which is developing its Leap-X, it has conventionally configured advanced turbofans under development for the 150- to 220-seat market. The UK company has said its Advance2 program could

lead to an engine in 2016-2017.

This is too late, however, for the 2015 date being touted for a re-engined A320.

Initial versions of the PW1000 will be capable of up to 40,000 pounds thrust, Saia said. P&W remains committed to continuing development of the geared engine for widebody applications as well.

“We see no reason not to go to 100,000 and beyond,” he said. “It’s our next area of development.”

C919 to have integrated propulsion

Nexcelle can squeeze the extra efficiency from the design by mounting the engine to the wing pylon in an orientation that minimizes distortion of the compressor and by using more efficient O-duct thrust reversers, which have been used on military aircraft but never an airliner.

The C919’s IPS also incorporates an electric anti-ice system that weighs less and is easier to maintain than traditional bleed-air anti-ice systems. And the design will incorporate a composite nacelle intake, a first for an airliner. Taken together, the technology enhancements add up to an engine/nacelle package that is lighter and more streamlined than what could have been achieved with traditional engine and nacelle integration techniques.

Nexcelle benefits from a pool of engineering talent at GE’s Middle River group in Baltimore, Maryland, and Aircelle in France. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, near the headquarters of CFM International.

CFM and Nexcelle recently completed the C919’s joint definition phase with Comac in Shanghai to freeze the final engine design.

The 168- to 190-seat narrowbody airliner is expected to make its first flight in 2014 and achieve certification in 2016.

by Stephen Pope China’s homegrown Comac C919 will be the first airliner in the world to fly with a truly integrated propulsion system (IPS) combining engines with nacelles for improved overall efficiency. The IPS concept is being pioneered by Nexcelle, a joint company formed last year by GE Aviation’s Middle River Aircraft Systems and the Safran group’s Aircelle. GE and Safran also jointly own CFM International, supplier of the C919’s Leap X1C engine.

“The Chinese could have gone with a traditional nacelle, but they recognized the performance and customer support benefits an integrated propulsion system can provide,” said Nexcelle president Steve Walters.

The application of IPS technologies in the C919 will yield an extra 1.5-percent reduction in fuel burn and a weight reduction of more than 200 pounds per engine, Walters said. This is in addition to the 15-percent fuel saving the Leap X1C engine itself is expected to achieve.

B E T W EEN MULT I - N AT ION A ND MULT I - MIS SION, T HERE IS ONE IMP O R TA N T W O RD : HO W.

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