Farnborough Airshow News 7-21-10 by Aviation International News

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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.

It’s making more than just headlines. The Airbus A380 has made its name as the world’s largest, greenest passenger aircraft. But the big news is that the A380 is also making big profits for operators. Whether it’s being used to reduce the number of flights and create real cost savings while keeping similar capacity. Or to offer more capacity with fewer take-off slots at a lower cost per seat than any other large aircraft. Either way, passengers simply love it, and operators love the commercial advantages it brings. The A380’s benefits are in hard cash, not just headlines. Airbus

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Farnborough

VistaJet adds six bizjets to its global fleet by Stephen Pope recent months, but he noted that VistaJet was one of the few private jet operators to report a profit last year. Bombardier also announced a firm order

for four Global Express XRS jets from undisclosed customers in Russia. It said the total value of those orders is approximately $213 million based on 2010 list prices.

Swiss-based aircraft charter firm VistaJet placed an order for six more Bombardier aircraft, including two Challenger 605s.

DAVID McINTOSH

Executive charter operator VistaJet has ordered six more Bombardier aircraft for its planned expansion into markets in West Africa, the Middle East and Russia. The deal announced in Farnborough includes four Global Express XRS and two Challenger 605 jets that are due for delivery in 2011 and 2012. The additional aircraft will expand VistaJet’s fleet to more than 30 airplanes. VistaJet outfits all its jets with identical cabins and the same distinctive silver-andred paint scheme, following a trend started by fractional ownership providers. But unlike fractional operators, VistaJet sells blocks of time rather than aircraft shares. The company has a policy of keeping its airplanes for no longer than three years. VistaJet founder Thomas Flohr said the firm is seeing signs of a resurgence in demand for long-range airplanes, particularly in Russia as the economy recovers. Business in Europe has fallen off in

Mystery 787 buyers: Royal Jordanian, Avalon Arab carrier Royal Jordanian Airlines and Avalon, a new aircraft-lease company, have been confirmed as the previously unidentified customers for three Boeing 787-8s and twelve 737-800s, respectively. Royal Jordanian’s order is valued at “approximately $500 million” and brings its 787

commitments to 11. The airline, the first Middle East carrier to order the 787, had first ordered four examples in 2007; it also plans to lease two each from CIT Aerospace and International Lease Finance Corporation. Royal Jordanian plans to fly initially to Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Toronto.

"The [airplane’s] superior economics and range capability will allow us to competitively serve North America and other destinations from Amman," said president and CEO Hussein Dabbas. Launched two months ago, Avalon now has commitments covering more than 30 Airbus A320s, A330s, and Boeing 737s. The 737-800s announced here yesterday are nominally worth $921 million and were first recorded as orders last December. Avalon chief executive Domnhal Slattery said he expects single-aisle aircraft to comprise 80 percent of the fleet after five years. He is aiming to

The unidentified customers for three Boeing 787-8s and twelve 737-800s came to light yesterday, with Royal Jordanian Airlines and newly formed leasing firm Avalon confirmed as the dealmakers.

acquire about 150 machines, thanks to the “deep pockets” of his shareholders: Cinven, CVC partners, and Oak Hill Capital Partners. The lessor has headquarters in Ireland and other offices in Hong Kong, New York, and Shanghai. Asked about interest in any prospective re-engined 737 that Boeing might offer, Slattery said Avalon had considered the idea for three months. “It is an extremely difficult question and [the project] will have to be paid for,” he said. He believes industry appetite has waned for a re-engined 737. “Ultimately, it is for the customer to decide, [but] we were concerned about residual values.” –I.G.

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NATO nearing alliance for ground surveillance by Chris Pocock Fifteen years after the concept was first mooted, NATO may finally acquire an alliance ground surveillance system (AGS). Northrop Grumman last month submitted a firm baseline proposal plus options on behalf of a transatlantic consortium that also includes EADS, Selex Galileo and a variety of smaller European companies. The Europeans will provide the mobile ground stations, while Northrop Grumman provides up to eight Global Hawk Block 40 high-altitude unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) carrying the American company’s new ground surveillance radar–the MP-RTIP (multi-platform radar technology insertion program). Northrop Grumman declined to reveal the cost of the proposal, but the NATO AGS concept has previously foundered on the grounds of affordability. An ambitious acquisition plan that involved the transatlantic development of a new surveillance radar and its deployment on modified Airbus A320 airliners as well as Global

Hawk UAVs was scrapped in 2007. The latest proposal “takes advantage of national investments already made in operationally fielded and proven systems for the good of the entire alliance,” said Pat McMahon, a sector vice president for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. The MP-RTIP radar has flown on a test bed, and the first Global Hawk Block 40 airframe was rolled out in June 2009. The U.S. Air Force plans to buy 22 of them. The NATO requirement calls for two separate orbits and the request for proposal covered eight UAVs. However, the industry proposal also offers options for fewer airborne platforms, “taking into account our experience with the [U.S. Air Force] Global Hawk,” said Matt Copija, Northrop Grumman’s program director for NATO AGS. The NATO Alliance Ground Station Management Agency (NAGSMA) has selected Sigonella airbase in Italy as the main operating base. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy are also planning to

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

base Global Hawks there. All 28 NATO nations are supposed to contribute funding for the AGS. But only 15 of them signed the memorandum of understanding that created NAGSMA in September 2009 and entitled their industries to some degree of industrial participation. They were Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and the U.S. Contributions in Kind

Some NATO countries that already operate their own similar capability may contribute mostly in kind, following the precedent set by the long-running NATO AWACS program. This will certainly be the case for the UK, which has already fielded the Raytheon ASTOR (airborne standoff radar) system. “The entire AGS system will empower a network-enabled approach to support interoperability with national systems and to perform the entire range of NATO missions from peacetime to crisis management,” according to Northrop Grumman. Although Northrop Grumman said that the ground element of AGS “will be wholly produced by

European industry,” a briefing to journalists at Berlin’s ILA show last month revealed that the fixed air and ground mission operations support (AMOS and GMOS) ground stations at Sigonella mostly comprise U.S. technology that has already been designed for other Global Hawk programs. For instance, the UAV control elements are from the U.S. Navy BAMS (broad area maritime surveillance) program. “We’re leveraging over five million existing U.S.-designed lines of computer code for the AMOS,” noted Copija. However, the European industry is providing all of the mobile ground stations that would enable the AGS system to deploy for coverage of trouble spots such as Afghanistan. This mobile ground component accounts for 42.6 percent of the program’s acquisition value. The EADS-led team will enjoy 29.5 percent and Selex Galileo 13.1 percent. In addition, General Dynamics of Canada has 7.6 percent of the action to provide the airborne data management subsystem and server. “We are building on our previous experience in the development of trailer-based exploitation and dissemination systems. We expect a return on investment of 70 to 80

Euro Hawk for Germany

The various potential missions and the basic communications network of the NATO alliance ground surveillance system are shown here.

The version of the Global Hawk that is being developed for the German Air Force (GAF) flew for the first time on June 29 and will be ferried to Manching test airbase in southern Germany next March. The Euro Hawk is a Block 20 Global Hawk modified to carry the Integrated Signals Intelligence System (ISIS) that has been developed by EADS Defence and Security Systems. The ISIS equipment will be installed and test-flown at Manching, before the UAV is transferred to Schleswig-Jagel airbase in northern Germany in December 2011. This location has been selected as the Euro Hawk operating base, but the system will have to pass acceptance tests before Germany commits to another four production aircraft. The GAF has just retired the last of three Dassault Atlantic SIGINT aircraft –C.P. that the Euro Hawks are intended to replace.

6aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

percent,” said Maren Dammaschke of EADS Defence and Security (D&S) Systems. EADS D&S is the “first tier subcontractor” to Northrop Grumman. Its main partners are Retia ICZ (Czech Republic), Terma (Denmark), Aktors (Estonia), Dati (Latvia), Elsis (Lithuania), Konstrukta (Slovakia) and Hermes Soft lab (Slovenia). No Export Restrictions

Copija noted that the European nations in NAGSMA specified that the mobile ground stations be free of American ITAR export restrictions so that those nations are free to use them in other, nonNATO programs. Regarding potential U.S. restrictions on the MPRTIP airborne radar technology that is being developed at a cost of $3 billion to American taxpayers, Copija admitted that it is being supplied as a discrete, “black box, but there is no U.S.-only filter on the information that it provides.” The MP-RTIP will provide ground moving target indicator and synthetic aperture radar imagery, which is one or two generations ahead of previous systems such as JSTARS and ASTOR. Some additional radar modes are being developed for the NATO AGS application. Separate from the EADS team, Selex Galileo is providing the transportable general ground station. This would likely be deployed when NATO engages in a mediumlong term operation out-of-area, such as Afghanistan, where “AGS is urgently required,” according to Northrop Grumman’s Copija. NATO’s Conference of National Armament Directors will vote on the AGS proposal in October.

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First A330-200F prepares for launch customer Etihad by Ian Goold

been achieving a higher 99.64-percent rate. Two changes involve reduced airframe inspection frequency: A-check line-maintenance intervals have been extended from 600 to 800 flight hours, while the heavier C-check is now conducted every 21 or 24 months, rather than 18 months. One innovation is airborne traffic situational-awareness (ATSAW) equipment, which Airbus claims will permit operators to save fuel by flying at optimum flight levels. ATSAW, which entered service last month, receives traffic information via automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast and shows it on the navigation display. The data identifies other traffic, providing position, heading, relative altitude, vertical-speed “tendency,” and ground speed, said Favre. Other A330 enhancements entering service or under development include an on-board information terminal (OIT) mounted on a sliding table in front of each

The latest member of the Airbus A330 family is the Series 200F cargo variant, which was launched in early 2007 and is scheduled for mid-2010 entry into service with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Crystal Cargo. The manufacturer had taken orders from 11 customers for 66 A330Fs by May this year, as it also continued to develop the established passenger variant. The global widebody freighter fleet includes over 300 aircraft more than 20 years old, according to Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy. “The A330-200F is well positioned as the only new midsize freighter,” he told a recent press briefing. European airworthiness approval for the freighter was received in April 2010, five months after the first flight. According to Tom Williams, Airbus programs and customer support executive vice president, the aircraft has been performing “better than expected.” The aircraft is offered in payload or range modes–delivering ranges of between 3,200 and 4,000 nm, carrying payloads of 143,300 to 154,350 pounds. Airbus marketing v-p Andrew Shankland claimed that the much larger Boeing 747-400F freighter has a cash-operating cost per 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of payload that is some 15 percent higher than that of the A330-200F. His figures assume an A330F flying a 70,000-kilogram (154,320 pounds) load five times a week over a 3,000-nm sector compared with a 747-400F operating three such flights carrying 109,000 kilograms (240,345 pounds).

pore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise). U.S. investment fund Matlin Patterson Global Advisers has booked six through an affiliate and expects the aircraft to be used by some of its airline portfolio companies, such as new Airbus operators Varig Logistica in Brazil and Global Aero Logistics in the U.S. Apart from Etihad, airline customers include India’s Flyington Freighters and Turkish cargo operators MNG Airlines and ACT Airlines of Istanbul. Overall, Airbus has taken firm orders for more than 1,080 A330 variants, of which about 700 have been delivered to

Reinforced Fuselage and Floors

almost 90 customers. There is “significant” unfulfilled demand for 250- to 350-seat, short- and medium-range aircraft in the coming decade, according to Shankland. Leahy is keen to point out that the twin-aisle twinjet has not suffered from competition, around 630 orders having been taken since the Boeing 787 was launched in April 2004. Shankland said the A330 has averaged between four and five new operators a year during 2005-09, with the number having doubled from 41 to 82 in the past eight years. The fleet has logged more 3.5 million flights and some 14.5 million flight hours, said Leahy, making average sectors a little more than four hours long. Utilization is growing at about 200,000 flight hours per month, roughly equivalent to each aircraft flying between nine and 10 hours a day.

pilot; some 40 aircraft are expected to have the equipment by year-end. This will be followed by a side-mounted OIT display unit, for which an installation kit should be available by December 2011 for four-day retrofit. Also next year, Airbus plans to introduce an enhanced RNP-AR (required navigation performance with authorization required) system that will offer an 0.1-nm missed-approach accuracy–compared with the 0.3 nm of initial equipment introduced in 2007). The A330 application, certified last year, is the “first and only” such equipment with widebody approval, said Shankland. Such GPS-based precisionapproach capacity gives “the A330 access to airports in challenging terrain or with limited navigational infrastructure.”

Upgrades Continue

Coming in the next two years is conflict-awareness equipment first offered on the A380. The traffic alert and collision avoidance system has been integrated with the autopilot/flight-director to give verticalspeed guidance based on a TCAS target. “This provides an optimum avoidance maneuver in case of conflicting traffic,” said Favre. The maneuver will be automatic if the autopilot is engaged; otherwise

Principal changes from the passenger A330 comprise the introduction of a reinforced fuselage and floors, new main-deck cargo door, accommodation for up to 12 couriers behind the cockpit and a new nose landing-gear bay. The cargo door is the same size as that developed for the earlier A300-600F, while the stronger floor will support “improved shear and bending/running loads,” according to A330/A340 chief engineer Christian Favre. The Airbus 20-year market forecast perceives demand for more than 400 freighters in the 60-plus metric ton category, a “large percentage” of which Airbus believes can be met by the A330-200F. Up to 23 side-by-side pallets can be accommodated on the cargo aircraft’s main deck, which also can be configured for singlerow loading of 16 pallets, and a mix of nine industry-standard AMA containers with four pallets. Below the floor, the twocompartment belly hold will take up to 26 LD3 cargo containers, with additional room for 695 cu ft of bulk freight. Leasing and service companies placing orders for A330-200Fs include Iceland’s Avion Aircraft Trading (which has a lease agreement with Icelandair Cargo) and Asia’s BOC Aviation (the former Singa-

flight-director orders will be displayed. Before 2012, Airbus hopes to have introduced its runway-overrun protection system (ROPS). Development was launched last year in response to growing incidence of such events. An initial runway-overrun warning facility computes operational landing distances (according to prevailing conditions) for comparison with available landing distance and alerts the pilot, who would normally be required to go around. If a pilot elects to land on a runway perceived to be too short, the ROPS would automatically stop the aircraft in the shortest possible distance using full braking power and maximum reverse thrust if required. In September, Korean Airlines is to introduce an A330 optional higher maximum takeoff weight of just over 507,000 pounds for passenger variants. This increase of around 11,000 pounds comes courtesy of the

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

By 2012, the A330 will have enjoyed 20 years’ “continuous upgrade,” said Favre. Performance has improved as Airbus has continued A330 development, according to Williams. Since introduction of the A330 Enhanced standard (from MSN 550), operational dispatch reliability has been 99.4 percent; aircraft flown by Singapore Airlines under a “flight hours services” contract have

8aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

More Changes Coming

new A330-200F and is “easily retrofitable” for aircraft from MSN 555, said Favre. Another benefit derived from freighter development is an aircraft empty-weight reduction of about 250 kilograms (or about 550 pounds). The retrofit, which involves a “fastener-material change only” and no wing modification for a “large majority” of aircraft, should be available by March 2011, he said. The additional takeoff weight can be translated into 350 nm extra range or an extra 7,500 pounds of payload (beyond about 4,900 nm), according to Leahy. Shankland said the growth makes the A330 more competitive against the Boeing 7878, with 246-passenger ranges of 6,850 nm and 6,990 nm, respectively. Airbus has launched a two-phase program to extend A330/A340 airframe service goal to permit 30 years of operation. The A340 first intermediate increase came in late 2009, with the full extension expected in 2012, with the A330 expected to reach its fully extended goal in 2016-17.

E-Jet sales take off as Flybe places $5B order Flybe yesterday placed what will likely be the biggest regional airliner deal of the Farnborough show week, committing to buy up to 140 Embraer 175 aircraft with a potential combined value of $5 billion. The contract signed here includes 35 firm orders (worth $1.3 billion), 65 options and 40 purchase rights. The UK low-cost carrier will take its 175 jets configured in a single-class layout for up to 88 passengers with a 30-inch seat pitch. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2011. Flybe already operates 14 of the larger Embraer 195 aircraft. Embraer’s crop of new business harvested yesterday also includes an agreement with new leasing group Air Lease Corp. The company, formed by former ILFC boss Steven Udvar-Hazy, has signed a letter of intent for 15 Embraer 190 orders, plus options for five more. Meanwhile, Brazilian low-cost carrier Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras ordered five more Embraer 195 regional airliners for delivery this year in a deal valued at $211 million at list prices.

But Azul founder David Neeleman is almost certain to have received a price break given the circumstances of the deal. “We needed airplanes, and Embraer needed to sell a few airplanes by the end of this year, and so we were able to get something done that benefited both of us,” Neeleman said yesterday. “That’s how partnerships work. We help one another out.” Embraer did not reveal the circumstances that led to the five delivery spots becoming available. Neeleman, who is also the founder and former CEO of JetBlue, warmly embraced Embraer president and CEO Frederico Curado before the low-key ceremony. “These are tough times,” he said afterward, “but we’re lucky in that we are in a growing market and we have the highest load factors in Brazil.” Azul is succeeding with a unique strategy that includes matching some airfares to the prices of bus tickets for advance purchases and providing financing for passengers who can’t afford to pay for their tickets upfront.

Avionics integration at a new high on 787 avionics using cursor-control devices and a multi-function keypad designed by Boeing and Rockwell Collins specifically for the Dreamliner. Rockwell Collins has also developed the 787’s crew alerting system and the physical control stand, including auto throttles, flight controls and the interface to the airplane’s fly-by-wire systems. The setup is designed to meet Boeing’s goal of creating a cockpit that has a look and feel similar to the Boeing 777 while achieving significant

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

The carrier operates 18 airplanes, including two ex-JetBlue Embraer 190s. The deal announced at Farnborough brings Azul’s firm order commitment to 41 Embraer airplanes plus options and purchase rights for an additional 40 E-Jets. The airline started flying in December 2008 from Viracopos Airport in Campinas to Porto Alegre and Salvador. Azul today

weight savings and minimizing training transition time, said Jeff Standerski, vice president and general manager of air transport systems at Rockwell Collins. Rockwell Collins also supplies the 787’s integrated surveillance system, including weather radar, traffic alert and collision avoidance, mode-S surveillance and terrain awareness and warning as well as the communication radios and digital flight deck audio system. All of the 787’s flight systems are tied together through Rockwell Collins’ AFDXbased Core network, which integrates cockpit data and is connected to a massive hard drive for storing maintenance and other systems data. –S.P.

DAVID MCINTOSH

The Boeing 787’s flight deck elevates the level of avionics integration to a whole new level for an airliner, connecting a vast array of systems and capabilities through a common Ethernet-based network. Rockwell Collins supplies most of what pilots see and touch in the 787 cockpit, from the big 151inch-diagonal LCD fight displays to the dual head-up guidance systems and even the throttle, speedbrake and flap controls on the center pedestal. Crews interact with the

DAVID MCINTOSH

by Stephen Pope

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

10aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

serves 21 Brazilian cities and is the country’s fastest growing airline, carrying more than three million passengers in the last year and a half. Embraer also has announced on Monday that Trip Linhas Aereas, South America’s largest regional airline, has ordered two 106-seat Embraer 190s in a deal worth $80 million.

GE doesn’t see business case for 2nd A350 engine launch by Julian Moxon Manufacturers of airliners typically offer customers a choice of engines for their various models. The new Airbus A350 XWB is not one of them, however. It is powered only by the Rolls-Royce Trent turbofan, and one question often asked is, “Will GE offer an engine to power the Airbus A350 XWB?” Here in Farnborough, David Joyce, the president and CEO of GE Aviation, made the company’s clearest statement yet as to its intentions. “We still do not see a business case to launch a competing engine,” he told AIN. Good news for Rolls-Royce, which has already sold more than 1,000 Trent XWBs on all three versions of the new Airbus. Said Robert Nuttal, Rolls-Royce head of strategic marketing, “It’s the fastest ever selling Trent engine.” GE was an engine supplier for the original A350, with a version of its Boeing 787 GEnx engine. Then Airbus re-launched the A350 as the heavier, wider A350 XWB, leaving Rolls-Royce alone on the aircraft. Until recently GE had not given up on powering the two smaller versions of the new Airbus, the -800 and -900 with the GEnx. However, it was never able to offer anything for the -1000

variant because it competes directly with the Boeing 777300ER for which GE is the exclusive engine supplier. Now, the A350XWB-900 thrust requirement has grown to 83,000 pounds. “My engine isn’t big enough for that aircraft,” said Joyce of GE Aviation, “so I have to consider an all-new engine for all three versions of the A350, and I can’t make a business case for that.” He added that GE also has to recognize its obligations to Boeing on the 777-300ER. “We’re committed to not developing an engine for a competing aircraft,” he added. Rolls-Royce’s Nuttal refuses to be complacent. “The fact that we’re still the only supplier on the A350 shows we made the right business decisions as to the size and attributes of the Trent XWB,” he said. The first Trent XWB went to test in June, on schedule, and the rig test program, involving 50 component test rigs, is half way completed. Service entry of the A350XWB-900 and -800, both powered by 84,000-pound Trent XWBs, is set for 2013 and 2014, respectively, and of the larger A350XWB-1000, with 93,000pound Trent engines, is 2015.

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Latest-tech E-scan radar to fly on Typhoon in 2013

DAVID MCINTOSH

A prototype of the very latest type of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar will be flying on a Eurofighter Typhoon in 2013, so that customers can take delivery in 2015. The Captor-E will feature an innovative “repositioner” with two rotating joints so that the array can cover a wide field of regard (WFoR). The Eurofighter and Euroradar industrial consortiums are “pre-funding” the development, but hope to secure financial support from the four partner nations beginning next March. Eurofighter has been at a disadvantage in recent export campaigns because the partner nations were in no hurry to embrace AESA technology. In particular, the Indian air force has specified that the contenders for its 12-aircraft requirement be so equipped. Euroradar modified a standard Captor-M radar with a fixed-plate AESA, which flew on a Eurofighter development aircraft in 2007 as a risk-reduction effort. Now, the WFoR development could allow the European jet to leapfrog the competition, provided that the partner nations do eventu-

A Captor-E electronically scanned array radar prototype is slated to fly on a Eurofighter Typhoon in about two years.

ally step up to the funding plate. “A fixed AESA cannot perform well beyond about a 50-degree angle because it cannot phase shift, and thereby loses a lot of power,” explained a Eurofighter official. The re-positioner provides a plus/minus 100-degree view, and it articulates in two dimensions to maintain radar polarization. This device is a further improvement on the swashplate-type AESA design that Selex-Galileo (the Anglo-Italian company that leads the Euroradar consortium) produced for the Gripen NG, as the Raven 1000P radar. Technology Grant

In addition to its own investment in the Raven series, the British part of Selex-Galileo is using a $30 million technology development grant from the British government to further its expertise in AESA radars. “The UK is looking at some special requirements,” explained Bob Mason, vice president marketing and sales for Selex-Galileo. But, he added, these were additional software modes, and there would only be one Captor-E hardware configuration. It will use the existing, well-proven processor and receiver of the Captor-M, with the new AESA front end. Gallium Arsenide will be used for the transmit-receive modules, because it is much cheaper than the latest Gallium Nitride technology, Mason said. Twelve countries are interested in acquiring Eurofighters, according the latest list produced by the consortium: Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, India, Japan, Malaysia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland and Turkey. Missing from the list is Oman, previously thought to be a hot prospect because of the long-standing ties between its air force and the UK Royal Air Force. It is now evaluating alternatives.

Pratt and GE butt heads again over F-35 engine alternative Pratt & Whitney and General Electric have bought their high-stakes battle over the provision of an alternative engine for the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Farnborough. The GE-Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team is determined to recover funding for its F136 engine, which was removed from the 2011 budget by the Pentagon. At the show, Jean Lydon-Rogers, GE military engines vice president, said the F136 program is “of enormous importance to GE. It is critical for us to be in the combat aircraft sector. We want to be part of JSF.” Pratt & Whitney president Dave Hess criticized GE for spending “orders of

magnitude” more than P&W on Capitol Hill trying to convince Congress to restore F136 funding. “It’s fair to say there is plenty of lobbying on both sides,” responded Lydon-Rogers, referring to a public relations exercise that has included extensive advertising on U.S. radio stations to persuade the general public to express their indignation on the issue to Congressmen. She insisted that there is “a lot of bipartisan support” to keep GE in the program. Pratt & Whitney, which installed its first production F135 engine in an F-35 last month, has campaigned tirelessly against the second engine option even though Congress

12aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

DAVID MCINTOSH

by Chris Pocock

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

Re-engining today’s narrowbodies a waste of time, says Rolls-Royce by Julian Moxon Rolls-Royce is putting all its cards on a new engine to power future single-aisle aircraft and told AIN that as far as it is concerned, “the numbers do not stack up” for re-engining either the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737. The company insists that an all-new engine for an all-new aircraft is the only solution that makes business sense, whether the engine is an advanced turbofan, as proposed by CFM International, or an open-rotor design. Rolls-Royce has already rejected Pratt & Whitney’s gearedfan engine. “It’s no better than an advanced turbofan,” said Robert Nuttal, Rolls-Royce head of strategic marketing. Nuttal gave AIN three reasons for not pursuing any re-engining program. “First, we don’t think it offers any significant net financial benefit to the industry. Second, at the manufacturing level the program will be only half as long as a new engine proimplemented competitive procurement in 1996. Its president, Dave Hess, pointed out that the late 1980s Great Engine War, which pitted the two companies’ respective F-16 engines against each other every year was the only U.S. Air Force engine acquisition program ever to have two engines compete. GE claims the competition bought F-16 engine prices down by 30 percent and said competing the F-35 engines would result in $20 billion in savings over the life of the program that would cost $100 billion. “It is wrong to give Pratt & Whitney a $100 billion monopoly,” said Lydon-Rogers. At the show yesterday, GE Fighter Engine Team president Al DiLibero warned that the some of the eight international partners in the F136 program are becoming “vocal” about the stand-off. “They are under budget pressures of their own,” he said. “Cost reduction through competition is important for them.” –J.M.

gram, so the returns are far less. And third,” he said, “if re-engining occurs, it delays an all-new aircraft, which will bring real benefits in terms of fuel economy and emissions.” The costs of modifying the aircraft, the replacement engines and the loss of residual airframe value would leave Rolls-Royce “struggling to find a business case for reengining,” he added. Nuttal said offering all-new engines for new airframes has been company philosophy all along. “Rolls-Royce believes in relentless pursuit of advanced technology to bring new engines to market.” He cited the case of the all-new Trent 700, developed for the Airbus A330. Rolls-Royce had the lowest sales on the aircraft at entry into service, but now holds 50 percent of the orders and has won 70 percent of orders in the last three years. “We got tremendous benefits from that approach,” Nuttal said. Rolls-Royce believes open rotors remain the only “game-changing” technology around, with the potential to deliver at least 10 percent lower fuel burn than any advanced turbofan under consideration. This puts the UK company fundamentally at odds with Pratt & Whitney, which told AIN developments of its PW1000G engine will have similar fuel economy as an open rotor. Nuttal said the four open-rotor rig tests carried out to date by Rolls-Royce have revealed the concept will comfortably meet Stage 4 noise requirements and produce a 30-percent fuel saving over today’s engines. “We’ve cracked the physics. Now its an engineering problem,” he added.

The ITT ALQ-211 AIDEWS is the EW suite of choice for the international F-16 market. Under contract by six allied air forces, AIDEWS offers unmatched integrated situational awareness and jammer protection. It enables a pilot to neutralize radar-based threats by seeing enemy radar before it sees him. AIDEWS is also flexible. It can be added as an external pod or internally within the aircraft. In either configuration, AIDEWS is the best protection for your F-16s, and more importantly, your F-16 pilots.

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ITT, the Engineered Blocks logo, and ENGINEERED FOR LIFE are registered trademarks of ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc., and are used under license. ©2010, ITT Corporation. Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force. Use of this image does not imply any endorsement by the U.S. Air Force.

DAVID MCINTOSH

SAVE THE VULCAN: DON’T LET ‘SPIRIT OF GREAT BRITAIN’ BECOME A GHOST OF AIRCRAFT PAST In honor of Vulcan XH558’s first flight 50 years ago, The Vulcan To The Sky Trust renamed the ship “Spirit of Great Britain” and announced a new mission of stimulating the interest of young people in aircraft design and engineering. In parallel, the group also launched an annual appeal and a corporate sponsorship program based on its “Inspire the Young” mission to help fund the £2 million annual costs of the program. The trust aims to keep XH558 flying for about four more years, which is the estimated useful life expectancy of the aircraft’s engines given current usage levels. Additionally, this would allow the aircraft–the last flying Vulcan, as well as the oldest one–to take part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Wider cabin gives MC-21 an edge over B737, A320 by Thierry Dubois Lighting will be LED technology. In the lavatory, touchless options are available for the faucet, wastecontainer flap and soap dispenser. All supplier contracts should be finalized this year. Irkut is offering the MC-21 in three capacities–150, 180 and 210 passengers. The company expects to cut metal starting in 2012. First flight is planned for late 2014 and deliveries are expected to begin in 2016. Company officials claim that the Russian government has allocated enough funds to the MC-21 program to bring it successfully to completion. However, when asked for an amount, “several billion dollars” was Irkut CEO Oleg Demchenko’s response.

THIERRY DUBOIS

Irkut unveiled a cabin interior mockup of its MC-21 narrowbody airliner this week in Farnborough. The mockup includes the cockpit, a business-class cabin, a representative length of an economy cabin and a galley. The Russian manufacturer said it brings passenger comfort “close to business-class level” in its economy cabin, where the layout is six abreast. Irkut claims the maximum internal diameter of the MC-21 cabin is almost 144 inches, compared to 139 inches in the Airbus A320 and 136 inches in the Boeing 737. Zodiac Aerospace is supplying the seats and the in-flight entertainment system for the MC-21.

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

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

Agusta notches orders, deliveries by Thierry Dubois Among new helicopter orders and deliveries it is revealing here, AgustaWestland has announced its Japanese distributor, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace, signed a contract with the Japan Coast Guard for six more AW139 medium twins. The coast guard has so far ordered a total 11 of the model as part of a modernization program that envisions the eventual acquisition of up to 24. In addition, AgustaWestland said the Spanish marine safety agency Sasemar has ordered one more AW139, which will bring its fleet to eight. The helo maker reports receiving orders for more than 460 AW139s, some 300 of which are in service. The fleet leader, operated by CHC in the Netherlands for oil platform support, recently logged 5,000 flight hours. AgustaWestland also said that the government of Rwanda has taken delivery of an AW139 and a Grand light twin. Both will be operated by Akagera Aviation. The AW139 will transport members of the government, while the Grand will be used for

14aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

emergency medical service missions. Meanwhile, the Malaysian maritime enforcement agency has received its first AW139. An additional two examples of the twin are to be delivered later this year. Local subsidiary AgustaWestland Malaysia will be in charge of maintenance services for the MMEA’s AW139s. In South Korea, the helo maker said, Samsung Techwin has taken delivery of a second AW139 and the Korea National Police Agency (KNPA) accepted an AW119Ke light single. UI Helicopter, a local approved AgustaWestland customer support facility, will support the KNPA. AgustaWestland also announced that its Alessandro Marchetti training academy, headquartered in Sesto Calende, Italy, has received flight training organization certification from the Italian civil aviation authority. It will offer classroom instruction, as well as time in procedure trainers and flight simulators. Actual flying will be conducted in Vergiate, on AB206 singles and AW109 Power twins.

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NEWS CLIPS

NewGen Tanker still under wraps

VT Takeover Will Boost Babcock’s Profile

by Chris Pocock

Babcock claims to have become Britain’s second largest defense company, with the completion of its takeover of the VT Group on July 8. The firm isn’t exhibiting at the Farnborough airshow this week, but its presence in the defense aviation sector is set to rise significantly through programs such as VT’s role as joint prime contractor with Lockheed Martin in the Ascent partnership that is running the UK’s new military flying training system. “Following the acquisition of the VT Group, Babcock now offers 70 years’ experience delivering flying training, aircraft provision and through-life support to the UK’s armed forces,” said Babcock defence and security division’s chief executive John Davies. “This is characterized by the total integration of engineering, maintenance and logistics support services from development to delivery, providing the skilled professionals who ensure both the availability of our customers’ asset and support infrastructure, and the safety of personnel.”

NRC Completes Hornet Semi-synthetic Fuel Test National Research Council Canada (Hall 4 C19c) has completed qualification testing on a 50:50 mix of a synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) fuel derived using the Fischer-Tropsch process and regular JP-8 in a General Electric F404-400 engine, as used in the country’s CF-18 Hornets. The trials were undertaken by the NRC’s Institute for Aerospace Research at the organization’s Gas Turbine Laboratory. The tests revealed no performance or interoperability issues, and noted that specific fuel consumption decreased with the SPK mix, as did particulate and sulfur dioxide emissions. However, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions were slightly increased.

More Bell Helicopters Going to Japan In an agreement concluded at Farnborough by Yukihiro Tanaka, CEO of Mitsui Bussan Aerospace, and John Garrison, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace has signed for seven additional helicopters, specifically four Bell 429s and three Bell 412s. All seven have been acquired for private customers in Japan and will be used on a multitude of missions, such as utility, corporate transport and emergency medical services. Including this latest agreement, Bell has converted to firm purchase agreements for the Bell 429 only 22 of the some 300 letters of intent in place when the light twin obtained certification in July last year. Just one Bell 429 has been delivered to a customer to date. Mitsui Bussan has been the Bell representative for more than 50 years, during which the company has brought more than 1,400 helicopters into Japan.

In the U.S. Air Force KC-X competition size matters, but not much else, according to a Boeing briefing here. The company refused to discuss how its NewGen Tanker could be “combat ready” when substantial development work must be done. Citing competitive reasons, Boeing gave no technical details on the new cockpit, the new refueling boom, or even which version of the 767 it was based on. “How big is big enough?” asked Chuck Johnson, vice president mobility for Boeing’s government operations team, referring to the much larger A330MRTT that EADS North America has proposed to meet the KC-X requirement. “You can always want more, but it’s going to cost you in weight, fuel burn, ramp space and so on. Has everyone understood the physics?” he added. Boeing contends that the 767 tanker is the right-size widebody replacement for the narrowbody KC-135, just as the C-17 airlifter was the obvious replacement for the C-141. “The A330MRTT is 27 percent larger than the KC-10,” he continued, but carries 100,000 pounds less fuel. Being so much heavier than the 767 means that the A330 will cost more to operate and support, according to Boeing.

The average tanker offload of fuel during combat operations from Vietnam through to presentday Afghanistan has been only 57,000 pounds, Johnson said. The KC-X requirement does call for more, and Boeing’s NextGen Tank will deliver substantially more than the requirement, he added. $29B in Fuel Savings

Comparing the fuel burn of the commercial Boeing 767200ER to that of the commercial Airbus A330-200, Johnson produced a calculation that the Boeing KC-X contender could save the U.S. Air Force as much as $29 billion in fuel over a 40-year period (based on a 179-aircraft fleet flying 485 hours per annum each and a doubling of today’s oil price to $150 per barrel). But enough of statistics. What about the transfer of 787 Dreamliner technology into the NextGen Tanker? “It’s not a direct transfer of the 787 cockpit,” said Johnson. He did note that updating the avionics of legacy aircraft was generally a good idea, and cited Boeing’s own avionics modernization program (AMP) for U.S. Air Force C-130s. But perhaps this was not such a good example, given Boeing’s poor performance

on the AMP, which has now led the Pentagon to seek a secondsource supplier. What about the new refueling boom? “It will take the best from the KC-135, KC-10 and KC-767, a fly-by-wire system with an incredible envelope,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to reveal too much,” he added. Apparently, it is based on the KC-10 boom but with increased fuel offload rate. Talking of flight envelopes, Johnson held firm to the Boeing belief that the Airbus flight control system is too automated to serve in a frontline tanker. “I’ve flown lots of aircraft and had missiles fired at me,” said the former B-52 pilot. “Boeing ensures that pilots have full access to the flight envelope and can override the computer,” he added. Finally, there was a routine reference to the subsidies to Airbus that were most recently detailed in the WTO report. Why do they matter? “To me, its about the integrity of the process,” Johnson said. Let us all hope that the KC-X evaluation under way in the Pentagon can demonstrate to all concerned parties that the process, indeed, has total integrity. Otherwise the U.S. Air Force may have to wait even longer for its new tanker.

P&W Awards Firth Rixson Forgings Contract Aerospace metals specialist Firth Rixson (Hall 4 Stand E13) has won a new long-term contract from Pratt & Whitney to make most of the seamless ring forgings for the engine maker’s entire range of commercial and military engines. The agreement runs through to the end of 2015. “With this agreement, Firth Rixson once again continues to strengthen its position as the leading supplier of forged rings to the aerospace industry,” said the Sheffield, UK-based company’s CEO David Mortimer. “We are especially pleased to extend our participation and strengthened role as a strategic supplier to United Technologies in support of its many aerospace offerings.”

Hawker Beechcraft has added the MaxViz EVS-1500 enhanced-vision system to its parts and distribution order system for operators of King Air 200 and 300 twin turboprops. The approval allows operators of in-service King Airs to install the infrared camera for viewing in the cockpit on video-capable displays. Buyers of new King Airs can also install the EVS-1500 system as a post delivery modification through Hawker Beechcraft Service, linking the camera through the airplane’s standard Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system.

MARK WAGNER

Hawker Beech Brings EVS-1500 to King Air

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

16aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

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Feeling UK budget axe, Qinetiq shedding jobs

400 Jobs To Be Cut

At Farnborough’s Cody Technology Park some 130 Qinetiq jobs are expected to go initially. This follows earlier rounds of job cuts and a major confrontation with unions and employees last year when the company decided that despite a 22percent increase in annual profits and a 12-percent rise in shareholder dividends, it proposed to cut 400 jobs, even though there had been staff agreement on a pay freeze. When DERA became a private public partnership in 2001, the departments with the highest rated security activity were retained within the control of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and renamed the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). The remaining 75 percent of the organization, including all the scattered outstations, was partially privatized, renamed Qinetiq and floated on the London stock market in February 2006. The transfer of these facilities into the private sector has long been a contentious issue in the UK, not least because of the way Qinetiq’s top executives became instant millionaires on the floatation of what had been widely recognized as a key national R&D asset. Since privatization, Qinetiq has been highly successful in cutting costs and achieving high profitability.

While the UK government has actively encouraged Qinetiq to exploit its world-class Internet-protocol (IP) potential, and acquisitions have improved access to the U.S. defense market, business reality for the company has been somewhat out of step with its corporate aims and the main source of revenue has remained firmly embedded in MOD-sponsored work. Now, with UK defense R&D activity in steep decline, Qinetiq is speeding up the axing of highly talented scientists and technologists, causing much concern as its technology centers of excellence face an uncertain future. Qinetiq currently employs 6,500 people in the UK, out of a total of 13,000 worldwide. On top of the planned 390 now to be cut in the UK, more are widely expected to follow with the news that the company is conducting a further review of its businesses this summer. The trade union Prospect has warned that the cuts will have an adverse effect on the UK’s defense capabilities, with up to 700 more jobs at stake. Analysts have suggested 400 may be the likely extra reduction in UK jobs following the summer review. UK Budget Slashed

Over the last few years the UK’s defense R&D spending has fallen by 25 percent, placing an extra strain on revenue-generating expectations from Qinetiq. Though it has attempted to diversify, MOD test and evaluation, systems integration and R&D in support of programs working closely with industry remain at the heart of what Qinetiq does best. However, last year it faced severe criticism in the Haddon-Cave Report, commissioned by the previous government, which noted that the transfer of previously in-house MOD specialist expertise into the private sector had placed much expert knowledge, advice and support behind a commercial wall and thereby had changed the dynamics of the relationship. Unless the government’s steady fall in defense R&D spending is reversed, which seems unlikely in the short term, the collective capability of the Qinetiq workforce will be increasingly at risk. Ironically, this comes at a time when the government says it wants to encourage greater investment in science and technology, and is calling for more young people to seek a career in science and engineering.

DAVID McINTOSH

by Jim Patterson Qinetiq, which is feeling the squeeze from the dip in research and development budgets, has announced plans to shed several hundred jobs. “Our markets are likely to remain uncertain for some time, but we have a decisive program of self-help to restore value,” Qinetiq CEO Leo Quinn said on July 6. “We are acting to make our costs more competitive and improve our productivity.” He added that while the privatized research-and-development company that evolved from the UK’s former Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) had no choice but to review the cost base of its business; its goal is to remain a full-service provider. Hardest hit will be the facilities and highly qualified scientific staff working at Farnborough and Malvern. Around 390 jobs will go, mostly at Malvern, the former Royal Radar Establishment, where innovative breakthrough technologies ranging from liquid-crystal displays to nano electronics and digital security devices have been developed.

ONE GRAND PC-12

Pilatus Aircraft reached a significant milestone last week when the 1,000th PC-12 single-engine turboprop business aircraft was delivered in Canada to David Fountain, a private owner from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since its introduction in 1994, the PC-12 has amassed more than 2.6 million flight hours in a variety of roles ranging from transport, commuter, air ambulance, police and border surveillance, cargo, incident response, military liaison, and as regional airliner. “The traditional Pilatus qualities of high performance, rugged durability, versatility and superior operating economics have been the foundation of every PC-12 we build,” said Oscar Schwenk, chairman and CEO. “Today’s PC-12 NG is generations ahead of the first Pilatus delivered back in 1994. But it still holds to –G.G.E. these same principles that have made the PC-12 program such a great success.”

Born-again Fokker 100 waits on loan approval by Ian Goold Fokker Services, part of Fokker Aerospace is preparing to modify a prototype Fokker F100 airliner as a demonstrator vehicle for the proposed successor to the type being planned under the name Aircraft XF100NG. If launched, this planned revival of the former Dutch aerospace manufacturer’s last production model–manufacturing of which ceased in 1996– would be powered by new, modern engines and equipped with new avionics, winglets and have more fuel capacity. NG Aircraft, a renaming of the previous Rekkof Restart company set up some years ago to support an earlier attempt to relaunch the F100 family, hopes that the European Commission (EC) will soon approve a $27 million loan offered by the Dutch government in March. The company, which is part of the Panta Holdings group led by aerospace and aviation entrepreneur Jaap Rosen Jacobson, has indicated that EC approval could come as early as September. More Investment Seen

Company officials expect the EC approval will trigger the investment of further sums toward the $120 million Phase 1 investment needed to upgrade the F100 prototype as a proof-of-concept demonstrator aircraft. NG Aircraft vice president Maarten Van Eeghen told AIN the company has two possible sources–“one private, one industrial”–for the

18aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

balance of the Phase 1 development cost, for which agreements would be signed only after EC approval is obtained. Second-phase development would require an additional $675 million to set up series production. Van Eeghen said a design review of the XF100NG last month concluded there are major engineering hurdles to launching the program and that NG Aircraft is ready to sign a contract with Fokker Services as lead contractor. Fokker Aerospace (Hall 3 Stand C2) will act as a subcontractor and will not invest in the initiative of Rekkof/NG Aircraft. In the event that Rekkof launches a Fokker 100/70NG, Fokker Aerospace and Rekkof have a cooperation agreement regarding intellectual property, tooling and so on, which has been in place for more than 10 years. Fokker Services has been providing engineering support to NG Aircraft for the required modifications since late last year, according to Wim Pasteuning, vice president for Fokker programs, and is among a number of XF100NG partners. Others include French group Sagem and engineering consultancies Atkins Aerospace and ADSE. Almost 50 technical employees are engaged on the project under a 12- to 15-member management team. The first engineering priority will be installation of the new

powerplants, with a choice of “about three” suitable designs, said Van Eeghen, a former Fokker Aircraft marketing executive. It is thought that Rolls-Royce BR725 engines have been selected to replace the earlier F100’s Tay turbofans from the same manufacturer, although NG Aircraft cannot confirm the choice. Winglet Work

Pasteuning said the XF100NG’s winglets, for which NG is understood to be studying several solutions, would be the second part of development activity, ahead of avionics integration work. NG Aircraft has plans to install a new auxiliary power unit to improve the basic aircraft’s cabin air conditioning and temperature control. Work to increase the F100’s original basic fuel capacity by making the outer wing sections “wet” will not start until the flight-test program is under way, since NG Aircraft wants to obtain an indication of the demonstrator’s specific fuel consumption before incurring the cost of modification. NG also needs to validate the performance targets it has advertised for the XF100NG. Compared with the parent design, the XF100NG is expected to offer a faster cruise speed (Mach 0.80), a higher cruise altitude (FL390) and different wing loading. NG has said it needs up to 40 launch orders and would like to win 20 percent of the estimated 7,000-unit market for 70and 100-seat RJs up to 2026. Development of retrofit kits for existing F100s could comprise a “fall-back scenario,” said Jacobson earlier this year.

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

CASA in it for long haul with military transports by Chris Pocock Robust and versatile, the series of smallmedium tactical transports designed by CASA in Spain are still enjoying steady sales after more than 40 years. Now owned by EADS and marketed by Airbus Military, the C-212, CN-235 and C-295 have logged 817 sales to 127 operators in 58 countries. “These aircraft are little jewels. They are our bread-and-butter, and deserve more headlines,” said Airbus Military CEO Domingo Urena. The top-of-the-line C-295 is on show here at Farnborough. CASA has sold nearly 100 of the aircraft and is currently producing units for Chile, Mexico, Poland and Portugal, with five for Vietnam to come. Capable of carrying 71 troops or nine metric tons for 2,900 nm, the C-295 has a

cargo hold that is actually one inch longer than that of a C-130, said commercial senior vice president Antonio Rodriguez. Airbus is particularly proud of the palletized maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) fit that has been developed for Portugal’s C295s. “We have the only multi-role MPA for sale,” Rodriquez claimed. These C-295s carry the same fully integrated tactical system (FITS) that EADS-CASA designed for the upgrade of Spain’s P-3 MPAs, albeit with fewer operator consoles. In fact, the FITS has also been installed in CN-235s and C-212s. According to Airbus, it is the world’s top selling aircraft in its class, with 108 units sold. The FITS uses rugged COTS hardware and is being migrated to Windows using

Fuzzy fiber to lower cost of composites, says Goodrich

thermal properties in a single structure. An engine nacelle made from NAHF-X, for example, could withstand lightning and hail damage while also providing protection from ice buildup. Besides reducing weight and complexity, this would also provide a more efficient alternative to ice-removal systems that use hot-air ducts, Goodrich said. The breakthrough that led to the creation of NAHF-X occurred when researchers determined how to control the growth of the nanotubes to create large, uniform structures with properties suitable for products like engine nacelles. So far, the UDRI research team has demonstrated it can produce the materials in continuous sheets that are 12 inches wide. The goal is to increase the size of the resin sheets to 60 inches wide. “UDRI’s NAHF-X fuzzy fiber is a gamechanger,” said Harry Arnold, vice president, enterprise technology, at Goodrich. “It has a real potential of bringing affordable capability to composite production.” Goodrich has committed $1 million to the fuzzy-fiber program. Goodrich’s Aerostructures team in Chula Vista, California, and its Materials and Simulation Technical Center in Brecksville, Ohio, will be tasked with evaluating potential business opportunities for the material. –S.P.

Goodrich Corp. (Stand OE4) has begun collaborating with researchers at an Ohio university to produce a nanomaterial nicknamed “fuzzy fiber” that has metal-like conductive properties and can be formed into large composite structures for use in aerospace. The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) is collaborating with Goodrich and two other companies, Renegade Materials and Owens-Corning, to build a lab where researchers can produce the nanomaterial–known by the scientific name NAHF-X–in resin composite sheets. URDI gets the credit for inventing NAFH-X. Now, Goodrich hopes to use the hybrid composite material in new-generation engine nacelles and will explore other applications, including aircraft structural health monitoring, wheels and brakes and electrical de-icing systems. What intrigues engineers is NAFH-X’s ability to deliver structural, electrical and

20aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

the free Linux software. It is adaptable to different sensors and missions, such as ground surveillance. “We develop all the code ourselves, so it is fully exportable,” said Miguel-Angel Morell, senior vice president technology. Airbus Military also provides ground-based mission support and training systems. The C-295 can fly for up to 11 hours in the MPA role and can be equipped with underwing hardpoints. Torpedo drop trials were done last spring, from the prototype ASW aircraft for Chile. The internal configuration for these aircraft was designed on the same CATIA system that CASA used to design the C-295 in the late 1990s. In fact, Morell claimed that the C-295 was the first aircraft to be completely designed in CATIA. That claim is also made by Dassault with respect to the Falcon 7X, but Morell said CASA used Version 4 for the C-295 before Dassault used Version 5 for the 7X, “and we designed the tail for that plane,” he added. The CN-235 has a payload of six metric tons or 51 troops, and a range 2,600 nm. It carries one less 108- by 88-inch pallet than the C-295, that is, four instead of five. More than 250 CN-235s have been sold, about half of them from a second production line in Indonesia, where Nurtanio (later IPTN) was the launch partner back in 1979. The headline customer has been the U.S. Coast Guard, which has been using the aircraft to monitor the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Two more CN-235s are currently in production for the USCG, plus one for the Colombian Navy and eight for France. The C-295 and the CN-235 are now built on a common assembly line on the south side of San Pablo airfield in Seville, in the huge new production facility that also houses final assembly of the A400M.

“We’ve never had a big backlog for these aircraft–that’s the type of market they are in,” said Urena. It is therefore important, he added, that the low-rate production is managed as efficiently as possible, which is done by outsourcing key sections to six countries, including Indonesia, Turkey, Portugal and the EADS-PZL factory in Poland. As the aircraft comes together on four static line positions at Seville in southern Spain, customization of the final configuration can be delayed as long as possible, so early delivery can be offered to new prospects. Urena said the total market segment is only about 30 aircraft per year, and he is happy that EADS-CASA has achieved about two thirds of that in recent years. The C-212 first flew on March 26, 1971, and has evolved through three versions into today’s 400 series. It carries 20 troops or three metric tons, and flies for 1,000 nm. Five aircraft for Thailand are being completed. According to Urena, the C-212 faces lots of competition in its weight class, most of them faster, but none of them offering a rearloading ramp. However, he added, “We need to be more price-competitive...I can’t afford to produce it in Europe.” He is therefore exploring the possibility of licensing or subcontracting production to Indonesian Aerospace (formerly IPTN). “They have the skills...why not try this adventure?” he asked. Airbus Military sees a bright future for the C-212/235/295 series. The increase in drug trafficking and smuggling, and the growth of organized illegal immigration, is driving new applications and new sales. Meanwhile, fisheries control, pollution control and search-and-rescue remain staple missions. “We sell aircraft to Ireland so they can capture illegal Spanish fishermen,” said Morell with some irony, given the aircraft’s Spanish heritage.

ITALY’S C-27J FLEET PASSES 10,000-HOUR MILESTONE This month the Italian air force’s fleet of 12 Alenia Aeronautica C-27J transports racked up its 10,000th flying hour, during the course of which the type has consistently demonstrated high operational efficiency. The fleet was delivered to the 46th air wing at Pisa between 2007 and last year, and since 2008 the airplanes have been used on theater operations in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Alenia Aeronautica has installed a full-motion simulator for the C-27J at Pisa. It has been evaluated extensively by the air force and is to be officially handed over soon.

by Matt Thurber Boeingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Test and Evaluation (T&E) division is spread out over 78 locations, but testing is done at many more locations, including at suppliers and other areas when necessary. The OEM doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t own all 78 locations. One, for example, is at the U.S. Navyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Patuxent River air station in Maryland. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We take our airplanes where they need to be tested in terms of some of the environmental conditions,â&#x20AC;? said Barbara Cosgrove, vice president of Flight Test Operations. T&E is responsible for testing all Boeing products, including airplanes, fighters, helicopters, UAVs and missiles. T&E is not just for flight testing but also includes lab testing such as wind tunnel tests and other non-airborne functions throughout the productâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifecycle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Boeingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] business units are responsible for defining the product, designing it and building it,â&#x20AC;? Cosgrove explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re woven into that as they

go through the process. It could be as simple as a component in a lab, a couponâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;a piece of material that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re testingâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;for our next-generation airplane or fighter. Or it could be as complex as a buildup of systems [in the lab] to see if, say, moving the flap system on the airplane is going to work.â&#x20AC;? 787 Testing

As an example of how busy T&E is, the division ran 718 flight tests during May. Many of those were for the 787 program. When Boeing engineers first began conceiving the 787 almost 10 years ago, T&Eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s structures lab had the important task of figuring out how to build a safe, reliable and certifiable airliner out of composite materials. Now that the 787 is well into its flight test program, T&E keeps close track of each airplane, its status and what it has accomplished. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to get an

airplane up every day,â&#x20AC;? Cosgrove said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at our overnight maintenance cycles, how long itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taking us to return the airplane, whether weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re releasing the airplane in the morning at the earliest possible time. We test during the daylight, so the earlier we can release that airplane in the morning, the more flight time we get.â&#x20AC;? As of June 22, 787 ZA001 had flown more than 100 hours per month and ZA004 had logged more than 140 per month, flying long eight- to 12-hour trips to assess fuel efficiency. By the end of the summer, 10 airplanes will be in the commercial flight test fleet (six 787s and four 747-8s). â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you put 10 of them in the air, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a real issue with logistics,â&#x20AC;? said the operations centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steve Blair, â&#x20AC;&#x153;not only trying to keep them in the air, but trying to keep straight where they are.â&#x20AC;? A fleet strategy team keeps track of how testing will be done, the sequence of testing and what the priorities are. And the team for a 787-type program involves about 200 people who need to be kept in the loop at all times. The operations center has two big displays, one shows live flight

MATT THURBER

Boeingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s test-center group maintains a busy schedule

Many of the 718 flight tests executed out of Boeingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Test & Evaluation Center during May were for the 787 Dreamliner program.

tracking of every airplane, and the other reports on each airplaneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location, release time, departure time, arrival time and general status. Engineers can also view the same feeds through their computers. Calls come for parts, maintenance and logistics issues, chase and support aircraft scheduling and the twice-daily Dornier 328Jet logistics support flights up and down the U.S. West Coast carrying about 20 people and 200 to 300 pounds of cargo. Both the 747-8 and 787 have

dedicated telemetry rooms. Test directors monitor each aircraft, and a big flight visualization monitor shows a real-time topdown telemetry map view of the airplane in flight. Boeing captures flight test data at the rate of 15 megabits per second. The data link is line-of-sight VHF when flights are local, but for flights away from the VHF stream, the airplane sends data to a system that receives the data and sends them to a satellite, then to the operations center.

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Life begins at 50 for upgraded Sea Kings by R. Randall Padfield Some aircraft fulfill their missions so well that they seem to last almost forever. The Sikorsky S-61/H-3 Sea King helicopter, the prototype of which made its first flight way back in 1959, appears on its way to achieving this “never die” status. The U.S. Department of State last month accepted the first two modernized S-61s to come out of a purchase agreement with Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) that could see as many as 110 S-61Ts delivered over five years. U.S. rotorcraft modification specialist Carson Helicopters developed all the modifications, owns the supplemental type certificates (STCs) and rebuilds the modified aircraft. The S-61T is the result of a number of S-61/H-3 improvements: composite main rotor; a five-screen, integrated glass cockpit developed with Sagem Avionics; engine air-particle separator; fixed landing gear; high-speed electric rescue hoist; fire-fighting tank provisions; Martin Baker energyabsorbing troop seating; improved fuel-quantity indicating system; cockpit air conditioning; electronic equipment designed to meet military requirements; and a shortened fuselage. Additional Upgrades

The following new elements are in the works: composite tail rotor blades (STC expected in six months); an upgrade of the General Electric T58-140 turboshaft engines to T58-16 engines (increasing power from 1,500 shp to 1,870 shp and expected to fly in August); an IFR-approved Rockwell Collins primary flight display (STC expected in two months); and a new autopilot to replace the helicopter’s original, 50-year-old stabilization system. According to Carson Helicopters CEO Frank Carson, the composite main rotor blades alone provide the aircraft with 2,000 pounds more lift capability at the same horsepower than a comparable S-61 with the original blades, as well as a 15-knot improvement in cruise speed. He expects the T-58-16 engines will provide a 3,000-pound improvement in lift at 35-degrees C and 6,000 feet pressure altitude, a State Department goal for operations in Afghanistan. “The re-engining project is very important,” said Anthony Serksnas, Sikorsky director of

S-61 programs, “because it will give the modernized S-61 performance comparable to the latest Mi-17v5 [designed by Russian company Mil], especially in hot and high conditions in Afghanistan.” He said Sikorsky hopes to “qualify” the T58-16 in the S-61T within 18 months. As a military aircraft, the S-61T does not need civil certification, approval by Sikorsky’s qualification assurance board being sufficient. Frank Carson said he will seek an STC for the engine upgrade. Serksnas said the State Department has also requested crashworthy ballistics-tolerant fuel bladders for its S-61Ts. The Sikorsky-State Department contract for S-61Ts is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) purchase agreement. This type of agreement, Serksnas explained, “is a broad-based contracting vehicle that is used when the government is uncertain of the quantities of aircraft it would like delivery of. In this case, it could be from four to 110 aircraft.” The Department requested

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

this wide range because several of its own agencies and the Department of Defense expressed interest in the S-61T, in part as a replacement for Mi-17 helicopters now in use in Afghanistan and Iraq. The baseline S-61T uses the H-3 military helicopter, which has the shorter fuselage. The first four S-61Ts, which will support missions for the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan, are actually former S-61Ns, two of which were shortened and two that were not. The State Department is looking at 15 to 20 follow-on aircraft for delivery this year and next year, and the majority of these will be modified H-3s. Carson Helicopters is doing all the modification work, with a rebuild taking about six

AW’s helo support center promises 24/7 coverage by Paolo Valpolini AgustaWestland is boosting its customer-support capability with the opening of a new fleet operations center. The facility, located close to the Italian helicopter manufacturer’s headquarters near Milan Malpensa International Airport, is staffed and equipped to handle urgent technical questions and spares requirements around the clock. Its most immediate value will be to help larger com-

mercial and government operators involved in critical support missions such as emergency medical services and offshore transportation in the energy sector. The company’s main goal has been to establish a dedicated team to handle all aspects of resolving aircraft-on-ground (AOG) situations more quickly. The fleet operations center is the next step in AgustaWestland’s long-term

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

22aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

months per aircraft. Some 300 civil and military S61s and H-3s remain around the world, he said, some built under license by Agusta and Westland. The State Department’s primary source right now is the U.S. Navy, which has 65 H-3s stored at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base “aircraft boneyard” in Arizona. Serksnas said the Department in late June initiated the transfer of 20 of these Navy H-3s for the S-61T program. Sikorsky has access to other airframes through customers looking to trade in aircraft. Carson Helicopters, which has been acquiring and modifying Sikorsky helicopters since 1963, obtains airframes on the open market.

Serksnas said Sikorsky officials had expected customer interest in the aging S-61 fleet to begin to decline about 10 years ago, but then the company noticed that spare parts sales continued to remain healthy. “A whole industry sprang up around supporting the S-61,” he said. “We knew Carson was doing some things and we took a closer look.” Frank Carson said he thinks there are at least 20 to 30 years of life in his rebuilt S-61s. “In some respects our aircraft are better than the original–with new wiring and radios, the glass cockpit, the composite blades, the upgraded engines and new parts for various dynamic components being built by Sikorsky.”

plan to expand its customer support and services division, following the creation last July of a new logistics center in Italy. The customer-support complex also includes a brand-new 108,000sq-ft warehouse, fully dedicated to repair and overhaul operations. The logistics center already employs 600 people who concentrate on fleet service support. The fleet operations center personnel work in three shifts to provide 24/7 cover; approximately 10 people are on duty at all times. Each shift is led by an AOG supervisor who coordinates the activities of three main desks dedicated to technical expertise, material support and warranty issues. The technical expertise desk is manned by product-support engineers who can provide information on maintenance procedures, such as inspection criteria and task clarification. They can also cover the following support functions: preparing and approving repair schemes; confirming part numbers and clarifying configuration issues; providing special authorization for ferry flights following specific events; giving health and usage monitoring system support; and issuing “no technical objection”

approval for temporary repairs. Customer-order administrators manning the material support desk operate together with the warranty desk to fulfill spareparts orders and respond to sales quotation and shipping requests, as well as to check applicability for part numbers, warranty claims and power-by-the-hour service plans. In an AOG situation, spares are shipped within 24 hours; in an “urgent” situation they are shipped within 72 hours. When an AOG situation cannot be solved locally and additional factory field support in the field is needed, the supervisor can dispatch an on-site team within 24 hours. The responders may be in the form of a mobile maintenance team to carry out repair, or troubleshooting and special- inspection personnel to assist the operator’s own maintenance team. The new fleet operations center fully interfaces with AgustaWestland’s regional support and service network, which also includes facilities in Philadelphia in the U.S.; São Paulo, Brazil; the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur; and Liege, Belgium. There are also more than 70 AgustaWestland authorized service centers around the world.

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Paris expects vintage Le Bourget show in 2011 by Jeff Apter

Expansion Plans

“Le Bourget and Farnborough are not competitors and are international forums rather than regional shows, so the fact that in these circumstances Farnborough is sold out is very good for us, too,” said the Paris Air Show boss. But, he added, increases in attendance at Le Bourget are never likely to be spectacular because of the physical limits on expansion due to the airfield’s proximity to the crowded Paris suburbs. Nonetheless, there is scope for expanding space within the show area itself GIFAS, the French aerospace industry association that organizes the biennial event through its subsidiary SIAE, will provide more exhibition halls with a new look and an upgraded air-conditioning system. “In 2011 all 200 of the most important [aerospace] companies will be in Paris,” predicted Le Portz. “Indications from the U.S. are that no major companies intend to cancel next year and one very big company is even considering holding a board meeting at the show.” He expects two or three new countries to attend and more small- and medium-size companies from France and abroad to take up space left by the big companies. Le Portz said that GIFAS always tries to hold down costs, but he pointed out that

major trade shows are inherently expensive to run. “Every two years we have to build a temporary town accommodating 20,000 people with quality air-conditioned structures and modern telecommunications systems, including free Wi-Fi access inside and outside the show,” he said.

something we always target but cannot master alone,” he said. “We are in permanent contact with the authorities who are aware of the area’s traffic problems. We will again hire 200 buses to carry people arriving from Paris at the Le Bourget railroad station to the show site. We are improving entrance and parking facilities there for cars. And inside the show there will be an extra street for golf carts. In 2007 we solved the problems concerning both the organization of badges and parking. These systems worked much better in 2009 and will be closely monitored in 2011,” he added.

Paris Air Show 2011 organizers are implementing improvements to the show site, which they expect will attract at least the same number of exhibitors and country delegations as did the event in 2009.

DAVID MCINTOSH

Paris Air Show commissioner Louis Le Portz wants nothing but the best for this week’s Farnborough International show, while predicting that next year’s Paris show will be as successful as its 2009 edition in terms of the number of exhibitors and country delegations expected. “Le Bourget and Farnborough are crucial for our profession; the industry needs us both,” he said. Improvements at the Le Bourget Airport site are already under way, he said, at the same time acknowledging that exhibitors will continue to cut costs, reducing their chalet space and closely watching budgets they allocate delegations to send to the event. For Le Portz the event is a “must” for the industry, and some countries, such as China, India and Russia, have requested more space than they took in 2009. Le Portz also indicated he expects at least the same number of exhibitors as at the last event. “The low point of the crisis is behind us. Sales began to take off at the beginning of March and the signs are very positive,” he stated. “Aerospace is ramping up, with production rising and air traffic growing. We expect a vintage Paris Air Show in 2011.” Despite the tough economic times, Le Portz maintained that airshows are vital shop windows for the aerospace and defense industries. He pointed out that even the business aviation sector, which has been especially hard hit by the fallout from the financial crisis, has seen successful trade shows in the U.S. at the NBAA event and at EBACE in Europe.

GIFAS (Hall 1 Stand A15) itself has cut its Le Bourget costs by halving its permanent organizing team 30 to 15. At the same time, the group has sought to improve its approach to project management, working to tighter budgets and deadlines with a program based on 7,000 separate actions that have to be 95 percent complete one month before the show opens. Exhibitors’ opinions about the airshow are assessed in surveys by an independent agency and Le Portz claimed that Paris scores higher each time. “After each show we assess the survey’s findings and the main problem remains traffic,

Success of first Bahrain show topped with news of follow-on The success of the inaugural Bahrain International Airshow earlier this year paved the way for the announcement that the second biennial show will be held Jan. 19 to 21, 2012. The event is organized by Farnborough show organizer Farnborough International Ltd. in partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s department of Civil Aviation Affairs. The first show, held this January, drew 40 exhibitors, 94 aircraft and more than 5,000 trade visitors. The event is focused on ensuring that exhibitors have access to the highest level of decision makers from prospective buyers in the Middle East. More than 20 official delegations from about 25 countries attended. Exhibitors operated from VIP chalets and could park their aircraft directly in front them. This year’s show featured a threehour flying display, which included two unmanned air vehicles. Demonstration flights were also conducted from the purpose-built show site at Sakhir air base, home of the Bahrain royal flight department. The 2010 show generated approximately $1 billion worth of newly announced

24aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

business, including a deal for 10 Airbus A320s for flagcarrier Yemenia, nine Sikorsky Black Hawk military helicopters ordered by Bahrain, a lease signed by Gulf Air for a pair of Embraer 170 jetliners and a contract for Selex to provide Bahrain

International Airport with a primary surveillance radar and two mode-S secondary surveillance radars. Farnborough International chief executive Shaun Ormrod said the organizers will be making improvements for the next Bahrain show, including a larger flying display and more structured visits by official delegations. The 2012 show will benefit from being timed to have almost a full month’s gap between it and the Singapore Airshow, which is scheduled for Feb. 14 to 19, 2012.

DEAN SCRAMBLES HISTORIC FLYING DISPLAY Rod Dean looks carefree astride a Supermarine Spitfire, but Farnborough International airshow’s director of flight operations has had plenty on his mind planning and preparing for this week’s daily flying display. The flight director’s job to ensure that, first and foremost, the displays are as safe as they can be, while not losing sight of the need to entertain and inform show-goers. The Spitfire sharing the stage with Dean is part of special flying display commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The spectacle includes two Spitfires and a pair of its former adversary–the Messerschmitt ME109 fighter–as well as a Mk. 1 Hawker Hurricane R441.

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Virgin Atlantic has selected avionics from Rockwell Collins for its fleet of 10 Airbus A330-300s announced in an order here this week. According to Rockwell Collins, Virgin Atlantic will be the launch customer for the LRA-2100 digital low-range altimeter when the first of its A330s is delivered next spring. The units use digital signal processing to judge the airplane’s height above the ground, achieving greater accuracy than previous radio altimeters. Additional avionics selected for the Virgin Atlantic A330s include Rockwell Collins’s MultiScan weather radar and GLU-925 multimode receiver, the first such product certified for precision landing using GPS or ILS.

Aviation Partners Wins New Winglet Orders Aviation Partners Boeing has announced that Hainan Airlines, the first and largest operator of blended winglet-equipped aircraft in China, has confirmed that all of its 45 Boeing 737-800s currently on order will be operated with these fuel-saving devices. Blended winglets are particularly well suited to Hainan Airlines, which operates a mix of short- and long-haul operations from some challenging airports. All Nippon Airways of Japan has also recently exercised options to purchase winglets for installation on five new Boeing 767-300ERs, scheduled for delivery starting in 2011, bringing the total commitment for its B767 fleet to nine systems.

Marshall To Work on Orion Down Under Marshall Aerospace Australia (Hall 4 Stand A11) has signed a contract with Australian Aerospace to support a repair assessment program on the country’s P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Australian Aerospace already provides maintenance on the Royal Australian Air Force’s 18-strong fleet at Richmond Air Base. Marshall Aerospace Australia is a “defense recognized supplier” down under.

Seaward Displays Electric Safety Testers First-time Farnborough exhibitor Seaward Group (Hall 1 Stand D11), a company that specializes in electric safety testing and precision measurement instrumentation, is showing its range of products, including portable microhmmeters (low-resistance measurements), cable testers, hipot testers (devices checking insulation) and high-voltage detectors. The Cropico DO4000 portable digital microhmmeters, for example, can measure the ground points on aircraft, which is necessary to create a safe electrical network inside an aircraft. Seaward has also developed a new voltage indicator to ensure safety when working on airfield ground lighting systems. The new AGL-5 two-pole voltage detector enables service engineers, maintenance personnel and airport technical staff to check that runway and airfield lighting circuits have been isolated from the power supply before maintenance or inspection work begins.

China Sticks with CFM Engines for New A320s Chinese flagcarrier Air China announced it has selected the CFM56-5B engine to power 20 Airbus A320s on order for delivery starting in 2011. The deal is valued at $600 million at list price, including a long-term maintenance agreement. All of Air China’s new CFM56-5B engines will be of the Tech Insertion configuration, which was introduced in September 2007 and has already logged 11 million flight hours. Tech Insertion provides a 1-percent improvement in fuel consumption and considerably lowers carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. This latest order has come as no surprise, as 179 aircraft in the current Air China fleet are already powered by CFM engines, including 55 A320s (CFM56-5B), 118 B737s (CFM56-3/7B) and six A340-300s (CFM56-5C). Air China has also signed a rate per-flight-hour agreement with CFM to provide a comprehensive maintenance service for the CFM56 engines in the airline’s fleet.

by Ian Goold Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Jim Albaugh fully acknowledged here at Farnborough that the new 787 faces a possible seventh delay if first delivery slips into next year, which was hinted at in a statement from the company last week. Such a slip would be a small setback, but by no means an end to Albaugh’s effort to restructure the division in the face of continuing international competition. The company’s position as the leading airliner manufacturer has been usurped in recent years by Airbus and, at the lower end of the product range, it is being challenged by aspiring manufacturers who want to enter the market for the below-100-seat sector. Accordingly, the company has needed a shot in the arm–something achieved through his reorganization that could restore confidence and assure employees that, under his leadership, Boeing can regain market dominance. This new strategy involves many tactics, including tighter management, long-term planning and sharper focus on prime functions. Outlining moves here

company continuing to yesterday, the Boeing mull single-aisle market Commercial Airplanes plans. As for continued chief executive said he product development, he has strengthened oversaid Boeing could produce sight of enterprise an all-new single-aisle engineering, established design, re-engine the cursenior advisory groups rent 737, or “do nothing.” (including the recall from He said the manufacretirement of former turer was talking to executive vice president Boeing Commercial General Electric, Pratt & sales Seddik Belyamani) Airplanes chief Whitney and Rolls-Royce and established program executive Jim Albaugh about alternative powermanagement functions. plants, from which it The five test 787s (three of which will not be deliv- would choose one before decidered) have accumulated some ing “in all probability” before 1,200 flight hours in 370 flights. year-end whether to offer a Albaugh confirmed that unex- re-engined variant. Leading 737 pected problems with replacement customer Southwest Airlines is of flight-test instruments has “very involved” in discussions and reduced “schedule margin,” with “might not want to wait until 2022 deliveries perhaps moving “a mat- [for a solution],” said Albaugh. Boeing also is considering the ter of weeks” into early 2011 compared with the original mid- “most effective” strategy to 2008 target date. He attributed the improve the 777, spending “a lot problems to Boeing’s “probably” of time” talking to airlines to get having outsourced too much 787 the right solution, he said. In an work. “We lost control and, in exercise dubbed “777X,” Boeing future, I believe we will outsource is considering a new engine, a new [composites] wing and an less,” he said. Albaugh believes that 737 pro- all-new design, he said, adding duction could be increased beyond that the matter is “very open the planned 35 per month, with the right now.”

Israel launches new satellite Israel’s latest remote-sensing satellite, Ofeq-9, was successfully placed in orbit on June 22 by an Israel Aerospace Industries Shavit vehicle launched from Palmachim Air Force Base, near the cities of Rishon LeZion and Yavne. Three days later the IAI-built satellite began transmitting its first highresolution images. Ofeq-9 joins a growing constellation of Israeli reconnaissance satellites that include the optical sensor, Ofeq-5 and Ofeq-7, and the TecSAR satel-

lite with imaging synthetic aperture radar. IAI developed Ofeq-9 in response to an Israeli ministry of defense requirement, working with other Israeli specialists such as Elisra, El-Op, IMI, Rafael and Tadiran-Spectralink. El-Op (part of Elbit Systems) supplies highspecification cameras for the space program. Its latest product is the lightweight Jupiter, currently in the advanced integration stage and intended for carriage by micro/mini platforms. It offers panchromatic and multi-spectral options, providing 0.5-meter resolution across a 15-kilometer swath in the pan mode from an altitude of 600 kilometers. In addition to its domestic sales, El-Op has provided cameras for Indian and Korean space programs.

MONTHS OF PLANNING, JUST MINUTES OF FLYING Boeing experimental and evaluation test pilot Steve “Bull” Schmidt and his colleagues have spent months planning the F/A-18 Super Hornet’s six-minute, 40second flying routine at the Farnborough airshow. Schmidt is flying the fighter here daily, showcasing its capabilities. To date, Boeing has delivered 434 Super Hornets to customers around the world.

26aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

DAVID McINTOSH

Virgin Picks Rockwell Digital for A330-300s

Boeing retools as competitors multiply

MARK WAGNER

NEWS CLIPS

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London Heliport Opens New Terminal The new passenger terminal at the London Heliport opened just in time for the Farnborough airshow. Managed by business aviation services group PremiAir, the terminal is described as a “major improvement” on the original facilities, which were built in 1959. A new luxury hotel is due to open next to the terminal in September. Both the hotel and heliport are owned by PremiAir’s parent company, von Essen.

Bombardier Plans Service Network in Asia Having long recognized the importance of developing a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region and the recent rapid growth in the area’s aviation market, Bombardier Aerospace plans to invest $30 million as a first step in building a comprehensive hub-andspoke service network. Support will be centered in China, with complementary facilities throughout the region. ‘We expect our [Asia-Pacific] fleet to grow significantly over the next five years,” said James Hoblyn, Bombardier president of customer services and specialized and amphibious aircraft. By year-end, the OEM plans to open a parts depot in China to support facilities in Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney and Singapore.

Bell Strengthens Collaboration with NRC The National Research Council Canada (NRC) and Bell Helicopter have signed a 10-year framework agreement to identify and undertake work of mutual interest in the research and development of technology solutions. John McDougall, NRC president (left), and Michael Kohler, president Bell Helicopter Canada, signed the framework agreement here. With this pact, the two organizations will

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

Noranco Nets Spirit AeroSystems Contract Canadian manufacturer Noranco has been awarded a longterm contract from Spirit AeroSystems of Wichita, Kansas, to provide wing box components for the Boeing 737NG airliner. Noranco is a leading manufacturer of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft aerostructures, landing-gear components and assemblies, and sheet metal fabrications. The contract covers an eight-year period from 2010 through 2017. The components will be manufactured at Noranco’s Pickering division, one of three divisions in the Greater Toronto area. Noranco (Hall 4 Stand C18) also picked up another new contract here, this one from Honeywell Aerospace for the manufacture and assembly of forward and aft bypass ducts on the HTF7500E engine–a deal estimated to be worth $7 million annually. at peak production rates.

Quick-change SJ30 goes from VIP to EMS by Stephen Pope The Emivest Aerospace SJ30 on display in the Farnborough Business Aircraft Park promotes its inner chameleon which can turn the jet from VIP transport to air ambulance with a “quick-fit” medical interior in about three hours. Designed by Lifeport, a medical interior specialist owned by Sikorsky, the SJ30 medevac interior includes a seamless floor, advanced life-support systems and an access ramp for loading patient gurneys into the cabin. The specialized interior is a $196,000 option that is intended for change out with the twinjet’s standard five-passenger executive seating layout. Plenty of business jets and turboprops can be converted for use as aeromedical transports, but the SJ30 is suited to the role better than most, said Hamish Harding, chair-

man of Action Aviation, the SJ30’s worldwide distributor. “When a patient is in need of an air ambulance, they are already experiencing a high level of stress and anxiety,” he said. “The SJ30, with its ability to maintain sea-level cabin pressure to 41,000 feet, provides the ideal comfortable environment” for longrange missions. Comfort isn’t the SJ30’s only

advantage. The $7 million jet has a top speed of 486 knots, a range of 2,500 nm and excellent fuel economy, meaning it can transport critical-care patients in the shortest time possible over long distances for less cost than other jets in its category. “The cost per mile of the SJ30 as an air ambulance is probably the lowest in the industry due to the low fuel burn per mile and the high cruise speeds,” Harding said. The SJ30’s specific range– based on nautical miles traveled per pound of fuel burned–is similar to those of the Cessna Citation Mustang and Embraer Phenom 100 very light jets.

Emivest’s SJ30 in the Business Air Park here at Farnborough has a quick-change interior that can switch between a VIP and a medical configuration in about three hours.

Bloodhound aims for Mach 1.4 by Thierry Dubois

Richard Noble broke the landspeed record with a speed of 633 mph in October 1983 in a turbojetpowered vehicle called “Thrust2.” Then in October 1997, Andy Green drove the turbofan-powered ThrustSSC, designed by Noble, to a speed of 763 mph, breaking the speed record again and becoming the first person to drive a vehicle faster than the speed of sound while still on the ground. Here in Farnborough, Noble, now the director of the Bloodhound SSC project (Stand OE16), and his team are showing a mockup of their car, expected to be powered by an EJ200 turbojet (the Eurofighter’s engine) and a Falcon rocket, which they hope will reach some 1,000 mph (about Mach 1.4). The project also has an educational target–to inspire young people to pursue careers in science and technology so they can replace retiring aerospace engineers. From an aerodynamic standpoint, the design is complete. “We now have a safe car,” Noble told AIN. It took three years and 10 redesigns. “For example,” he said, “one configuration did provide a downforce of 0.5 metric tons at Mach 0.5 but gave 12 tons of lift at Mach 1.4, whereas engineers look for negative lift to keep the car on the ground.” A lot of systems still have to go through the detailed design

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phase. Aerostructures specialist Hampson builds the back end of the car–everything aft of the air intake–which is made of a steel frame and aluminum skin. Manufacturing takes place in Wigan, in the UK. The Bloodhound will be assembled in Bristol and the project team wants to roll it out in December 2011. For the first tests, up to 200 mph, the car will use a runway in the UK. Then the team will move to Hakskeen Pan in South Africa, where the ground surface is an alkali layer, which has the required firmness and flatness. After a series of trials, Noble hopes to establish the new record in 2012. Before that, they “may well discover unknown phenomena,”

Noble warned, pointing out, for example, that the wheels will be spinning at 10,500 rpm. However, every hurdle will spur interest from the pupils and students following the project, he said. “They will want to understand what has gone wrong,” he explained. The project was set up with UK government support (no financial support, though) to encourage young people to seek careers in aerospace, where some 60 percent of the workforce is due to retire in the next 20 years, Noble commented. The estimated total budget of the project is in the $20- to $23 million range. So far, the Bloodhound team has spent about $4 million and it is looking for additional funding.

Bloodhound SSC project team director Richard Noble and Mark Abbey, marketing and business director of Hampson, said they hope their car, which is powered by an EJ200 turbojet engine and a Falcon rocket, will reach 1,000 mph.

THIERRY DUBOIS

NEWS CLIPS

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Mexico highlights its business-friendly side ProMexico, the government agency in charge of promoting trade and investment for Mexico held a seminar here at the Farnborough airshow to promote the “Hecho en México” (“Made in Mexico”) label, highlighting the benefits of building factories and maintenance workshops, as well as research-and-development (R&D) offices in that country. ProMexico officials claim the locale compares favorably with China if all costs are factored in. The number of aerospace companies established in Mexico is growing very fast, it said, rising from 193 in 2008 to a projected 300 this year. According to Eduardo Medina Mora, ambassador from Mexico to the UK, time to market for a North American or a European company wanting to create a manufacturing facility in a lowerlabor-cost country is shorter in Mexico than in China. ProMexico documents don’t hide from the fact training is more expensive in Mexico than in the U.S., however, because of such factors as the language

barrier and possible differences in education levels. However, the situation may be much more complicated in China, they indicated, starting with finding expats who speak excellent Chinese–a rare and expensive commodity. Addressing its aviation industry, Luis Olive, ProMexico’s head officer for international trade and investment, said Bombardier’s assembly line for the Learjet 85 business jet composite fuselage will be ready by year-end. For aircraft parts manufacturing, he said, Mexico claims its 2008 cost index stood at 77.8, while that of the U.S. was 100, and Germany’s and Japan’s each were 113. Manufacturing and assembly ranks first in the country’s aerospace business, at almost 80 percent, he added. Engineering services and R&D account for 10 percent, while maintenance, repair and overhaul accounts for the remaining 10 percent. Citing statistics, Olive said 70,000 technicians and 13,000 engineers graduate from Mexican universities every year. The aero-

MARK WAGNER

by Thierry Dubois

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

space industry there employed 27,000 people in 2008, up from 20,000 in 2007 and 10,000 in 2006, he said, adding that Mexican aerospace exports amounted to $3.1 billion in 2008. ProMexico insists on “simplicity of operation,” the agency said, explaining, for example, that time involved in opening a business there averages only 13 days compared with 37 in China (and six in the U.S.). It also reported

that the corporate tax rate in 2009-2010 stood at 30 percent, against 25 percent in China and 40 percent in the U.S. According to a ProMexico spokesperson, the relationship that manufacturing industries have with unions is “friendly.” As for the crime scene, the agency reported that the homicide rate is only slightly above that of the U.S. During the show, in addition to other deals, ProMexico (Hall 3

GROB, ELBIT TEAM ON G-120TP TRAINER

ETIHAD TAKES DELIVERY OF FIRST A330 FREIGHTER

MARK WAGNER

German aircraft manufacturer Grob Aircraft and Elbit Systems, the Israeli specialist in electronic defense, have signed several agreements to partner in the development of a new family of trainer aircraft called the G-120TP. The aircraft will be based on a modular concept, which will result in one aircraft in three different configurations: side-by-side, tandem-seat and a four-seat models. All three will maintain maximum commonality, thus guaranteeing high operating cost effectiveness. The G-120TP will be manufactured and marketed by Grob and will feature an Elbit avionics suite, which includes a glass cockpit with a high level of mission simulation capability incorporating virtual –G.G.E tactical training.

Stand D16) has presided over the signing of memorandums of understanding to strengthen cooperation between the Mexican Aerospace Industry Federation and the Flemish Aerospace Group, as well as with the UK’s aerospace agency ADS. Also of significance was its announcement of the 2011 launch of the Mexican Space Agency, which is to be based at Guadalajara.

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

TIME FOR A WINNER On Monday evening, Police Constable Helen Thomas was picked as one of the winners of a Breitling watch. The Soldiers, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) has teamed up with watchmaker Breitling and is raffling one of their chronometers each day during the airshow. SSAFA is also taking donations here at Farnborough. Launching the new Grob/Elbit G-120TP trainer family here at the Farnborough show are (from right): Andre Hiebeler, Grob CEO; Yoram Shmuely, Elbit Systems’ Aerospace Division general manager; and Menachem Bargev, vice president of Elbit’s Aircraft Upgrades.

30aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

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

Launch customer Etihad Airways took delivery of the first Airbus A330-200F Freighter at a ceremony on Tuesday here at the Farnborough airshow. The aircraft, which can haul up to 70 metric tons of cargo, will enter service with Etihad’s cargo business, Etihad Crystal Cargo, in September. It is on display for the duration of the airshow, after which it will undertake final pre-delivery preparations by Airbus in Toulouse.

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GKN exploring range of new technologies GKN Aerospace is here at Farnborough with news that it is working to develop new technologies, materials and processes, and to determine how they may be used over the next decade. Composites constitute a major area of materials development, a spokesman said, notably to drive down costs and increase the speed of manufacture. Damage protection and repair techniques will also become increasingly important for composites structures, while there is considerable scope for expanding their use in structures and engines Regarding metallic structures, GKN is researching a range of ideas, such as robotics, cutting and joining processes and machining, with the aim of reducing material consumption by some 50 percent

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

by David Donald Lockheed Martin may be focusing a large proportion of its promotional efforts on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but the company insists there is still a lot of life left in the F-16 and that production could continue alongside that of the F-35 for some years. Meanwhile, the company has outlined a sustainment and supportability plan that projects to at least 2040. In what has been the world’s largest international industrial program, Lockheed Martin and its partners have delivered more than 4,400 F-16s in 132 distinct variants. The F-16 is the backbone of U.S. airpower and the type has flown 57 percent of the operational sorties in the Central

Command theater. The customer base spans 25 nations, and 14 among them have notched up 53 follow-on buys. The worldwide fleet has racked up more than 14 million flying hours. Orders for the F-16 currently stand at 4,520, with backlog of 86. This takes F-16 production through to May 2013. Pakistan received its first three of 18 new aircraft last month, while Morocco is due to receive its first next year. Other outstanding orders are for Egypt and Turkey. Bill McHenry, director of business development for the F-16, estimates that between 100 and 200 more new-build aircraft could be added to the current order book. As well as further

GOLDEN ORDER FOR IRKUT’S MC-21 Ilyushin Finance Co. has signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 50 of Irkut’s MC-21 airliners. The deal was sealed here yesterday by Irkut CEO Oleg Demchenko (left) and his counterpart at Ilyushin Finance, Aleksandr Rubtsov.

32aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 21, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

ASIAN AEROSPACE 2011 BOOSTS KEY SECTORS Lion dancers from Hong Kong were in Hall 4 yesterday promoting the next Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress, which returns to Hong Kong’s Asia World Expo from March 8 to 10, 2011. Several major aircraft and engine manufacturers, airlines and engineering companies have already signed up to exhibit, leading the 500-plus companies expected. New for 2011 is the formation of the China Advisory Board, embracing senior past management from Comac, Avic, Air China and the Ministry of Transportation, as well as representatives from the China Civil Aviation Maintenance Association, who will provide advice and guidance on engaging the aviation community in China. For the first time at Asian Aerospace, there will be a dedicated exhibition area at the Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre to complement the static display and hospitality chalets. Asian Aerospace 2011 (Hall 4 Stand D8) will also focus on pilot and maintenance training. Special activities are planned around the show to celebrate 100 years of powered flight in Hong Kong.

DAVID McINTOSH

Plenty of life is left for exported F-16

follow-on orders, Lockheed Martin is marketing the aircraft to several new nations, the most important of which is India, where the F-16IN, based on the APG-80 AESA-equipped Block 60, is one of six competitors for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) competition. Other prospects include Romania, as a follow-on to a proposed batch of used F-16s, and Iraq. As part of the latter nation’s rebuilding, there is a stated requirement for an ultimate force of 96 fighters, and the F-16 is a leading candidate in both new-build and secondhand form. With more than 3,000 F-16s in service worldwide, Lockheed Martin has put in place a sustainment roadmap to keep the F-16 viable for another three decades at least, but will not change the shape. “We don’t see a need for any aerodynamic changes,” said McHenry. “Nine G is doing just fine, and there’s no need to go beyond.” There are structural issues as aircraft age, however, and various life-extension programs are either in place or being examined. More important is a technology insertion path to maintain the F-16 in the front line as fifth-generation fighters begin to proliferate. AESA radars are one obvious answer to keeping the F16 at the cutting edge, as are the provision of low-probabilityof-intercept datalink through which information can flow between F-16s and later-generation fighters in a networked battlespace. A continuing corecomputer capability upgrade path provides the processing power to handle increased amounts of data, while the F-16 will adopt new weapons to maintain the increase in precision targeting.

while improving speed and quality, especially in the engines sector. It also is highlighting niche developments, such as ice-protection research using fiberoptics, improved electrothermal techniques and detection technologies. Coatings are another area in which GKN Aerospace has expertise, and the company is researching various coatings that could offer benefits in terms of ice-phobic performance and damage detection, as well as dimmable and conductive coatings for transparencies. GKN Aerospace is also investigating acoustic liners and other technologies to reduce engine noise, in line with the 50-percent reduction target laid out by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe.

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Airbus examines strategy as new markets emerge by Ian Goold

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Continued on page 36

The Shrinking Fleet According to Airbus data, in the last two years, airlines have retired or withdrawn some 1,550 aircraft from their fleets. They are comprised of: Number