WE DN ES DA Y
A PUBLICATION OF
An independent publication, solely owned by The Convention News Co., Inc., Midland Park, N.J. July 21, 2010
Vol. 42 No. 19
INSIDE... • Flybe does 140-ship E-Jet deal with Embraer British low-cost carrier Flybe is set to swell its fleet with up to 140 Embraer 170 twinjets. The Brazilian airframer also announced new orders from Air Lease and Azul Linhas Aereas. Page 10
MARK WAGNER
• NewGen tanker still under wraps Citing competitive reasons at a briefing here in Farnborough, Boeing refused to discuss the technical details on the new cockpit and refueling boom, or how it can be combat ready when substantial development work still needs to be done. Page 16
INTERNATIONAL DEBUTS REACH SKY-HIGH PROPORTIONS A bumper crop of new aircraft are making their international public debuts here at Farnborough. The list includes this airshow’s star, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as well as the Airbus A330-200F Freighter, Chengdu/PAC JF-17 Thunder fighter and Saab Gripen NG demonstrator.
Super Hornet mods added to export list
• Supersonic Bloodhound hopes for negative lift The Bloodhound SSC team is showing a mockup of their car, expected to be powered by the Eurofighter’s EJ200 turbojet and a Falcon rocket, which they hope will propel the car to 1,000 mph, about Mach 1.4, while staying firmly on the ground. Page 28
by Chris Pocock Boeing announced here yesterday a set of potential enhancements to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet that it will market to export prospects. They include an enclosed weapons pod that is intended to lower the aircraft’s radar cross section. The countries currently evaluating or expressing inter-
est in the Super Hornet include Brazil, Denmark, India, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, and Qatar. There are six elements to what Boeing calls the “Super Hornet International Road Map.” The first is already under development and was seen by AIN during a visit to St. Louis last month. This is the Next
Generation cockpit, which brings to the F-18 the large (11- by 19-inch) one-piece, touchscreen display, seen previously only on the Lockheed Martin F-35. Such a display helps improve the fused presentation of the integrated sensor suite that is already a big Super Hornet feature. The new cockpit could be made available for deliveries in 2013, according to Shelley Lavender, Boeing’s vice president Global Strike Systems. The other enhancements Continued on page 38
BOEING 787’S FARNBOROUGH VISIT NOW NOTHING BUT A DREAM
• Teamwork on new trainer German aircraft manufacturer Grob Aerospace and Israeli electronic specialist Elbit Systems are partnering on the development of a new family of turboprop training aircraft. Page 30
Turkish Aerospace Industries expect to start test flying the Anka UAV in October, preparing it for action with the country’s armed forces. Page 37
DAVID MCINTOSH
• Turks show off their new UAV At precisely 4:45 p.m. yesterday, Boeing Dreamliner S/N Z003 departed Farnborough Airport with a Spitfire escort. It headed back to Seattle to rejoin flight-testing efforts.
Asian, Latin carriers join buying binge by Ian Goold First came the Middle East carriers on Monday, then yesterday it was the turn of Asian and Latin American airlines to keep the Farnborough airshow cash registers ringing with deals done covering roughly $6.5 billion in new business for Airbus. Hong Kong Airlines is to upgrade existing orders for 15 A330s to the new A350 XWB widebody and is to order 10 A330-200s as well. From Chile on the other side of the globe, LAN Airlines said it will acquire 50 A320-series machines that include 10 A321s. HKA’s A330s are to begin delivery in two years’ time, followed by the initial A350 in 2018. The four-year-old carrier, which has orders covering a further eight A330s and 30 A320s, will fly the twinaisle aircraft between Hong Kong, Europe and North America. If converted to an order, the LAN memorandum of understanding will become the European manufacturer’s largest single sale to Latin America. It also will bring the operator’s total Airbus orders to 152 aircraft.