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Monday 6.17.13
Airshow News
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Boeing says it wants no part of a price war
Airbus’s A350 XWB touches down on the Toulouse runway after its initial test flight last Friday. The Roll-Royce Trent-powered airliner flew for about four hours on its maiden journey.
Boeing harbors no interest in getting into a so-called price war with Airbus, Boing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner insisted during a roundtable discussion with journalists yesterday in Paris. But when pressed for a reaction to Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier’s recent comments about his ambitions to attract more than 50 percent of the widebody market, Conner eagerly answered the challenge. “I would say the same thing,” quipped Conner. “So it’s going to be fun. We look forward to it.” Although Conner acknowledged that airlines will benefit from the existence of competing product lines in the widebody market, he stressed that price won’t play as big a part in winning campaigns as would bringing to market a better product. “I Continued on page 4 u
VLADIMIR KARNOZOV
by Gregory Polek
Newest Airbus makes pre-Paris first flight by Charles Alcock Airbus began the 2,500-hour flighttest program for its new A350 XWB when the new long-range widebody took off for the first time at almost exactly 10:00 a.m. local time in Toulouse, France on Friday. The eagerly awaited first flight over southwestern France lasted slightly more than four hours and the twinjet,
powered by Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engines, safely touched down back in Toulouse at 2:05 p.m. The first-flight aircraft (registered as F-WXWB) is one of five A350s that will be used in a test program that should see the new A350-900 version enter service with Qatar Airways in the second half of
2014. On board was a team of six, with the cockpit occupied by Airbus chief test pilot Peter Chandler, A350 XWB project pilot Guy Magrin and project test flight engineer Pascal Verneau. Working at test stations in the main aircraft cabin were Fernando Alonso, head of Airbus’s flight
Continued on page 4 u
Stealth Neuron is almost on display
MARK WAGNER
by Chris Pocock
The bubble-wrapped public “showing” of the Neuron unmanned combat aerial vehicle on the Dassault static display ensures the stealthy aircraft lives up to its name.
The pan-European Neuron UCAV is making its public debut here outside Hall 2 here as part of the Dassault Aviation static display. But you could easily miss it. For security reasons, the stealthy, arrow-shaped drone has been enclosed in a dome, with the only public view being through a clear plastic curtain. Dassault is lead contractor, and France the lead country, for the six-nation technology demonstration project. The other participants are Greece (HAI); Italy (Alenia); Spain (EADS-CASA);
Defense
The Art of Flying
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Funding Shortfall Risk
Art Deco Icon Reopens
A lack of money to support the many European aerospace manufacturers threatens to put industrial capacities at risk, according to the Future Air Systems for Europe study, commissioned by the European Defence Agency. Page 16
The Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget, located in the former passenger terminal, reopened on June 3, showing off the restored building’s famed “Salle des Huit Colonnes” (“Hall of the Eight Pillars”). Page 34
Sweden (Saab); and Switzerland (Ruag). The Neuron made its first flight at Istres in southern France on December 1, 2012. It made a second flight from there before being dismantled and moved to the French DGA’s test facility near Rennes for ground measurements of its radar cross-section. These have produced encouraging results, according to a source at Dassault. After the show, more ground and flight tests will follow, in France, Italy and Sweden. o
Leasing
Manufacturers
Prices and Risk Remain Low
Big Order for New Jets
Russian Trio Set To Soar
Aviation insurance coverage and pricing remains subject to a buyer’s market, due to fewer airline accidents, lower overall insurance claims, the state of the economy, more underwriters entering the market and improved safety and aircraft. Page 53
Ilyushin Finance Company has signed agreements to purchase 50 Irkut MC-21s, 32 Bombardier CSeries and 20 Sukhoi Superjet 100s, and at some point in the future may consider adding the Airbus A350 XWB to its portfolio. Page 55
Three iconic Russian aircraft are flying during this year’s Paris Air Show flight demonstrations, the Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker, the Yak-130 combat trainer jet and the coaxial-rotor Kamov Ka-52 helicopter. Page 85
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With the A380, the sky is yours. The A380 is designed to maximize airline revenues. By scheduling the A380 on constrained slots and high yield routes, airlines will experience a significant uplift of passengers to really take advantage of high yield traffic. That means higher market share, maximized slot profitability and higher revenues.
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first french liveried a400M is FLYING here
Newest Airbus makes first flight
Hot off the production line, the second production A400M Atlas is here at the Paris Air Show in French livery. After multiple delays, the French public will see the fruit of the multinational design effort.
Paris
Airshow News
uContinued from page 1
FOUNDED IN 1972 James Holahan, Founding Editor Wilson S. Leach, Managing Director DAVID McINTOSH
and integration test center, Patrick du Ché, head of development flight tests, and Emanuele Costanzo, Rolls-Royce’s lead flight test engineer for the Trent XWB turbofan. After an initial cruise at 13,000 feet, the A350’s landing gear was successfully retracted before it climbed to 25,000 feet above the Pyrenees mountains. The aircraft was accompanied by an Aerospatiale SN-600 Corvette chase airplane to observe and film the various maneuvers. The A350’s progress was monitored by staff on the ground in real-time via a direct telemetry link.
FEMALE of the future? EADS Cassidian, Dassault and Finmeccanica yesterday issued a call for the launch of a European MALE (medium altitude long endurance) UAV program, not only to meet future needs, but also to maintain European sovereignty in intelligence. Cassidian has been promoting this Talarion-based design, which it has christened FEMALE (Future European MALE).
Boeing doesn’t want a price war uContinued from page 1
think our product line is going to be a lot broader when you account [for] the family of the 787 and the 777 and 777X family on top of that, as well as the 747-8. I don’t think anybody covers it better than the Boeing company when you bring in the 777X.” Notwithstanding Conner’s emphasis on the breadth of Boeing’s product family, he acknowledged that a more aggressive effort is needed to contain costs across its organization to compete effectively. “Let’s not get into pricing war comments too much, but it is
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Dassault expects deal for Indian Rafales by Chris Pocock The $10 billion-plus contract to sell 126 Rafale combat jets to India will be completed by the end of the year. That was the confident prediction of Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation president and director-general, at an eve-of-show press conference. Since India
selected the French combat jet in January 2012, negotiations have dragged on, with thorny issues of local partnerships, offsets and liabilities unresolved. Trappier would not discuss the details, but admitted that it had been “an uphill task.” However, he did
very competitive,” said Conner. “The only way we’re going to guarantee our employment and our future is to win in the marketplace. “And to position ourselves to win, we’ve got to be more focused on the cost side of things, because we have to fund our development and our future through the profit margins of our products that we sell today.” On whether he thought Airbus enjoyed an unfair advantage on that score, Conner avoided creating any further controversy over the question of government subsidies, for example. “I wouldn’t say it’s unfair; it is what it is,” said Conner. “Whatever they have they have and whatever we have we have.” o
4 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
CHRIS POCOCK
Three versions of the A350 XWB will go into production, with seating for between 270 and 350 passengers in three-class cabin configurations. According to Airbus, the new model will burn 25 percent less fuel than existing aircraft in its class, with equivalent reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Airbus expects the wide body airliner to enter service in the second half of next year with launch customer Qatar Airways. The program is currently backed by firm orders for 613 aircraft from 33 customers. Airbus would not comment on rumors that the A350 might make a surprise fly-past appearance this week here at Le Bourget Airport during the Paris Air Show. o
TM
Three generations of Dassault leader ship at last Friday’s press conference: Eric Trappier (right) was joined by his predecessor Charles Edelstenne (left) and company patriarch Serge Dassault (centre).
confirm that the option for a further 63 aircraft was under active discussion. See tomorrow’s issue for the full story on Dassault. o
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Show organizers pledge to ramp up B-to-B value Paris Air Show organizers have introduced a range of improvements aimed at making the huge biennial trade fair a more user-friendly proposition when it is staged at Le Bourget Airport from June 17-23. At an April 30 press conference in London, Emeric d’Arcimoles, chairman and CEO of show organizers SIAE, said that the show has been sold out for several months and that organizer SIAE has two main aims this year: providing more services for exhibitors and an improved experience for visitors. More than 580,000 sq ft of exhibit stand space are occupied for the 2013 show, including a new temporary hall, 27 national pavilions–up 10 percent from
2011 and including a French presence with around 400 companies and a 10 percent larger U.S. pavilion. Overall there are around 2,200 companies from 144 countries. “We’ve seen a 30 percent increase [in exhibitor numbers] over the past 10 years,” said d’Arcimoles. In total, 350,000 visitors are expected across the trade and public days. The trend behind the figures is that, like its friendly rival Farnborough International, the Paris Air Show has done a good job of increasing the diversity of exhibiting companies–drawing them from new parts of the aerospace world and attracting different industry sectors. This has compensated for the reduced presence that some Western
Flying Display Program Monday, June 17 Manufacturer
Model
Time
Airbus
A320
12:00-12:11
Globe Swift
GC-1A
13:23-13:29
Antonov
An-58
13:30-13:36
Globe Swift
GC-1A
13:37-13:43
APM
50 Nala
13:45-13:53
Starduster
Starduster
13:54-14:04
Extra
Extra 330
14:05-14:12
Ellipse
Spirit
14:14-14:19
XtremeAir
XA-42
14:21-14:29
Kamov
Ka-52
14:31-14:39
Dassault
Rafale
14:41-14:51
Eurocopter
Tiger
14:52-14:59
Yak
130
15:01-15:07
Fouga
Magister
15:08-15:16
Sukhoi
Su-35
15:19-15:30
Boeing
787
15:32-15:40
Breitling’s
Super Constellation
15:42-15:50
Airbus
A400M
15:51-15:59
Airbus
A380
16:00-16:07
Sikorsky
Blackhawk
16:09-16:17
Extra
Extra 330
16:18-16:26
Recruiting for Aerospace’s Future Paris Air Show organizers have redoubled the event’s emphasis on recruiting new entrants to the aerospace sector. “We [the industry] need to invest a lot in young people if we are to be ready for increasing production rates in the coming years,” said SIAE chairman and CEO Emeric d’Arcimoles. The Concorde Hall features an enlarged Jobs & Training Area dominated by a specially-constructed 3,000 sq m aircraft mockup called the “Career Plane” where young people and those looking for a change in career can speak with engineers, pilots and other aviation professionals. Inside the mockup around 100 companies are represented with more than 50 different aviation jobs. “We think the dialog between young people and workers could make it attractive for them to take a job in aerospace,” said SIAE communications director Patrick Guerin. “We created 8,000 jobs in the French industry last year but we need 3,000 more [than that] each year.” –C.A.
6 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
MARK WAGNER
by Ian Sheppard
companies have settled for over the past decade. U.S. defense group Northrop Grumman is once again absent from Le Bourget, having convinced itself that its industry profile is undiminished by leaving the stage to its rivals. Business aircraft manufacturers, which have also had a reduced presence in Paris at the past two shows, are back despite their successful EBACE show, held in Geneva every May. SIAE pointed out that Dassault and Gulfstream would all occupy chalets at this year’s show, along with Embraer and Bombardier. It remains to be seen whether the latter two will focus on their bizav portfolio as much as their various regional airline and special missions products. In total, seven regional airliner manufacturers are present at the show, including newcomers such as China’s Comac (with its delayed ARJ21 program plus the C919), Russia’s Irkut (MS-21) and Mitsubishi (MRJ). The vast static display here at Le Bourget is occupied by more than 130 aircraft. SIAE wisely played down expectations that the new Airbus A350 XWB could make its world debut at this year’s show, although that now seems more likely after the successful first flight last Friday (One source told AIN there could be a fly-by on Friday, June 21, to coincide with the visit of French President Francois Hollande). Barring an A350 appearance, crowds are still able to view a pair of Boeing 787 airliners– one provided by Qatar Airways and the other in Air India colors. The duo should give Boeing a boost as it continues to get the 787 fleet back in commercial service after a prolonged grounding due to serious problems with the aircraft’s lithiumion batteries. Another debutant that SIAE had hoped to lure to Le Bourget is Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The aircraft now seems more likely to enter the world stage at the 2014 Farnborough show in the UK. Nonetheless, military highlights
Flanker makes welcome return to salon One of the highlights of this year’s Paris Air Show and a star performer in the flying display is the Sukhoi Su-35S Flanker flown by Hero of Russia Sergey Bogdan. It has been 12 years since a Flanker has appeared at the Paris show and 14 years since a two-seat Su-30 crashed in spectacular fashion during a display at Le Bourget, thankfully with no injuries. In the intervening years the Flanker family has been significantly developed. The Su-35S version being shown here–48 are currently in production for the Russian air force–has uprated Saturn 117S engines with thrust-vectoring and a passive, electronically scanned Irbis-E radar.
of Paris 2013 include Russia’s Sukhoi Su-35 warplane and Europe’s long-awaited A400M troop carrier, along with Dassault’s Neuron UAV. Around 25 aircraft are appearing in the daily flying display, which will run as usual from 12.30 to 3.00 p.m. Boeing is hoping that the 787 will be cleared to appear in the aerial performance (See box for the provisional flying display program). Added Value
SIAE has expanded the show program for business-to-business meeting arrangements that it pioneered at the 2011 Paris Air Show, when it arranged more than 4,500 meetings. This year the service will run from Tuesday through Thursday of show week and will be supplemented by a special conference focused on purchasing policies in the supply chain. At this year’s show there are set to be 50 more official delegations (representing both military and civil buyers), taking the total number of individual official delegates to 54,000. “This comes from our efforts to bring more high quality visitors to our exhibitors,” said SIAE marketing director Nicolas Tran. Organizers also have extended show hours so that exhibitors can enter the Le Bourget site from 6.30 a.m. and trade visitors from 8.30 a.m. (an hour earlier than the 9.30 a.m. start at previous shows). Since the 2003 Paris show, SIAE has invested around $70 million upgrading the show site. This year the main new addition in terms of technology is an
application for smartphones and other mobile devices that includes a geolocation function to help visitors find their way to specific exhibits and show locations– increasing the number of meetings they can achieve in a day. New QR codes on visitor badges make it easier for exhibitors to capture information about them. There is also free Wi-Fi throughout the show site. AIN’s own AINonline iPhone app also includes up-todate show information. In a bid to make the best of the legendary traffic jams that can blight the travel experience to and from Le Bourget during the show, a new temporary radio station is broadcasting to listeners within a 10-mile radius of the site, giving advice on how to bypass the bottlenecks. There are also two additional taxi stands at the show site and staff to assist visitors at rail stations and airports. To reduce the air show’s environmental footprint, SIAE has adopted the new ISO 20121 standard requiring, for example, the use of sustainable construction materials for exhibition stands. The Le Bourget show is only the second global event after the 2012 London Olympic Games to achieve these green credentials. The show also again features an Alternative Fuels section with 15 exhibitors. o
by Charles Alcock The Paris Air Show attracts not just buyers and sellers of aircraft and related equipment, but also the buyers and sellers of the companies that make them. The aerospace and defense sectors have been hotbeds of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in recent years, and the bankers who guide and cajole these deals have once again flocked to Le Bourget. Speaking to AIN ahead of the show, three leading dealmakers acknowledged that cuts in military budgets have created varying degrees of uncertainty among investors. On the flip side, the civil side of the business continues to be buoyed by strong order backlogs for airliners, although this situation is not without challenges. According to Michael Richter, managing director and cohead of the aerospace and defense group with financial advisor and asset manager Lazard, M&A activity has been somewhat curtailed due to a lack of stability in the defense sector, with much of this caused by uncertainty over the U.S. government’s budget sequestration issues. “It would almost be better if the hammer [of military spending cuts] did come down and then companies would know what the future would be,” he said. “This has been a real damper.” At investment bank Houlihan Lokey, senior managing director Anita Antenucci explained that defense companies are still waiting for the Pentagon to spell out revised budget priorities that were due to be published on May 31, but which have now been pushed back until at least early July. She indicated that the uncertainty has left prospective buyers, sellers and merger candidates uncertain as to how to proceed. “It
[sequestration] clearly has an enormous impact on how companies proceed strategically,” she told AIN. “Investors [in defense companies] are saying ‘give us back the cash’ [that otherwise might have been invested in takeovers] through dividends or shares.” She added that only a few defense-focused companies have been successful in chasing other sources of income from related sectors such as homeland security. However, David Baxt, global head of aerospace and defense investment banking at Jeffries International, expressed the view that equity markets have now largely factored in the impact of potential military budget cuts on share prices, arguably doing so in an “exaggerated” way. He added that shifting global security issues such as the threat posed by North Korea and the civil war in Syria serve as a reminder that defense needs don’t go away, but rather change. “The U.S. is still the world’s biggest defense spender, and while there is real concern over cuts in defense spending it will just be a matter of a shift in priorities to areas such as ISR and cyber [technology] to allow the military to do more with less,” he commented. In Baxt’s view the long order backlogs in the civil airliner market are now posing their own problems for suppliers. While it suits the world’s dominant airframers to keep cashyielding deliveries flowing fast, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it suits suppliers equally well to ramp up output rates with the investment spikes this requires. “It’s tough to run an industry with a five- or six-year backlog,” he said. “The supply chain just can’t keep up. It’s not that it’s not robust enough, but it’s reluctant to advance the build-rate.
color coordination Falcons have always been known for their fuel efficiency, so it stands to reason that “green” is prominent on the display model of the new 2000S. With upgraded engines, the latest Falcon has more range (3,350 nautical miles) and lower emissions, without sacrificing cabin size.
MARK WAGNER
Defense budget upheaval challenges M&A firms
It’s a constant battle to try to increase [i.e. bring forward] delivery dates to move cash forward for OEMs.” Baxt told AIN that he sees no let-up in the pace of new airliner sales. “Financing is only there for new aircraft. The pockets of capital for older aircraft don’t exist as much as they did,” he said. “The decision on the part of the operator to buy The financial community is hard pressed to interpret how budget fluctuations will affect merger and acquisition activity. Speaking to AIN on the topic were, left to right, Anita Antenucci of Houlihan Lokey; Michael Richter of Lazard; and David Baxt of Jeffries International.
a new airplane has never been more secure. Boeing and Airbus are both overbooked [in terms of delivery slots] for 2013 and 2014. They could use a bit of softening [in demand].” On the other hand, Lazard’s Richter maintained that the industry has proved to be more responsive to these challenges than might appear to be the case. “There has been huge progress over the past year in terms of improving the supply chain and significant consolidation, as well as simplified logistics and product delivery,” he said. Off the back of this trend, he predicted further M&A activity involving tier one, two and three suppliers. Richter indicated that aerospace assets remain highly valued. “This [the strong order backlog] is a perfect storm located at a very strategic point in the aerospace cycle and investors
believe there is plenty of runway left in the current cycle,” he explained. “We’ve gone from a boom and bust cycle to what I see as a super cycle.” Antenucci shared his optimism. “The good news in terms of overall [company] valuations is that there are more buyers than sellers,” she concluded. “With the record backlogs and companies coming out of 10 to 15 years of strong performance the balance sheets are pretty clean and cash remains strong. One thing that will force further consolidation is that buyers want to use this to get their balance sheets to work better. So there is an opportunity that investors can’t ignore and with some [companies] wanting to be buyers realizing that they have to sell something first we will see a fair amount of asset swopping.” o
www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 7
time travel Borrowing a theme (and a souped up SciFi DeLorean sports car) from the popular film Back to the Future, ATR is calling attention to the fact that turboprops are far from obsolete. They have profound advantages over jets in many applications.
New technologies drive CFM’s Leap revolution
DAVID McINTOSH
by Julian Moxon
Embraer E-Jet update gets a green light here by Gregory Polek Embraer has chosen this Paris Air Show as the venue to launch its second generation E-Jet, now known as the E2. The company plans to reveal further details of the project here today and possibly announce a launch customer. First revealed more than a year and a half ago, plans for the E-Jet upgrade center on exchanging the General Electric CF34 engine for Pratt & Whitney’s PW1000G geared turbofan. Other improvements include a new, higher aspect-ratio wing, improved avionics, full fly-bywire flight controls, a new interior and “enhanced connectivity” in the cabin. Scheduled for entry into ser-
Although Embraer has portrayed the E2 as only a study up until now, it has apparently reached a fairly mature stage of definition given the range of suppliers Embraer has already chosen. Since announcing in January that Pratt & Whitney would supply the engines, Embraer has revealed the identity of virtually all its major suppliers, including Honeywell, which has agreed to supply its Primus Epic 2 avionics suite. Sticking with Honeywell
The decision to retain Honeywell in the cockpit ended speculation that Embraer might switch to another supplier as a
Embraer expects the E190-E2 to serve as the baseline model for its second-generation family of E-Jets and enter service in the first half of 2018.
vice (EIS) in the first half of 2018, the 97- to 114-passenger E190-E2 would serve as the baseline model and retain its current seating capacity. However, the second model scheduled for EIS–the E195-E2–would carry three more rows of four-abreast passenger seats than the current E195 holds, giving it a maximum high-density capacity of 144 passengers once it enters service in 2019. Finally, the smallest of the three models, the E175-E2, would enter service in 2020 and carry one more row of seats, raising its capacity range to 80 to 90 seats. Embraer has opted to exclude the 70-seat E170 from the project.
result of “teething” troubles it experienced following entry-intoservice of the current E-Jet line. Speaking with AIN on the day of the announcement in early February, Embraer Commercial Aviation COO Luis Carlos Affonso noted that the company did seriously consider offers from Garmin and Rockwell Collins, but that the design maturity of Epic 2, its commonality with the current Epic system in today’s E-Jets and its technical advances tipped the competition in favor of Honeywell. “The main issue [with the current system] was really maturity more than reliability, all the
8 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
software being developed and so forth,” said Affonso. “This time, in sticking with the incumbent, we believe it will be very good for the maturity.” Not an entirely new system, the Epic 2 borrows much of its architecture from today’s Epic, explained Affonso. “The architecture, with the boxes and so forth, the data buses and all those things that took us lots of time to develop, all these are the same,” he noted. Scheduled for service introduction in 2018, the second-generation E-Jets will also benefit from a new flight management system (FMS) that Embraer plans to first integrate into the current-generation airplanes by 2015, said Affonso. “The next-generation FMS will have several additional functionalities,” he said. “I believe the current FMS is quite reliable, but the new one will have some important functions such as the cost index.” The cost index feature–a system now used on new larger airplanes but new to regional jets–helps pilots choose the most economical altitude or thrust, for example, for a particular mission. Affonso also described the new FMS as key to equipping the E-Jets with the technology needed for plans to convert the current ground-based radar surveillance system to a satellitebased system known as NextGen. More recently, during last month’s Regional Airline Association convention in Montreal, Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva wouldn’t offer further details of the new E2’s expected performance attributes beyond the expectation that the airplanes will offer double-digit operating cost gains over the current models. “We would prefer to wait to elaborate, because if I talk now I would not talk as I should be talking to express to you how bullish we are on this aircraft,” he said. Today Silva will get his chance to do just that. o
CFM International claims it is driving a revolution in the use of advanced materials for its Leap series of engines for single-aisle aircraft, which gives it a durability and maintainability edge over the competing Pratt & Whitney PurePower geared turbofan. In a comprehensive briefing yesterday before the opening of the Paris Air Show the company gave a novel 3-D presentation of the engine and its key components. CFMI (Chalet B121, Hall 2a B252) put the case that in developing the Leap family it had emphasized the need for continuing the CFM56’s reputation for reliability and maintainability while introducing advanced materials technologies to offset the extra weight of the slightly larger engine. For the first time in a commercial aircraft engine the GE Aviation/Snecma partnership has used ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) in a key component, the first stage of the high-pressure compressor turbine shrouds which encircle the HP blades to reduce tip leakage. “It’s the beginning of a revolution in materials design,” said Leap program manager Gareth Richards. “This technology will eventually migrate throughout the high-pressure turbine, reducing weight by a third and eliminating the need for cooling.” GE Aviation plans to invest $27 million over the next five years on a “Lean Lab” at its
Newark, Delaware CMC facility, which will allow engineering and manufacturing teams to bring CMC products to manufacturing readiness before committing to full-rate production. GE said demand for CMC components in jet engines is expected to grow tenfold over the coming decade. 3-D printing
Another Leap first is in the use of additive manufacturing, or three-dimensional printing, for the extremely complex TAPS combustor nozzles and the core of the stage-one HP turbine blade. In November 2012 GE Aviation completed its acquisition of Cincinnati-based Morris Technologies and sister company Rapid Quality Manufacturing, both additive manufacturing specialists. GE plans to open two new production plants in the U.S. next year. Additive manufacturing technology involves building up layers of powdered metal, each layer melted by pinpoint lasers to the exact geometry called for by the computer-aided design process. Richards said the technology took months out of the production cycle time because it eliminated the need for assembly of a number of separate components into the finished part. He denied there were any manufacturing or repeatability issues with the technique.. o See also “New narrowbodies boost engine OEMs” on page 66.
Solar Impulse—MILESTONE accomplished A decisive milestone was reached yesterday as the solar-charged, electric-powered Solar Impulse successfully completed the second-tolast leg of its Across America mission by landing at Washington Dulles International Airport–locally it was Sunday, June 16 at 12:15 a.m.–stimulating renewed enthusiasm for discovery and innovation. Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg used an unprecedented flight strategy to arrive in Washington D.C. on time despite difficult weather conditions characterizing the cross-country flights. According to the Solar Impulse team, the fourth leg was split into two flights because strong cross- and headwinds would slow down the aircraft, making it impossible for the pilot to reach the nation’s capital within 24 hours, the limit set for the pilot in the cramped single-seat cockpit. Engineering consultancy Altran Group (Chalet B30) was responsible for modeling and simulation, system engineering and stabilization augmentation systems for the Solar Impulse. “In 2003, joining the Solar Impulse project was more than just a challenge for Altran because it meant inventing a solar plane,” said Christian Le Liepvre, head of the Solar Impulse partnership at Altran. “The main challenge was to accompany the project to its conclusion: creating a plane that would fly day and night using only solar energy. Altran believed that the impossible could be achieved, and the project teams succeeded.” –N.M.
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Europe’s anti-TBM system tested and ready for action On display here and ready for export, Europe’s own state-of-the-art air defense system has demonstrated its anti-tactical ballistic missile (TBM) capability three times. In the most recent test two months ago, the MBDA Aster 30 missile successfully intercepted a target representing a TBM fired from 185 miles away. Unlike the first two anti-TBM tests, this one was fully coordinated within the NATO command-and-control structure. The ground-air medium-range missile system is awkwardly known by its French acronym SAMP/T. It is designed to protect deployed troop and vital fixed assets. It is produced by Eurosam, a joint venture between MBDA France and Italy (66 percent) and Thales (33 percent). It went operational with the French Army and Air Force and Italian Army in 2011. There have been 13 test firings in all–each one successful. (A further 10 firings of the Aster 15 missile have been made from
ships–naval defense was the first application that Eurosam provided.) “We’re now promoting SAMP/T to some countries,” said Alain Deudon, the SAMP/T project manager. He noted that the system can be adapted to work with a variety of long-range radars, that might already be in service with a customer. Moreover, he claimed, “We have a very flexible integration to C2I systems... whether NATO’s ACCS, the French CDC or whatever.” In French and Italian service, each fully mobile SAMP/T system comprises one Thales Arabel multifunction radar and IFF, one engagement module (for example, the control van) and four vertical launchers each containing eight Aster 30 missiles. Two more trucks carry missile reloading modules. The engagement can occur throughout 360 degrees; the radar antenna spins at 60 rpm and is “very difficult to detect and jam,” according to
Soldiers monitor one of two consoles within the SAMP/T system radar van.
DICOD
by Chris Pocock
French soldiers stand near the SAMP/T system radar van. The Thales Arabel antenna can be seen on top.
CHRIS POCOCK
An MBDA Aster 30 missile is on its way in a test firing. In its most recent test, the Aster 30 intercepted a target representing a TBM fired from 185 miles away.
VHF radios. The detection range when using a Thales GM400 long-range radar is 300 to 400 km (185 to 250 miles). The Aster 30 missile can reach Mach 4.5 within 2.5 seconds and is highly maneuverable thanks to a combination of aerodynamic and thrust controls. The radar beam steers the missile electronically in elevation and azimuth; its active radar seeker was originally designed to defeat stealthy cruise missiles in a look-down/shoot-down scenario. The last stage of the missile is a ramjet. Although direct hits are not essential to achieve a “kill,” 70 percent of the test firings have done so. The recent anti-TBM test was conducted on the Biscarosse range off the French west coast. Two firing sections were deployed by a joint French Air Force/ Italian Army team. A fully NATO-compliant Link 16 (MIDS) communications architecture was employed, stretching back to the headquarters in Ramstein, Germany. As Deudon noted, the system offers all the required links and IFF modes. “We are set to declare TBM capability later this year,” he said. o
DICOD
CHRIS POCOCK
Deudon. The radar can monitor more than 100 tracks at a time. Two launchers can each fire two missiles simultaneously, in 0.5 seconds. The range varies from 15 km (9.3 miles) against ballistic and anti-radiation missiles, out to 120 km (75 miles) for larger, slower aircraft. The launchers can be situated up to 25 km (15 miles) from the radar van, thanks to modern frequency-hopping
12 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
The vertical launchers for the Aster 30 missiles in the deployed, ready-to-fire position.
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Europe’s industry is at risk from funding shortfall, says EDA by Chris Pocock So many countries, with so many aerospace companies! Visitors shouldn’t be fooled by the panoply of European companies displaying here at the Paris Air Show this week. The harsh truth is that there’s not enough money to
sustain them all, especially with respect to defense technology. The European Defence Agency (EDA) commissioned a study of the problem–and reached some alarming conclusions. “Some important industrial capabilities
are already at risk…if measures are not taken, a point of no return will be reached within the next few years,” the Future Air Systems For Europe (FAS4Europe) study warned. It was led by Saab, with the cooperation of 28 other companies and industry associations in 10 countries. Although many of the companies are direct competitors, they share a common concern for the future, according to Katarina Bjorklund of Saab. The study called for the member states of the European Union to agree on a strategic plan to preserve the European Defence and Technological Industrial Base (EDTIB). “China, Russia and the U.S. have clear strategies, but so also do Brazil, India, Korea and Turkey,” claimed Bjorklund. The study outlines a three-phase roadmap–keeping options open (201317); preparing for the future (2017-22); and establishing a competitive EDTIB (2022 onwards). A set of projects are specified for the first two phases, but the EDA has not made them public, perhaps because of competitive sensitivities within European industry. The classic example is, of course, combat aircraft. The Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen are often in competition for the same export orders. “This is a very bad situation,” said EDA chief executive Claude-France Arnould during a press conference at the ILA Berlin airshow last September. She voiced particular concern that undesirable technology transfer offers
are being made. Furthermore, she said that European defense companies should not rely on export markets to help fund and develop new capabilities. It won’t work because purchasers were reluctant to introduce capabilities that the home countries don’t themselves operate. The EDA also commissioned a ‘dependency’ study that charted Europe’s growing reliance on outside capabilities. It was done by the French Aerospace laboratory, the Rand Corp., and Swedish consultancy FOI. According to the EDA’s industry analyst John Mattiussi, this study highlighted the lead that Israel and the U.S. has taken in unmanned aerial systems, and U.S. dominance in heavy-lift helicopters. He said that European air arms can wait 72 months to replace the gearbox of a CH-47 Chinook, because the U.S. military takes priority for spares. He also drew attention to the F-35 purchase by up to six European countries. Compared to an indigenous European program, “will the F-35 provide the same quality of work?” he asked. Moreover, “it will be very expensive to operate, and its life-cycle costs will reduce the funds available for other programs,” he added. The EDA says European sovereign military capability is at risk, along with some 200,000 high-technology jobs that are at risk in an industry that currently enjoys a €45 billion turnover. “We must address these issues at the highest levels– the defense ministers,” said Arnould. o
Other EDA Initiatives in the Air Domain AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING (AAR) There is an obvious shortfall in the AAR capacity of European air forces. The EDA has worked on four collective solutions: 1. Provision of extra short-term commercial capacity–practically-speaking, this means the use of Boeing KC-707s and a KDC-10 provided by the Irish company Omega Air, which already flies for the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. 2. The second would make better use of existing assets–notably, Italy’s fleet of four Boeing KC-767s. A flight trial to validate a collective AAR clearance for these aircraft is scheduled for September. 3. Provision of AAR refueling kits for the A400M airlifters that will be introduced by seven European air forces. 4. Pooling of national requirements to provide a strategic MRTT capability from 2020. Ten countries have signed a letter of intent. France has said that it will order 12-14 A330MRTTs with this in mind–but has not actually done so yet. UAVs IN CIVIL AIRSPACE Together with the European Space Agency (ESA), the EDA is funding the DeSIRE project (Demonstration of Satellites enabling the Insertion of RPAS in Europe). An industrial consortium led by Indra of Spain has undertaken a series of test flights. Most recently, on April 24, an IAI Heron UAV flew from Murcia into class C airspace to test communications links and procedures. During the six-hour flight, a manned aircraft approached the UAV, simulating frontal and 90-degree collision trajectories. The pilots of the two aircraft followed separation instructions issued by air traffic controllers. The EDA is also managing the Mid-air Collision Avoidance System (MIDCAS) project and doing a study named Air4All. HELICOPTER TRAINING PROGRAM (HTP) Since 2009, the EDA has conducted five flying exercises and two symposia to train European military aircrews to fly in more demanding environments, such as ‘hot and high.’ Tactics, techniques and procedures have been shared, and logistics support problems explored. The EDA has also studied the harmonization of basic helicopter flying training, and even the creation of a Multinational Helicopter Wing (MHW) AIR TRANSPORT TRAINING (ATT) For the second year running, the EDA is bringing airlifters and their crews together to exchange best practice and harmonize training. Eight air forces, 12 aircraft and 350 aircrew are currently deployed n to Zaragoza airbase in Spain.
16 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
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Airbus Military launches new light/medium transports by David Donald
DAVID DONALD
While the A400M and tankers grab the limelight, it is Airbus Military’s light and medium (L&M) transports that have been filling the order books, and the company has two new offerings that it hopes will maintain its ascendancy in the sector. The C295W is an upgraded version of the popular medium transport, while the original CASA 212 light transport is to get a makeover as the NC212i. During 2012 Airbus Military sold 32 aircraft, all of which were CN235s and C295s in the L&M category. As well as several repeat orders, the sales included new customers Cameroon and Kazakhstan.
From the outside the most obvious difference is the addition of winglets. These have been trialed on the company’s testbed since last December. They are metallic additions with a composite attachment to the wing. In the full production configuration the wings need some strengthening of the upper skin that, with additional structural enhancements, add 30 kilograms to the weight, plus another 30 kilograms for each winglet. However, the performance benefits are considerable, with a 3- to 6-percent reduction in fuel consumption and a corresponding range/endurance increase.
Airbus Military formally launched the C295W marketing effort just before the Paris show. Once certified, this will become the baseline production aircraft.
The figure represented a 76-percent market share in the sector, in which the company has averaged 51 percent of sales in the decade since 2003. The company has just delivered its 100th C295 as part of an order from Oman. C295 with Winglets
To maintain the L&M family’s position, Airbus Military is exploring several development avenues, not only to introduce new mission capabilities but also to improve performance and efficiency. Just before Paris the company formally launched the marketing for the C295W upgrade. Work has been ongoing on this enhanced transport for more than two years.
The latter is of particular benefit to special-mission variants. Additionally, Airbus has been working with Pratt & Whitney Canada to get approval for new power settings for the PW127G turboprops. For instance, takeoff power is now permitted to be used during the climb, while maximum permissible cruise power is also increased to what was previously the maximum climb setting. The effect is to improve payload capability under hot-and-high conditions by more than 1,000 kilograms, increase ceiling (from 21,000 to 24,500 ft for a 21 metric ton takeoff weight), and also improve safety margins by increasing OEI (one engine inoperative)
Imet offers new solutions for superalloy and titanium scrap Exhibiting at the Paris Air Show for the first time is Imet Alloys (U.S. Pavilion, Hall 3 Stand AB110), which describes itself as “an ambitious global company specializing in the control and management of superalloy and titanium from the aviation industry.” Founded by CEO Ruaraidh Williamson in 2011 and headquartered in Monroe, North Carolina, Imet Alloys helps companies control their superalloy and titanium scrap, known in the industry as “revert.” Williamson was formerly vice president of Caledonian Alloys (founded in 1996 and sold to Precision Cast Parts in 2007), whose co-founder, Hugh Stewart, is also a backer of Imet serving as non-executive chairman. “Working throughout the superalloy and titanium manufacturing supply chains and after-useable-life markets of the aerospace, oil and gas and land-based turbine industries, Imet maximizes the value of material to the generator, offers the mills a cost saving over the prime raw material and helps to conserve precious natural resources,” according to Williamson, who is here at Le Bourget, along with general manager of European operations Stephen Dickson. –N.M.
20 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
performance. Engine changes have been approved under the same type rating, although the flight manuals are altered to reflect the different performance. At the end of last month the certification process for the winglet-equipped C295W got under way, and design documents will be frozen in September. Certification flights are scheduled to be undertaken from January, with certification by Spanish authority INTA due in September. In the fourth quarter of next year the C295W will become the baseline
critical design review is scheduled for the third quarter of this year. A cockpit update is at the heart of the NC212i, with new displays, air data system and attitude heading reference system. New cockpit voice and flight data recorders will be installed, and the aircraft will have a new autopilot and traffic collision avoidance systems. A cabin interior redesign is also being implemented. New Thunderbay seats are to be installed in the passenger-carrying configuration, allowing the aircraft to accommodate up This C212-400, the third aircraft for the Vietnam Marine Police, was the last of the line to be assembled in Sevilla. Production and development continues at PT DI’s Bandung plant in Indonesia.
production model, with the option of either fitting or deleting the winglets. Airbus is also analyzing the smaller CN235 to see if it would benefit from the addition of winglets. Airbus Military is also continuing its work on special-mission versions of the C295 such as the AEW aircraft that recently completed a successful trials campaign with the winglets fitted. An armed maritime patrol C295 trials aircraft successfully released a Marte antiship missile in April, and that option is now offered to customers. Airbus is also working on a gunship version known as the C295 Gunner. Presently the company is studying various 27mm or 30mm cannon options, and is due to select a weapon later this year. An OBIGGS (onboard inert gas generation system) has been successfully tested, and is now also on offer to customers. New-look 212
While Airbus has concentrated mainly on developing options for the C295, the C212 light transport has not been overlooked. This was the first L&M aircraft, originally designed by CASA, the forerunner of Airbus Military. The company’s Sevilla final assembly line handed over its last C212 on December 28 last year, bringing to an end 42 years of uninterrupted production at the site. Now all production is undertaken by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) at Bandung, as the NC212. Last November PT DI and Airbus Military jointly launched a program to significantly improve the C212-400 aircraft, to result in a version called NC212i. At this year’s LIMA show in Malaysia a development plan was signed, under which PT DI will lead the engineering, while Airbus Military will be responsible for EASA and FAA FAR 25 certification. Both companies will market and support the aircraft. The preliminary design review was undertaken last month, and a
to 28. Although the aircraft is certified to carry that number already, most operators fly in a 25-seat configuration due to cabin constraints. Over the next decade Airbus Military forecasts sales of more than $10 billion in the light/medium transport sector which, though small compared to the heavytransport and tanker/transport businesses, will nevertheless help underpin the company’s revenue stream. “We have proven aircraft,” asserted Rafael Tentor, senior v-p programs. “They are in service worldwide and our customers are satisfied. The product is appreciated in the market; it’s a low-risk solution.” In the immediate future the company is looking at several key campaigns. Brazil is seeking to expand its C295 fleet, including aircraft in maritime patrol configuration, while the U.S. Coast Guard requires more CN235-based HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft. Poland has requested information on a maritime patrol version, too, with anti-submarine capability. Ghana is in the final stages of negotiation over C295s to be used on behalf of the United Nations in Africa. Indonesia, which has already ordered nine C295s, is in discussions over a further seven. Airbus Military’s Indonesian partner, PT DI, is establishing an assembly line at Bandung, and the final two of the current Indonesian order will be completed there. Perhaps the most important opportunity is the potential sale to India of 56 C295s. The Indian Air Force wants to replace its elderly Avro 748 transports, and issued a request for proposals in May. A local sales and assembly partner is needed so that Airbus Military can meet a requirement for 60 percent of the content to be placed with Indian companies. “Fifty-six aircraft justifies the creation of a line. We did it in Turkey previously,” stated Tentor. “And fifty-six aircraft, we believe, is not the end of the story. India is a strategic country. We will invest there with a long-term view.” o
Operation Serval
FRENCH AIR FORCE
Loaded with GBU-12 bombs and a Damocles targeting pod, a Rafale departs St. Dizier airbase in the early hours of Sunday, January 13, en route to targets in Mali.
by Chris Pocock On that first mission, four Rafales took off from St. Dizier airbase with less than 48 hours notice and destroyed 21 preplanned rebel targets in the middle of the country. They were each carrying three 2,500-liter fuel tanks, plus either six 500pound GBU-12 laser-guided bombs plus a Thales Damocles designator pod, or six Sagem AASM Hammer GPS-guided smart weapons. They landed at N’Djamena after nine hours 45
FRENCH AIR FORCE
For the Dassault Rafale combat jet, the French intervention in Mali provided another chance to demonstrate its multirole capability. Starting with a 3,400-mile interdiction mission (AI) launched from France on the night of January 13, up to six aircraft subsequently flew daily from their deployed base at N’Djamena, Chad, also performing reconnaissance and close air support (CAS) missions. Six of them are still there.
In addition to air-interdiction and close-air-support missions, Rafales also flew reconnaissance missions in Mali using the Thales Areos NG podded system.
minutes, having been air-refueled six times. Subsequent missions also relied heavily on air-to-air refueling, as the aircraft remained on station to support French and Mali ground troops as they advanced into rebel-held territory. “Mali is a large country, with lots of sand and one big river. We were flying 800 miles from N’Djamena just to get there, on day and night roundtrips lasting up to nine hours,” said Lt. Col. Francois Tricot, commanding officer of EC02.030, one of two French Air Force Rafale squadrons that were involved. He paid tribute to the crews of U.S. Air Force KC-135s who supplemented the five French C-135FR tankers that refueled the Rafales: “To rendezvous at 02:00 over a dark continent when you are miles from anywhere, is very reassuring, and proves that our NATO interoperability training works!” Nevertheless, he admitted there were some unplanned diversions into Niamey, Chad, when aircraft lingered over Mali to provide possible close-air-support, and then no tanker was available. Nighttime Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance missions were somewhat shorter at around five hours 30 minutes. They were flown from 25,000 to 30,000 feet using the large Thales Reco NG pod. “Nobody can see or hear us from that altitude,” Lt. Col. Tricot noted. The Reco NG pod contains long-range infrared band 2 and visible spectrum sensors that can image from high altitude, as well as an infrared band 3 sensor that is designed for high-speed, low-altitude missions. To save time interpreting the imagery, some preselected frames were datalinked to a ground station in Niamey
A Mirage 2000D takes on fuel from a C-135FR tanker. Air refueling was vital to all combat jet missions in Mali, given the huge distances involved.
as the aircraft flew back to N’Djamena. The Rafales also offered “nontraditional” ISR coverage while equipped for AI or CAS missions. “We could see and report people hiding in trenches, and vehicles under cover, using our night-vision goggles and the cockpit display from the targeting pod,” Lt. Col. Tricot explained. Most of the CAS missions were flown at night “because that’s when the ground troops preferred to advance,” he added. “We provided top cover for the paratroop drop at night when Timbuktu was retaken on January 26/27, with two aircraft on station at any one time,” Lt. Col. Tricot said. “Everyone was surprised at how quickly we launched that operation, and the subsequent one to retake Gao. It was planned and executed in 48 hours,” he continued. The GPS-guided version of the AASM proved particularly
FRENCH AIR FORCE
Rafale proven in combat again over Mali
On January 11 this year, as part of Operation Serval, its ongoing mission in Mali, France quickly responded to that country’s call for help in preventing the advance of Islamic militants from their northern strongholds toward the populated south of the country and its capital, Bamako. Some 4,000 French soldiers and airmen successfully turned the tide, pushing the rebels back to their mountain strongholds in the north, and then attacking them there with the help of the reviving Mali army. French soldiers are still there, helping retrain the country’s armed forces as part of a European Union mission. The first airstrikes were performed by French air force Mirage 2000Ds that were on deployment in Chad. They hit rebel targets at Diabalie and Konna. Six of these aircraft subsequently flew AI and CAS missions from the Mali capital, Bamako, using laser-guided GBU-12 and dual-mode (laser/GPS-guided) GBU-49 bombs. The FAF’s soon-to-be-retired Mirage F1Cs were also in action, a pair of them providing armed photo-reconnaissance missions from N’Djamena. Gazelle, Puma and Tiger HAP helicopters were airlifted to the theater to provide armed reconnaissance and combat search-and-rescue capability. AMX10 armored fighting vehicles followed. The FAF transport fleet comprised two C-130s, three C160s and six CN235s, supplemented by airlifters from other nations (see below). Five French C-135FR tankers and an E-3F AWACS were also deployed. French government A340 and A310 airliners ferried troops to the region, and Falcon jets evacuated the wounded. Full-motion video (FMV) coverage of Mali was provided by two EADS Harfang (IAI Heron) MALE UAVs operating from an undisclosed location, and a French Navy ATL2 more usually employed on maritime patrol duties. Satellite imagery was used extensively, notably from the French-sponsored Helios and Pleiades systems. The entire air operation was run from a command center in Lyon staffed by 30 French officers plus a few more from Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the UK, supplemented by a Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in N’Djamena. – C.P.
useful when mission planners called for multiple targets to be hit in quick succession, to preserve surprise. “A Rafale can multi-fire the AASM quickly, and we launched 12 from two aircraft within a minute on one mission. They hit targets dispersed over a wide area–munitions storage areas, training camps, and a headquarters,” said Lt. Col. Tricot. On that mission in early February, another two Rafales were standing by armed with GBU-12s, so that if any target was not destroyed, it could be re-attacked using the laser-guided weapon. The new, laser-guided version
Continued on page 24 u
www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 21
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of the AASM was not yet available to the Rafale squadrons. Although the IR-guided AASM was available, it was not used over Mali. The Rafale can also now carry the longer-range
500-pound GBU-22 and larger 2,000-pound GBU-24 laserguided bombs, but pilots had not yet been qualified on these weapons when the Mali intervention was launched. The dual-mode (GPS plus laser guidance) 500pound GBU-49 is also available on the Rafale. Lt. Col. Tricot noted that the availability rate of the Rafales
was over 90 percent, despite the tough deployed conditions. Pilots flew every second day. Missions against known targets took about two hours to plan, using the Sagem SLPRM system. “But debriefing could take up to five hours,” he noted. Tricot said “hot” intelligence from the Rafale missions was sent directly to deployed ground
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Rafale proven in combat again
After pushing back the rebels from populated areas, 1,400 French paratroops and 1,500 Malian army soldiers, moved into the northern mountains to attack their sanctuaries.
units, as well as to the combined air operations center (CAOC) through normal reporting channels. Having the CAOC colocated at N’Djamena was “a great advantage,” he added. Summing up, the squadron commander said that the missions over Mali “were nothing new for us–we already performed over Libya and Afghanistan.” But, he noted, the efficiency that comes from having multirole aircraft, crews and technicians cannot currently be matched by most other warplanes. “I like to see a dirty Rafale–it’s a war machine!” he added. o
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24 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
Although Operation Serval was a French initiative, NATO allies provided some much-needed additional airlift and ISR capa bility. And the action would not have been possible without the cooperation of five countries in Francophone Africa, that provided basing rights: Chad, Djibouti, Niger, Ivory Coast and Senegal. In addition to KC-135 support from the U.S., as described above, tankers were also provided by Germany (A310), Italy (KC767) and Spain (KC-130). The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) sent a Sentinel radar reconnaissance jet that flew from Abidjan, and U.S. Air Force Reaper UAVs also provided some full-motion video coverage. The RAF and U.S. Air Force also provided C-17s for the airlift of heavy equipment from France to Africa. Two German Air Force C160 Transalls supplemented the French airlift fleet of similar aircraft, as did C-130 Hercules from Belgium, Denmark and Spain. But France also had to charter expensive Il-76, An124 and An-225 airlifters from commercial companies to meet the airlift requirements. By early March, over 8,000 tons had been dispatched, on 540 flights. –C.P.
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MSN7, the first production A400M, had flown five times by the end of May as part of its acceptance process.
2013! It’s the year of the Atlas by David Donald “It’s clear for us that this is the year of the A400M. The aircraft is ready, and it will be the reference for the next 30 years.” These were the words of Airbus Military’s Domingo UreñaRaso, speaking just prior to the Paris Air Show. The company’s irrepressible CEO had good reasons to be ebullient; with engine problems now (he hopes) consigned to history, series aircraft now flowing down the final assembly line, and the first production aircraft on the verge of being handed over to the initial customer, the A400M Atlas has reached an important milestone in what has been a long and, at times, painful journey. This year has already been a busy one for the A400M program and the pace of developments is increasing. At the end of last year the functionality and reliability tests were finally completed, with 300 flight hours achieved in five weeks. F&R tests had been interrupted by engine problems, but they have been solved and the engines are ready for entry into service (EIS), the company reports. On March 13 the A400M received its EASA type certificate, and on April 30 Airbus Military released the certificate of design. France’s First Aircraft
Having built and flown five trial aircraft (MSN1 to 4, and MSN6), Airbus Military achieved a major milestone on March 6 with the first flight of the first production machine, MSN7, which is destined for the French Armée de l’Air. Upon
the completion of production acceptance tests it was handed over to the delivery center on April 22. Since then the DGA customer acceptance process has been ongoing, with a mass of documentation to be processed. When AIN spoke to Airbus Military earlier this month, it was unsure of when the aircraft would be delivered but was expecting it to be “within a matter of days or weeks.” The target was at least to get the aircraft formally accepted in time for Bastille Day on July 14. At the same time, the second French aircraft, MSN8, was preparing for its first flight and handover to the delivery center in early July, for an expected delivery to the French air force in August. MSN9, the first A400M for Turkey, is currently in the flight clearance test phase, with an expected first flight around the end of this month. The Turkish air force hopes to take over this aircraft in September. At the beginning of June, MSN10 and 11 (for France) were both in the flight clearance phase, with MSN10 scheduled to be the fourth and last aircraft to be delivered this year. It will be the first machine delivered to SOC1 standard and is expected to fly around the end of September. MSN12 (France) was in the FAL (final assembly line), its fuselage, empennage and wings essentially complete and ready for mate-up. The wing-set for MSN13 (Turkey) was in the FAL building, having various tests applied. A further 14 machines were at
various stages of production, and long-lead items were being procured for MSNs 28 to 32. With France and Turkey scheduled to have received aircraft by the end of 2013, next year should see the UK and Germany receive their first aircraft (respectively MSN16, in September and MSN18, in November), with Malaysia following in January 2015 (MSN22). A year later Spain is scheduled to receive its first aircraft (MSN46), while
its nose inside the FAL building, where a special dock has been built to take the components straight from the transport into the assembly stations. The winggroups, made up of a center and two outer sections, are joined using laser alignment, and can then have fuel and other systems tested without being mated to the fuselage. After final assembly is complete, the aircraft is moved to the flight clearance test building for ground testing of all systems and installation of the powerplants. For certain tests the aircraft are towed out to the apron as a safety precaution–these tests cover potentially risky processes such as engine running, pressurization and radio communications, and tests of the fuel system using real fuel as opposed to inert liquids. Flight Test Campaign
France’s initial two aircraft are being delivered in the IOC (initial operating capability) standard, which enables them to undertake basic transport mis-
France’s second A400M, MSN8, began engine runs toward the end of May.
A400M Prospects
Luxembourg (MSN133) and Belgium (MSN136) are due to get their first aircraft in 2019. Production Process
From this summer the Sevilla FAL will be producing one aircraft per month (maximum capacity is three), ramping up to a rate of 2.5 per month by 2015. Apart from the horizontal tailplane, which is trucked in from the nearby Airbus facility at Tablada, all of the major assemblies for the A400M are flown into Sevilla by the Beluga outsize transport. The Airbus Military facility is unique in allowing the Beluga to park with
sions with a payload of up to 32 metric tons. The final elements of IOC clearance have been completed and ongoing flight testing is now aimed primarily at expanding the operational clearances that add greater functionality to the aircraft. The SOC1 standard is due at the end of 2013, introducing initial aerial delivery and self-defense capabilities, while SOC1.5 is scheduled for the end of 2014. This brings in full aerial delivery and self-defense capabilities, plus the ability to operate as a tanker. Tanker trials have been ongoing for nearly a year, arranged in three phases. Initial
DAVID DONALD
Airbus Military’s five-aircraft A400M “Grizzly” test fleet is busy with clearing new functionalities for the type. MSN2, on the right, carries wing-mounted refueling pods.
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trials have been aimed at flight clearance of the wing pods and fuselage refueling unit, with different hose lengths and the testing of various wing pod strakes. Compatibility with an F/A-18 Hornet has been demonstrated. In the third (ongoing) phase the A400M has begun low-speed refueling trials with a probe-equipped EC225 Cougar helicopter. It has also been trialed as a receiver, with wet contacts behind an A330 MRTT tanker, and is set for similar trials with a Transall C160 tanker in September. Other current trials include paratroop trials (using dummies) with the side door blast deflectors at varying angles and with different lengths of static line. With the enhanced vision system certified at the end of last year, A400Ms have been undertaking low-level nighttime missions with night vision goggles. Trials of the defensive aids sub-system are ongoing, with more than 500 flares having been ejected to date, while operations from grass and gravel runways have been undertaken. Other tests that are being undertaken include a range of ground loading/unloading exercises of potential cargo, and those that cover the mission management system and radar. Currently Airbus Military has contracted for 174 A400Ms from eight customers, but it hopes to achieve 400 over a 30-year period. Spain, which is currently contracted for 27, has indicated that it may reduce its buy, as has Germany (currently 53). However, Airbus Military notes that the aircraft are contracted and that such discussions do not affect the process of deliveries in the short-tomedium term. On the plus side, there are strong indications that Turkey will increase its total from the current 10, while interest has been reported from additional European air arms. There is clearly interest in the export market for what Airbus Military describes as the only airlifter that can take large loads right to the unpaved runways in the areas where they are needed. “We are in an area of the market where there is no competition,” said Rafael Tentor, senior v-p programs. “And we don’t see any in the years to come. We have at least a ten-year head-start.” Even the United States is considered a potential customer: “Why not?” asked Tentor. “There is a big gap between the C-130 and the C-17.” o
In preparation for the formal acceptance by the Armée de l’Air (AdA) of the first production A400M, Airbus Military has been working hard with its customers and suppliers to put in place a comprehensive support and training program to facilitate the A400M’s entry into service. That package is being forged largely through experience with the first customer, France, so that it can be used as a model for application to following customers. This past February France signed an 18-month customized support contract for the A400M. The initial period covers traditional integrated logistics and technical support, combined with customized features that will build ultimately into a full in-service support (FISS) package that covers all maintenance activities. While Airbus Military can undertake servicing at all levels, in France the air force has elected to perform its own line maintenance, albeit with
company support, because of the need to deploy away from the central base at Orléans. However, Airbus has established a subsidiary office at Orléans with around 25 personnel providing fleet management support and liaising with the Airbus ‘back office’ services such as technical support, MRO at the Sevilla plant, and spares ordering and distribution. Last month Airbus Military began building up the Orléans spares holding. All current customers benefit from the jointly contracted integrated logistics support element of the launch contract and are examining further FISS elements. Turkey is currently finalizing its FISS contract, which was presented in March and is based closely on the French model. Line maintenance is to be conducted at Kayseri base, with an Airbus support office of around 10 personnel. The UK is expected to sign a FISS contract before the end of this year, and Germany has issued a request for proposals.
DAVID DONALD
Preparing for the A400M
Initial A400M flight-crew training was conducted using the trials fleet at Sevilla, but now much of the training is being undertaken in the full flight simulator.
France and the UK are ultimately aiming for a joint servicing and spares contract, and it is possible that other European customers, such as Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain, will join to create cost savings through a common spares pool. However, Airbus Military recognizes that some nations, such as Turkey, may wish to maintain their own spares holding. Alongside the establishment of a servicing support network, Airbus Military is establishing a training network based on its international training center (ITC) at Sevilla, and national training centers (NTC) in the
customer countries. Training of customer crews got under way on January 28 this year, and by the end of May 15 pilots, 10 loadmasters and 70 groundcrew had been trained. While initial crews came from France, training has now started for Turkish, German and UK crews. At the Sevilla ITC Airbus Military now has a full training suite, with the recent addition of its cargo hold trainer. The course is designed to minimize use of the aircraft, and proceeds from computer-based training, to flat-panel flight training devices and full flight simulators (FFS). Loadmasters are instructed on a loadmaster workstation trainer
and the cargo hold trainer. The aircrew type rating course, typically lasting three months, is similar to that for an airliner, comprising four weeks in ground school and around 72 hours in the simulator (as a twoperson crew) before check rides in the actual aircraft, for a total of 80 hours. For the initial crews the instruction has all been performed in the real aircraft, as the ITC’s FFS was not ready. It was scheduled to go ‘live’ just prior to the Paris show. France’s NTC is nearing completion, and aims to be ready by September. A training service contract with the UK was signed in February covering the installation and operation of a UK training center at RAF Brize Norton, which is scheduled to begin operation next March. Both sites will have two FFSs, along with a suite of other aids, and both air forces will handle their own tactical training requirements. Airbus Military flight crew will be on hand to assist with initial operations. Germany has yet to confirm its requirements for the Wunstorf NTC, and an RFP is expected later this year. –D.D.
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R-R projects Trent XWB-97 service entry in mid-2017 by Ian Goold Orders from Singapore Airlines covering up to 50 additional Rolls-Royce (R-R) Trent XWB-engined A350-900s boosted Airbus as it made final preparations late last month for the new airliner’s first flight. The Asian carrier has booked
30 examples and taken options on 20 more (convertible to larger A350-1000s), increasing the total number of A350-900s it has ordered to 70. The Trent XWB, the only engine powering the A350-900 and the exclusive Following manufacture of 12 development Trent XWBs, Rolls-Royce had built at least six preproduction units for the Airbus A350 by the beginning of June.
propulsion unit for the larger A350-1000, is the fastest-selling of the six Trent-family models with more than 1,300 sold to 35 customers, said R-R. Having logged about 20 hours’ running before delivery, two very early Trent XWB preproduction engines (serial numbers 21002 and 21003) were fitted to the first A350 and were expected to be run for another “couple of hours” before the maiden flight, according to Trent XWB program manager Chris Young. Following manufacture of 12 development units, R-R built at least six (of up to 18) preproduction Trent XWBs, with four more in manufacture, by the beginning of June. Last month, the engine-maker was preparing to test a more-powerful 97,000-pound-thrust XWB-97 variant in a technology-demonstration program set to continue through 2013, ahead of a formal run in about 12 months. R-R has achieved about 106,000 pounds thrust with a basic core and the XWB-97 is “on track” to enter service powering the A350-1000 in mid-2017, after initial A380 flying-testbed (FTB) work a year earlier. Trent XWBs will power the 8,500-nmrange, 270-seat A350 Series 800; the 8,100nm-range, 310-seat Series 900; the Series 900F cargo variant; and the planned longer-haul Series 900R, with some 1,200 R-R engineers engaged on the XWB program. The engine’s 118-inch-diameter fan is the largest so far introduced by the manufacturer, which received European Aviation Safety Agency certification for the 75,000-pound-thrust Trent XWB-75, 79,000-pound-thrust -79 and -79B (A350800) and 84,000-pound-thrust -84 (A350900) models four months ago. The engine sports a two-stage intermediate-pressure turbine with “advanced” blade-tip clearance control, the company said, adding that “very encouraging” results from FTB and ground trials mean it is “on track” to achieve targeted fuel-consumption (fuel/pound of delivered thrust). R-R is accelerating engine testing in efforts to establish maturity and production. Civil large engines strategy and futureprograms executive v-p Simon Carlisle said R-R has achieved a 16-percent efficiency gain in more than 50 million flying hours, demonstrating continuous performance improvements since the original 1970s’ RB211 three-shaft powerplant designed for the Lockheed TriStar. After 18 years of
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operation, Trent engines power 50 percent of next-generation widebodies and record about eight million flying hours a year. In developing the Trent XWB-97, R-R has been encouraged by simulated altitude-chamber work with the XWB-84 that provided very-high-flow fan conditions, allowed the manufacturer to understand the requirements of the larger powerplant for the A350-1000. Since baseline Trent XWB tests showed better-than-expected fuel burn with greater efficiency and surge margin, R-R has traded that leeway for fuel consumption on the larger XWB-97. Originally planned at 93,000 pounds, the additional power has been obtained via a 6-percent increase in fan flow, combined with a slight change in bypass ratio and aerodynamic improvements in the larger core that increases flow. Advanced Technologies
R-R says the XWB-97 turbine benefits from its use of advanced coatings and cooling technology, blade tip-clearance control (reducing “leakage”) and improved materials. An enhanced combustor is claimed to provide a 20-percent margin over CAEP 6 nitrous-oxide standards, with noise levels put at QC1 arrivals and QC2 departure limits. Depending on Airbus’s development of the A350, the XWB-97 could be improved through “technology insertion.” The company claims a preliminary design review early this year showed the XWB-97 could use 80 percent of Trent XWB-84 line-replaceable units–effectively most items of equipment except fuel-metering units and more powerful pumps. All ground-support equipment and tooling is common as are “externals and consumables.” Earlier this year, R-R started partmanufacturing trials and had made the shroud-less high-pressure (HP) turbine module Trent XWB-97 demonstrator engine and was readying fabrication of the intermediate-compressor stator section and HP compressor rear drum. Although R-R has been “investing in the technology for years,” its use of composites for Trent XWB fan blades (rather than titanium, as on the Trent 700) is an evolution, said Carlisle. Such material provides “significant” weight savings–“700 pounds per blade set”–and allows broader design architecture for the rear fan case (the front case is titanium). o
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PurePower GTF sees P&W regain its crown by Gregory Polek Pratt & Whitney CEO David Hess doesn’t spend time lamenting his company’s decision to forgo a bid for a place on Boeing’s proposed 777X. In fact, during a recent interview with AIN at his company’s campus in West Palm Beach, Florida, Hess expressed not an inkling of regret, evidently taking comfort in the narrowbody market’s virtually unequivocal acceptance of his company’s geared turbofan platform. “Our plate’s pretty full right now,” said Hess. “We’ve got five new development programs and we want to make sure that we execute them perfectly and don’t overstretch ourselves right now.” Hess said he sees a few years of “tough sledding” as the company launches production and eventually enacts rate hikes, while it waits until the end of the decade to reap any returns from aftermarket activity. Happily for the CEO, the company (Chalet A330) appears to have built a solid foundation on which to reap those rewards. Having won positions on the Bombardier CSeries, Mitsubishi MRJ, Airbus A320neo, Irkut MC-21 and, most recently, Embraer’s planned second generation of E-Jets, the PurePower
geared turbofan (GTF) family has completely revived a company that a decade ago became better known for the well-documented missteps associated with the PW6000 than an organization steeped in any history of producing “dependable engines,” as it was. Although at the time Hess served as CEO of fellow United Technologies subsidiary Hamilton Sundstrand, he could see as well as anyone the depths to which the company’s commercial aircraft engine business had sunk. “It was a train wreck quite honestly,” Hess said. “But it was also a significant emotional event for Pratt and a great learning experience.” Hess explained that the experience moved the company to completely revamp its engineering “process” to ensure a level of technological readiness in the geared turbofan not seen in the case of the PW6000, for example. “They established a very rigorous process for developing and introducing innovation and new technology,” he said. “And they’ve stuck to that discipline and that rigor over the last ten years, as they’ve brought forward that technology.” The transformation started with a commitment to “upfront” investment in the now 20-year-old concept that became known as the geared turbofan. In all, the company has spent some $1 billion on research and development but, perhaps more significantly, “hundreds of Pratt & Whitney CEO David Hess, left, leads a company whose fortunes have turned with a re-dedication to an engineering culture fostered by the company’s next-generation product family vice-president, Bob Saia.
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The PW1500G, due to fly on the Bombardier CSeries this year, saw 4,000 hours of testing before gaining Transport Canada certification in February.
millions of dollars” in the five years leading up to the demonstrator’s first flight on an Airbus A340 testbed in 2008. “So we changed the engineering process and in some cases we changed people,” explained Hess. “And we invested more money earlier in the program than we had done historically, rather than do it once the development program is launched...We developed the technology first, offered it to the marketplace, and then did product development. So it really was a fundamental change in the process.” Bob Saia, a long-time Pratt & Whitney executive and nextgeneration product family vicepresident, could attest to the change as much as anyone. Saia explained that not only has Pratt returned to ensuring thorough product maturity before launch, it has adopted more robust engineering discipline in terms of evaluating risk and design readiness. In around 2003-2004 it implemented what Saia called a “gated-process model” that ensures it doesn’t reach for too much technology too early in a program’s development. Pratt & Whitney now uses nine technology readiness levels– a system pioneered by NASA– through which a program must pass before reaching maturity. “[Technology readiness level] one is a gleam in an engineer’s eye, [and it goes] up to nine, being ‘we have done this on multiple programs, multiple products, it’s an industry standard,’” said Saia. “Technology readiness level six is what the industry has defined as the level required to say you understand the technology [and] you understand the technology in the environment it’s going to be used, in the product that you’re developing,” he continued. “So
a key criteria we have taken is before we start detailed design on a product [we] have all technologies to TRL-six.” In the case of the GTF, the program reached TRL 4–the phase in which engineers perform validations at the part level–in early 2007. It arrived at TRL 5–the phase in which whole subsystems, such as a gearbox, undergo testing in a laboratory– in the third quarter of 2007. The program reached TRL 6– the point at which subsystems undergo testing in an engine at the operating characteristics they will encounter in service–when Pratt ran the fan-drive gear system on a 747SP in July 2008. PW1200G On Target
The company detailed the engine that is due to fly on the CSeries (by the middle of this year) in September 2010. That engine, designated the PW1500G, saw 4,000 hours of testing before gaining Transport Canada certification in February. Next year, Pratt expects to certify what Saia described as the PW1500G’s little sister, the Mitsubishi MRJ’s PW1200G. After running four PW1200Gs for about 1,600 hours by December 2012, Pratt began incorporating certification test “learnings” from the CSeries engine, while Mitsubishi caught up with development of the delayed MRJ airframe. Pratt expects to start certification testing with the fifth PW1200G at the start of this year’s third quarter, in time for expected regulatory approval roughly a year later. Meanwhile, the engine designed for the A320neo, although significantly larger and built with a different core, will also benefit from Pratt’s experience with the PW1500G.
Saia recounted a problem encountered during testing of the CSeries engine involving a seal meant to prevent hot gas from raising the temperature within an oil cavity. Of course, engineers changed the seal design and adopted it in the other engines. Now deep into testing of the neo’s PW1100G, Pratt has built four examples of that variant and, according to Saia, all remains on course for scheduled certification in the third quarter of next year. The first engine–a performance test article–had accumulated some 125 hours on a stand in West Palm Beach, Florida, before it went to Mirabel, Canada, in late April for installation on one of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s pair of Boeing 747SP test beds. There, it is undergoing flight trials while the second engine continues fan and low-pressure compressor and turbine tests. The third engine undertook icing tests in Thompson, Manitoba, in April, before embarking on endurance trials. The fourth engine, designated to perform combustor and high-pressure compressor and turbine testing, was due to begin running last month [May]. Pratt plans to use eight test articles in all, and dedicate the fifth through eighth to what Saia called “detailed c ertification tests.” Using a single engine core and architecture for the entire neo family, Pratt & Whitney “optimized” the basic PW1100G for a thrust range between 27,000 pounds for the A320 and 33,000 pounds for the A321, Saia explained. Although the company plans to de-rate the engine for the A319, all will offer virtually the same 16-percent fuel burn improvement and at least 20 percent operating cost benefits over existing-generation engines. o
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More funds and tests for Irkut MC-21 by Vladimir Karnozov The Russian government is seeking to put in place measures to boost the export prospects of the Irkut-led MC-21 nextgeneration narrowbody jetliner, which is now scheduled to have its maiden flight in 2015, certification in 2017 and availability to airlines in worthwhile numbers from 2020 onward. The program’s development and production preparation budget is 190 billion Roubles [$6 billion], of which the government has agreed to provide RUB 70 billion (40 percent). However, on the eve of the Paris Air Show, the Kremlin indicated that an increase in the government share up to 69 percent is being considered. The remainder is to be covered by Irkut’s own funds (15 percent)
and funding raised on the commercial market (26 percent). To ensure the latter part, the manufacturer is negotiating with the nation’s largest Savings Bank for a $1 billion, 10-year credit line. The MC-21 is expected to generate cash for airline operators starting in 2019. This gives the Russian government a reason to plan for the gradual withdrawal of the now-active “temporary import rules” staring in 2020: from that moment the local airlines will no longer enjoy tax-free import of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family aircraft with seating capacity similar to that of the MC-21. Local airlines are likely to be given another five years to operate foreign aircraft types, acquired previously, without
Sunaero offers faster windshield replacement Curing the sealant that holds aircraft windshields in their frames can take up to 48 hours, according Lyon, France-based Sunaero (Hall 2B Stand C140-158). This can result in maintenance specialists and their airline customers releasing aircraft back to service before sealant is fully cured. While maintenance standards allow such an early release of the aircraft and safety is not at stake, sometimes the windshield has to be sealed again after the next landing, said Fabrice Parodi, Sunaero’s sales and marketing director. Sunero offers a solution: a process for curing (or polymerizing) sealant in about 30 minutes, instead of the usual three to 48 hours. This Windshield Rapid Curing System (WRCS), uses a wide-spectrum, farinfrared beam of low-temperature electromagnetic radiation to cure the sealant. The system is available for the Airbus A320, A330/A340, Boeing 737 and ATR 42/72. The WRCS 28V-DC thermoreactor emitters are mounted on frames that the company has designed to fit each aircraft model’s particular windshield geometry. This allows the system to maintain a low curing temperature, which avoids any risk of damage to neighboring components, Parodi said. The sealant is cured from the inside. Sunaero claims this prevents faults, such as micro bubbling and incomplete curing. Using a temperature probe, the WRCS control panel regulates the maximum temperature and automatically stops the equipment after the sealant is fully cured. The WRCS frame can be set up on an aircraft “within seconds,” said Parodi. A vacuum system and an array of active suction pads keeps the frame in place during the curing process. –T.D.
Sunaero offers a new, quicker curing process for windshield replacement seals.
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paying import taxes. The government also said that it is ready to provide “strong support” for the MC-21 to help the manufacturer commence series production of the MC-21-300 baseline version (160 seats) and MC-21200 shrink (130) in 2017. Today, Russia’s commercial jetliner fleet is a mix of some 500 imported and 153 indigenous jets, with its total strength expected to rise up to a thousand jetliners by 2020.
countries acquire Russian products under hire purchase with sovereign guarantees, the Kremlin is also working with Russia’s large banks to form attractive financial packages for airline customers in foreign countries. According to Manturov, this year’s injections of cash into the project total RUB12.4 billion. Being the largest investor in the MC-21, the Kremlin is urging the manufacturer to “increase
The Irkut MC-21 narrowbody jet is expected to make its first flight in 2015, followed by certification in 2017 and deliveries in 2020. The Russian government is targeting it for export.
Russia’s minister for industry and trade, Denis Manturov, said recently that customer-wise, the MC-21 program has shifted focus from foreign to domestic buyers. This is because Malaysia’s Crecom Burj Resources Ltd., which was initially set to act as launch customer for the new jet, has not firmed up its preliminary order for 50 MC-21s announced at the 2010 Farnborough Airshow. At the same time, Russian lessor Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC) has firmed up an order for 50 MC21-300s, dated August 2011, as it paid a $2 million nonrefundable deposit. The manufacturer claims it has received commitments for over 250 MC-21s–and Irkut president Oleg Demchenko insists that 185 of those are firm orders. The largest buyer is Avia capital Service (ACS), an aircraft leasing arm of the Russian Technologies state corporation. It has signed for 85 MC-21s, and plans to place them with Aeroflot and airlines associated with the national flag carrier. Having effectively lost Crecom (although it retains its soft order), the MC-21 does not have foreign buyers. To ensure the airplane gets some, however, the Russian government is considering ways to promote foreign sales through structuring attractive financial packages for overseas buyers. In addition to laws already in place which are aimed at encouraging hightech inward investment, which makes it possible to foreign
localization” of the type production, “to have a much larger domestic content than that in the [Sukhoi] Superjet [100],” as the minister put it. Manturov admitted that there are high technological risks embedded in the MC-21 project, but that these are worth taking in order to see Russia taking a leading position in the development of critical jetliner technologies, and by doing so attaining competitiveness in the global civil aviation market. Composites
The main gamble centers on composite materials. Irkut’s parent, United Aircraft Corp. (UAC), is busily erecting modern manufacturing facilities for the AeroComposite company, which will have two modern plants–in Kazan and Ulianovsk–completed next year. These will produce composite parts for MC-21 wings, empennage and fuselage, using advanced technologies such as vacuum infusion (instead of baking in large autoclaves) and automatic laying of dry fiber threads. Assembly of the first full-sized “black wing” for the MC-21 is scheduled for 2014, according to UAC president Mikhail Pogosyan. In June 2012 Irkut signed a “final agreement” with P&W on the use of PW1400G engines as the MC-21’s “factory standard” powerplants. Although airline customers still retain the right to select Russia’s United
Engine Corp. PD-14 engine as an alternative, the latter has been increasingly seen as a poor substitute to the PW1400G for governmental users such as the defense ministry. The MC-21-300 has emerged as the factory standard with an 85-percent share in Irkut’s (claimed) portfolio of orders. Authorization-to-offer is still valid for the MC-21-200 shrink, whereas sales of the MC-21-400 stretch are not open, leading to speculations that this version might never come into existence. Last year the MC-21-300 entered a phase where airframe specimens were being manufactured for testing. The fuselage middle section, manufactured in Irkutsk, was airlifted to Zhukovsky for testing at TsAGI, Russia’s Central Aerohydroynamics Institute. TsAGI has reported the completion of tests on MC-21 scaled models in the T-104 wind tunnel. These set out to determine the influence of engine hot gases on the leading and trailing edges of the wing in takeoff, landing and clean configurations in the area of wing-fuselage attachment, as well as to study the elevator’s aerodynamic performance with wing-in-ground-effect conditions. Wind tunnel data should enable MC-21 designers to carry out a more accurate stress analysis, and improve aircraft handling qualities, while ensuring flight safety, reducing fuel burn and firming up actuator specifications. TsAGI has at its disposal four scaled specimens of the MC-21 wing box manufactured by Austrian firms Diamond and Fisher under contact with AeroComposite. Two of these developed cracks following excessive loads during tests. TsAGI is working on technologies for repairing force-bearing composite parts, while climatic testing is due to commence on the latest wing box specimen soon. A full-scale wing box is to be manufactured in 2015 and subsequently subjected to comprehensive testing. The first composite empennage set is expected in 2014. Most recently completed is the fuselage tail section, which is now in the Latvian capital city of Riga where it is being subjected to continuous tests lasting for several years at a stand capable of high air pressure. While there, the tail section will undergo 300,000 five-minute pattern tests, each emulating one flight cycle, in order to guarantee the section can withstand 60,000 flight hours in service–the MC-21’s guaranteed lifetime. o
Embraer Super Tucano flexes market muscles Embraer (Chalet B387) is showing a Super Tucano in the static park here for the first time. “This aircraft has a great future; air forces from all over the world have been asking us about it since we won the U.S. Air Force competition,” Embraer Defense and Security CEO Luiz Carlos Aguiar told AIN. Also here at Paris, Aguiar is promising a new announcement about the KC-390, the Brazilian design that could be a serious competitor in the future market for airlifters. The Super Tucano at the Paris Air Show belongs to the air force of Mauritania, which took delivery last October. It is one of 10 air arms now flying the upgraded turboprop, which can perform a variety of missions, from light attack, to border surveillance to advanced pilot training. More than 160 have now been delivered, including a large
number to the Brazilian air force, which drove the design. Embraer boasts that more than 130 weapons configurations are available, including 70mm rocket launchers, air-to-air missiles and laserguided bombs, totally integrated into the aircraft’s mission system, with a laser designator. The aircraft was finally confirmed for the much-contested and litigated U.S. light air support (LAS) requirement in March. The initial contract is worth $427.5 million to Embraer and its American partner Sierra Nevada, including 20 aircraft that the U.S. will provide to Afghanistan. But Aguiar noted that the IDIQ-type contract (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity) is worth up to $950 million in total. He told AIN that he did not know when the Pentagon would offer the aircraft to other countries as part of the Building Partnership
Boeing ramps up hopes in latest 20-year survey by Gregory Polek
GREGORY POLEK
Boeing’s projection for more accounting for more than the than 35,000 new airplanes over entire difference between this the next 20 years suggests a year’s outlook and last year’s doubling of the size of today’s report. Boeing now sees the airliner fleet and a continuing segment covering 90- to 230 trend in which increases in air- seats generating a demand over line traffic outpace economic 20 years for 24,670 airplanes growth. The outlook appears to worth $2.29 trillion. That value reflect a growing confidence in actually represents a disprothe fidelity of the positive mar- portionate increase over Boeket indicators the company cited ing’s unit projections because, in its 2012 forecast, prompt- as Tinseth explained, a trend toward capacity ing the company to “upgauging” will increase its projecresult in the sale of tion for total airsomewhat larger, planes by more than more expensive air1,000 units and value planes in the narrowby some 7 percent. body category. Boeing Commercial In the widebody Airplanes vice pressegment, which Boeing ident of marketing for the first time Randy Tinseth gave divided into three cata presentation on the egories, the company’s forecast last Tuesday Randy Tinseth, Boeing v-p outlook moderated in Paris. of marketing, said sales particuDemand trends over the next 20 years will somewhat, larly compared with its showing continuing be better than expected. forecast for airplanes vigorous growth in emerging and low-fare markets in the size category of its 737 have convinced Boeing (Chalet Max. Last year Boeing saw total A324) to raise its projection for demand for what it then called the single-aisle market by 1,430 twin-aisle and large airliners for airplanes in this year’s outlook, 8,740 units; this year’s projection
MARK WAGNER
by Chris Pocock
The Super Tucano is here at the Paris Air Show for the first time. This one belongs to the Mauritanian air force.
Capacity scheme. “I expect they will wait for us to deliver the initial batch first,” he said. To that end, the Embraer factory in Jacksonville, Florida, where the aircraft will be assembled “is already up-and-running,” he added. “We will deliver the first one in June next year.” The KC-390 was similarly designed to Brazilian air force specifications, but could appeal widely as a C-130 or An-12/24/26/32 replacement. Aguiar reckons the aircraft could get 15 percent of in the equivalent category, now classified as small, medium-size and large widebodies, calls for a lower demand of 8,590 airplanes, albeit at a slightly higher value. “The twin-aisle market is relatively flat because that’s where we’re going to see, again, additional upgauging,” said Tinseth. “The big segment– the 400-seat [category]–is down about 4 percent. And that is just a reflection of what we’ve seen over the last decade and really where we see demand for big, big airplanes.” Geographically, the AsiaPacific region still accounts for more than a third of the 20-year demand forecast by Boeing. Again, this year’s forecast calls for nearly as much demand in the Asia-Pacific region as from Europe and North America combined. Boeing also appears more bullish than ever on Latin America and the Middle East, according to the forecast. In 2012, Boeing projected a 20-year demand for 2,510 and 2,370 airplanes for those markets, respectively. This year’s forecast shows demand for 2,900 and 2,610 airplanes in those respective regions. o
the market, which is for 723 aircraft in 77 countries. He admitted that competing aircraft came from countries with more geopolitical clout. “Therefore we have to be competitive on price, which will be attractive,” he said. The all-new, twin-turbofan design will offer lower maintenance and lifecycle costs than other airlifters, he believes. Of course, it helps that Brazil is providing 95 percent of the non-recurring costs to develop the KC-390, estimated at $2.2
billion. But Embraer has gathered an interesting group of industrial partners in countries that have a collective requirement for 32 new airlifters. They are Argentina (six); Chile (six), Colombia (12); Czech Republic (six) and Portugal (two). In the latter country, Embraer now owns 65 percent of MRO provider OGMA. The KC-390 preliminary design review was completed last August, and Embraer is now fabricating the first two prototypes. o An unnamed customer is set to accept the first helistat-based surveillance radar system from Israel’s IAI. It is said to be able to pick out a submarine’s periscope.
IAI radar suite near ready Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI, Chalet A206) is in the final stages of delivering a persistent surveillance radar system that is mounted on a tethered aerostat platform. The customer has not been revealed by IAI. The radar is based on IAI ELTA’s ELM2022A multimode radar and provides a range of surveillance capabilities. It can automatically detect and track maritime targets down to periscope size in high-density environments and high sea states. The system also tracks airborne targets, including low-flying UAVs, while a groundmoving target indication mode allows it to track land targets. Combining air, sea and land capabilities makes the new radar one of the first multi-role aerostat systems to become operational. The radar is part of a
system that also integrates an electro-optical/infrared sensor. IAI’s ELTA division has already supplied aerostat-mounted air surveillance radars to India. ELM-2022 radars are also being supplied to two foreign customers for airborne maritime patrol duties. The combined worth of the contracts is $32 million. The radar has proved to be popular, and 250 systems are in service with more than 25 countries. The ELM-2022 has been installed in the Airbus Military CN235 and C295, Bombardier Dash 8, Dornier Do 228 and Lockheed Martin P-3. It has also been integrated with the IAI Heron UAV, Eurocopter AS365 Panther and, as the APY-11, the HC-130J Hercules aircraft operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. –D.D.
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Le Bourget’s main hall reopens as art deco icon by Thierry Dubois On June 3 the Air and Space Museum, located here in the historical buildings of the former Le Bourget airport passenger terminal, held the grand opening of the restored “Salle des Huit Colonnes” (“Hall of the Eight Pillars”) in art deco style– the spectacular heart of the 1,100-foot-long building. The restoration is part of a €25 million ($32 million) project encompassing the institution’s entire premises. Show-goers can visit the museum free this week. The “Salle des Huit Colonnes” was restored thanks to historic photos–it was designed by architect Georges Labro for the 1937 Universal Exhibition. It features a checkered black and white floor and a domed glass roof. Swiss watch manufacturer Bell & Ross has sponsored the re-installation of a monumental clock, where each of the twelve points on the dial is a smaller clock indicating a time zone. At press time, two aircraft
were still to be displayed in the gallery. A Morane G, similar to the one Roland Garros flew when it crossed the Mediterranean Sea in 1913, was to neighbor a Blériot XI-2 “Looping.” Adolpe Pégoud performed the first loop ever on the latter type. The hall is eventually to become the museum’s entrance area. It used to be the main hall of the terminal, welcoming both departing and arriving passengers. Le Bourget was a commercial aviation airport from the 1930s to the 1970s. Paris Orly and then Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airports replaced it. Le Bourget began to be seen as old-fashioned. This is when the museum started to be able to take over unused buildings. “At the time, nobody was realizing how valuable they were,” managing director Catherine Maunoury told AIN. Some of its most beautiful architectural art, such as the glass roofs, were hidden. This conception
The art deco “Salle des Huit Colonnes” (Hall of the Eight Pillars) used to be the main hall of Le Bourget airport’s passenger terminal and will eventually house the Museum’s front desk.
has changed and visitors are increasingly seeing the improvement first hand. Moreover, “the Museum benefits from a location that is a great combination–it is historic, as the military began using it as an airfield during World War I and Charles Lindbergh landed here after his transatlantic flight in 1927, it is the venue for the world’s largest air show and it is Europe’s number-one business aviation airport,” Maunoury went on. Maunoury likens the June 3 inauguration to both an arrival and a departure. These two words (arrivée and départ in French) are being displayed again in 1930s-style letters on the terminal’s walls. Indeed, the
“Salle des Huit Colonnes” is the first achievement in a relatively long project. The next steps in the project are the façades, both on the runway side–where the façade evokes an ocean liner– and the town’s side, where the clean lines rather remind of an airplane. The rest of the terminal’s interior will be restored, too. The end of the works is planned for 2015. In fact, the actual starting point of the restoration project was the Paris Air Show in 2011. Then, Gérard Longuet, who was the French minister of defense, paid a visit as the authority in charge of the museum. “Before he came, he was rather ready to tell us we had too many aircraft
Star Safire hi-def cams mean ‘no compromises’ PHOTOS: FLIR SYSTEMS
by Charles Alcock
Flir Systems’ Star Safire high definition camera was used to search for survivors following last year’s shipwreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner.
The new Star Safire 380-HDc high definition camera system is part of a new family of products from Flir Systems that uses the same mounting hardware and cabling, making it more flexible for installation on aircraft and with less weight.
34 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
Flir Systems (Chalet C2) is introducing its new Star Safire family of high-definition cameras that it says will mean operators no longer having to compromise on performance because their aircraft cannot carry larger, heavier equipment. The new range of camera gimbals use common mounting hardware and cabling and, according to the U.S. manufacturer, weigh barely half of other systems (less than 50 pounds versus around 100 pounds). Certifying camera systems on helicopters is a significant challenge and the weight and dimensions of the mounting systems is generally the main issue, explained Flir’s communications v-p, David Strong. The new large-aperture Star Safire gimbals have about the same overall diameter as existing large, high-performance units (typically around 15 to 16 inches), but it is only 14 inches in height and weighs much less due to its simplified hardware. “We’ve changed the geometry so that the new systems gives better performance than
[current] large systems and still have all the benefits of smaller systems [in terms of weight and ease of installation],” Strong told AIN. “Until now many helicopters have not been able to carry the most advanced camera systems and a lot of operators have had to compromise on aperture size and performance. Our game-changing solution ends this inherent trade off.” The Star Safire family encompasses an array of high-definition cameras, including infrared TV, low-light TV, color daylight TV and short-wave infrared, as well as laser pointers and rangefinders. Flir also can offer specific units of particular markets, such as Europe, so as to avoid issues with U.S. ITAR restrictions on exporting defense technology. In addition to reducing weight and packaging, Flir has also reengineered the camera optics. “We make everything in these systems and so we can tailor every part for size and how they fit together; we’re not buying off-theshelf,” explained Strong. Because
but when he saw the site, he changed his mind,” Maunoury recalled. This was how a €20 million ($26 million) grant was awarded. Since then, current minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has expressed continued support. An additional €5 million ($6.5 million) came from Gifas, the French aerospace industry lobbying association. The amount is being used to improve the restoration workshops in Dugny. Some 40 technicians and craftsmen perform thorough repair jobs on vintage aircraft there. Maunoury, who has been twice a world champion in aerobatics, will perform daily in the show’s flying display aboard an Extra 330SC. o the company uses entirely its own designs and technology–routinely investing 10 percent of its revenues on research and development–it can spread the cost of the different system elements (including costly items like cryocoolers) so that the product remains competitive. The new Star Safire HD cameras have already seen action in high-profile operations such as the hunt for the Boston marathon bombers. They were also used in the search for survivors following last year’s shipwreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner off the coast of Italy. “High definition cameras give a larger window on the world that allow operators to see further and see a broader area in a smaller amount of time because they give more image content,” said North. “It allows operators to do their work more safely and more covertly.” Portland, Oregon-based Flir Systems was founded by in 1978 with a mission to commercialize infrared technology that had previously only been available at high cost to the military. With the acquisition of ICX, it was able to add a wider range of detection systems. It has been helping clients with a wide-range of operational needs such as tracing oil spills to specific ships and detecting gas leaks. o
GE’s super-lean GE9X targets Stage 5 numbers by Charles Alcock Boeing’s confirmation in March that GE Aviation will provide the new GE9X engine to power its proposed 777X development marked the culmination of three years of preliminary work between the engine maker and the airframer. Their quest is to be in position to promise a 10 percent reduction in fuel burn compared with the GE90-115B engines on the existing 777-300ER. Also promised is a 5 percent improvement in specific fuel consumption over rival widebody engines by 2020. Now GE is looking to mature the various technologies that are expected to deliver on this promise as well as to lead to reduced noise and emissions. This phase of the program is expected to be complete towards the end of 2015 in order to have the first complete GE9X unit in ground tests during 2016, airborne in 2017 and certificated by 2018. In an interview ahead of this week’s Paris Air Show, Bill Millhaem, general manager of the GE90 and GE9X programs, stressed that the 10 percent cut in fuel burn will be purely derived from the improved
engine. GE expects to achieve additional improvements in efficiency through aerodynamic improvements in the new 777X twinjet, and especially from its enlarged composite wing. GE’s engineers have also focused on staying ahead of the curve on tightening noise restrictions for airliners. According to Millhaem, the new turbofan has been designed with ample margin to comply with Stage 5 and CAEP/10 limits. GE is working to be able to assure Boeing’s airline customers that they will be able to meet London Heathrow Airport’s tough quota count system of noise limits, including the QC/0.5 limit for arrivals and QC/1 for departures. At the heart of the 102,000pound-thrust GE9X engine is the new 132-inch-diameter fan (3.5 inches larger than that of the 115,000 lb-thrust GE-115B). One of its key technologies is a fourth-generation composite fan blade. Millhaem explained that the new engine’s swept, wide-chord blades will be thinner and there will be just 16 of them in the fan (compared with 22 in
the GE90-115B). GE also has incorporated the lighter composite forward fan case from the GEnx development. The rest of the GE9X architecture consists of a three-stage booster and an 11-stage highpressure compressor, with the first five stages consisting of blisks and new 3-D aerodynamics throughout. The engine’s TAPS III twin annular preswirl combustor is a major contributor to the improved fuel burn and reduced noise, as well as to an anticipated 30 percent reduction in NOx emissions. The new turbofan has a bypass ratio of 10.3: 1, with 27:1 pressure ratio and overall pressure ratio of 60:1. By comparison the GE90’s pressure ratio is 19:1 and that of the GEnx is 23:1. “If we had just taken the GEnx and scaled it up to 102,000 pounds [of thrust] we would have achieved a 5 percent improvement [in fuel burn] but we wanted to deliver more and so we had to go to additional technologies,” said Millhaem. “The challenge we have technically is that with 27:1 ratio, the temperatures and pressures coming out of the combustor will be higher than anything we’ve had before.” The change in bypass ratio alone resulted in a 2 percent improvement. Among the new technologies applied to the GE9X are ceramic matrix
Thales subsidiary TDA is flight testing its precision rockets on the Eurocopter Tiger.
France develops smarter rockets by Chris Pocock The drive for low collateral damage weapons continues, and one recent focus has been on making air-ground rockets smarter by adding seekers. The U.S. has led the way, but Europe is catching up. Rocketsan of Turkey has developed a product; and now Thales subsidiary TDA Armaments (Chalet B253) is flight-testing a metric precision rocket (French acronym RPM) on the
Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter. The development is supported by the Direction Generale de L’Armement (DGA) of the French Ministry of Defense, which is providing the helicopter and flight-test facilities at Cazaux airbase. The DGA has a wider program named Metric Precision Munition (MPM) that would also produce smart mortar, artillery and tank shells.
GE Aviation’s new GE9X engine is set to deliver significant improvements in fuel burn, emissions and noise when it enters service on Boeing’s new 777X airliner. The first high-pressure combustor unit is about to go to the company’s test facility at Massa in Italy.
composite material (CMC) in the combustor and high-pressure turbine (which also features a new powdered alloy) and enhanced titanium aluminide in the low-pressure turbine airfoils. CMC weighs about one-third of what equivalent metal parts would be to form the same task and has greater temperature capability. “The breakthrough was to take a ceramic material and give it load-accepting capability,” Millhaem explained. “It’s
According to Daniele Prophet, the MPM program manager for the DGA, the aim is to develop common, lowcost components for all these applications, including the semi-active laser guidance system; the inertial measurement unit; the electronic bloc calculator; the control actuators; and the guidance algorithms. For the moment, though, the focus is on the RPM fired from helicopters. TDA has been working on this for three years, adapting the 68mm rocket that is already in service on the Tiger. According to Matthieu Krouri, the TDA program manager, this rocket offers a unique induction technology for communicating with the launch platform. There are no wire connectors, which makes it more reliable, eliminating misfires, and also reducing maintenance and reload times. “It’s our unique selling point versus other rockets, and it’s been combat proven since 2009,” he claimed. TDA began to adapt the rocket for precision use three years ago, doing wind-tunnel, centrifuge and five-axis bench tests of the guidance kit and algorithms. It has a maximum engagement range of 20,000 feet and is designed to hit targets such as small vehicles with a circular error probable (CEP) of just one meter. “The warhead and fuze are being
almost ductile like metal so that under impact it absorbs the load without fracturing. CMC allows us to reduce the weight of the engine and supporting structures while taking less cooling air out of the engine.” Here at the Paris Air Show, GE (Hall 2A Stand C252) is displaying the GE9X’s highpressure compressor. The company has completed assembly of the first unit and will soon ship it to its test facility at Massa in Italy. o
developed under another DGA contract; the aim is that there should be no blast effect beyond 20 meters from the impact,” said Krouri. The DGA began to evaluate the rocket’s flight envelope last year, with ground-launched tests. The first firing from the Tiger took place in January, with another in April. The next step is to fire on a target that is actually designated by the crew of the helicopter; this is due to take place next month. No warheads are yet fitted. The DGA has developed a new, instrumented flight test pod that contains a radar transmitter, GPS and three high-speed cameras. It analyses the rocket’s trajectory and was described as “a real innovation” by DGA flight test manager Christophe Poret. “We’ve developed this pod as a plug-and-play device with multiple future applications,” he added. Future flight testing of the RPM will include the warhead and fuze (by 2015); an expansion of the firing envelope; and firing against mobile targets. The goal is to have the weapon in service on the Tiger in 2018. Krouri emphasized that TDA’s cooperation with the DGA will result in a fully, state-certified weapon–unlike some competing smart rockets that he mentioned. “We are not selling kits, we are selling products,” he added. o
www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 35
Helisim’s mission statement puts improved safety at the top by R. Randall Padfield More than 22,500 pilots who have trained in Helisim helicopter flight simulators since the company opened in 2000 have contributed to it reaching a 100,000hour milestone, which was celebrated by the French company just before the 2013 Paris Air Show. “The ultimate goal of Helisim is to sharply increase flight safety by incorporating the entire flight envelope of the helicopter into training in full-flight simulators,” said Patrick Bourreau, Helisim president and CEO, at the anniversary event, which was held on June 13 at the Helisim training center adjacent to Eurocopter’s main assembly facility on Marseille-Provence Airport. Bourreau warmly thanked Guy Dabadie, former Eurocopter chief test pilot, who attended the event, for his vision in establishing Helisim and called him its “founding father.” Dabadie, who retired in 2009, told AIN he felt extremely proud of all the Helisim employees who have worked so hard to make Helisim a reality and a success. Bourreau presented Jose Pizarro Junior, director of crew training for SonAir, with a large plaque signifying that the 100,000th simulator hour took place during a SonAir training session. Luanda, Angola-based SonAir operates 11 EC225s, four AS332L2s and 10 Sikorsky S-76C++s, mostly for oil and gas operations (two EC225s fly VIP operations). SonAir is one of Helisim’s biggest customers, Bourreau said, and added that none of the company’s customers account for more the 7 percent of the total business.
Helisim is a partnership of Eurocopter, Thales (both holding 45 percent) and Défense Conseil International (DCI), holding 10 percent. Jean-Baptiste Pinton, deputy CEO, explained that DCI is a private company of which the ministry of defense is a concurring shareholder and whose expertise is in the transfer of French military know-how. Not surprising, all of Helisim’s simulators are for Eurocopter helicopters and all are built by Thales. The participation of DCI in ownership of Helisim facilitates the approval of training French military operational tactics to foreign customers. Dominque Mauder, Eurocopter (Static F220) executive vice president, global business and services, said that “40 percent of the company’s turnover is in service,” which includes training. “Providing the availability of full-flight simulators to customers is a key objective of Eurocopter,” he said. “Training in full-flight simulators [primarily level D qualified] shows better efficiency than training in flight.” Indeed, several aviation authorities now approve type ratings of pilots who have trained and flight-checked solely in Helisim simulators. Eurocopter sees continued growth in this area. Helisim also provides recurrent training and mission and operational training. Operational training, also called scenario-based training using simulators, continues to become more realistic. Bourreau described one customer whose pilots typically wait for missions while on standby. When training at Helisim, the customer does not inform its pilots the
Patrick Bourreau
Guy Dabadie
Dominque Mauder
Jose Pizzaro, Jr.
Sindri Steingrimsson
Lt. Col. Huub Groothuis
36 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
Helisim operates five level D rotorcraft simulators, include one each for the AS332L1 and AS332L2 Super Pumas (and military Cougars); AS365N2 Dauphin/Panther; EC225; and EC155 civilian Eurocopter models. Company president and CEO Patrick Bourreau prefers to incorporate the entire flight envelope in training.
exact time their simulator sessions will take place, but rather has them to stay in their hotel and wait for a call to “scramble” for a mission. Bourreau said he likes to observe the training and has joined in the scenario by playing a role, such as the mayor of a municipality that has been affected by an emergency requiring helicopter support. Helisim currently operates five level D simulators, one each for the AS332L1, AS332L2 (both as civil Super Pumas or military Cougars), AS365N2 (Dauphin/Panther), EC225 and EC155. These are actually full cockpit modules, which are designed to couple with one of two motion systems designated for them in the building. A third motion system is dedicated to the NH90. A multi-cockpit level 3 flight training device completes the current complement of trainers. In the works is a level D simulator for the EC175. Conveniently, and symbolically, Helisim held the formal part of its 100,000-training-hour event in the recently completed bay for the EC175 sim. Because of space limitations on its property, this is the final expansion Helisim can make at its current location. But an interesting evolution of the NH90 training market is expected to provide space for another new Eurocopter sim. As it happens, Bourreau explained, flight training in Helisim’s NH90 is decreasing because several of its customers already have or are acquiring their own NH90 simulators and consequently decreasing the number of hours flown on Helisim’s machine. Helisim officials maintain that level D full-flight simulators are an adequate solution for increasing flight safety via training. This includes zero flight time options for type ratings and initial training for an instrument rating and air transport pilot certificate. They also consider level D sims able to accommodate the increasing complexity of aircraft systems and mission scenarios.
Also attending the celebration were a few Helisim customers who happened to be in town for training, including Sindri Steingrimsson, director of flight operations for the Icelandic Coast Guard, and Lt. Col. Huub Groothuis, Royal Netherlands Air Force. Both spoke highly of the training Helisim provides and mentioned in particular the mission-oriented training offered, including flight using nightvision goggles in different scenarios and search and rescue. Helisim’s recurrent courses include all possible emergency procedures, within flight profiles covering instrument flight rules (IFR) and mountainous terrain flying to operations at helipads, in confined areas and to offshore platforms. Twelve salaried and 36 part-time instructors provide 14,000 hours of simulation training per year for an average of 2,700 pilots. The training is scheduled 20 hours a day (the other four hours for maintenance and rolling the cockpit modules off and on the motion systems) and 350 days a year. o
AT THE BOOTHS Parker Aerospace (Hall 5 C220) has added the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engine powering the Airbus A350 XWB1000 to its portfolio of R-R applications. The U.S. manufacturer estimates business worth up to $2.2 billion will be generated during the life of the program. Parker will supply a suite of pneumatic valves, a bearing and gearbox oil pump and the hydraulic engine build-up system comprising tubes, hoses and hardware required to transfer power between the aircraft and engines. The company will provide all-inclusive customer service and support for its equipment throughout the life of the program as part of Rolls-Royce’s TotalCare support program. The first components are scheduled for delivery later this year. Initial ground testing of the Trent XWB-97 is set for 2014. v
787 fix underscores Li-ion battery challenges by Thierry Dubois As Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways and other Boeing 787 customers are returning their Dreamliners to service with battery system modification kits (see box), the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is still looking for the cause of the January 7 APU battery fire aboard a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston Logan International Airport. The situation remains paradoxical–the FAA has certified the kit, thanks to the safety barriers Boeing (Chalet A324) has added, but the NTSB is still investigating. At stake is efficient use of lithiumion batteries, a technology that brings performance and weight improvements in an era when electric systems are replacing hydraulic and pneumatic ones. So what are the benefits of lithium-ion for batteries? “These batteries have lower weight and higher voltage, 3 to 4 volts, versus 1 to 2 volts for others,” Stanley Whittingham, a professor at Binghamton University in New York, told AIN. Whittingham was speaking at a forum the NTSB organized in April, about lithium-ion batteries in transportation. He pointed out the technology is more proven than one might think. For example, BAE Systems buses have accumulated 25 million miles in the U.S. using
11 kWh Li-ion batteries. However, “although the chemistry is one that can provide very high energy density for rechargeable systems (a significant weight advantage for NASA), it is not the safest,” Judith Jeevarajan, a battery expert at NASA Johnson Space Center’s engineering directorate, stated. The January 7 fire, which sparked the grounding of the world’s entire fleet of 787s, was one of the most serious safety issues the large commercial aircraft industry has had to face in decades. “While we do not know the cause of the JAL battery fire, within a month our forensic work identified the origin of the event: short circuits in [battery] cell number six that cascaded, in a thermal runaway, to other cells,” NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said during a later hearing.
The temperature inside the battery case exceeded 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). A simple short circuit inside a battery (whether it be lithium-ion or another technology) can easily accelerate into a catastrophic event. A cell contains both a fuel and its oxidizer–chemistry that is right for explosives and rockets. The short circuit might have been caused by a dendrite, a small lithium outgrowth that can form inside a cell. It ends up piercing the polymer separator, creating a contact between the anode and the cathode–a short circuit. According to a source familiar with lithium-ion technology, repeated charges at cold temperatures, below zero degrees C, can help dendrites to form. The battery management system (BMS, or battery monitoring unit, in Boeing’s literature) is supposed to prevent charging below 0 degrees C. While industry observers have often focused on the battery itself, its materials etc., the BMS plays a key role in safety. In addition to the aforementioned task, it has to prevent overcharge. Overcharging corresponds to
787 Battery Modification Kit Reduces Performance, Adds Weight The FAA-approved Boeing service bulletin for the 787 calls for modification of the charger and battery monitoring unit to narrow the acceptable level of charge. In essence, this means lowering the maximum charge allowed and raising the minimum level of discharge allowed. In other words, it cuts the performance gain the lithium-ion technology is supposed to bring. Even worse, the additional weight of the modification kit is close to 185 lbs. A large part of it is the stainless-steel enclosure meant to isolate the unit from the rest of the equipment in the electronic equipment bays. Each of the two 787 batteries weigh 63 lbs, versus 107 lbs for one less-performing nickel-cadmium battery on the 777. –T.D.
The FAA has approved a modification kit for the Boeing 787 batteries to be practically exempt from a risk of fire.
exceeding the maximum voltage. Each cell is managed individually. While the battery is charging, if a cell builds up a higher voltage than another one (such differences can stem from the aging process or manufacturing variations), the BMS discharges it to an average level. Then, it resumes charging. Overcharging a lithium-ion cell can cause a violent exothermic reaction. The mission of the BMS is thus critical–so critical that the battery and the BMS are never really off duty. The voltage balancing function may work even though the aircraft’s master switch is in the “off” position. Designers of lithium-ion battery systems have a hard time in testing. “There are important differences between safety abuse testing, versus field failures,” Daniel Doughty, president of Albuquerque, New Mexicobased Battery Safety Consulting Inc., said at the forum. Abuse tolerance is common to all cells. On the contrary, a field failure is a one-in-ten-million matter. Moreover, in abuse tolerance testing, time constants are relatively long. In a field failure, “much higher temperatures
can occur quickly,” Doughty said. An internal short circuit has fast kinetics for heat and gas generation. A variety of events can trigger a thermal runaway. Most of them can be managed, according to Doughty. For example, the BMS manages (or rather prevents) overcharge. However, an internal short-circuit (another possible trigger) can’t. And the propagation of a thermal runaway can be managed only in a few cases. New technologies are needed to improve safety, Doughty emphasized. NASA’s Jeevarajan insisted Li-ion battery designs should have high-fidelity thermal analysis. This shows that the battery design is safe under worst-case conditions. In addition, good thermal design extends the life of the battery. Another way to progress may lie in the cathode material. West Covina, California-based battery manufacturer Concorde Battery, which had been a proponent of lead-acid technology, is now developing lithium-ion aircraft batteries. It is using “the safest chemistry so far developed for lithium-ion technology.” This features a cathode material of lithium iron phosphate which inhibits oxygen generation, one of the main causes of fire in lithium-ion batteries. The cathode is thus no longer an oxidizer for a neighboring fuel. When Japan’s GS Yuasa designed a lithium cobalt oxide cathode for the 787 in the mid-2000s, the iron phosphate alternative wasn’t well developed. Thus already safer alternatives are available. o
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www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 37
India continues with own multi-role fighter by Vladimir Karnozov Despite being involved in the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) joint program with Russia, India is developing a next-generation fighter of its own–the advanced multi-role combat aircraft (AMCA). The Indian defense ministry’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) showed a large-scale model of the AMCA at Aero India 2013 in February, in Bengaluru. The aerodynamic shape has been considerably refined in comparison to an earlier model exhibited at Aero India 2011, and even more so when compared to a model for wind-tunnel testing shown at Aero India 2009, at which time it was called the “MCA” without being “Advanced.” This provides evidence that the AMCA is being developed in parallel with the FGFA. The DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment is leading the AMCA program. Addressing the next-generation fighter issue, Air Marshall
Norman Anil Kumar Browne, the Indian air force chief of staff, declined to compare the AMCA and FGFA, but insisted that “homegrown” projects will be continued, especially in the area of mission equipment and fighter engines, since “nobody will give us these technologies.” Browne also spoke in support of the light combat aircraft Tejas, despite the continuing slow progress of this indigenous fighter project, which has been delayed by some 20 years. He said the Tejas would attain initial operational clearance (IOC) at the end of this year and would be through final operational clearance in 2015, with the rider that the air force does not expect it to fully meet specification until the advent of the Tejas Mk.2, with its entry-into-service planned for 2024. The AMCA is likely to be powered by the Kaveri motor, also developed in-country. This engine was conceived for
the Tejas, but ran slower than expected and was eventually “detached” from the airframe effort. Instead, experimental and series production Tejas aircraft received the General Electric F404 turbine engine and later will get the more advanced F414. The fact that India continues with the AMCA is an indication that New Delhi has some concerns about the FGFA. Browne hinted that because of India’s late decision to join the Russian project, the FGFA is difficult to arrange as a 50/50 program, as the baseline airframe is too advanced for that. There are also some other concerns, such as the maturity of the Russian technology in certain spheres. In particular, the prototypes constructed so far feature extensive use of metal in their airframes, reflecting the gaps and shortcomings in the modern composite technology available to Sukhoi. At the same time, the homegrown Tejas has a 43-percent share of composites in its airframe. Official information at Aero India 2013 on the AMCA was limited to a one-page leaflet with three-view drawings and key marketing terms, such as net-centric warfare, vehicle management
India is developing an advanced multi-role combat aircraft despite its involvement in the fifthgeneration fighter program.
[including weapons], data fusion, decision aids, integrated modular avionics, internal carriage of weapons, signature control with sharpening for low observability, AESA radar, IR search-and-track, supersonic persistence, high-speed weapon release and thrust vectoring. It was stated that the aircraft would be able to “swing roles” variously between long/short-range and air-to-air/ground strike. According to press reports, scientist Dr. A.K. Ghosh heads the AMCA development effort. Some observers have suggested that, unlike the FGFA, the AMCA’s primary role will be ground attack, so it will be a direct replacement for the MiG27M and the Jaguar. Also, there are reports about a “revolutionary” pilot station employing a panoramic active-matrix display (or displays) with touch-screen interface and voice commands, and a helmet-mounted sight
Aero Sekur developing floats and rafts with AW
HRD Aero Sekur, a partnership of HRD Aero Systems of California operates from its MRO base in Italy, where it repairs commercial aircraft equipment such as this airliner emergency slide. Aero Sekur is working with AgustaWestland to develop floatation and life-raft systems for the AW189 helicopter, which will be possible to use, with minor modifications, across the OEM’s entire line of helicopters.
by R. Randall Padfield Aero Sekur (Stand F294, systems have the promise of Hall 1), an Italy-based, multi- speeding up the development national company that supplies cycle because fewer items would and maintains safety equipment need to go through qualification for the aerospace and defense by civil aviation authorities. Helping to support this industries, is expanding in both development and other aspects product offerings and locations. “With AgustaWestland,” of the company is Marco Borghesi, newly appointed Aero Sekur chairchief operating officer. man Mark Butler told Based the company’s AIN, “we’re developing main manufacturing emergency floatation facility south of Rome, and external life-raft Borghesi brings experisystems for the AW189 ence from railway engihelicopter. We’re creatneering companies, ing a system that will where he also served as have as much commonCOO. He joined Aero ality as possible so that Marco Borghesi, Sekur about a year ago it can be used across the Aero Sekur COO and took over his new whole line of existing models, as well as ones devel- position in May, Butler said. Borghesi’s responsibilities will oped for the future.” The concept is to offer base include overseeing the operations systems that will need only of the company’s four main secminor adjustments to be adapted tors: airborne systems; defense to different models. “This will products; technology solutions; obviously reduce the parts count and maintenance, repair and for manufacturing, make main- overhaul (MRO) services. He will tenance easier and reduce the also work with Butler and Silcost of overhaul and repair,” vio Rossignoli, Aero Sekur preshe said. Furthermore, common ident, on future development and
38 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
replacing, rather than supplementing, a head-up display. The AMCA is likely to be an “electronically” actuated airplane rather than hydraulically operated. Instead of the digital flight-control computer, as used on the Tejas, the AMCA is to have a distributed processing system employing fast processors and smart subsystems, which can pass over and combine the processing power available in them. This requires the employment of the IEEE1394B-STD rather than MILSTD-1553B databus standard. The new airplane is also planned to have a “central computational system connected internally and externally on a fiberoptic channel via multiport connectivity switching modules.” Also mentioned are fly-bylight, electro-optic architecture with fiberoptic links for signal and data communications. o
growth of the company. Recent expansion includes the opening of Aero Sekur do Brasil in Sao Paulo earlier this year and HRD Aero Sekur in Italy becoming operational this month. Plans for Aero Sekur do Brasil, although now primarily a marketing office, include local engineering and eventually manufacturing, possibly as early as this time next year, Butler said. A separate company, Revisa Servicos Aeronauticas, also in São Paulo, is an Aero Sekur authorized repair station. Back in Italy, HRD Aero Systems, a nearly 30-year-old MRO company in Valencia, California, partnered with Aero Sekur to create HRD Aero Sekur, which is located in new premises not far from Aero Sekur’s main manufacturing base in Apilla. Employees at the
new company were undergoing training in May to bring the new facility on line this month, Butler said. “HRD Aero Sekur, which builds on Aero Sekur’s MRO capability, adds the repair of third-party commercial aircraft escape slides and slide rafts, life rafts, fire extinguishers and onboard oxygen systems.”
The Aero Sekur Group includes Aero Sekur SpA in Aprilla, Italy; Aero Sekur Ltd., Farnborough, England; Aero Sekur Inc., Parsippany, N.J.; Aero Sekur Srl, India; Sekur Sistemi Srl, India; Aero Sekur do Brasil, Sao Paulo; HRD Aero Sekur, Aprilla, Italy; and Sensichips SpA, Italy. o
IAE future bright with P&W thanks to common stakeholders by Gregory Polek Airbus’s choice of the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan on the A320neo and Rolls-Royce’s subsequent divesture in engine joint-venture IAE might have signaled to some the beginning of the end of the V2500 turbofan. But roughly a year after Pratt & Whitney announced it would take Rolls-Royce’s stake in IAE and 30 years after the consortium’s establishment, V2500 production shows no sign of abating, as deliveries of the legacy A320s it powers carry on at an all-time peak rate of 42 per month. After breaking a production record last year by building 470 engines, IAE expects to break another record this year by delivering 530, followed by more than 550 next year and in 2015. A 20-year contract with Embraer to build 20 V2500s a year for the new KC-135 military tanker/transport means a steady, if not extraordinary, volume of work for the assembly line after production of the A320ceo (current engine option) ceases in around 2018. Still, an agreement between current IAE partners Pratt & Whitney, Germany’s MTU and Japan’s JAEC to extend
their collaboration until 2045 would suggest leadership sees far more long-term value in the consortium than a casual observer might imagine. Now counting an installed base of some 5,000 engines, IAE holds a backlog for roughly another 2,000 and foresees a still untapped market for another 1,000. If one projects a 25-year lifespan for the A320ceo, the V2500 will need support until sometime around the time the contract expires. “There’s no magic in that [the contract] ends in 2045,” IAE chief executive Jon Beatty told AIN. “We just needed to move the goal posts out to a place we all felt comfortable with.” IAE’s fleet-hour aftermarket arrangement, called V-Services, now supports 60 percent of the V2500s in service and will support 80 percent of the engines under contract. Beatty stressed the value of the company’s support business because, as he noted, the aftermarket accounts for virtually all its profits. “All engine companies pretty much sell at a loss,” Beatty said. “Phrased the right way, our business model is that we don’t
IAE chief executive Jon Beatty sees a market for another 1,000 V2500s by the time production of the A320neo supplants that of the current A320 in 2018.
make money at the point of sale and that we make money in the aftermarket, which is why it’s so important to truly control it.” Aside from increasing its share in the aftermarket business associated with the V2500, Pratt’s purchase of Rolls-Royce’s share in IAE has resulted in a single point of contact for customers for the V2500-powered A320ceo and PW1100G-powered A320neo. With Rolls-Royce out of IAE, the two engine programs now share the same investors, giving the consortium what
Beatty called “incredible leverage.” “Really, when you think about it, one of the reasons United Technologies-Pratt bought Rolls’s shares is so we can have the same advantage that CFM always had on their existing programs,” explained Beatty. “CFM has always enjoyed an incumbency, in that when they show up, they’re on the 737; and now CFM is on both the neo and the ceo. So now by doing this we have the same leverage, the same incumbency, for ceos and neos.” Beatty pointed out that of the first 12 PW1100G/A320neo customers, eight now operate V2500-powered A320-family jets, including New Yorkbased JetBlue. “We just celebrated 13 years together and we’ve just sold them 40 A321neos,” he said. “So rather than have two people come in, you’re able to address any issues that they have on their existing Vs, and you’re able to wrap that into the A320neo deal and put it together with one common face.” IAE customers around the world appreciate that attribute, said Beatty. So as Airbus continues to collect joint ceo/ neo orders, IAE’s ability to package sales and aftermarket offerings not only means that the company will survive the eventual decline of V2500 production, but thrive. “What’s interesting is everybody says, ‘Oh, IAE must be winding down,’” said Beatty. “It’s amazing how different it is than that.” o
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Boeing hopes to consign 787 woes to memory
that had postponed acquisition deliberations until the manufacturer resolved the crisis. Singapore Airlines broke the commercial stalemate late last month with an order for thirty 787-10s, leaving many anticipating an industrial launch of the program during this week’s Paris Air Show. During a pre-Paris media gathering in late May at Boeing’s installations in Everett and Renton, Washington, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of marketing and business development Mike Bair noted a particular surge in interest in the proposed 290- to 330-seat Dreamliner, plans for which call for a fairly straightforward stretch of the 250- to 290-seat 787-9. “We’re out trawling the -10X; likely that airplane will launch this year,” said Bair. “We had a bit of a pause while we were playing with batteries…Nobody was interested in signing up for more airplanes while the airplanes were on the ground, but that’s behind us now. So we’re starting to get a lot of activity going on the 10X.”
BOEING
Mike Bair, v-p of marketing and business development Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Mike Sinnett, 787 chief project engineer
the first three -9s to account for anything we need to learn that we haven’t learned yet.” Sinnett explained that the delays to the 787-8 involved not only new technologies, but also new production processes, perhaps most notably those associated with carbon fiber. Although Boeing had used the material before, the production of one-piece barrels and very large wing skins presented new challenges, as did the unprecedented level of work distribution to partners around the world. When Boeing began working on the -9, it had resolved technical hitches associated with tooling and materials systems and “tweaked” the supply chain, added Sinnett, thereby removing the distractions that diverted attention away from
40 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
Final assembly of the 787-9 started on May 30 on the 787 surge line at Boeing’s widebody plant in Everett, Washington.
the company’s usual product development processes. “It really went more like clockwork,” said Sinnett. “The engineering was released either on time or ahead of time. We put together a very disciplined test plan for the labs, and the [tests] pretty much went according to plan…Because we didn’t have to invent so much new during the -9, we were able to follow a much more disciplined process, and I see that not only in the engineering design and the testing, but also in the manufacturing and how we’ve come up to rate and the quality of the assemblies as they arrive in Everett.” This year’s schedules call for delivery of “more than 60” 7878s, five of which Boeing had sent to customers between the time the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cleared the airplanes for resumption of service in late April and the end of last month. Although he expressed confidence that Boeing will meet the target, Sinnett called it a challenge. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, that’s for sure,” he said. Meanwhile, Boeing continues to meet weight loss “block points,” according to Sinnett, while it revisits efforts to increase ETOPS limits from 180 minutes to 330 minutes. Boeing hopes to gain certification for 330 minutes in time for scheduled first delivery early next year to Air New Zealand, whose original delivery guarantees called for the increased ETOPS limits. Sinnett said Boeing had demonstrated a 330-minute ETOPS diversion during certification with only one of the airplane’s six starter generators operating. Investigators traced the loss of a single generator channel in two separate incidents of power panel failures, in one case forcing a United Airlines 787 to
divert during a revenue flight. The other case occurred during a delivery flight of a Qatar Airways airplane. “The concern there may have been overstated,” said Sinnett. “It’s not something we want to see happen; it’s a reliability issue, we’ve addressed it. But from a safety perspective there were still five of the six generators [operating].” Sinnett said the failures
resulted from “an issue” in the layers of the circuit board. In response, Boeing developed a way to “screen” the panels to subject them to a lifetime of power transience to try to induce a failure. “The power panel went through that screening without any faults,” he stressed. “We have a high degree of confidence that those power panels will be good for the rest of their service life.” o
C919 to take center stage at Airshow China ’14 The 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition–known as Airshow China–will be held in Zhuhai, Guandong, Nov. 11 to 16, 2014. Started in 1996 as the Zhuhai Airshow, it has since been held biennially. It is the only international aerospace trade show in China with a flying display that is endorsed by the State Council in Beijing. The Chinese-made Comac C919 aircraft, which will ultimately compete with the 737NG and Airbus A320, is expected to take the limelight with major orders from Chinese airlines. According to recent reports, the order book stands at 380. The State Council has told Chinese airlines to support the C919. The 168-seat short- to medium-range aircraft is slated to make its first flight in 2014
with certification set for two years later. The aircraft, which is a sure bet to be on display, will be the main attraction. Almost every part of the jet, save the engine and avionics bought from GE, is being made in China. Airbus is certain to have the A380 on display. It has projected that China will need more than 200 aircraft carrying 500 or more seats in the next 20 years, and the A380 is the main aircraft in this category, although the Boeing 747-8 is now available as an alternative. For A380 market growth, Airbus is chasing 5 percent worldwide and 10 percent in China. Airshow China has been a platform for Boeing and Airbus to seal orders from Chinese carriers since 1996. Both manufacturers will be hoping for success at Zhuhai again. –W.D.
AMY LABODA
Notwithstanding the lull in sales talks during the grounding, production of the 787-8 continued apace, rates broke to seven a month in early May and industrial activity on the 787-9 never slowed. Boeing displayed visual proof of the progress of the 787-9 during a May 29 tour of the Everett factory, where on the 787 “surge line” large sections of the first airplane sat ready for final assembly a day later. Scheduled for rollout and first flight this summer, the 787-9 has benefitted immeasurably from “lessons learned” on the delay-plagued 787-8, according to 787 chief project engineer Mike Sinnett. “The whole process has improved dramatically since the 787-8 went into final assembly,” said Sinnett. “We’ve got not only a very clean production line; not only are we moving along at rate very cleanly with very little traveled work, we’ve also got extra time built into the production schedule for
GREGORY POLEK
Boeing has finished modifying the lithium-ion battery systems on all 50 of its 787 Dreamliners in the field and all the airplanes’ operators have re-launched service. The last modification–performed in late May–effectively marked the culmination of a four-month ordeal for the company during which aviation authorities around the world grounded the entire fleet of 787s following two separate incidences of overheated batteries in mid-January. Now Boeing can finally refocus its attention on delivery execution and meeting original target specifications on weight, for example. It can also return to bargaining with potential new customers
BOEING
by Gregory Polek
Comac’s developing C919 is expected to take center stage at Airshow China in 2014.
Reflecting on 30 years in the industry.
With a vision for the future.
We didn’t build this company to be historic. We built it to serve the future. The fact that IAE and its V2500 engines have offered historic performance, efficiency, dependability and support – we admit – that was purely intentional. Learn more at www.i-a-e.com.
Visit us at the Paris Air Show Hall 5, Aisle D-242.
Rising tide in airline business helps buoy Pratt Canada by Gregory Polek As Pratt & Whitney Canada (Chalet A330) saw revenues from its business jet engine segment suffer through one of the industry’s steepest downturns in history, the company’s highly diversified product line has allowed it to, as
P&WC president John Saabas put it, “ride the wave” of fortune in other sectors and consolidate its leading position in the small engine business. P&WC’s investment in the regional airliner segment, for example, has paid
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Antonov airlifters at Le Bourget – 2013 ANTONOV Company is among the world leaders in transport aircraft design. The enterprise’s visiting card in this segment is the AN-124-100 Ruslan. For a long time this aircraft has been holding the leading position in the market of oversized and nonstandard cargoes airlift. Since 2006, these airplanes have been used in the strategic airlift program for EU and NATO countries. A related contract has been extended till the end of 2014. The latest proof of the Ruslan unique efficiency has been displayed within SERVAL peace keeping operation conducted by the French MoD in Mali. On the customer’s request, ANTONOV and Volga-Dnepr group of companies provided simultaneous operation of twelve AN-124-100s and AN-225 Mriya (the world most powerful airlifter) for 45 days. Within 2,000 flight hours the airplanes have carried over 10,000t of cargoes. They demonstrated an outstanding example of the special state task fulfillment by strategic aviation. Besides, the Ruslan continues to carry on effective services in the commercial air transportation market. At Le Bourget–2013, ANTONOV presents the AN-70 STOL military freighter which has no equal in a number of characteristics. This is the world only aircraft being able for take-off/ landing from short unpaved runways of 600-700 m to carry up to 20 t cargo over a distance of 3000 km.
The AN-70 cargo cabin dimensions allow to accommodate all types of CIS and NATO military equipment and armament as well as construction machines and vehicles of total weight up to 47 t. The aircraft is capable to carry up to 300 fully equipped troopers, or 206 sick/ wounded personnel. The AN-70 wing high lift coefficient allows a minimum flight speed considerable reduction to make it around 100 km/h typical for ultra-lights only. Such a minimum speed allows AN-70 to perform air dropping of cargoes and paratroopers with twice less scatter then any counterpart flying at 160-200 km/h to provide a pin-point accuracy touchdown. The AN-178 will be the next in the row of the ANTONOV transports. It is a further development of the AN-148/ AN-158 regional jets family which has been operated by four nations airlines at international and domestic routes. Following the world market trends, the AN-178 has been in demand for both military and civil application. The military version will have maximum payload of 18 t to be carried over a distance of 1500 km. It can also carry up to 99 soldiers, 80 paratroopers or evacuate 70 sick or wounded. The AN-178 commercial version will transport 16 t of cargo over 3800 km. Flight range of both versions with 10 t payload is 4500 km. Various cargoes including universal (maritime) containers 1D (2438*2438*2991 mm) and 1C (2438*2438*6058 mm) can be accommodated in the aircraft’s pressurized cabin.
00 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com 42
handsome dividends, particularly in the aftermarket business, as turboprops continue to gain market share, due largely to stubbornly high fuel prices. Some 5,000 PW100-family turboprops now fly worldwide, often logging 2,000 hours per year. As always, the returns from aftermarket services far outpace those from sales of the airplanes themselves, so the coming wave of overhauls promises a surge in income. “It has been a good marketplace for us,” said Saabas, who estimated that airlines account for some one third of the company’s revenues. “It has been a good one in terms of aftermarket, support, spare parts…so yeah, it’s like, why does everyone want to get into the narrowbodies? Because there are hours flown there…it’s not anywhere near the same business numbers as the single-aisles, but for a business of our size at Pratt Canada it’s important.” Further investment in what the company calls the “Next Generation Regional Turboprop” (NGRT) reflects its optimism John Saabas, P&WC president
in the future of larger prop-driven airliners, as Bombardier and ATR, both of whose current products use Pratt Canada engines, weigh a business case for offering airframes capable of holding 90 passengers or more. This year P&WC expects program partner MTU to complete compressor demonstrator tests ahead of work on the gas generator next year. Saabas said that at the current rate of progress the company would have the NGRT ready by the end of next year; however, if an airframer comes calling sooner than that, P&WC has the capacity to accelerate development. “We’re on a pace that would take until next year to finish it,” said Saabas. “It’s not a year’s worth of work, it’s just [a question of] at what rate do you want to fund it? So if ATR comes back and says that we need to go faster, we’ll go faster.” For now, Pratt Canada needn’t rush into finishing development of its PW800 turbofan either, given the lack of an application for that engine following the cancellation of the Cessna Citation Columbus in 2009. In fact, Saabas balked when asked about reports of the engine possibly going on a new Gulfstream jet. “We have no program to announce… we have a demonstrator program,” he said. “We don’t get money from UTC (its parent company, United Technologies Corp.) to launch a full program until we get a committed customer. We don’t have that. We’re in discussions with everybody. But until the skinny lady sings, there’s nothing.” That doesn’t mean Saabas believes the PW800 hasn’t got a prominent place in the company’s future, however. Using the same core as the PW1000G geared turbofan
Pratt & Whitney developed for the Bombardier CSeries, the engine remains vital to Pratt Canada’s efforts to more effectively penetrate the heavy business jet market. Saabas named three factors that have helped companies sell airplanes, such as the Bombardier Global 6000, Gulfstream 650 and Dassault Falcon 7X trijet–the one program in the sector on which P&WC does enjoy a position with its PW307. First, he said, lenders still offer attractive financing rates for large business jets less than 15 years old; second, people who typically buy such airplanes–namely, billionaires–don’t necessarily need financing; and finally, demand in the Middle East and Asia, where a few, wealthy individuals want to fly direct to Europe and North America, has increased. “There’re only 300 heavy, large, longrange jets made a year,” noted Saabas. “So even if that grew at a couple of percent a year, the number of billionaires is growing at 3 or 4 percent a year. You don’t have to make a whole bunch of sales to keep that part of the market strong.” Lack of Financing a Problem
But while the large business jet segment remains buoyant, due to its comparative immunity from the vagaries of liquidity availability, for the rest of the market a lack of attractive financing terms remains a serious problem, according to Saabas. “The risk profile associated with business jets–smaller business jets–has changed, in terms of what interest rate people will lend money at,” he said. “That hurts the ability to sell.” Saabas explained that following the banking crisis, changes to the rules governing the measurement of risk profiles of certain kinds of loans hit business jets particularly hard, while defaults on loan payments led to a glut of low-time airplanes for sale, resulting in plummeting values. “I think after the last crisis there were a lot of airplanes not paid for…half paid for; they were dumped off at bargain prices,” said Saabas. “We saw [numbers of] less-than-five-year-old aircraft for sale that have never been as high and the prices never as low. If you’re an OEM trying to sell, [and] the used price of something with 500 hours on it is 30 percent less than your list price, what are you going to do? You’re going to drop the price of the new to be able to sell. Or you have to add new features or give other things away.” Still, Saabas expressed optimism for the future, based on signs of gradual economic improvement in the U.S. and rising confidence in markets in general. “We’re starting to see modest pickup,” he said. “I think it’s going to be that way until there’s a little bit more certainty in the U.S. about a lot of things, more certainty in Europe about a lot of things and just the access to capital. So those three things all have to move. They’re all moving slowly because they’re big macroeconomic kinds of things. They don’t turn overnight.” In the meantime, Saabas believes the company can count on continued growth in the airliner market, as well as helicopter and general aviation markets, which all remain “pretty strong,” he said. o
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Boeing tailors 737 Max; nears firm configuration by Gregory Polek
GREGORY POLEK
Beverly Wyse, 737 program vice president and general manager
Keith Leverkuhn, 737 Max program head
Another recent advance involved what Leverkuhn described as a “sculpting” of the engine inlet to maximize laminar flow. Those and other refinements allowed Boeing to raise the target range of the 737 Max 8 some 500 nm beyond that of the 737-800, to 3,620 nm, while also meeting ICAO Chapter 4 noise requirements. It also now expects the fuel burn advantage to reach 13 percent. Previous estimates placed the benefit at 11 percent. “And I would say there is pressure for even more as we learn more and more about the engine and more about the airplane,” said Leverkuhn. Although titanium weighs somewhat more than the composite material typically used for the inner wall, the need for insulation blankets to protect the composite from the heat generated means the traditional combination weighs more, explained
long-lead releases as part of the detailed design process, added Leverkuhn. In short, although the program is still relatively early in the development process, all evidence presented by Boeing appears now to indicate a clear path toward certification and entry into service as planned, in the fourth quarter of 2017. “We’ve got a mini iron-bird… so we already know pretty well how the systems interactions are working on the airplane,” said Leverkuhn. “The trick on this program, in addition to delivering the customers the fuel burn that they absolutely need, [is that] we’ve got to weave this thing into a production system that’s going to be at a high rate. So it’s not only about proving the technology, it’s about proving the production capability.” Strategic Automation
The job of overseeing the integration of the Max into the current 737NG line falls on 737 program vice president and general manager Beverly Wyse, who, during a pre-Paris briefing at Boeing’s Renton 737 assembly site, near Seattle, talked of a “strategic application of automation”
44 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
An artist’s concept shows the future configuration of Boeing’s narrowbody plant in Renton, Washington, where plans call for creating a third line meant to ease the full transition to 737 Max production by 2019.
as the company attempts to execute a virtually complete production transition to the Max by the end of 2019. A prime example of such automation will appear in the 737 wing-assembly facility in Renton. There, plans for the next several years call for the deployment of a continuously moving vertical-panel assembly line that will “drill and fill” upper and lower wing skins to create an entire wing panel. “One of the key benefits we’ll get from this is the number of crane moves will be reduced when we go to this continuous flow assembly,” said Wyse. It will also reduce the amount of hand-drilling required, she added, and–perhaps most important–reduce the so-called footprint needed for panel assembly by about 50 percent, raising production capacity to 60 wing sets per month. Still, Wyse espouses a measured approach to introducing new technology into the production system while the Max comes on line. “We’re going to try to separate that risk, and make sure that technology is proven out ahead of time,” she said. “We’re going to be very methodical and disciplined. That has been the strength of this program; it’s why we have been able to introduce these production rates so well and we’re going to use those same techniques when we bring the Max on line.” Boeing’s next rate break, due next year, would see production rise from 38 to 42 per month. However, the company hasn’t shared any plan for increasing rates beyond 42 per month by the time the Max enters production in 2017. Quite apart from upsetting the status quo in terms of supply and demand balance, Boeing would rather not concern itself with placing further
strain on its supply chain while it attempts to maintain quality standards and meet delivery promises during the transition to the Max. Production Efficiency
Patterned after the production system devised by Toyota, the 737 line over the past 10 years has managed to decrease flow times from 22 days to 11 days, and plans call for removing a day of flow “nearly every year,” said Wyse. “What happens when we reduce that flow is that it transitions into capacity, and it’s a big reason we’ve been able to go from 14
where four flight-test airplanes would occupy space directly next to Line 1. Both Line 1 and Line 2–located in the 4-81 facility–now hold enough capacity to each build 21 airplanes per month. Next to Line 2, nine systems installation positions will feed both lines, said Wyse, enabling them each to maintain their 21-per-month rate. Wyse explained that creating a third line on which to build the first four aircraft will allow mechanics to install sensors and other flight test equipment without disrupting the flow of the two main lines. It will also allow Boeing to train its teams for the
GREGORY POLEK
Leverkuhn. The titanium option will also result in less maintenance, he added, particularly given the increased heat exposure that will result from bringing the inner wall closer to the engine to minimize the size of the nacelle. “A titanium inner wall is unique in the industry,” said Leverkuhn. “However, we’ve had some experience with it in military applications, so we’ve taken some lessons learned from them and brought that technology forward on the Max.” Now scheduled to reach firm configuration in July, the program has already passed through the mid-point of its so-called
GREGORY POLEK
A switch from composite to titanium inner wall of the thrust reversers on the Boeing 737 Max has allowed designers to increase the fan diameter in the airplane’s CFM Leap-1B turbofans without a proportional increase in the size of the nacelle. The relatively minimal growth of the nacelle means Boeing could keep its original plans for coping with the small amount of ground clearance margin available while optimizing thrust levels, explained 737 Max program vice president and general manager Keith Leverkuhn. “We tailored the engine to the wing, and we tailored the engine to the thrust that we need to be able to deliver the combination of fuel burn and range,” said Leverkuhn, who took over as Max program head from Bob Feldman some two months ago, when Feldman moved to the 777X program.
Designers “sculpted” the engine inlet of the 737 Max to optimize laminar flow.
a month 10 years ago to 42 a month next year in effectively the same space.” Over the past two years, she added, the 737 team has delivered on-time–to the exact day– at a rate of 95 percent, even while it executed rate breaks and product improvement changes. At the same time, findings of defects by customers has declined by 45 percent, said Wyse. Of course, Boeing would like to at least maintain that level of performance when it starts building the Max. Plans for the Max center around building what would become a third line in building 4-82 in the Renton complex,
integration of the new components on the Max. Once those airplanes get built, said Wyse, training will immediately begin on the two main lines as the company introduces the Max onto them. “These transformations will not only allow us to ensure ontime delivery performance of the Max, but it will also provide us the capacity in the final assembly area if we should need additional production rate increases,” she noted. o
Avionics wins highlight CMC’s versatility by Charles Alcock The sheer diversity and originality of recent new business won by Esterline CMC Electronics speak volumes for the strategy outlined for the Canadian avionics specialist by its president, Greg Yeldon. He highlighted strong investment in core technologies, speed and flexibility in getting new systems into service and a strong desire to do whatever it takes to get into key new markets as the pillars of CMC’s business plan. A prime example of this is the announcement that the group’s integrated glass Cockpit 4000 avionics suite is a key part of the new Iomax Archangel armed surveillance making its debut here at the Paris Air Show this week. North Carolina-based Iomax has taken a
Thrush Aircraft crop duster and turned it into a versatile border patrol, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform. The CMC avionics suite is fitted in both the front and rear cockpits of the armed, twoseater Archangel. The front cockpit consists of three 5- by 7-inch multifunction displays and one up-front control panel. The rear cockpit has one of each of these units, which are driven directly by the Cockpit 4000’s mission computer, which provides control and display functions for the high-resolution graphics associated with the navigation and mission data. Here at the Paris Air Show this week, CMC (Hall 3 Stand E7) is also expected to announce
Test success signals green light for SM-3
the signing of a license agreement under which Russia’s Ulyanovsk Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau will start producing its CMA-2012C Doppler velocity sensor for use on a variety of domestically built helicopters. “This sensor is lighter and smaller than all the Doppler sensors available on the market today,” commented UIMDB general director Nikolay Makarov. “UIMDB is delighted to offer this high-reliability product to helicopter manufacturers in Russia.” The CMA-2012C sensor handles the measurement of three velocity components and navigation capabilities. According to CMC, it offers excellent performance during hover and is less impacted by precipitation than other sensors, making it popular with military and paramilitary operators. GPS Landing System
Another initiative to breathe new life into older airframers is the CMC’s just-issued An SM-3 Block IB missile is launched during the recent milestone FTM-19 test.
by David Donald On May 16, at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, a Raytheon SM-3 Block IB hitto-kill interceptor was successfully fired by the Aegis-equipped cruiser U.S.S. Lake Erie at a separating short-range ballistic missile target. The FTM-19 test was not only the 23rd successful intercept for the SM-3 weapon, but the third consecutive success for the latest Block IB version. Having achieved three successful strikes in a row, the Block IB is now authorized for production. “FTM-19 marked a transition from scripted development tests into the operational test phase,” remarked Wes Kremer, v-p Raytheon air and missile defense systems. “It was performed by an operational ship with an operational crew, and they were given no notice of when the target would be launched. For us it was a big step, as it answered the requirements for initial production decisions to be taken.” In the fall of 2012 Raytheon was authorized to begin procurement of long-lead items for the Block IB, especially the items that are common with the Block IA, but now it can begin assembly of the new missile version. SM-3 Block IB is slated to be deployed from 2015 as part
of Phase II of the U.S. Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) to missile defense in Europe. The first phase of PAA, employing the current production SM-3 Block IA standard, is already operational with the U.S. Navy’s Aegis vessels in the Mediterranean. Under Phase II, landbased SM-3 Block IB missiles will be deployed in Romania. It is likely that the first operational weapons will be the residue from the 33 development rounds that are already under contract. SM-3 interceptors can be cued by a variety of sources. To date the primary sensor has been the SPY-1 radar carried by Aegis vessels, but in April 2011 (FTM15) Raytheon demonstrated a launch-on-remote capability of an SM-3 cued by a TPY-2 radar. More recently, in February’s FTM-20 test, an SM-3 Block IA was cued by Raytheon sensors aboard the STSS-D (space tracking and surveillance system-demonstrator) satellite. Block IB SM-3s retain the first- and second-stage rocket stack used by the Block IA, but important changes are introduced to the third-stage kill vehicle. It has a new two-color, 256 by 256 pixel imaging infrared seeker in place of the earlier single-band
seeker, providing better discrimination against more complex threats. It also introduces the TDACS (throttleable divert and attitude control system), an advanced vehicle guidance rocket system that uses proportional guidance rather than the “bangbang” style of on-off guidance previously employed. The greater capabilities of these two systems have combined to require a new signal processor. Raytheon is now working with Mitsubishi in Japan to develop the SM-3 Block IIA missile that will be deployed with Phase III of the PAA. The Japanese Self Defense Force, which already employs SM-3 Block IAs, is likely to adopt the weapon, and is also looking at the Block IB. Mitsubishi has responsibility for developing a new propulsion stack with an increased diameter of 21 inches for greater reach. Raytheon, meanwhile, is focusing
CMC’s integrated glass Cockpit 4000 avionics suite has allowed Iomax to convert a Thrush Aircraft crop duster into a very capable surveillance platform.
supplementary type certificate for its IntegriFlight GPS landing system to be used to provide GPS localizer performance with vertical guidance approach operations on Boeing 737 Classic airliners. The STC has already been issued by European and Canadian authorities. Meanwhile in the military sector, Borsight Inc. has selected on the third-stage kill vehicle that will have a larger focal plane array seeker of 512 by 512 pixels. The larger size of the interceptor, and its improved seeker, greatly expand its engagement envelope. Currently around two thirds of the subassembly critical design reviews have been completed, with a full-system CDR scheduled for around September this year. Initial trials of Block IIA ground-test vehicles are scheduled to begin late next year, primarily to test separation. A new canister has been designed to accommodate the heavier missile. In 2015 whole missiles are due for launch testing, but without a target. Two guided trials against targets are contracted for 2016. In terms of the PAA, the Block IIB interceptor is due for deployment in Poland from 2018, to be employed alongside Block IB missiles. The fourth and final phase of PAA, ostensibly to be deployed in 2020, is under discussion and may lead to a U.S.-based system with a yet-to-be-defined SM-3 Block IIB interceptor with advanced kill vehicle. In the meantime, Raytheon is presenting its SM-3 family as a potential candidate to fill ballistic missile defense requirements, notably in Europe. “SM-3 is certainly the most proven upper-tier missile defense in the world,” Kremer told AIN. “We believe there are many opportunities around the world to augment what many countries already operate. These are mostly terminal in their nature, like the Patriot.” o
CMC’s TacView portable mission display to provide real-time information in the cockpit as part of an upgrade program for the U.S. Air National Guard’s C-130H aircraft. The contract covers dual TacView installations on 56 C-130Hs, and allows for possible follow-on orders. Deliveries begin this month and should be complete by October. Also this summer, CMC is set to start delivering Cockpit 4000NG avionics suites to Korea Aerospace Industries, which is contracted by the Peruvian air force to supply an integrated glass cockpit for 20 KT-1P turboprop trainer aircraft. The aircraft being supplied to Peru is based on Korea’s own KT-1 trainer. Cockpit 4000NG
Last year, CMC introduced the Cockpit 4000NG featuring large displays, a head-up display, synthetic-vision system and digital map application. “The larger displays are much more effective [for flight crew] and we consider ourselves to be an important enabler of achieving what the customer’s mission is,” Patrick Champagne, CMC’s vice president for cockpits and systems integration, told AIN. The package can integrate a mix of sensors, radios and weapons systems. According to Yeldon, CMC’s flat management structure has allowed it to respond quickly and decisively when customers come to them with some new requirement. “We look to be very agile and quick [in responding] and, given CMC’s size [relatively small compared with the major avionics OEMs], this has been critical for our success.” As an example of this rapid response approach, he pointed to several C-130 cockpit modernization programs for government clients, such as Chile, that have been completed in record time. o
www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 45
Boeing turns up heat on suppliers by Gregory Polek Recent remarks by Boeing CEO Jim McNerney about creating a so-called no-fly list of suppliers who fail to meet certain standards for quality, speed of delivery and cost has turned a
spotlight on the company’s four supply chain management heads, all tasked with implementing the boss’s decree within their respective areas of responsibility and keeping vigil for “divide
and conquer” tactics sometimes employed by program partners. For example, Boeing Commercial Airplanes supplier management vice president and general manager Kent Fisher
works closely with his counterpart at Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Jack House, to ensure that those suppliers who, in Fisher’s words, do inappropriate things with one part of the business can’t find their way onto programs in another part. “Jim [McNerney] has put a fair amount of effort into making sure that the four supplier
Operational, anytime, anywhere
management leaders, myself included, are working together more and more and leveraging one Boeing,” said Fisher. “The main way that we do that is through ensuring that we have once common strategy for each of the suppliers that we share, and ensuring that we’re not working at cross-purposes with any specific supplier. “We are aligned in that when [House] asks me not to do business with a particular supplier for either performance or commercial issues, I’ll honor that, and he’s done the same for me.” While Boeing would rather not have to deal with the disruption associated with replacing suppliers, it’s so-called “costdown” initiatives has led to more aggressive use of competition between suppliers than it has in the past, said Fisher. As a result, the company has sought more bids and introduced more new suppliers in its proposal process of late. “I’m pushing my team to be more openminded,” he stressed. “I think to some extent we have an incumbency mentality and we’re definitely challenging that.” Rate Readiness
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Meanwhile, as Boeing continues to increase production rates across its product line, “rate readiness” has become an ever more vital part of its supplier evaluations, not only among its 1,500 primes but many more sub-tier suppliers, from whom much of the 787’s delays stemmed. “Early on in the 787 program we were not very attentive to what was going on among the sub-tiers, whether it was fasteners or raw materials or even electrical standards,” said Fisher. “And we got into a situation where if we hadn’t taken action it would have caused significant problems. While we might not have a direct relationship, we’re doing a better job of understanding what the impact would be on those subtier components.” Although Boeing still outsources some 60 percent of the value of its airplanes to external suppliers, its experience with the 787 has also increased its bias toward supplying itself internally, most notably in engineering. A decision on whether or not to build a part in-house boils down not only to cost, quality and efficiency, but competitive sensitivity, explained Fisher. Another consideration might involve whether or not a particular supplier can give Boeing a market access advantage. o
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Sukhoi Superjet LR targets growing market by Vladimir Karnozov The newest version of the Sukhoi Superjet–SSJ100-95LR– first flown in February this year, has a suffix that is an abbreviation for Long Range, but some would argue that “Last Resort” might better describe the situation in terms of its significance to Russia’s aerospace industry. With the introduction of this new model, the famed Russian fighter house aims to come up with a globally competitive passenger jet, able to generate enough sales in the increasingly competitive 100-seat market, and match those sales with increasing production rates. SuperJet International (SJI, Chalet B295) is the Venice-based joint venture company between Sukhoi and Italy’s Alenia which has the task of garnering more international orders. Sukhoi handles the domestic market and some other countries. The Kremlin has commanded Sukhoi to produce 60 Superjets from 2015 onward and is providing support to the airframer in the hope that it can restore Russia as a major commercial jet exporter, a status it lost with demise of the Soviet Union. Starting in 2015, all new Superjets coming off the line at the Komsomolsk-upon-Amur Aircraft Production Organization (KnAAPO) are expected to be built to the LR standard. First delivery is due later this year to launch customer Gazpromavia, the corporate airline for fossilfuel giant RAO Gazprom. It operates on 400 routes across the vast Russian territory and finds the SSJ100-95LR a welcome part of a mixed fleet that can serve this network with its high season peaks. The LR should be good in the role of “a winter airplane,” replacing Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s in the low season to keep up the frequencies and, in the high season, to work in the intended role of a hub-feeder aircraft. Operating out of Moscow, the LR can reach all major airports in Europe and the Middle East, and fly as far as Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and even Irkutsk in Siberia in the Russian far east. The LR features the 1S18 version of the PowerJet SaM146 motor certified last year. It generates 16,100 pounds of thrust compared to 15,400 pounds for
the earlier 1S17 variant. Jacques Desclaux, chairman and CEO Powerjet, which is a joint venture between NPO Saturn of Russia and Snecma of France, said: “This version of the engine significantly extends the range of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) regional jet.” The initial production SSJ100-95B (“Basic”) has a maximum takeoff weight (mtow) of 101,150 pounds, while the LR has an mtow of 109,020 pounds. Inside and out they look the same– both versions have the same fuel reservoir capacity of 4,175 U.S.
the use of composite materials. Today, these are found in the wing’s trailing edge, the rudder and elevator, the wing-fuselage attachment fairing and the landing gear doors, for a total of 950 kilograms (2,095 pounds). The engine nacelle is also made of composite material with the exception of the intake ring, which is metallic to withstand heat supplied into it for anti-icing. Deliverable LRs will come with a reworked FMS and a number of software upgrades also applicable to Bs. Thales-integrated avionics comply with the latest IMA (integrated modular avionics) standards–which are “open” and easy to upgrade. The first LR to be built has entered certification flight testing at the Zhukovsky aerodrome near Moscow. Sukhoi
up of modern, supercritical airfoils. Through a somewhat lower bypass ratio than the GE CF34-10 on both competitors, the SaM146 engine has a lower decrease in thrust as the Mach number increases, contributing to the Superjet’s better performance in maximum cruise speed mode. Fuel Miser
The Superjet burns only 3 percent more fuel (than normal cruise) at the maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.81 compared with “over 5 percent” for the E-190. Further improvement is expected from winglets that will soon be available as an option. The Bombardier CRJ series is acknowledged to have better fuel performance than the competition (data from Bombardier puts hourly fuel burn for the CRJ700
Sukhoi claims its new long-range Superjet SSJ100-95LR regional jet is ideal for traveling relatively short distances and can carry 98 passengers on routes of 2,212 nm.
gallons, making it possible to take some 20,000 pounds of jet fuel, but the almost 8,000-pound difference in mtow allows the LR to depart with more fuel when flying with full cabin–seating 98 passengers in a mono-cabin, fiveabreast at 32 inches. Initial batch SSJ100-95LRs can transport 98 passengers 2,212 nm. Should Sukhoi succeed in implementing its long-term program on reduction of Superjet’s structural weight, the figure will rise to the advertised 2,470 nm. Uniform Structures
Sukhoi’s strategy is to keep the B and LR structures as uniform as possible. The wing shape is the same, at 84 sq m, but its structure is strengthened to withstand higher loads. The manufacturer says the LR has a “minor” increase in structural weight, but the long-term program being implemented targets considerable savings not only in airframe weight, but also with onboard systems. The Superjet’s structure is largely made up of aluminum for simplicity, allowing for streamlined and cost-effective production. Sukhoi does not plan any big increase in
48 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
has applied to the CIS aviation authority ARMAK for a complementary type certificate to the main documents issued in February 2011. This month the manufacturer is to submit flight test and strength analysis data to the authorities in the hope of winning approval by August/September. Then it is going to apply to EASA for validation, although the process is likely to entail some additional flights with European inspectors onboard. With the flight control system (FCS), in terms of envelope protection the Superjet is claimed by Sukhoi to be on par or better than the Airbus A380 or Boeing 787. As per its direct competitor, the Embraer E-190, Sukhoi’s marketeers said: “We do believe that the recently announced modernization of the E-Jet, calling for replacement of engine, avionics and flight control systems, is testimony to Embraer understanding their shortcomings in relation to the Superjet.” Optimized for cruise at Mach 0.78, and an altitude of 39,000 to 40,000 feet, the Superjet benefits from a more advanced wing design made
at 1.45 tons, CRJ900 1.6 tons and CRJ1000 1.74 tons). Sukhoi observes: “We are at the level of 1.75 tons per hour for block fuel.” (Block fuel takes account of kerosene burnt during taxi, takeoff, descent and landing.) “There are certain airplanes that consume less fuel and yet have weaker sales. The CRJ is one example; it burns notably less fuel than the E-jets, and yet has sold in lesser numbers. Our aircraft also offer superior passenger comfort. This is something that helped Embraer outsell Bombardier, and is what helps us now to win over Embraer.” Russia’s Transport Clearing House gives the following tonsper-hour fuel-burn figures as an average for real revenue operations throughout 2011 for the An-148: 1.968; SSJ-100-95B: 2.296; A319: 2.518; A321: 3.085; and Tu-204-100: 3.688. These figures indicate that the Superjet fits well into the line of modern jetliners in airline service. Despite the fact that by size and performance E-jets and large CRJs are the primary competitors, airlines and passengers more often compare the fiveabreast Russian airplane with the Airbus A320 and Boeing
737. “There are a lot of people talking about Superjet’s passenger comfort levels and that of the narrowbodies...and yet few would seriously compare a narrowbody to a regional jet with four seats in the cross section,” Sukhoi said. This is largely due to the Superjet having the largest cabin cross-section among regional jets, which makes it look more like a mainline airliner. It also has a large luggage hold, similar in size to that of the A320, on the side with the three-seat block; the hold on the other side is smaller by volume, yet with adequate height. As a result, Superjet’s passengers have a good chance of fitting their luggage into the upper holds. The height of the cargohold door is compliant to requirements of airport workers’ trade unions, and the large space under the floor enables airlines to take belly cargo. Always happy to speak about their aircraft’s “narrowbody level of comfort,” Sukhoi does not want go further than that when touching on the A320, 737 and Bombardier CSeries. “We do not see them as competitors. These are larger airplanes designed for larger traffic and longer routes,” it asserts. Even the LR variant of the Superjet could not fly U.S. coast-to-coast. “For an airplane of our size, such distances do not make sense. Honestly, ours is not spacious enough for long-haul flights. The Superjet is a feeder, the machine that brings in passengers to mainline airlines. This work used to be done by the Yak-42 and Tu-134,” said Sukhoi. The manufacturer is happy to observe “the proper use” of Aeroflot-operated Superjets “on the routes they were purposely designed for”–relatively short and too thin (that is, not enough passengers) for the A320. Before the introduction of the SSJ100-95B, these were largely unprofitable. “There are good dynamics coming from some of those routes. Aeroflot starts a service by placing a Superjet, and flies it for two to three months. The people notice that there is a reliable Aeroflot service, and they use it and gradually get used to [it]. In the beginning a Superjet takes 35 to 40 passengers, then 50 to 60 on a flight, and then Aeroflot places an A319 on this same route, and shortly it comes to flying with a full cabin.” Aeroflot often places a Superjet on night, late-evening or early-morning flights to increase frequencies. o
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ITT ground-vehicle transmitter approved by Bill Carey An airport ground vehicle transmitter developed by ITT Exelis and avionics manufacturer FreeFlight Systems is the first such device certified to a new standard by the U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA). Ground vehicles fitted with the device can be monitored by air traffic controllers, improving “situational awareness” and safety at busy airports. The
vehicle movement area transmitter (V-MAT) continuously reports the position of a ground vehicle through automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) out transmissions.
ITT Exelis offers the V-MAT, which is based on FreeFlight Systems’ RANGR-G transponder, as part of its “Symphony” suite of airport operations management applications. The Herndon, Virginia-based company implemented the first V-MAT devices at Logan International Airport in Boston in collaboration with the FAA and the Massachusetts
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Port Authority (Massport). As of May, there were 37 devices installed on ground vehicles at Logan airport and 40 sold to the St. Louis airport authority, which operates Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. ITT Exelis said it has submitted proposals to airport authorities in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and Milwaukee to sell the V-MAT units manufactured by FreeFlight Systems, of Waco, Texas. ITT Exelis is the system vendor, and provides installation, implementation, testing and support of the devices under contract with an airport. ADS-B ground vehicle transmissions on the 978 MHz Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) frequency are fused with the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) multi-sensor surveillance system used at 35 major U.S. airports. Nine other airports receiving surface surveillance capability upgrades will also be able to integrate ground vehicle transmitters. Firefighting trucks, snow removal equipment and service vehicles fitted with V-MAT units transmit identification and position data once per second. The information is processed through the ADS-B ground infrastructure and displayed on controller displays as well as on the cockpit displays of appropriately equipped aircraft. Through the ITT Exelis “Symphony MobileVue” application, the surveillance data is available to ground vehicle operators on Apple and Android mobile devices. During Snowstorm
Liebherr-Aerospace is a leading supplier of systems for the aviation industry and has more than five decades of experience in this field. The range of aviation equipment produced by Liebherr for the civil and military sectors includes flight control/actuation systems, landing gear and air management systems. These systems are deployed in wide-bodied aircraft, single aisle and regional aircraft, business jets, combat aircraft, military transporters, military training aircraft, civil helicopters and combat helicopters. Liebherr’s aerospace and
Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS 408 avenue des Etats-Unis 31016 Toulouse Cedex 2, France Phone: +33 5 61 35 28 28 E-mail: info.aer@liebherr.com www.liebherr.com
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2017-502_009 AER_008_Sammel Service_AIN Paris Airshow News_USA_GB_Paris AS mh-2.indd 1
transportation systems division employs over 4,000 people. It has four aviation equipment production plants at Lindenberg (Germany), Toulouse (France), Guaratinguetá (Brazil) and Nizhny Novgorod (Russia). These production sites offer a worldwide service with additional customer service centers in Saline (Michigan/USA), Seattle (Washington/USA), Wichita (Kansas/USA), Montreal (Canada), São José dos Campos (Brazil), Hamburg (Germany), Moscow (Russia), Dubai (UAE), Singapore and Shanghai (People’s Republic of China).
The Group 02.05.13 12:05
According to the FAA Air Traffic Organization’s ATO News, ground vehicle trackers at Boston Logan International contributed to safe operations during the “Nemo” snowstorm in February this year. “During Nemo, we had a ‘white-out’ with lots of blowing and drifting,” Vincent Cardillo, Logan airport’s deputy director of aviation operations, told the publication. “Vehicles with ADS-B could tell what taxiway they were on, whether they were on the left or the right side of the taxiway, and even how close they were to the hold line.” The vehicle drivers managed to return safely to their garages when the snowstorm made it too dangerous to operate. The V-MAT device complies with FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5220-26, “Airport Ground Vehicle ADS-B Out Squitter Equipment,” which was originally issued in November 2011 and updated last September. o
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PHOTOS: BILL CAREY
Thales on track to deploy ‘4-Flight’ ATM in France by Bill Carey Thales reported progress in developing the next generation of air traffic management (ATM) system for ATC facilities operated by the French Air Navigation Service Department (DSNA). The company said it is on track to deliver an intermediate version of the advanced 4-Flight system to two French area control centers (ACCs) by 2014. Plans call for the final version of the system to enter operation at the two en-route centers during the winter of 2016-2017. Last year, Thales (Chalet B253, Static U62) delivered the first build block, or prototype version, of 4-Flight to the DSNA in Toulouse, just over a year after contract award. This system serves as a testbed version for further developing controller decision-support software tools. Patricia Davriu, Thales vice president of automation systems
Europe, provided a program update at the World ATM Congress in Madrid in February. France, located at the crossroads of major European air traffic routes, is an appropriate testbed for Sesar applications, such as 4-Flight, Davriu said. The country’s ATC system handles three million flights per year, or more than 8,000 flights per day. France is also a member of Functional Airspace Block Europe Central (FABEC) with Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland, a regional block that handles 5.5 million flights per year, equating to 55 percent of European air traffic. “If 4-Flight is able to handle the traffic density in this region, it will be able to handle the traffic density in all of the European regions,” Davriu said. The 4-Flight program started in 2008 as a collaboration
Julien Etevenard, Thales senior TopSky controller HMI specialist (above), described future applications of the 4-Flight air traffic management system during the ATM World Congress in Madrid, while Patricia Davriu (right), Thales vice president of automation systems Europe, said the company is on track with deploying the advanced 4-Flight system to French en-route centers.
between the DSNA and ENAV, the air-navigation service provider (ANSP) of Italy. The system is based on “CoFlight,” a flight-data processing system that Thales is developing through a consortium with Selex Systems Integration, a new human-machine interface (HMI) to display information to controllers and decision-support tools complying with the Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) effort. It is being implemented in initial, intermediate and operational build blocks. In late October 2011, the DSNA awarded Thales a 10-year framework agreement and the first development contract for 4-Flight, which will be deployed in all five French
ACCs and major approach facilities, including those in the Paris vicinity. Thales delivered the 4-Flight prototype system to the DSNA in Toulouse in December 2012. Plans call for an intermediate build block with more functionality to be delivered in 2014 to ACC East in Reims and ACC Southeast in Aix-en-Provence. These two centers will begin operating the system by 2016-2017. The goal of the program is to make controllers more efficient and capable of handling more air traffic through advanced technology that better facilitates collaborative decision-making and conflict detection. The Thales HMI is being designed “by the controllers for the
controllers,” Davriu declared. CoFlight, based on Eurocontrol’s flight-data processing (eFDP) specifications, is an open architecture system with standardized middleware allowing for future upgrades and scaling of applications. The system is being rolled out in four increments, and will enable advanced functions, such as four-dimensional (4-D) aircraft trajectories, data-link communications and greater interoperability among control centers. The program’s objective is to replace the current FDP systems used by the ANSPs of France, Italy and Switzerland with a new generation system, interoperable on a European scale. o
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SU-35 MULTIROLE FIGHTER
The development and production of the Su-35 (the Russian modification – Su-35S) 4++ generation super-maneuverable multirole fighter is one of Sukhoi’s top priority programs. Sukhoi is a United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) subsidiary. The State Joint Acceptance tests are now underway. The flight tests fully proved the asserted main specifications of the aircraft and its suite of onboard equipment. They also demonstrated its super-maneuverability, checked the stability and controllability, and confirmed the power plant parameters and navigation system operability. The maximum close to land speed is 1,400 km/h, at altitude – 2,400 km/h. The operational ceiling is 18,000 meters. The radar target detection range is over 400 km in the air-to-air mode, which considerably exceeds that of the currently in-service aircraft. The phased antenna array radar detects targets at a longer range and simultaneously tracks and engages more of them (tracking of up to 30 and engagement of up to 8 air targets, tracking of 4 and engagement of 2 ground targets plus an option of simultaneous monitoring of the in-air and onland situation). The onboard optic radar detects and tracks several targets at a range of more than 80 km. The system is ready to undergo operational suitability tests. All work associated with the State Acceptance tests of the new fighter proceeds according to the approved plan. The airborne weapons
were tested successfully during operational suitability tests. The flight test results testify that the performance of the Su-35/Su-35S is much superior to that of similar in-service counterparts, whereas the onboard equipment performs a wide range of missions and tactical tasks. The aircraft’s designed potential is essentially higher than that of the 4 and 4+ generation tactical fighters like Rafale and EF 2000, and upgraded F-15, F-16 and F-18, F-35 aircraft. Thus it is a potent rival to the F-22A aircraft. The Su-35/Su-35S employs many advanced technologies widely used in the frontline aviation’s advanced airborne complex (PAK FA). In a way, this is a platform for optimizing advanced technologies used in the fifth-generation aircraft now under test. This applies in the first place to a new avionics suite integrated on the basis of the information control system (ICS) built using the latest information technologies employing stand-by multiple processor computers and high speed information exchange channels ensuring complex hypothesis processing of information obtained from surveillance and aiming systems and providing intellectual support to the pilot in performance of difficult combat missions. The Su-35/Su-35S extensively uses the situation awareness technologies applied in the spherical information field and the real time mode resorting to the capabilities of
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the communication system, the aircraft’s radar, optronic surveillance and reconnaissance systems as well as on-land control systems of various levels. In addition, the aircraft is fitted with new engines (similar to those on the PAK FA) featuring an increased vectored thrust, built-in auxiliary power plant (BIAPP), and a new radar. The Su-35/Su-35S has a wide range of airborne guided munitions for target en-
gagement at short, medium and long distances plus unguided weapons. The aircraft can carry a 8,000 kg combat load. The Su-35S is series-produced by the Sukhoi’s Yu.A.Gagarin Aircraft Plant of Komsomolskon-Amur (KnAAZ). The production proceeds in compliance with the state contract with the Russian Defense Ministry signed in 2009 for the supply of a large batch of aircraft till 2015.
Aviation insurance costs have seldom been better
and values out of the business and manufacturing output has significantly slowed. As the global economy recovers, pressures for external growth in noncore lines should ease.
by Chad Trautvetter There has hardly been a better time to be a buyer of aviation insurance, as all signs point to a buyer’s market. Several factors are driving lower rates in this insurance segment, including fewer airline accidents, lower overall insurance claims, the economy, more underwriters entering the market, increased adoption of safety management systems and more sophisticated aircraft. AIN talked to David McKay, president and CEO of insurer USAIG, to get a better sense of this market. USAIG and McKay are here at the Paris Air Show s upporting long-time customer Bombardier. There has been overcapacity in the aviation insurance market for the past few years. Where it is today and where is it likely headed? The bigger story than the supply side of aviation insurance is what that supply has to actually do to make money to be sustainable. For the market to be sustainable in this low-interestrate environment, the quality of its underwriting has to get better, not worse. Insurers have greater and greater pressure to target increasingly better gross underwriting results to meet their cost of capital. With few recent aviation catastrophes, it is easy for insurers to say that their underwriting is brilliant. The challenge is to be in a position to produce those kinds of required results when the catastrophes occur.
What’s creating these market conditions? Certainly a driver for change in the capacity committed to aviation underwriting will be when there is an opportunity for a better return elsewhere. Given the current interest rate environment and yield on long-term bonds there is a lot of pressure to find return, and several have turned to insurance investments to find a higher return. When higher yields are available at the same or lower perceived risk than aviation insurance, the shorter-term, more opportunistic players in the business will be better identified and maybe even gone. For a point of comparison, though trading at near 2 percent, a 10-year U.S. treasury is considered to be essentially risk-free. How much more then should
David McKay, CEO of insurer USAIG, said that further airline and industry consolidation could push rates back up as there are fewer premium-payers to cover the risk.
those who commit capital to aviation insurance expect as a return for the risk they assume? History doesn’t always provide perfect clarity, but those who have been in the business for decades with consistently positive “underwriting” results are likely those who will be committed to the business in the future. Another dynamic has been, following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, the property and casualty market has moved to become more diversified. Aviation is considered a “non-correlated” risk to the standard property and casualty lines and represents one such source of diversification. Finally, a stalled global economy has put tremendous growth pressure on the insurance market as a whole. Consolidations have taken units
An-70 still holds its own
DAVID McINTOSH
“Grizzly” returns to Western Europe Antonov’s An-70 four-engine turboprop tactical transport returns to western European skies after a long absence, having last appeared at the ILA show in Berlin in 1998. At that time the aircraft was being touted as a candidate for the European Future Large Aircraft requirement, which eventually crystallized as the Airbus Military A400M that is making its debut in French air force colors here at the Paris Air Show. Two An-70s were built in the early 1990s. The first flight was made in December 1994 but the aircraft was lost shortly after in a mid-air collision. The second aircraft crash-landed in 2001 but was subsequently repaired. It flew again late last summer after an extensive modernization, particularly with regard to its a vionics. Antonov is here in Hall 1 Stand H298.
How big is the aviation insurance market? The aviation and aerospace market–all segments combined– represents approximately 0.4 percent of the world property casualty market. It’s quite tiny. In fact, the entire aviation and aerospace marketplace represents less to the global airline industry than a $3.50 increase in the price of a barrel of oil at anticipated 2013 prices, or less than one percent of their total operating expense. Despite its size, it is amazingly efficient and produces products and services the major risk business simply could not reasonably access any other way. Conventional wisdom is that the aviation insurance market will not firm until there are catastrophic airline losses. What’s your view? Remember that the insurance business is in the financial business. A series of catastrophic accidents certainly will have a major affect on the business and billions are at risk, but it doesn’t have to be an airplane accident that creates the financial event. The U.S. property and casualty
business, for example, lost more than $100 billion in policyholder surplus [capacity] from mid-2007 until late 2008 during the U.S. financial crisis. Thankfully, the business had several years to recover before nearrecord non-aviation catastrophe losses in 2011 and beyond. So if there are not any major airline losses or other catastrophic financial events, will rates just continue to fall? No, there is a point at which the market will have to rationalize its diminished return on committed capital and where uncertainty becomes a known. The major aviation risk business, including airlines and major aircraft manufacturers, has two components of loss: catastrophe and attrition. Attritional losses represent the everyday “expected” losses and are largely predictable. The catastrophic component is not that predictable and represents huge uncertainty. Should dollars continue to come out of the market through things such as continued airline or manufacturer consolidations, continued rate reductions or through some other dynamic, the business will get squeezed by the expected loss costs and transaction costs alone with little to no funding for the inevitable catastrophic event. That would likely spur market reaction and thus cause rates to rise. o
Elbit’s helmet upgrade is lighter and costs less Elbit Systems of America will debut an upgraded Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) II at this year’s Paris Air Show (Hall 3 Stand E111). The JHMCS II provides a new optical-inertial tracker and replaces the JHMCS subsystems with a lightweight aircraft interface unit. The system is designed as a “low-cost, lowintegration” helmet-mounted display for both new aircraft installation, as the JHMCS II, and as an upgrade for already equipped aircraft, the Digital JHMCS. Digital JHMCS has “all new” aspects of the JHMCS II and represents a plug and play upgrade solution for more than 6,000 JHMCS solutions already delivered. The helmet-mounted display is employed on aircraft such as the Boeing F/A-18 and F-15
and Lockheed Martin F-16. The helmet-mounted systems provide pilots with “first look, first shot” high off-boresight weapons engagement, enabling pilots to cue onboard weapons and sensors while performing high-G maneuvers. Symbology including targeting cues and aircraft performance parameters are graphically displayed on the pilot’s visor. “JHMCS II is more intelligent, more capable and more affordable,” said Mark Hodge, Elbit Systems of America vice president of business development. “Pilots flying with JHMCS II will have a decided advantage when they observe, orient, decide and act.” –B.C.
www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 53
GE bringing RNP tech to China’s airline ops by Charles Alcock The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has asked GE Aviation to expand required navigation performance (RNP) at China’s Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport. The program, which is intended to simplify pilot and controller workload, will include seven more airlines and extend RNP capability to the mountainous airport’s instrument landing system (ILS). The latest airlines to benefit from RNP capability will be Air China Chongqing, Chongqing Airlines, West Air, Chengdu
Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Lucky Air and Xiamen Airlines. In an earlier phase of the work that started in 2011, GE prepared Air China (Chengdu), China Eastern, Sichuan Airlines and China Southern to use the RNP technology. “Key to the airlines’ operational efficiency at the airport is the RNP to ILS procedure, which enables lower landing minima and additional predictability for all-weather operations,” said Alan Caslavka, president of GE Aviation’s
GE Aviation’s avionics division is working on the new flight management system for Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft, as well as for the rival Airbus A320neo.
Avionics & Digital Systems division. “The procedure also connects to a required navigation performance-authorization required missed approach, providing a fully contained and guided flight path in the event of a go-around.” Under a CAAC mandate, Jiuzhai and five other Chinese airports became RNP-capable as of April 1. The particular operational challenge at Jiuzhai is navigating through the complex terrain of the Min Shan mountain range. In a similar project, GE and Airways New Zealand recently completed the redesign of airspace around Queenstown, more than doubling the airport’s capacity. The main new feature is the use of RNP flight paths to allow concurrent arrivals and departures. This work builds on GE’s long experience with flight management systems. The company has been selected to develop the FMS for Boeing’s new 737 Max narrowbody and, at the same time, it is working with Thales to provide the system for the rival Airbus A320neo. It is also developing the FMS for Boeing’s new KC46 tanker platform and is developing an upgraded FMS for the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for both the U.S. and Indian navies.
GE Aviation’s work to extend RNP capability to the instrument landing system at China’s mountainous Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport should greatly enhance safety and operational flexibility there.
“The key for us with FMS is that we have a 4-D capability with 0.1 accuracy for RNP,” Caslavka told AIN. “Right now our focus is on continuing to evolve the functionality that FMS offers and developing an architecture to which we can readily add software and hardware capability and new features.” Digital Efficiency
Meanwhile, GE is building on the new integrated digital service joint venture that it launched with Accenture last December. The partners are looking to help airlines achieve greater efficiency from areas such as improved aircraft utilization. This involves achieving a high degree of integration between the operational centers handling maintenance and aircraft recovery.
Selex ES mixes three segments in a diverse menu by Ian Sheppard Selex ES is attending its first Paris Air Show since its formation on January 1 from three separate companies–Selex Galileo, Selex Elsag and Selex Systemi Integrati, under parent company Finmeccanica. The new entity has three divisions, Air and Space Systems; Land and Naval Systems; and Security and Smart Systems, all three being supported by a common operations/engineering function. At the time, Selex CEO Fabrizio Giulianini said, “I am confident that the customeroriented approach that Allan [Cook, executive chairman] and I have designed for our organization will offer focused solutions to a broad range of civil and military requirements leveraging the breadth of our dual application technologies.” Speaking with reporters at a lunch in London before the show, Giulianini said Selex ES (Chalet A232) was still working on the transition to the new single-company structure, which had an equivalent 2012 turnover of €3.6 billion, “which makes us one of the top ten in the world in electronic defense.” It has 12,000 employees in Italy, 5,000 in the UK and “a strong presence in the U.S., Turkey, Romania, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Germany.” At the moment the company is 70 percent
defense and 30 percent civil, roughly, and about 50 percent export-oriented. Giulianini said that the company was “putting a lot of focus” on its Security and Smart Systems division and in the civil side of the business in general, given declines in defense spending and the growing importance of these areas. “For the future we have submitted a five-year plan for shareholder approval, to increase
Selex ES CEO Fabrizio Giulianini
profitability, streamline and optimize the organization,” he said, while acknowledging this was an ongoing part of the restructuring process. He also detailed six areas of focus for the restructuring program. First and foremost was “revision of our very large product portfolio” to highlight those
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most worth continuing. “Some are not any more extremely attractive to the market,” he remarked, noting that even if products were discontinued the company would maintain its customer support commitment. The second focus area is site rationalization, for example reducing the number of sites in the UK from 16 to 10. This, said Giulianini, would be done partly by combining existing sites rather than just closures. “For example in Bristol four [sites] will become one, and on the [UK] south coast we will concentrate at Southend.” One aim will be to create “centers of excellence in manufacturing and engineering.” He continued, “We have already launched a plan for headcount rationalization with a three-year plan, so it will be completed by 2017.” This has already been discussed with unions, he added. Order-wise, Giulianini said, “We are expecting in the near future that 50 percent of orders will come from the export market and the rest from our legacy contracts, for example Eurofighter and EH101, where we are already on board as a partner.” Giulianini explained how security and smart systems were becoming core
The new venture taps Accenture’s experience in enterprise resource planning and GE’s experience in flight operations analysis. “We are providing the capability to monitor aircraft data in real time and also coordinate with operators’ ground services networks after the aircraft lands by communicating data from quick access recorders,” explained Caslavka. “It means you can more accurately predict aircraft availability and if you can do that you can more efficiently schedule repairs and predict what you will need from a spares perspective.” The new joint venture is increasing its employee-count to around 100 by year-end. Here at the Paris Air Show it is expecting to announce its launch customer. o
activities, particularly since the company was awarded a key NATO contract last year (implementing common cybersecurity at all NATO bases). In the civil area, ATC/ATM and airports are becoming increasingly important, especially with a view to “the very large number of new airports being planned in the Middle East and Asia. We are in a position to be a technical partner for an integrated solution,” said a company spokesman, who added, “We have a strong track record in ATC and command and control systems.” o
NEWS NOTE Lufthansa Technik has introduced a new idea in cabin amenities–a “Media Trolley” that will offer passengers a tablet PC for in-flight use. According to the Hamburgbased MRO and interiors integrator (Hall 2a D286), the trolley would carry up to 48 tablet devices which could be distributed on board and recharged after landing in preparation for the next flight. The trolleys are also available in smaller versions holding up to 24 tablets, and tablets may be of whatever brand the operator desires. Taking safety into consideration, the trolleys are also equipped with fire protection and fire extinguishing equipment. These days, flight attendants are almost as used to their passengers having electronic tablets for their personal use as they are to serving meals and drinks. Now, they may find themselves serving up electronic tablets to the connected generation. n
IFC signs for CSeries, MC-21s and Superjets by Vladimir Karnozov
Bombardier’s CSeries regional jet is among the models to be financed by Russia’s Ilyushin Finance Company.
will sign several documents with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and Bombardier regarding the Superjet and CSeries orders, respectively. The Sukhoi agreement will cover main parameters on a contract to be concluded at MAKS 2013 in August. Touching on the Airbus A350 XWB, Roubtsov called the airplane “a very interesting, very promising design with many advanced technologies implemented. I do not rule out a situation in which we will be taking such planes from Airbus. It is interesting to us as being very close by technological level to the MC-21 and CSeries already in our order portfolio. All of these three new designs feature superb wings made of composite materials and engines with super-high bypass ratio for better fuel burn. When the time comes to extending our order portfolio, we will consider this fabulous airplane.” In the short term the IFC team will be focusing on cost and time-efficient materialization of the already finalized deals with Russian, Ukrainian and Canadian manufacturers. “We’ve signed for quite a large number of aircraft. The recent approval for 82 aircraft and the coming one for 20 Superjets is another milestone in growing our business,” Roubtsov concluded. o
pas de deux A pair of Eurocopter EC665 Tiger attack helicopters perform aerial ballet. The rugged multi-role rotorcraft is celebrating its tenth anniversary, having first entered service in 2003. Its stealth technology includes composite construction, and avionics consist of a modern glass cockpit.
MARK WAGNER
two more aircraft into a firm order at MAKS 2013.” When the fleet reaches its full strength of five units, Cubana de Aviación plans to place its An-158s in international service. Another recent achievement for IFC (Chalet A136) is placing two Tupolev Tu-204-100C freighters with Russia’s secondlargest airline Transaero. Both machines, for a while sitting without a customer at the VASO plant (in Voronezh, Russia), are now in operation. “The airline, which used to be passenger only, is using these Tu-204-100Cs to make [its] way into the cargo business, and early experience has been rather optimistic,” Roubtsov commented. The Russian MoD contract for 15 An-148 68-seat regional jets placed earlier this month will help the VASO plant gear up production of this promising type. “This is indeed a big development. IFC hopes that we will also benefit from the An-148 production ramp up, as many Russian airlines want us to supply them with such airplanes,” Roubtsov told AIN. With substantial MoD and commercial orders combined, VASO has a firm footing for establishing cost-efficient production, turning this project into a profitable one, which is important for success in the commercial market. Although the MoD order is now the top priority for VASO, IFC says that later this year, it will take a pair of An-148s destined for Airline Angara, which already operates three such machines, “before MoD starts to get their airplanes,” he said. IFC holds a framework order for 34 An148s, nine of which have already been delivered and placed with Rossiya and Angara. At the Paris Air Show IFC
Nordam composite window frames a first
Boeing 787 composite window frames from Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Nordam reduce weight by almost 50 percent.
DAVID McINTOSH
Ilyushin Finance Company (IFC) has won the approval of its shareholders and governmental bodies for recently signed deals on 50 Irkut MC21s, 32 Bombardier CSeries and 20 Sukhoi Superjet 100s. “All three programs have been approved,” IFC general manager and co-owner Alexander Roubtsov told AIN. Touching on the financial package for the CSeries, he said that 85 percent of the required capital would come from Canada’s development bank and the rest from IFC’s own resources. “CDB gives us 12-year credit on good terms,” he said. “We will also be using our own and hired capital to fund the CSeries deal.” Deliveries will commence in the third quarter of 2015 and cover two to three aircraft by year-end, followed by an annual rate of nine to 10 units in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Roubtsov is happy about IFC’s experience with the Antonov An-158 100-seat jets placed at Cubana de Aviación. The first airplane was delivered in May, the second is due in July and third in September this year. IFC ordered 20 An-158s from Antonov, with Cubana de Aviación being the first airline to accept this type into revenue service. The modern An-158, designed and built in the Ukraine, replaced the outdated Yakovlev-42D trijets on domestic services from Havana to Santiago-de-Cuba and Guantanamo. “The Cuban pilots are very happy and so are the passengers,” he said. “Fuel-burn average is 1.8 tons per hour, which is rather good for a hundred-seater. Although there were some technical issues, the airplane shows itself well. The customer is considering turning an option for
Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Nordam Interiors and Structures division (Hall 3 Stand E145) has manufactured its 20,000th composite window frame for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This is the first ever composite window frame for a commercial airliner and it features an almost 50 percent weight reduction
compared with traditional aluminum frames, according to Nordam, as well as “superior damage tolerance.” The Nordam window frame incorporates Hexcel HexMC low-density composite material, which is made from highstrength carbon fiber and epoxy resin.
As orders for the 787 grow, Nordam says it is continuing to ramp up production rates with more ship-sets being sent to Boeing’s Charleston, North Carolina assembly plant and to Boeing’s fuselage partners, including Alenia, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Spirit AeroSystems. –N.M.
www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 55
A350 to set an Airbus record, as program marches forward by Ian Goold
5
C220
The time from last Friday’s A350 first flight to service entry will be a record for Airbus of a little over a year, according to project test pilot Frank Chapman. He said that Airbus has “tried to frontload [flight-test] as much as possible to ensure maturity, de-risk [the program] and increase efficiency.” Final preparations for the A350’s first flight began in earnest at the beginning of June, following handover of the first aircraft to the Airbus flight-test department on May 31. In the ensuing two days, Airbus ran the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, of which 12 development examples had previously logged more than 250 hours flying on the A380 flying testbed (FTB) and a further 4,200 hours and 7,400 cycles in ground running. As launch customer Qatar Airways prepares to receive new A350s next year, the Arab operator will train using an operations department at the manufacturer’s Toulouse factory in southwest France. Until then, Airbus plans to conduct flight-test activities to mirror airline operations at that facility. The flight-line buildings are being fully refurbished as the A350 begins its initial flight test campaign, according to
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executive vice-president and A350 program head Didier Evrard. New hangar construction also is under way at Toulouse, while an existing building will house airline-like operations, including
including flap settings and landing-gear function checks. With the aircraft cleaned up, aero-elastic response will be compared with predictions based on ground simulator work before speed and altitude are increased to 430 knots and 25,000 feet, respectively. Typically, early flights are to use one testflight engineer to track the aircraft and constantly identify its status and three flight-test engineers to run the flight profile and direct operations from the rear of the aircraft.
The first flight of the Airbus A350 on Friday is just one piece of the complex development program. Prolonged engine testing and preparations for training programs from launch customer Qatar Airways are already underway.
provision for working parties and daily maintenance in the run-up to the new twin-aisle twinjet’s entry into service in the second half of 2014. Chapman, who earlier this month was expecting to fly the A350 on its third flight (and was earmarked to bring it to Le Bourget if the program allowed), said that the A350 program involves carefully managed risk to avoid flying a new engine on a new platform. Hence, the manufacturer has been using a suite of ground-test rigs that became increasingly busy from early last year. For example, A350 landing gear zero entered service at Airbus UK in March 2012, not long after the Trent XWB first flew on the A380 flying test bed. In September, the adaptive dropped-hinge flap, a high-lift device said to combine the advantages of a tracked Fowler flap with a variable-camber function, completed tests on the high lift zero rig. By the beginning of June, Airbus had accumulated some 13,280 hours of tests on equipment that included cabin and cockpit simulators, fuel-system rigs and the iron bird test rig used for electrical, hydraulic and mechanical system functions. In July the cabin mock-up will be used to conduct trials with a full load of passengers, said Chapman. As A350 flight-testing gets under way, the aircraft will initially be operated with a mixed crew of experimental test pilots for development and operational evaluation. Test-flight engineers are responsible for aircraft configuration, while design evaluation and validation follow-up are handled by flight-test engineers. Flight testing of the new Airbus A350-900 involves incremental development away from an initial combination of medium-weight and centre of gravity position, according to Chapman. For the maiden flight, Airbus chose a minimum height of 20,000 feet and a speed of 200 knots to provide plenty of margin for handling and control checks, followed by various configuration changes,
Five A350-900s are involved in the “relatively standard” overall flight-test program that for each comprises five phases of development and certification flying, followed by a buffer period before entry into service, according to Chapman. He said that the first several flights constitute an initial development phase during which Airbus will analyse the A350’s flight characteristics and behaviour before beginning more formal activity. • A350 manufacturer’s serial number (MSN) 001 is one of two aircraft carrying heavy flight-test instrumentation (FTI) and will perform flight-envelope, powerplant and systems work, including natural icing trials after the aerodynamic configuration has been frozen. MSN 003, the second to fly and also heavily instrumented, will be used for highaltitude and high- and low-temperature campaigns during its development and certification flying, which covers performance, engines and systems activity. One of a pair of lightly instrumented A350s, MSN 004 will be used for avionics development and certification and its duties will include external noise measurement and analysis. • MSN 002, which is scheduled to fly shortly after MSN 004, will sport a medium test-instrument fit and is one of two machines to be furnished for passenger cabin development and certification. It is earmarked for partial evacuation trials and hot- and cold-chamber climate tests in its initial program, which will be followed by early long flights in its third test phase to assess the A350’s endurance with a full load. • Finally, the lightly instrumented MSN 005, another furnished-cabin A350, is scheduled to conduct route-proving trials towards the end of the type-certification period in mid-2014. Its duties cover function and reliability (or operability), training and extended-range twin-engine operations performance as well as the first customer crew-training sessions. o
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R-R pushes ahead with new Trent engine for 787 by Ian Goold Rolls-Royce says that by August it expects to have demonstrated a new highpressure turbine (HPT) destined for its Trent 1000-Ten engine, which is being offered to power the prospective Boeing 787-10. Assembly of the first full development engine is scheduled before year-end. The plan is the latest move in the continuing improvement of the Trent 1000 (T1000) powerplant that started life as the 70,000-pound-thrust T1000A, which was certificated simultaneously in Europe and the U.S. in August 2007. Approval covered seven planned variants (Trent 1000A, -C, -D, -E, -G, -H and -Z) offering takeoff thrust levels of up to almost 78,000 pounds. Last year, the manufacturer introduced the upgraded 70,000-pound-thrust T1000 Package B model, which is scheduled to be followed in 2014 by the further-improved 74,000-pound-thrust Pack C engine. Almost 12 months ago, R-R unveiled the latest T1000-Ten variant offering 76,000 pounds thrust and availability in 2016. According to program executive Pat Robertshaw, the -Ten–so dubbed to represent claimed characteristics of “Thrust, Efficiency, New technology”– could have been launched without a related 787-10 airframe development. The -Ten is expected to offer a three-percent saving in “lifetime” fuel burn “equivalency” compared with Pack B Trent 1000s. To meet Boeing requirements for a “more-electric” engine, the Trent 1000 does not use bleed air; rather, power is taken from the intermediate-pressure (IP) spool instead of the HP spool (as on other Trent family members). The IP power takeoff drives the 787’s electrical power system, with R-R claiming improved engine handling and operability.
The T1000, which powered the 787’s first flight and its first commercial service, was the first engine to be certified on the airframe and the first to be approved for 330-minute extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS). More than 700 engines are covered by orders received from (or options let to) some 23 customers. Advanced Engine Health Systems
Characteristics of the Trent 1000 variant include “advanced pro-active enginehealth systems” to monitor flight performance and a 10:1 bypass ratio, plus a low hub-to-tip [speed] ratio. The T1000Ten is designed for all 787 variants, R-R having a memorandum of understanding with Boeing to offer the engine for the prospective 787-10X development. It will sport advanced HPT cooling and a new, more-efficient and higherflow intermediate-pressure compressor (IPC) that will save weight on the 787-8. A “modulated” HP air system is designed to reduce fuel burn while improving performance retention to suit different takeoff situations, according to R-R. A new HP compressor (HPC) design has been demonstrated on the Airbus A350’s Trent XWB powerplant and in the European Union-integrated New Aeroengine Core-concepts (NEWAC) project, which includes advanced combustor technology, “active” systems and heat management. In the first three stages of the HPC, the -Ten uses bladed discs (blisks) previously employed on the Trent XWB. The variant is expected to enter service on the 787-8 and -9 from 2016 and on the planned -10X two years later. Current development already under way includes demonstration of advanced seals, fan-case dressings and disc
New Rockwell Collins CEO plans to carry on a legacy by Matt Thurber By the end of June, Kelly Ortberg, currently president of Rockwell Collins, will transition into the CEO seat following the retirement of chairman and CEO Clay Jones. Ortberg, 52, has worked for Rockwell Collins (Chalet B19 and Hall 2b Stand D108) for the past 26 years, including running both the commercial aviation and government businesses as COO. “In a macro sense, this is a full steam-ahead transition, not a course-changing transition,” Ortberg told AIN. “I’ve been part and parcel to most of the key business strategies that have been put in place, and you’re not going to see a major shift in
direction from me because I fundamentally believe in the direction we’re headed.” In the business aviation market, the Pro Line Fusion flight deck “has been well received in the market,” he said, “and we’re very intently getting those into service.” The first jets in service with Pro Line Fusion were the Bombardier Global 5000/6000 series and Gulfstream’s new G280 (although the systems are branded as Gulfstream PlaneView in the G280 and Vision in the Global jets). Pro Line Fusion is slated for the commercial Mitsubishi MRJ and Bombardier CSeries and military Embraer KC-390 tanker.
58 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
architecture–the latter being scheduled to run this year. A 500-cycle demonstration is scheduled during the coming three months and R-R plans to fly the -Ten on the FTB in early 2015. The certification target is the third quarter of that year, with four or five months of Boeing flight testing to follow soon after. Service entry is expected by mid-2016, following first-quarter aircraft certification. Last month R-R expected the T1000 Pack C to be certified within “the next month or two”–perhaps in time for this week’s show. The upgrade is aimed at offering “76,000 With the Trent 1000 Package C upgrade, Rolls-Royce aims to offer [pound-thrust] ratings with 76,000 pounds of thrust “with margin” to meet Boeing 787-9 power margin” to meet 787-9 power requirements and provide increased performance for the 787-10X. requirements and provide increased performance for the 787-10X. sequence during May, by which time test The T1000 “won seven out of the past engines FTB1 and FTB2 had completed ten European sales campaigns,” accord- eight and nine flights, respectively. ing to Robertshaw. R-R is continuing to develop T1000 maturity with a “robust program of conPack C Is ‘Challenging’ tinuous improvement” that will see the The manufacturerdescribes its Pack Pack B 787-8 fleet leader engine undergo C development–scheduled to enter ser- 24,000 cycles. A 3,000-cycle test has been vice on 787-8 and -9s from next year–as completed, with a further 2,000-cycle tri“very challenging.” In May, 787-7,-8 and al under way last month. -9 Pack C flight-test engines were in “the Up to the 787 fleet’s grounding earlast stage of build” ahead of expected de- lier this year, the Trent 1000 had recorded livery before the end of June. A 150-hour 50,000 flying hours during 28,000 flights, type test has been completed successfully, the lead engine having accumulated 3,800 with the designated “cyclic” development hours and 1,100 flight cycles. R-R claims engine having completed 200 1,000-cycle an engine dispatch reliability rate of bettests; air-systems and operability certifi- ter than 99.9 percent, with no in-flight cation testing also is complete. shutdowns, but did not state whether The third flight-testbed Pack C engine there had been instances of engine thrust (FTB3) was expected to begin an 18-flight being “reduced to ‘flight idle.’” o
Pro Line Fusion was al- in those lower-end applications.” so recently chosen for the But overall technology costs AgustaWestland AW609 Tilt are dropping, Ortberg pointed Rotor, using the embedded dis- out. “We’re moving to a more play version with touchscreen centralized architecture where displays, designed for turboprops more of the processing is less and light jets. The emdistributed and more bedded display version centralized.” of Fusion features proWider use of touchcessors built into the screens is coming. smart displays, while “Business aviation is the larger aircraft Futhe trial ground for sion systems use cennew technologies,” he trally located prosaid, “to bring them in cessing installed in an and then stabilize those avionics cabinet. technologies and move “One of the chal- Kelly Ortberg incoming upmarket.” More new lenges, particularly in CEO of Rockwell Collins pilots are familiar with on July 31. light [aircraft] and binew technology such as zjets,” he said, “is they just don’t touchscreens, fly-by-wire sidestick have room for a central pro- controls and, Ortberg said, “a cessing-type architecture. The much more integrated digital and amount of processing needed real-life human interface.” HUD is a good example of for a [smaller] bizjet versus an air transport aircraft is quite a bit business aviation driving techdifferent,” he said. “We’re able to nology, with the HUD in the put that processing in the display Bombardier Vision Flight Deck
displaying synthetic-vision imagery on the HUD combiner display. Meanwhile, work continues on the HGS 3500 compact HUD for turboprops and light jets. “We’re in full development on that,” Ortberg said. “We think this new HGS 3500 will provide entrée into that lower-end market.” Here at the Paris Airshow, Rockwell Collins is highlighting Pro Line Fusion, new displays for Boeing’s 737 Max and a new helicopter situational awareness system that combines synthetic vision with terrain awareness, called HeliSure. “We’re also focusing on our new Paves ondemand single-aisle in-flight entertainment solution,” Ortberg said. “On the military side we’ve got a new product that’s just been certified with NSA to provide Link 16 connectivity, called Tacnet Tactical Radio, which is the smallest version of Link 16 available.” o
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North Africa’s low costs tempt European firms by Peter Shaw-Smith The aerospace industries in Morocco and Tunisia still tend to be viewed by some Westerners as embryonic, but the North African countries are starting to capitalize on the desire by European companies to move production offshore and take advantage of the close proximity to these low-cost economies. Both countries have made a commitment to market an investment framework promoting local jobs and opportunities for international companies, and this is paying dividends with the constant creation of new aerospace concerns. Although the IT and technological resources are sometimes low, the growth of special economic zones devoted to the aerospace industry in both countries presages development that looks set to become more sophisticated over time. In Morocco, Royal Air Maroc’s decision to relocate its head office to Casablanca Airport in 2004 heralded the growth of Aéropole Nouaceur, the industrial zone located adjacent to the airport. This has become a focal point for Western OEMs wanting to tap the potential of North Africa to contribute to their programs. In February, Bombardier announced the opening of a “transitional facility” in Morocco to train 18 aircraft assemblers at the Mohammed V International Airport in Nouaceur. A larger, permanent base is to open nearby shortly and Bombardier intends to produce items there, including flight controls for its CRJ Series aircraft. “By yearend, the facility is expected to employ approximately 100 fully trained aircraft assemblers,” the company announcement said. “This is a very exciting milestone for us as we start to see our operation in Morocco take form,” said Hugo Brouillard, general manager of newly formed Bombardier Aerospace Morocco. “With 18 new local employees engaged and trained in the Bombardier manufacturing process and philosophy, this is the first step toward a long [-term] future of quality component manufacturing at another world-class Bombardier facility.” The Casablanca-Nouaceur Aeronautics Free Zone acts as home to several other companies. In 2001, Boeing created
a joint venture with Royal Air Maroc and Labinal Snecma Group to manufacture wire bundles. The company is known as Morocco Aero-Technical Interconnect Systems (Matis) and has a manufacturing facility there. In the decade since its establishment, Matis’s headcount has risen from 75 to more than 500. In 2011, Royal Air Maroc divested its Matis shares to focus on its core airline business, and Boeing now owns 50 percent of the joint venture with Labinal, which supplies wiring systems for several global OEMs. In 2005, Labinal became a subsidiary of French aerospace
precision-machined parts in titanium, aluminum and other metals. These are used in structural parts and assemblies for aircraft, housing, brakes and door fittings. Major customers for the operation include Messier Bugatti-Dowty and Snecma. This year revenues are expected to reach almost $12 million at the company, which is also contributing to Snecma’s efforts to develop the Silvercrest turbofan for business aircraft. The Dassault group also appears to have set its sights on Morocco. Its Dassault Systèmes IT subsidiary has a local partner called Adhesium Technologies, which is involved in developing software for product life cycle management. Moroccan aerospace industry group GIMAS acts as an umbrella organization for several players in the nascent industry, helping Casablanca
by 2016 will generate revenues of €250 million from some 55 companies. With its expertise and experience in the electrical and electronics industries, Tunisia plays host to more than 50 companies manufacturing products and components for the aerospace industry. French firms like Anjou Électronique, Latécoere, Safran Group and Zodiac Group have local operations producing electric and electronic components in the country for Airbus, Boeing, Eurocopter, Dassault, Embraer and Bombardier. Tunisia’s steadily weakening currency, which has lost 15 percent of its value in the past three years, means that its exports are increasingly competitive in the international market.
which produces subassemblies and draws on a local network of subcontractors. It expects to employ a total of 750 people in Tunisia by 2014. The 107,000-sq-ft facility, located at M’Ghira, will see €30 million invested over five years. Aerolia created the Tunisian subsidiary in 2009 and it specializes in producing nose fuselage sections and other aerostructures for Airbus. Airbus itself plans to expand its facilities at M’Ghira. Last year, CEO Fabrice Brégier met with Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali to discuss the project and planned expansion of the European group’s local facilities. The Tunisian government is to provide infrastructure for the project. Meanwhile, France’s Zodiac
Above: Royal Air Maroc was behind early efforts to advance aerospace enterprises at the Casablanca-Nouaceur Aeronautics Free Zone, but the flagcarrier has since sold its stake in a company called Morocco Aero-Technical Interconnect Systems, which is now run as a joint venture between Boeing and France’s Labinal group. Left: Bombardier has started training staff in Morocco with a view to establishing a facility that will produce items such as flight controls for its CRJ family of regional airliners.
company Safran Group, and then in 2008, Airbus selected Labinal’s new Toulouse facility for the production of 80 percent of the A380 electrical harnesses. Boeing also carries out flight and maintenance training at a complex in Casablanca. The training is conducted through CasaAero, a joint venture of Royal Air Maroc and Boeing Flight Services formed in 2005. Prompted by a 2010 contract placed by Royal Air Maroc with Safran’s engine-making subsidiary Snecma to support its CFM56-7B engines, the airline and Snecma established an engine MRO joint venture called Snecma Morocco Engine Services. It too is based in Casablanca and works on CFM56-3 and CFM56-5B engines. Separately, SERMP (Société d’Etude et Réalisation de Mécanique de Précision) has 120 employees and has been located at Aéropole Nouaceur since 2005. The Frenchbacked company produces
60 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
to become the focus of the aviation industry in the kingdom. It boasts some 70 members, all engaged in facets of the component manufacturing and aerospace services industry. Both GIMAS and the Moroccan government’s inward investment agency, Agence Marocaine de Developpement des Investissements, are heading up the Moroccan presence at this year’s Paris Air Show (Hall 2b, Stand F93). Tunisia Takes Off
As with Morocco, old and new links to France predominate in North Africa’s smallest country, Tunisia. Because Tunis-Carthage International Airport is located in a congested area of the capital, development of support industries has taken place in the nearby towns of Sulayman and Zaghouan. Tunisia’s Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) claims that the aerospace industry has created more than 4,500 jobs, and
Tunisian industry group GITAS (Hall 2b, Stand D50) represents the country’s growing aerospace sector. It promotes the supply chain’s new and existing companies, fosters exchange among domestic firms and speaks for the industry in its dealings with government. Today the association acts as an umbrella for around 40 concerns, which provide machining and precision mechanics, assembly, electronics and engineering. The M’Ghira industrial zone, located in a suburb to the south of Tunis, covers an area of almost 500 acres, about 10 percent of which is already dedicated to aerospace. Many of the early occupants are involved in logistics. EADS subsidiary Aerolia has chosen Tunisia to establish a fourth site specializing in making aircraft components– its first outside France. The company owns 100 percent of local subsidiary Aerolia Tunisie,
Group has three main aviation business units with facilities in Tunisia in the shape of aicraft component makers Zodiac Seats Tunisie and Zodiac Equipments Tunisie. Based in Sulayman, around 25 miles from Tunis, the company manufactures seats and wiring, plus electrical transformers and converters. “What encouraged most our development in Tunisia is the [educational] level of people with qualifications that are almost equal to those of Europe, their ability to be trained, and their capacity to respect very specific work instructions of the aerospace industry,” Gaby Lopez, Zodiac’s director general for Tunisian operations recently told FIPA. “In Tunisia we have found very high level engineers, managers and technicians, effective import-export logistics, slowgrowing labor costs, a network of local suppliers in various areas and simplified customs procedures,” he said. o
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Boeing exec ponders prospects for further 787 rate hikes by Gregory Polek Boeing has left little doubt that it harbors bigger plans for its new plant in Charleston, South Carolina, where by the end of this year it expects to deliver three Dreamliners a month. While reviewing scenarios for 787
production rate increases and future programs during a briefing to reporters late last month at Boeing’s narrowbody facilities in Renton, Washington, Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior vice president and general manager for
Plans call for Boeing’s new 787 factory in Charleston, South Carolina, to produce three airplanes a month by the end of the year.
GREGORY POLEK
airplane programs Pat Shanahan said to do something that’s a little bit more he would bet that the Charleston factory weighted one towards the other? We’ve would contribute significantly to filling got to see how Charleston performs.” the capacity needs the eventual launch Shanahan emphasized the importance and production “ramp up” of the 787- of raising production in a disciplined 10 would undoubtedly generate. Singa- manner so as to avoid placing stress on a pore Airlines became the first to commit supply chain, certain members of which to the 787-10 with a conditional order for haven’t performed up to CEO Jim McNer30 in late May. ney’s standards. Therefore, he said, Boeing “If you launch the -10 and you sell it, won’t rush the -10X to the market despite a you have to make the assumption you’re level of urgency expressed to do so by Sinsold out for quite a long period of time,” gapore Airlines and interest by “more than said Shanahan. “That means you’ll have a handful” of airlines. to either de-book -9s or -8s, or increase During an investors’ conference last the production rate. My guess is we’ll month on Kiawah Island, South Caroincrease production and not substitute lina, McNerney talked of a “no-fly list,” out other models.” on which suppliers can find Boeing (Chalet A324, B321) themselves if they don’t meet still expects to raise the 787-8 certain performance or cost production rate to 10 per month– criteria set by Boeing. Any seven at the main widebody company on the list won’t get plant in Everett, Washington, the chance to bid on future and three in South Carolina–by programs, perhaps most notathe end of this year. bly the 777X. Boeing has At the same time, it plans already moved to mitigate to build four 787-9s for flight supply-chain “risk” by creattesting. That, along with talk ing in-house capacity such as Boeing Commercial of rates increasing beyond the Airplanes senior that in Charleston. 10-per-month level, has raised vice president and In Renton, Shanahan elabquestions about Boeing’s abil- general manager for orated on what appears to be a ity to close a third, so-called airplane programs, Pat concerted effort to foster a more surge line in Everett, opened Shanahan, addresses collaborative relationship bereporters at a pre-Paris last year as a means to add Air Show media event tween Boeing and its suppliers. temporary capacity and launch in Renton, Washington. “If you’re doing the developproduction of the 787-9. ment work and there is risk, you Shanahan insisted Boeing hasn’t would expect everyone to share in that,” changed its plans to decommission the said Shanahan. “I think what [McNersurge line, however, despite what could ney] said was that there’s a disproportionprove to become a capacity squeeze ate exposure to risk. with the almost certain launch of the “We have some great partnerships. 787-10. “I feel really confident that There are some that are real high peryou’ll see the surge line go away, and formers…There are some others that earlier, not later,” he said. “So…that’s really need to step up their game…If the bet I would make, because we’d like you look at performance, some overto have the space.” charge, some overpromise and some What Boeing plans to do with the space don’t deliver the quality that we need… remains an open question, but the work Many of the suppliers will say, look, we now done on the surge line appears likely want to be working in Philadelphia on to go to Charleston, where enough capac- the V-22, and we want to be working on ity exists already to build seven Dream- the 737, and what Jim is telling them is, liners a month. “That would be my bet,” look, if you’re not doing the right work, said Shanahan. “We can do seven on the [and] you’re not performing on the V-22, one line [in Everett], and we can do seven don’t come talking to us about the 737,” down in Charleston. Might we be able Shanahan said. o
62 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
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India takes hi-tech action after bird-strikes soar by Neelam Mathews Avoiding collisions between aircraft and birds is becoming a more pressing issue, according
to Indian authorities. The Indian Air Force, which conducts many operational and training flights,
often at very low level, attributes around 10 percent of accidents to bird hits. It took the lead last year by floating global bids to four companies for 45 bird detection & monitoring radar systems (BDRS) to be installed at airports and air bases across India. India’s civil and military aviation is hugely affected due to the absence of key infrastructure
A multiple flamingo strike on a SpiceJet Boeing 737 in 2007 climbing out from Delhi airport resulted in damage costing $200,000 and grounding of the aircraft.
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64 Paris Airshow News • June 17, 2013 • www.ainonline.com
and with little control over abattoirs and rubbish dumps dotted on the outskirts of airports. “In the air, the speed of aircraft does not provide much time to the pilot or birds to effect any evasive action and since an avian radar has a range of almost 10 kilometers, the radar gives some lead time to the pilot to avoid bird strikes during the take-off/landing/circuit flying stage,” S.M. Satheesan, a consultant in aircraft bird-strike prevention, told AIN. Civil airports are also considering the acquisition of these radars to monitor and look for birds at their approach and takeoff funnel, and inform the pilots in advance to ensure action can be taken on time, Bimal Sareen, CEO OIS Advanced Technology (Hall 5 Stand D281), one of the bidders for the IAF requirement, told AIN. The OIS scanning multibeam antenna, operating in marine X-band frequency, provides altitude, position and vector of the birds over a 12-kilometer diameter circular region reaching 1,000 meters in altitude over the runway itself, and up to 2,000 meters at the extreme range limits to the air traffic controllers. “The system can detect a small bird (equivalent of SAT 1 defined by FAA) up to a distance of six kilometers,” said Sareen. Netherlands-Robin Radars, Merlin Radars and Canada’s Accipiter are also believed to be in discussions over supplying avian radars to India. With most airports having a large number of nocturnal bird strikes (30 percent of total incidents), this makes it a compelling reason to procure avian radars, said Satheesan. He cites an instance (see image) of a multiple flamingo strike on a SpiceJet aircraft in 2007 at night at 1,000 feet in the climbout at Delhi airport. “Avian radar could have detected the presence of the large flocking water birds much in advance and averted the mishap by delaying take off to prevent loss of over $200,000 to the airline operator, and grounding of the aircraft,” he said. o
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New narrowbodies boost engine OEMs by Julian Moxon A recent Boeing study predicted a demand for up to 23,000 single-aisle airliners over the next 20 years. For the three engine manufacturers involved in the seven single-aisle aircraft currently in development, the business case for developing allnew engines to power them has been more than justified. Orders for the re-engined Airbus A320Neo and Boeing 737 Max have already gone way beyond initial expectations, while other new narrowbodies, including Bombardier’s CSeries, China’s Comac C919, Embraer’s E-Jet family and Irkut’s MS-21, plus the Mitsubishi MRJ regional jet, are pushing the sales tally even higher. All of these aircraft, except for the MS-21 which is also offered with Russian Aviadvigatel PD-14 powerplants, will be powered by new centerline turbofan engines, either CFM Leap-1 engines from the GE/Snecma partnership or Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1000G geared turbofans. Rolls-Royce is not involved in the current sales bonanza, having made an early decision that there was “no business case” for developing an engine for reengined aircraft. The UK company insisted it would commit only to powering all-new designs, and had hoped to power the Embraer E-Jet family with a new two-shaft engine. Given the huge popularity of its neo range, Airbus is unlikely to launch a new design for at least a decade. Boeing is known to be studying an all-new replacement for the 737, however. There is little doubt that the advent of new engines producing a claimed 15-percent improvement in specific fuel consumption over the existing CFM56 and International Aero Engines V2500 was a major stimulant to the decisions by Airbus (Hall 1, Stand 276) and Boeing (Chalets A324, B321) to re-engine their existing single-aisle aircraft. While both have futuristic designs in their respective technology drawers, committing to a new, conventionally configured design, with its huge development costs, would not have produced significant extra fuel-burn advantages to the re-engined derivatives. Blended-wing-body designs may come in a few years, while open-rotor engines have
not reached a sufficient stage of development and will require an all-new airframe. Testing has shown that open-rotor noise can probably be made acceptable, but the timescale for serviceentry remains uncertain. Another factor known to have influenced Airbus’s decision to continue with the A320 was that major fuel savings are on the way from a forthcoming revolution in air traffic management. Programs such as the Single European Sky and NextGen in the U.S. will improve the efficiency with which aircraft navigate, reducing fuel usage by at least 10 percent. This will be at minimal cost to aircraft manufacturers, apart from avionics upgrades. Again, the business case for re-engining the existing aircraft was incontrovertible. CFM Has Early Edge
As the Paris Air Show approached, CFM (Chalet B121, Hall 2a B252) was leading the orders tally–but only just. Its Leap-1 family of engines are exclusive on the Chinese C919 and Boeing 737 Max and at the time of writing had garnered slightly more than half of A320Neo orders to date. As the successor to the hugely successful CFM56, the Leap-1 engine will form the basis of the 50/50 Franco-American CFM International partnership’s business case for decades to come. CFM is, however, competing
CFM’s Leap-1B, is to power the 737 Max.
against a formidable opponent in the form of Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1000G. The early success of the company’s unique geared-turbofan technology (GTF) concept has surprised even the Hartford, Connecticut-based manufacturer, with five applications and more than 3,500 sales since the PW1000G program was launched in 2008. The PW1000 has found exclusive applications on the Bombardier CSeries, Mitsubishi MRJ and, in a recent development, the
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Embraer E-Jet. P&W formerly competed on the A320 as part of the International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 consortium, which included Rolls-Royce and Japanese Aero Engines (JAEC). Under the revised IAE arrangement, which was finalized in mid2012, MTU’s share grew to 16 percent, Japanese Aero Engines retained its original 23 percent and Pratt & Whitney holds the balance. The reshuffle followed Rolls-Royce’s decision in October 2011 to sell its 32.5-percent equity stake in the V2500 program to Pratt & Whitney for $1.5 billion. The U.S. manufacturer is partnered with German engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines on development of all PurePower engines, and with MTU and JAEC on engines for the A320Neo only. Three versions of the Leap-1 are currently in development: The Leap 1A and 1C for the Airbus A320Neo and Comac C919; and the Leap 1B for the Boeing 737 Max. The first two engines, both producing 24,500 to 33,000 pounds thrust, feature identical turbomachinery, the externals customized for their respective applications. The Max engine, running at 20,000 to 28,000 pounds thrust, has a smaller fan and core. Testing of individual modules has been ongoing and assembly of the first complete test engines began in late April, with performance testing due to start in September. “We’re going through a long build process because there is a lot of test instrumentation, as these are brand-new, cleansheet [design] engines,” said Gareth Edwards, Leap program manager. An unprecedented 28 engines are involved in the overall Leap development and certification program, of which 13 are dedicated to the A320Neo, 12 for the 737 Max and three for the Comac C919. A further 30 flight compliance engines will be built to support the three-aircraft flight-test programs. The Leap 1A and 1C programs are about nine months ahead of the Leap 1B effort, so it is a busy time for CFM as it prepares all three engines for the test and certification programs. “We’re running 14 engines in the certification program, which is more than normal because we want to achieve total validation before it flies,” said Richards.
The PW1100G will power the A320Neo.
“Another 14 will be run for the 737 Max program, so by mid2014 to mid-2015 we’ll have 28 engines on test.” Testing will be shared equally between GE and Snecma, with icing trials to be carried out at its new, $50 million icing test center at Winnipeg, Canada. CFM’s original, but aging, Boeing 747-100 and a newly acquired ex-JAL 747-400 will fly the engine tests. “We’ll start flight tests of the 1A and 1C in mid-2014 and of the 1B in early 2015,” said Richards. Such is the level of orders that CFM is preparing for an unprecedented increase in production rates as it transitions from CFM56 to Leap production. “We’ll build more than 1,400 engines this year and 1,500 in 2015,” said Richards. “Our task in 2016 is to begin producing the Leap 1A and 1C. It will be like changing a wheel while driving down a highway at 70 [miles per hour].” To compound the challenge, he added that CFM is totally changing its supply chain and assembly process, “because the Leap is a new design and the engine goes together in a different way.” By 2019, production of the Leap family will have reached 1,700 a year for all versions. “We could go to more than 1,800 after 2020,” he said. “We’re investing in new factories all over the world in anticipation of that.” Only a few hundred CFM56s a year will still be
produced, for U.S. military aircraft and spares to support the more than 24,000 engines in service. “As long as there are orders, we’ll build them,” said Richards. CSeries First Flight
As it prepares PW1000series engines for five applications, Pratt & Whitney (Chalet A330) has been faced with no less a test and certification task than CFM. Certification of the PW1500G Bombardier CSeries engine was achieved on time in February, marking the first certification milestone for the new powerplant. It followed 4,500 hours of rigorous ground tests since the first engine went to test in September 2010, including 340 hours of flight trials on P&W’s Boeing 747SP aircraft. The first flight of the CSeries test aircraft is now set for the end of June. To date more than 9,000 hours of tests have been accumulated on the PW1000G fan drive reduction gear system, which enables the fan and core to run at optimum speeds. “We’ve validated the improvements in fuel efficiency and noise reduction we targeted in 2007,” said Bob Saia, vice president, next generation product family at P&W. Flight testing of the PW1200G engine powering the Mitsubishi MRJ began in April 2012, although with certification delayed until the second half of 2015, the program is on a slower timescale than originally planned. The engine shares
considerable commonality with dramatic increases in aircraft that of the CSeries, however. operating costs resulting from “We’re able to use a lot of expe- fuel price rises began to domrience from the PW1500G for inate thinking about engine the MRJ, which reduces the development. “We’d found it difscale of the test program,” Saia ficult to get momentum behind said. the geared concept when fuel Ground tests of thewas just a dollar a gallon. When 33,000-pound-thrust PW1100G- it reached $3.50 that changed,” JM engines for the A320Neo he said. Fuel costs now account (the “JM” stands for Japanese for 40 to 50 percent of total Aero-Engines and MTU, partners in the A320) was completed in April after 120 hours. The engine recently flew on a 747SP test bed for the first time. Saia said that despite the introduction of “game changing” technology, there has been nothing particularly unusual about the PurePower test program. “We’ve done about the same amount of work as we did for the GP7000 and PW2000 before that,” he said. “There’s nothing unique about the gearbox architecture, even though there is a lot of new technology, but that’s the same for any engine.” He added that ongoing development would bring fuel efficiency improvements of around one percent a year, and include increasing the reduction gearing from the c urrent 3:1 to 4:1, or even 5:1, further reducing fan speed and increasing the core efficiency. “We’ll deliver a 15-percent fuel-burn advantage for the A320Neo. Our development program will being a further 10 percent over the next decade,” he said. The recent success in winning the powerplant battle for the Embraer E-Jet family was a huge boost to the PurePower program and will see the 15,000- to 22,000-pound-thrust PW1700G and 1900G engines enter service in 2018. The win was a blow to both CFM and Rolls-Royce, GE having powered the earlier E-Jets (while R-R powered the earlier Embraer regional jets). “Pratt & Whitney’s extensive engine testing and validation process positioned them to meet our economic and environmental improvement targets as well as the program timeline for the new generation of the E-Jet aircraft family,” said Embraer president and CEO Frederico Fleury when the award was announced in January.
operating costs. “That’s when we re-energized the GTF program and moved from research to product development.” Saia admitted that P&W had expected the PW1000 to power an all-new aircraft in 2012-13. “We’d created a technology roadmap for geared architecture and product entry for then.” The engine flew on Airbus A340 and
Boeing 747 demonstrators in 2007-08, proving the GTF concept. Then, in late 2007, Bombardier and Mitsubishi chose the engine for their respective aircraft. “We sold the GTF to them on the basis of doubledigit fuel-burn improvements and lower maintenance costs than current engines,” said Saia. The rest is undeniably history.
“Airbus and Boeing were both looking at product refreshment for both new and re-engined aircraft,” recalled Saia. “Ten years ago I would have said there was no probability that they would re-engine the A320 and 737. I firmly believe the CSeries and MRJ decisions were major factors in Airbus’s decision to go with our engine.” o
GTF Investment Pays Off
Despite uncertain beginnings, Pratt & Whitney now knows the company’s huge investment in geared-turbofan technology has paid off. Saia said the change in the engine’s fortunes can be traced back to the early 2000s, when the www.ainonline.com • June 17, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 67
Ontic lengthens legacy lifetimes by Matt Thurber Gareth Hall, who was pro- and repair [those components].” The Cheltenham facility was moted to president and managing director of BBA Aviation’s added through an acquisition of Ontic subsidiary in January, the fuel gauging systems from GE is focused on accelerating the Aviation in 2011. And another company’s rate of growth to recently purchased UK facility in take advantage of the improving Slough, which manufactures oxyaerospace economy. “The mar- gen systems, was consolidated at ket’s coming back strongly,” he Cheltenham in May. During the past three years, said, “and we see ourselves with Ontic’s topline revenue for eleclots of opportunities.” Ontic (Hall 5, B219) spe- tronics and avionics products cializes in manufacturing aero- has climbed to more than 30 space components under li- percent from 3 percent. “We cense to OEMs and acquiring see that continuing to grow as there’s more electroncomponent lines that ic product on legait can manufacture cy aircraft,” he said. and support directHall expects the elecly. In all cases, Ontic’s tronics segment to manufacturing activgrow to 50 percent ities are fully sancof revenue. “I see us tioned by the OEM continuing to expand that originally dein our core areas, signed and/or made which are electromethe component. chanical, expand our Ontic’s avionics electronics content and electronics manufacturing activities Gareth Hall, Ontic president further and then increasing the pace of take place at two loca- and managing director growth beyond that tions, Cheltenham, UK, and Chatsworth, Califor- which we’ve seen previously.” To facilitate that growth, a nia, and its two other sites are located in Houston, Texas, and number of factors are coming Singapore. In Houston, the com- together, Hall explained. “We’re pany stocks more than 44,000 probably looking at the healthHawker 125 series parts such as iest licensing and acquisition landing gear, ailerons, elevators, pipeline that we’ve seen in the rudders, tabs, oxygen bottles, last two to three years. In the last 18 months we’ve got a much leading edges and doors. Earlier this year, Ontic opened wider management and talent a new MRO facility in Singa- pool so that we can adopt mulpore, collocated with BBA Avia- tiple licenses at the same time, tion’s Dallas Airmotive Regional particularly in the UK [where] Turbine Center at the Seletar we’ve brought up a new facility Aerospace Park. The Singapore with a strong management team facility services and repairs all the who are hungry for the next fuel gauging components man- product line to be adopted.” At Chatsworth and Cheltenufactured in Cheltenham, which includes newly manufactured ham, there is plenty of room systems for Airbus A320s and for expansion into new prodBoeing 777s. “A third of the fleet uct lines as well as space to build for both [types] operates in the new facilities. “If the right deal Asian region,” said Hall, “so it’s comes along,” Hall said, “then important for us to have a pres- we have no compunction about ence in Asia so we can maintain adding a fifth site.”
Ontic’s activities cover the commercial airline, military and business/general aviation markets. “We have a core of probably 20 OEMs that we deal with frequently,” he said. Many of these have an umbrella or blanket license agreement with Ontic, and it’s easy to add new products that the OEM no longer wishes to manufacture. “They identify noncore products,” he explained, “we discuss [them] and agree to value, and then those products move onto the negotiated umbrella license agreement. That [helps] in terms of liberating resources, which they’re desperate to pull from this legacy product, which is noncore to them and somewhat of a distraction. So that’s a perfect scenario.” Noncore Products
In other cases, OEMs might ask Ontic to review noncore products. “It may not be to ask us to outright license [the product],” Hall said, “but to ask our opinion on how should they deal with a set of products or a production line. The answer may not always be to license to Ontic. We’ve been doing this since 1974, and we have become, for a number of OEMs, a trusted partner, someone to bounce ideas off as well as to do continued business with.” In commercial aviation, Hall said, “We pay close attention to fleet dynamics and [look at] fleet retirements and fleet usage.” The fleets of Boeing 747-400s, 767s, 757s and 737 Classics are declining, “but they’ve got such a large installed base, that there is still a vast aftermarket out there. “The military is difficult and complex in a number of ways,” he said, but because of tight budgets, many countries are trying to keep aircraft flying longer. “They’re looking for Left: Pedro Paiva, Ontic’s electronics lead, and Sigfredo Mendoza, electronics technician level-A, are troubleshooting and repairing capacitance probes on the Airbus A320 fuel quantity indicator system. Right: Oscar Gutierrez, electronics technician level-A is performing tests on radar antennas. Ontic installs APS-133, RDR-1E and RDR-1F high-performance weather detection and avoidance, terrain mapping and beacon homing radars on a number of military and commercial aircraft platforms, including the C-17, C-130, KC-130, C-141, P-3, C-5A/B, E-3, E-4, E-6, E-8, KC-10, DC-8, DC-9, B-707, B-727, B-737, B-747 and L-1011.
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support strategies for those aircraft, when three or four years ago it was highly likely that they would have been retired.” Hall expects the AV-8B Harrier to fly until 2030, and there is no telling when the long-lived B-52 will be retired. “There are several other platforms behind that,” he said, “and the majority of these we have content on.” This includes
support the latter’s pilot controls and transmitter/indicator product lines, to include production, aftermarket manufacturing and MRO services. Ontic will incorporate these products into its Chatsworth and Cheltenham facilities using its adoption process, moving them from CurtissWright facilities where they are currently manufactured.
Above: Paul Smith, Ontic electronics technician level-A, examines a printed circuit board under a high-powered microscope. Below: Varoujan Khachoo, Ontic electronics technician level-B, troubleshoots and repairs a wireless smoke detection unit for a Boeing 737.
elements of the fuel gauging system on the BAE Hawk and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The business and general aviation market has been poised for recovery for some time. While Ontic has seen “some slackening” in that market, Hall said, “All indications are that it’s going to come back pretty nicely over the next six to 18 months. We’re looking forward to that.” Last month, Ontic announced that it signed an agreement with Curtiss-Wright Controls Integrated Sensing to
Here at the Paris Air Show, Ontic executives are meeting with OEMs new to the concept of licensing products to a thirdparty manufacturer. “And it’s an opportunity to cement relationships with OEMs that Ontic does business with,” Hall said, “to talk with them about how their products are doing, how they performed in the last 12 months and give them an idea of the value we’re continuing to increase for them as OEMs, even after they’ve licensed the product to Ontic.” o
Russia has sights set on global helo scene by Vladimir Karnozov More than 8,000 Russian rotorcraft are in operation in more than 100 countries around the world–20 types and around 40 variants with major upgrades. Their manufacturer, Russian Helicopters (Hall 2a Stand C198), which claims it has 14 percent of the world’s fleet, reported a profit of 9.4 billion Roubles ($300 million) in 2012–and a hefty 21-percent rise in revenues, to RUB125.7 billion. Some RUB99 billion of this was generated from helicopter shipments and RUB19 billion from services. Shipments in 2012 grew by 10.7 percent, with 290 rotorcraft of nine types going to 19 countries. The backlog is 817 helicopters worth RUB369 billion at catalog prices. The Russian MoD remains the largest customer, with more than 1,500 indigenous choppers in service with Army Aviation and with funds allocated to procure 1,100 new rotorcraft in the 2010-2020 time frame. This customer received 37 in 2010, 82 in
2011 and about 120 in 2012. Military exports have also been on rise. According to the Rosoboronexport arms export agency, rotorcraft deliveries in 2012 amounted to U.S.$1.5 billion, 40 percent more than the previous year, and a further 30-percent rise is expected in 2013. Rosoboronexport holds orders for Russian-made rotorcraft exceeding U.S.$5 billion. According to official data Russia submitted to the UN weapons register, the year 2011 saw 66 deliveries of Russian military helicopters. Following MoD Lead
Many Rosoboronexport customers prefer buying what the Russian MoD is taking. The timeproven Mi-8/17 series remains the best seller, and the Russian state entities will continue to take some 50 such aircraft a year over the next few years. New models of attack helicopters are also becoming increasingly popular; shipments of the Mi-28N to the
Russian armed forces in 20092012 proceeded at a flat annual rate of 12 annually, and a total of 200 are expected to be taken eventually. Output of the Ka-52 has been rising, with some 20 shipments in total by 2012, out of 140 on order. It is interesting to note that, after many years of selection between the Mi-28 and Ka-50/52, the MoD finally took both. The Mi-28N is primarily intended for fire support of the troops, going into the heat of the battle if required, with pilots putting their hopes into heavy armor protection and a small cross section. The Ka-52 has a large radar in the nose and many expensive sensors. Others are for reconnaissance and striking targets at distances where most targets could not successfully return fire. Alongside this pair of modern rotorcraft, the MoD continues buying Mi-35Ms, the recent evolution of the long-serving Mi-24. Six were accepted in 2011 and 10 in 2012, out of an order of 60. Shipments of the world’s largest rotorcraft, the Mi-26T, resumed in 2011, with the Russian MoD taking 11 as part of a framework contract for 18. The navy’s most important procurement is a pair of Kamov Ka-252RLs, a customized derivative of the Ka-31 radar picket helicopter already operational
The Mi-28N is primarily intended for fire support of the troops, going into the heat of the battle if required.
in India and China. Shipments of the Ansat-U for the flight schools continue under a framework agreement for 30 machines. This is the first type in Russian military service to have foreign engines in the form of the Pratt & Whitney PW207K. Also, for training purposes, the MoD has ordered 30 Ka226s with 10 shipments in 2012. This makes a second choice of foreign engines, in this case, Rolls-Royce Allison 250s. Future prospects for both Ansat and the Ka-226 depend on the indigenous industry’s ability to come up with competitive power plants in the 400- to 800-hp class. To stimulate local manufacturers, the Russian MoD is openly considering buying
South Asia rising as helicopter market by Neelam Mathews India’s small, but strategic, South Asian neighbors, including Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, will procure around 30 helicopters in different categories in the next five years, according to an internal study conducted by Sikorsky. While Indian military helicopter procurement plans are for more than 1,000 helicopters by 2020–including light utility, attack, Mi-17 medium transport, heavylift and multirole platforms, even as its GDP grew by more than 6 percent last year, Bangladesh has the largest budget for procurement in the Indian periphery. With no helicopters of its own, the Bangladesh disaster management and relief ministry, which handles floods, cyclones and fires, is considering the purchase of four medium-size utility helicopters of the Mi-17 and Eurocopter AS332 type. The Bangladesh
Air Force has a VVIP fleet of two Mi-8 and two Bell 212 helicopters and 17 Mi-17s, some of which need to be replaced. In March, Eurocopter delivered the first of two 130 B4 civil helicopters to private company R&R Aviation for emergency medical services and humanitarian support. The EC130 B4 can be configured for air charters, sightseeing tours and aerial observation. The potential for light helicopters led Eurocopter to do a flight demonstration of the single-engine AS350 B3e en route to Kathmandu, Nepal, for delivery to Shree Airlines, a large helicopter operator. “We see a promising future for the demand of helicopters in both the civil and governmental markets in Bangladesh…The AS350 B3e is able to [provide] passenger transport, EMS, aerial work, law enforcement and disaster management,”
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The AS350 B3e is ideal for passenger transport, EMS, aerial work, law enforcement and disaster management.
said Eurocopter Southeast Asia president Eric Toussaint. At the Bangladesh-U.S. partnership dialogue held in Dhaka last month, Bell and Sikorsky joined discussions on prospects of U.S. investment in Bangladesh. With the 22-year civil war in the northeast of Sri Lanka over, tourism to the region is opening up. However, with the road infrastructure in shambles, more helicopter companies have shown interest. Colombo-based Lakwin Aviation has applied for certification, while the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is considering procurement for Helitours, its commercial domestic
service arm that offers sightseeing tours, aerial news-gathering and photography, as well as surveillance and advertising. The SLAF, meanwhile, has ordered around 14 Mi-17s and two Bell 206 helicopters for transport. Bhutan-based Dharma Adventures, having recently applied for an air operator’s certificate, will set up helicopter services in the country and also fly in neighboring Nepal, said owner Kinley Tshering. Plans include cargo flights to lift equipment for hydro projects in remote areas, tourism and airlifts for emergencies–currently operated by the Indian army. o
rotorcraft in Europe. The service has already received two AS355NPs and three AS350Bs for operational trials. If these five Eurocopters prove their worth, the service may order 47 of them eventually, for training duties and VIP transportation. The MoD is also studying the Mi-38 and Ka-60, but whether their militarized versions could meet requirements for future multi-role rotorcraft is uncertain. Dmitry Petrov, general director at the Russian Helicopters, said Mi-38 series production would begin in 2015. The third experimental example has been assembled and will soon start flying; it is powered by Russian-made Klimov TV7-117V turboshafts instead of PW127T/S used on the earlier prototypes. Delays in completing a fully indigenous version of this promising helicopter have been caused by protracted bench testing on the Klimov motors, said Petrov. A dozen Klimov engines are employed in various tests. A pair of flight-fit TV7-117Vs were to be delivered to the Kazan helicopter plant in May for installation on the third Mi-38 to be built, which is to have its maiden flight in June or July. As of the end of May, there was no clear decision from the manufacturers as to whether the Mi-38 would have indigenous or foreign engines. Russian Helicopters and Pratt & Whitney signed a framework agreement for up to 500 PW127s worth $600 million back in 2008, but this deal is still waiting for approval from the U.S. Department of State. Meanwhile, Kazan started assembly of the fourth Mi-38, the final experimental example, with which the Mil design house intends to complete certification trials. This Mi-38 will have larger windows and a crash-resistant fuel system from Aerazur. In addition, an airframe for bench testing is to be c ompleted this year. The Mi-38 first flew in December 2003, almost 10 years ago. o
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The actual prototype PC-12, which made its first flight in 1991, is displayed outside Pilatus’s headquarters in Stans, Switzerland.
PHOTOS: MATT THURBER
The demonstrator PC-12 painted in Otto Lilienthal theme honors the German pioneer aviator known as the “Glider King,” and founder of the science of wing aerodynamics.
Pilatus attaches a label to each fuselage declaring that the airplane will be completed at precisely the time specified.
Pilatus joins the jet set by Matt Thurber and Chad Trautvetter It takes 70,251 rivets and 5,000 man-hours to fabricate a Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprop, and when each PC-12 rolls into the final assembly process in Halle 9 at Pilatus’s Stans, Switzerland factory, the precise time and date when the airplane will be finished is noted on a label attached to the fuselage.
This is no rough estimate, and Pilatus (Chalet A122) means exactly what the label says, according to sales and marketing executive Fred Muggli. If the label, for example, for PC-12 serial number 1418, says May 22 at 1500, then that is precisely when that aircraft will be done. Such clockwork precision is
a hallmark of the Pilatus factory, tucked into a small corner of a former military airfield in Stans, where 1,500 employees have already built about 1,200 PC-12s along with PC-7 MkII, PC-9 M and PC-21 military trainers and the PC-6 Porter single-engine utility turboprop, which has been in production in various configurations for more than 50 years. Pilatus military trainers are flown by more than 30 air forces around the world. The PC-12 prototype first
flew in 1991 and is now displayed on a stand outside the Stans factory. Production of the PC-12 began in 1994, and in the early days of the program, Pilatus executives thought that the market might support about 250 of the model, but that obviously was much too conservative.
And now the Pilatus production line is about to expand, with the unveiling in May of the PC-24, a big step for Pilatus into the business jet market. Although Pilatus has kept the PC-24 under wraps, more than 300 engineers, including PC-12 designer Oliver Masefield, have been working on the program for the past few years. Two buildings at Stans are dedicated to the PC-24, a stack of temporary office cabins stacked in Continued on page 74 u
‘Super-versatile’ PC-24 unveiled On May 21, surrounded by crowds of eager EBACE attendees, Pilatus chairman Oscar Schwenk called for the unveiling of Pilatus Aircraft’s longawaited new twinjet project, the PC-24. When the black curtain dropped amid clouds of dry-ice-induced smoke to the theme song from the Superman movie, the fuselage mockup of the PC-24 was revealed. As expected, the new twinjet looks large, just the way that a PC-12 has an imposing ramp presence for a single-engine turboprop, and it also shares the PC-12’s cavernous cargo door and utilitarian performance. PC-12 operators wanting to move into larger airplanes had been asking Pilatus for something new, but there was nothing available to keep them in the Pilatus family. What these customers wanted, Schwenk said, was an aircraft with the capabilities of the PC-12, but faster and with a bigger cabin. He introduced the new PC-24 as a “super versatile jet” or SVJ, because, he explained, it’s in an entirely new category for business jets. “The PC-24 is unique. It’s the only aircraft combining the versatility of a turboprop with the cabin size
of a medium-size jet and the performance of a light jet.” The PC-24 airframe is allmetal and the jet is designed to operate from short and unimproved runways, needing as little as 2,690 feet (balanced field length) for takeoff at maximum takeoff weight. Landing distance over a 50-foot obstacle is 2,525 feet. At 5,000 feet and ISA +20 deg C, the PC-24 at maximum takeoff weight needs a balanced field length of 4,430 feet. Stall speed at maximum landing weight and sea level is 81 knots. These numbers mean that the PC-24 can operate from more than 21,000 airports worldwide, including 8,383 airports in North America and 2,928 airports in Europe, 91 and 79 percent, respectively, more than its closest competitor, according to Pilatus. Intended for FAA Part 23 commuter category and EASA CS 23 certification, the PC-24 can be flown by one pilot. The PC-24 has a wingspan of 55 feet, 9 inches, and the wings, while tapered at the leading edge, are straight and not swept. Wing area covers 332.6 sq ft and wing loading is 53 lb/ sq ft. With a height of 17 feet
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The twinjet Pilatus PC-24 is intended for FAA Part 23 and EASA CS 23 certification in the commuter category. It will seat six to eight passengers or up to 10 in commuter configuration.
4 inches and length of 55 feet 2 inches, the PC-24 is slightly larger by two to three feet compared to Embraer’s Phenom 300 and three feet shorter in length than Cessna’s XLS+ but with seven inches less wingspan than the XLS+. The PC-24’s dualwheel main landing gear swings inward and retracts into uncovered wells in the fuselage center section. Tires are inflated to a low-pressure of just 72 psi. Fueling is via a single-point pressure refueling port.
Two Williams International FJ44-4A engines help the PC-24 climb directly to its maximum altitude of FL450 in fewer than 30 minutes and achieve a high-speed cruise of 425 ktas at FL300. Range with an 800pound payload (four passengers) at long-range cruise speed and NBAA 100-nm IFR reserves is 1,950 nm or 1,800 nm with six passengers. At maximum payload, range drops to 1,190 nm. Maximum takeoff weight is 17,650 pounds and maximum
payload 2,500 pounds. Usable fuel load is 5,965 pounds and maximum payload with full fuel is 915 pounds. With a flat floor and seating for six to eight passengers or up to 10 in commuter configuration, the PC-24’s cabin volume is 501 cu ft, “much more than bigger aircraft that cost twice as much,” Schwenk said. The cabin is pressurized to a maximum of 8.78 psi pressure differential, providing a sea level Continued on page 74 u
Pilatus joins the jet set uContinued from page 72
a cubelike structure plus a new hangar where prototype construction is under way. Entry into service of the PC-24 is planned in 2017.
While PC-12 wings and fuselages are manufactured at PZLSwidnik in Poland and shipped to Stans, a Pilatus hallmark is the company’s high level of vertical integration. Parts as small as bushings and tiny fittings are all manufactured in Stans, and Pilatus has refined its capabilities, moving from
riveted-together wing spars on the smaller trainers to fully machined single-piece spars on each of the PC-12’s wings. Pilatus isn’t afraid of composites; it has a complete composites manufacturing shop where parts such as PC-12 dorsal fins, engine cowls and other parts are built. But Pilatus
Is the new Pilatus PC-24 a light system (CMS) for the PC-24, saying or midsize jet? That’s the question that technology advances in these that baffled EBACE attendees ever electronics are occurring so rapidly since the twinjet was revealed on that it is still too soon to commit to May 21. On one hand, the aircraft’s a CMS for a jet that won’t be certified 17,650-pound mtow, nearly identical until 2017. But it has chosen Boulder, to that of the Embraer Phenom 300, Colorado-based Air Comm to provide places it firmly in the light jet catethe PC-24’s environmental cooling gory, but its 501-cu-ft cabin volume and heating system. suggests it is midsize, since it is well Innovative Solutions & Support above the 325 cu ft of the Phenom. (IS&S) was chosen to supply the In fact, the PC-24’s cabin is largPC-24’s Utilities Management Syser than the best-selling midsize jet, the tem (UMS), which uses a multi-line Cessna Citation XLS+, in almost every Ethernet network to monitor and respect: it is wider (67 inches versus control PC-24 mechanical and elec66 inches), longer (23 feet versus 18.5 trical systems and the jet’s avionics. feet) and more voluminous (501 cu ft The UMS consists of four identical versus 461 cu ft). In this matchup, the The Pilatus PC-24’s 90-cu-ft baggage IS&S Data Concentration and Procompartment is large enough to PC-24 loses only in cabin height–61 cessing Units, each with two chanaccommodate a full-size motorcycle. inches versus the XLS+’s 68 inches. nels but dissimilar hardware and However, the PC-24 has a flat floor while the Citation has a software. The units control and monitor “navigation, audrop-down floor, so seated passengers won’t have any more to-flight, landing gear, surface positions, fire protection, headroom in the XLS+ compared with the PC-24. ice/rain protection, electrical loads, lighting, environmenDubbed “Crystal Class,” the Pilatus jet’s interior tal conditions, cabin pressurization and oxygen systems,” evokes the qualities of Swiss crystals: beauty, uniqueness according to IS&S, as part of the company’s UMS-100 and versatility, according to the aircraft manufacturer. The utility management system product family. Another UMSsix-passenger cabin mockup on display at EBACE certain- 100 feature is the ability to act as a central maintenance ly demonstrated the first two qualities, while its versatility computer and transmit real-time fault reporting data via comes from no less than seven interior options, including satcom or other datalinks. three executive versions (six-, eight- and six/eight-seat In the jet’s front end, the Swiss aircraft manufacturer has quick change configurations); 10-passenger commuter selected the Honeywell Primus Apex flight deck but brandlayout; combi (forward club-seat cluster and aft cargo); ed as the Pilatus Advanced Cockpit Environment (Ace). The cargo; and medevac. In the three executive versions, the standard version includes four 12-inch displays, Honeywell externally serviced lavatory can be located in the fore or SmartView synthetic vision, autothrottles, Tcas II, inertial aft cabin, and there is a galley option as well. reference system, Waas LPV approaches, dual standby inNo matter what configuration is chosen, operators are struments and graphical flight planning on the moving map. sure to appreciate the jet’s large 4.1- by 4.25-foot rear cargo Optional equipment includes infrared enhanced vision sysdoor as well as the ability to remove seats quickly and move tem and RNP < 0.3 capability. the aft partition to adjust the size of baggage compartment The PC-24 will also feature the Integrated Navigation or cabin. With the partition in the forward position, the bag- Data Service (INDS) data manager for the Apple iPad. gage compartment volume is 90 cu ft, large enough to fit The INDS, developed by Jeppesen and Honeywell, simplia full-size motorcycle. In the aft position, the compartment fies the Honeywell Apex database update process, allowencloses 51 cu ft. The cargo door height is 4 feet 3 inches ing wireless updates through the iPad. An Aspen Avionics and usable width 4 feet 1 inch, large enough to accommo- CG100P Connected Panel device is part of the INDS sysdate standard-size cargo pallets. tem, and this is the first selection of Aspen’s Connected Pilatus has not yet selected a cabin management Panel for a business jet. –M.T. & C.T.
The PC-24’s Honeywell Primus Apex flight deck is branded as the Pilatus advanced cockpit environment. Its 501-cu-ft cabin, larger than that of the midsize Cessna Citation XLS+, is said to evoke the beauty, uniqueness and versatility of Swiss crystals.
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MATT THURBER
Inside the PC-24
Clockwork precision is the hallmark of the Pilatus factory in Stans, where some 1,500 workers have built more than 1,200 PC-12s and numerous trainers and utility models.
airframes remain primarily riveted aluminum construction, and that is not likely to change, according to Muggli. Long-time PC-12 operator Sauber F1 Team also employs Pilatus to build the composite wings for its Formula 1 racing cars. From the assembly line where PC-12 fuselages are mated to wings and all the necessary components and parts attached and stuffed into the airframe, the nearly completed airframes are rolled into the paint hangar then to Halle 9. Wings are painted before mating with the fuselage, then final painting is done after most assembly work is completed. Halle 9 is one of the
‘Super-versatile’ PC-24 unveiled uContinued from page 72
cabin altitude at 23,500 feet and 8,000-foot cabin altitude at 45,000 feet. The PC-24 naturally features a large cargo door like the PC-12, and the baggage compartment is pressurized. Key to the PC-24’s short-field performance is a unique design feature of the jet’s two Fadeccontrolled 3,435 pound thrust Williams International engines. An additional 5 percent power (to 3,600 pounds) is available via a new automatic thrust reserve feature, according to Williams. The engines also employ Williams’s Exact passive thrust vectoring nozzle technology, which uses the Coanda effect to provide a three-degree “vectored” thrust during high power operations. The Exact feature was planned for Piper’s canceled Altaire single-engine jet, although using a higher seven-degree vector. An anti-iced and noise-suppressing inlet is supplied by Williams, as is an integral pre-cooler “to condition engine bleed air and reduce drag losses.” The PC-24
largest free-standing wooden hangars in the world, and inside this quiet building, Pilatus technicians do all final checks such as landing gear swings, cabin pressurization tests, compass swings and so forth, before the airplane emerges for a production flight test. After the flight test, the airplanes return to Halle 9 to be fitted with interiors and any final preparations prior to delivery. Pilatus is proud of its record of zero defects, not just on delivery, but usually always during the production flight test, too, according to Muggli, something that few manufacturers are able to achieve. o doesn’t need an APU because the FJ44s use Williams’s Quiet Power Mode to provide ground power efficiently and with little noise. The engine has a 5,000hour TBO and hot-section interval of 2,500 hours. Pilatus has already begun building the prototype PC-24 in a small hangar tucked into the edges of the company’s Stans, Switzerland, headquarters. The first PC-24 will roll out in the third quarter of next year and fly before the end of 2014. EASA and FAA certification is planned in early 2017, according to Schwenk, and first delivery will take place immediately after certification. The PC-24 will sell for $8.9 million in 2017 economic terms, according to Schwenk. Pilatus isn’t taking orders at the rest of this year’s shows where it is exhibiting, but plans to open the orderbook next May. Financing for the program is entirely from Pilatus funds. –M.T. & C.T.
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Sequestration of budgets ties Pentagon’s hands
employees deployed or temporarily assigned to a combat zone will not be subject to furlough. In remarks that same day in nearby Crystal City, Virginia, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson said the financial circumstances driving U.S. budget cuts are unprecedented. “The budget challenges are immense,” said Hewson, who presides over the world’s largest defense contractor. “The debt burden our country is bearing is
by Bill Carey to soften the blow of sequestration on employees that are considered essential to operations. In April, after five days of prolonged flight delays at major airports blamed on controller staffing reductions, Congress passed legislation that allowed the FAA to transfer funds into its operations budget. The agency then stopped requiring controllers to take unpaid leave, or “furlough” days, to help it meet its sequestration deficit. Furloughs Scaled Back
Despite a drumbeat of warnings from senior Pentagon officials that sequestration will erode military training, readiness, procurement and research and development, the DOD has not dodged the sequestration bullet. The agency originally planned to furlough nearly all of its 800,000 civilian employees for up to 22 days each; those numbers have been scaled back to 652,000 employees, who will each be required to take 11 furlough days this fiscal year, beginning July 8. “Furloughs for 11 days represent about half of the number we had originally planned, reflecting the department’s vigorous efforts to meet our budgetary shortfalls through actions other than furlough,” said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who announced the verdict to grim-faced DOD employees in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 14. “There will be exceptions driven by law and by the need to minimize harm to the execution of our core missions.” As an example, he said,
Department of Defense
The U.S. government spends more on its military each year than any other nation by far, but it is a restrained Department of Defense (DOD) that presents itself at this year’s Paris Air Show. That’s because a previously obscure fiscal mechanism known as “sequestration” requires the DOD to cut $41 billion, or roughly 8 percent of its $527 billion base budget, by September 30, the end of the fiscal year on the government’s calendar. Sequestration, a feature of the Budget Control Act of 2011, was set in motion by the failure of political parties in the U.S. Congress over more than two years to compromise on reducing the $16 trillion national debt. The DOD is not alone in taking cuts; sequestration requires $85 billion in overall spending cuts across defense and non-defense agencies in FY2013, and $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next decade. Ironically, defense spending was considered sacrosanct when sequestration first arose as a threat in the summer of 2011. With the Pentagon already absorbing $487 billion in spending reductions through FY2021 as required by the budget control act, the prospect of lopping off some $500 billion more through sequestration was considered so unsavory that warring politicians would be compelled to compromise on debt reduction. But they did not–and sequestration became law in March. Some federal agencies, notably the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), have managed
AAR plans bigger roll for its composites business Earlier this month AAR (Hall 3 Stand B117) shifted responsibility for order management of its composite flat-panel and standard products to its distribution and supply chain operation, along with distribution and customer support responsibilities. “As the market for aerospace composites grows, instead of expanding customer support within the manufacturing division, we turned to AAR’s extensive existing sales and distribution network to handle this function,” said Vincent Misciagna, vice president and general manager of AAR Composites. “That way, customers can benefit from an extensive infrastructure already in place. They will now have a broader organization to lean on.” AAR also anticipates that the change will help it expand its composites presence in markets outside North America. Currently, 90 percent of its composites sales are in that one region, but with sales offices and stocking locations in Chicago, London, Amsterdam, Abu Dhabi and Singapore, AAR is confident that its distribution and supply-chain network “offers opportunities for a broader reach” for composites business. AAR is based in Wood Dale, Illinois, and employs more than 6,000 people in 17 countries. –N.M.
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At a “town hall” meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 14, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that civilian defense employees will be furloughed for up to 11 days.
unsustainable. We have to find a way to rein in spending, reduce the deficit and strengthen the economy. Right now, the path our country has chosen to achieve this is sequestration. We’ve never believed that was the right path to take.” The American public will see– or not see–the effects of sequestration on the DOD’s budget. The most obvious manifestations are the cancellation of performances this year by the Navy’s Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet fighter team, the Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 team and the Army Golden Knights parachute team. Local air shows, flyovers
and events have been cancelled across the country. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, closed its Presidential and research-and-development galleries and cancelled its annual giant scale radio-controlled model aircraft show. USAF Grounds Squadrons
More concerning, the U.S. Air Force grounded about one third of its active fighter and bomber squadrons. “Twelve combat-coded squadrons have stopped flying, and important training has been canceled,” Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said on May 24. “Weapon system sustainment reductions will delay maintenance, increase costs and create backlogs. The impending civilian furlough will hamper us further and will impact morale and reduce productivity across the Air Force,” warned Donley. The Navy said it would stand down four carrier air wings and reduce two others to minimum safe flying levels. In April, the Obama Administration submitted to Congress a $526.6 billion base defense budget for FY2014, excluding spending needed for the Afghanistan campaign, that represents about a 1-percent reduction in spending from the current fiscal year. The budget does not account for ongoing automatic cuts through sequestration, which could amount to $52 billion next year. Instead, it contains “balanced deficit reduction proposals that are more than sufficient” to allow Congress to replace or repeal sequestration, according to the DOD. That may be wishful thinking. Analysts interviewed by The Washington Post described the DOD’s assumption that sequestration will go away by the end
Rockwell Collins does deal to build simulators in China Under a memorandum of agreement signed on June 4, Rockwell Collins and Avic subsidiary Beijing Bluesky Aviation Technology will form a joint venture to design, manufacture and market commercial flight simulators. The joint venture should begin operating by the end of the year, pending a final agreement and regulatory approvals. Products offered by the venture will serve training needs for regional, narrow- and widebody airliners in China and around the world, including training devices and full flight simulators. Rockwell Collins will provide
its Core simulation architecture technology and visual systems, while Bluesky will contribute “expertise on Chinese commercial aircraft flight simulation training products and services.” The two have collaborated previously on flight simulator programs, building simulation and training solutions for the Xian MA60 and MA600 and Comac ARJ21 and C919. The C919 full-motion engineering simulator was inaugurated in February 2012 at Comac’s Shanghai Design and Research Center. The simulator, capable of meeting level-D
of the fiscal year as “foolhardy,” the paper reported. “Analysts said the budget also is problematic because the bottom line is predicated on initiatives that lawmakers have rejected, including base closures, cuts to healthcare benefits and the elimination of weapons systems,” it said. What the proposed new budget does do is continue developmental funding for the USAF’s “big three” priorities: the Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter; the Boeing KC-46A tanker; and the secretive long-range strike bomber (LRS-B) program. Rear Admiral Joseph Mulloy said the sea service is similarly committed to the Marines’ F-35B and Navy’s F-35C. “Both services are looking forward to the delivery of the airplanes,” he said. The budget funds 165 total aircraft, including 21 Boeing EA18G Growlers and 16 P-8A Poseidons; 37 Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R/S helicopters; 25 Bell AH-1Z/UH-1Y helicopters and 18 Bell Boeing MV-22 tiltrotors. But ongoing uncertainty over the DOD’s spending both next year and over the long term is not helpful to industry, which has been “right-sizing” for several years by divesting manufacturing space, reducing workforce levels and culling management in anticipation of defense spending tapering off. “We understand defense budget cuts are part of the overall equation to solve the U.S. fiscal situation, but it needs to be done in a logical, strategically aligned way–a way in which things can be prioritized,” Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Defense president and CEO, told reporters in St. Louis last month.” o standards, replicates the C919’s fly-by-wire flight controls and avionics systems, which include some Rockwell Collins products. Plans call for the joint venture, in the form of a center of excellence for commercial flight simulation, to serve commercial aviation global simulation and training market segments. The memorandum of agreement was signed by LeAnn Ridgeway, Rockwell Collins v-p and general manager of simulation and training solutions, and Jin Dongsheng, chairman of Beijing Bluesky Aviation Technology. “We are proud to launch this venture in China’s rapidly growing aviation market,” Jin said, “and look forward to fulfilling our long-term goal of addressing the unique training needs of airlines around the world.” –M.T.
FIND AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION ALL IN ONE PLACE
VISIT
THE U.S. INTERNATIONAL PAVILION IN HALL 3 Pick up your complimentary copy of The Official Guide to U.S. Exhibitors at the Paris Air Show 2013 at Hall 3-D138
• 265 exhibitors representing 34 U.S. States • 30% new to the Paris Air Show • 4,100 square meters • 22 State Pavilions
ORGANIZERS OF THE U.S. INTERNATIONAL PAVILION +1 (201) 251 2600 www.kallman.com IN COOPERATION WITH Scan for www.parisairshow.com Your online information source for U.S. exhibitors at the Paris Air Show
Airport Presses Its Global Hub Ambitions
At 44,000 sq ft, the U.S. Pavilion is the largest here at the 2013 Paris Air Show, hosting some 250 exhibiting companies with business in mind.
U.S. industry launches export powerplay by Charles Alcock With serious uncertainties in their domestic market sparked by federal budget sequestration and the resulting cuts in military spending, U.S. aerospace has more reason than ever to be chasing new export business. This probably explains why the official U.S. Pavilion in Hall 3 remains the largest national contingent at the Paris Air Show. At over 44,000 sq ft in size, this year’s pavilion is the largest in the past decade. According to Kallman Worldwide, which has brought 250 American exhibitors to Paris this year, its clients’ export prospects have been improved by changes to U.S. government export control rules that have streamlined the process of selling equipment overseas. This year the company is debuting its interactive “Aerogare (Terminal) USA” exhibit during the show’s public weekend. The display promises family-friendly events around themes such as U.S. tourism and travel, and the history of flight. Ahead of the show, the organizer was anticipating 15 high-ranking U.S. government officials to visit the Paris show, including U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Rivkin, assistant secretary for manufacturing Chandra Brown and five state governors. Among the planned events at the U.S. Pavilion this week are the official opening ceremony and ribbon cutting this morning and a book signing by retired Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. This year, U.S. Pavilion exhibitors are drawn from 34 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Many smaller companies are participating as part of the state pavilions arranged for the following: Alabama,
Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington. The states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have grouped together to form a New England pavilion. Complimentary copies of the Official Guide to U.S. Exhibitors are available at the show this week from Hall 3 Stand D138 or via the show website– www.parisairshow.com, where U.S. exhibitors’ products and services can be searched and show appointments requested. Myriad Products
Among the exhibitors in Hall 3 with some news to report ahead of the event are the following: East Hartford, Connecticut-based ACT Robots (Stand B118), which is debuting a new robot programmed to demonstrate several aerospace applications. The new Robotic Cell will feature processes for deburring blades or discs, polishing integrally bladed rotors and blisks to MRO weld blending condition. First-time exhibitor Aimtek (Stand E140) of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an award-winning, value-added supplier of aerospace-grade welding and brazing alloys. The company manufactures wire, powder, paste, foil, tape and preforms for welding and brazing. It claims that its technology-driven vendor-managed inventory programs have saved customers significant inventory and administrative costs. Rochester, New Hampshire-based Albany Engineered Composites (Stand C110) is showcasing its 3-D woven advanced composite technology
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solutions for next-generation aircraft engine and airframe applications, including fan blades, fan cases and other components for CFM International’s Leap engine, Snecma’s open-rotor engine assembly concept and a ceramic matrix composite acoustic engine nozzle for Boeing Cleen program. Avionca (Stand A132) from Tallahassee, Florida, is launching its new Satlink Max Iridium satellite communications system. According to the company the 12-pound unit provides operators with global voice communications and ACARS datalink, including air traffic control voice and FANS capability. Avionca also is introducing an improved quick-access recorder service through its new MiniQAR wireless system, which promises near real-time data delivery. Another Florida company, Commercial Jet (Stand AB131) recently delivered the first passenger-to-freighter conversion of a McDonnell Douglas MD80SF to Everts Air Cargo. The Miami-based firm is close to completing a second conversion, which allows for 46,600 pounds of main-deck payload and a 12-position 88- by 108inch ULD pallet configuration. Enstrom Helicopter Corp. (Stand A93) is now under Chinese ownership. The Chongqing Helicopter Investment Co. has indicated that it will fund new product development and access to the Chinese market. The new owners are also considering plans to do some manufacturing in China in order to reduce the cost of making Enstrom’s rotorcraft. Kokomo, Indiana-based Haynes International (Stand B110) is introducing its new Haynes 244 alloy, which promises a strong combination of high-temperature strength, low thermal expansion behavior, thermal stability and good oxidation resistance at temperatures up to 1,400-degrees F (760-degrees C). The company claims that both the yield and
Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW) is the main sponsor for the U.S. Pavilion and it’s using its time in the Paris Air Show limelight to promote its aspirations to be a global hub. The Texas gateway is one of only seven airports worldwide to offer more than 200 destinations in its flight schedule. Just over a quarter of these are international routes with 14 new overseas destinations–including Dubai and Sydney–launched since the start of 2011. A $2 billion investment program is focused on renewing DFW’s terminals A, B, C and E. The airport also boasts a new 24/7 business aviation facility. With seven runways and no gate or slot restrictions, it lays claim to being the only airport in the world that can handle four simultaneous landings. DFW has been a partner for NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration in developing the NextGen air traffic management network. It also offers a fire-training research center that has served more than 15,000 students from 24 countries. Part of DFW’s appeal is its central location with a flight time of less than four hours to every major North American city. It is also well positioned to serve as a throughway to Latin America. Low-cost carriers have been a significant factor in DFW’s growth, accounting for 800,000 of its total passenger throughput last year. New lowcost carriers starting service at the airport since 2010 include Virgin America, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue and Canada’s WestJet. Representing DFW here at Le Bourget this week are vice president of air service development Luis Perez, board chairman Robert Hsueh and board member Jeff Wentworth. –C.A.
The flight schedule at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas serves more than 200 destinations, indicating its capability to become a global hub.
creep rupture strengths of the new material is better than that of the existing 242 alloy. These qualities are supposed to deliver better dimensional control, sealing and containment characteristics for aero engine designers. Jonal Laboratories (Stand B118) of Meriden, Connecticut, also will be unveiling a new aerospace material. Its Jonsil SE-3601 silicone combines high strength and high-temperature resistance with a hardness range of 60+/-5 Duro-A. The new compound has passed a flexibility test after being tested for 2,000 hours at 500-degrees F (260-degrees C). Jonal says the material will extend the temperature range of elastomeric components, such as couplings, seals, clamps, anti-chafing cushions, boots and grommets. It can be made into many product forms, including bellows, bulb seals, gaskets and o-rings. Sugarland, Texas-based Laversab (Stand B98) has introduced a pair of new automated pitot static testers designed for small jets and helicopters. The Model 6200 is intended for
aircraft that are not compliant with reduced vertical separation minimums requirements, while the Model 6250 does meet this standard. According to the company, the high accuracy of the pitot output is well suited to checks at low speeds in these aircraft types. The new products include sunlight-readable LCDs, touch screens and a keyboard for ease of use. They can be used to conduct 20 different test profiles with 50 test points, each of which can be stored in the tester. Precision Sensors (Stand B118) of Milford, Connecticut, is launching its new XP Series transducers (with ranges of 2,500- to 5,000 psig) for applications such as the monitoring or control of flight surfaces, braking, thrust reversers and landing gear actuators. The company claims that with no internal seals to degrade or cause leakage, the flameproof stainlesssteel welded design eliminates installation effects. It says that by using polysilcone sensor technology, it has delivered high dielectric strength for improved electronic isolation. o
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L-3 Link taps technology to make training more flexible by Charles Alcock L-3’s acquisition last year of UKbased Thales Training & Simulation has broadened its Link subsidiary’s capabilities and truly put it back in the civil aircraft training business. Since the announcement last year L-3 Link Simulation & Training, an 85-year old flight training specialist, has won significant new airliner training system business in key new markets. This week, the company is announcing plans to expand its Asian Aviation Training Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Aerea introduces new weapons carriage for UAVs Italy’s Aerea is debuting its new weapons storage and release carriage for UAVs here at the Paris Air Show (Hall 1 Stand F293). The new Ultralight Release Unit (URU) is a smaller version of similar equipment that the Milan-based company has previously developed for the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Aermacchi M346 trainer/light attack jet and the NH-90 helicopter. Over the course of three years of development work for the URU, Aerea’s engineers have achieved improvements to the release mechanism while also decreasing the system’s weight to 2.5 kg (just over 5.5 pounds). The URU, which is made from high stiffness alloy, has a main body that is just 9.4 cm high (3.7 inches), 39.2 cm long (154 inches) and 3.6 cm wide (1.4 inches wide). The new equipment is built as a modular system to allow it to be installed to fit the UAV developer’s specifications. It does not need a separate pylon to attach to the aircraft. According to Aerea, the URU includes fully redundant circuitry for the weapons storage sensor and release mechanism. With a 14-inch lug spacing, it can accommodate standard Nato weapons according to Mil-A-8591 specifications. The URU’s maximum payload is 100 kg (220 pounds), which means it can carry quite a variety of weapons systems. Aerea conducted extensive in-house testing during the development phase and has produced three pre-series production units. It is now awaiting a launch customer. –P.V.
The new Ultralight Release Unit has been developed by Italy’s Aerea to carry and release weapons for armed UAVs.
The facility will offer increased capacity with the addition of a RealitySeven A330 full flight simulator (FFS), an A320/330 aircrew procedures trainer (APT) and an L-3 D.P. Associates pushback and tow training simulator. The RealitySeven A330 FFS will be integrated with RSI Visual Systems’s XT4 image generator and Projection design’s FL35 wqxga DLP LED projection system. The simulator is set to achieve Level D certification in the third quarter of this year, when the APT also is due to be cleared to start operations as a level one flight training device. The expansion of the Bangkok center also will include the upgrade of its ATR42/72 simulator. This will be integrated with RSI’s image generator and projection system. Meanwhile in China L-3 Link has opened a new customer support center to provide customers with quick access to simulator spare parts and logistics services. Staff at the new Beijing facility will be better placed to visit the company’s simulator installations in a country with a significant requirement to train growing numbers of airline flight crew. Last month, Sichuan Airlines ordered an A320 FFS, which L-3 Link will install in the operator’s Chengdu facility in time to begin training during the fourth quarter of 2013. This will be the fifth RealitySeven device supplied to China and the third for Sichuan Airlines. L-3 Link also has continued to have success in the military training sector that has been its main focus in recent years. For instance, earlier this year its HD World solution has been applied to support the U.S. Air Force’s network of Mission Training Centers for the F-16 fighter. Under a U.S. government contract, it is also providing full mission trainers for Iraq air force F-16s. The company also has an order for F-16 training devices from Pakistan’s air force.
Earlier this year, L-3 Link Simulation and Training was contracted by the U.S. Air Force to build a new F-16 mission training center at Spangdahelm Air Base in Germany.
Last month, Kuwait’s air force began using the new high fidelity F/A-18C tactical operational flight trainers (TOFTs) developed by L-3. In addition, the company is also under contract to upgrade F/A-18/E/F and EA-18G TOFTs for the U.S. Navy that will incorporate its HD World visual solution. Also on order is an F/A-18D TOFT that will go to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. In April, the company secured a U.S. Army contract to provide operational flight trainers for Sikorsky UH-60M helicopters operated by Taiwan’s army. Rounding out Link’s portfolio is its
The U.S. Army recently ordered a pair of Sikorsky UH-60M operational flight trainers from L-3 Link Simulation and Training. These will be used by the Taiwanese army.
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support of the unmanned aircraft training and simulation market segment. Today the company is the prime contractor on the U.S. Air Force’s Predator Mission Aircrew Training System program, having delivered 26 pilot and sensor operator training systems to date. L-3 Link president Lenny Genna explained that the company is not just a provider of hardware and software. “We don’t just provide simulators. We are fully responsible for training students and we provide instructors and [equipment] maintainers on-site,” he told AIN. For instance, it manages C-17 air crew and maintenance training for the USAF’s air mobility command. The main thrusts of L-3’s technology development in the training arena are improving the fidelity of its visual systems and delivering training more efficiently. “It’s about how we do more for less and we have been driving the prices of training devices down,” said Genna. “We now can deliver training content to students anytime and anywhere through the use of a comprehensive range of training devices, including the ability to deliver lower level devices based on technology from the gaming industry, which make it less expensive to make revisions and allows students to train more flexibly.” Tablet devices can be used for certain types of procedures and awareness training. o
by Gregory Polek All indications point to first flight of the Bombardier CSeries narrowbody by the end of this month, as the program’s flight test team completes final preparations for the milestone event following completion of ground vibration testing. Speaking with AIN on Saturday, before the start of the Paris Air Show, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Mike Arcamone reported that the flight test team had already been subjecting the first flight test vehicle (FTV1) to simulated flight conditions, while the company was also preparing a Global 5000 chaser airplane to evaluate flight conditions on the day of first flight. “I would say that it’s all in the hands of the pilots,” said Arcamone, in reference to a decision on when to fly the airplane. “We think that we’re well within reach of a first flight by the end of the month.” Now performing final systems installations on FTV2, Bombardier expects all five test airplanes to fly within about three months, said Arcamone. Meanwhile, the first production airplane has already started to take shape, as wing production progresses at Bombardier’s subsidiary in Belfast, Northern Ireland; workers at Shenyang Aircraft in China proceed with building the first production rear fuselage section; and cockpit preparations advance at Bombardier’s plant in St. Laurent, Quebec. Bombardier has resolved issues surrounding its suppliers, Arcamone said during the March unveiling of FTV1 at Bombardier’s plant in Mirabel, Quebec. The company has perhaps seen the most notable improvement in Shenyang, now building fuselage sections at a rate of one per month. “They are now meeting and exceeding our quality standards even better than expected,” said Arcamone of Shenyang. “I know there was a lot of heartache surrounding Shenyang. But we have complete confidence in the capabilities of our Chinese partners.” Expecting to finish building a new CSeries assembly plant in Mirabel next year, Bombardier has until this week remained quiet about production rate plans. However, Arcamone told AIN that he foresees Bombardier building 120 airplanes a year
within the next three or four years. Arcamone wouldn’t comment on the potential for sales here in Paris this week, but he did reiterate intentions to gather firm orders for at least 300 airplanes from 20 customers by the time of scheduled entry into service in the middle of next year. He also said he expects his sales force to easily collect firm orders for the 200th airplane by the end of this year and increase the customer base to as many as 18. Bombardier now holds firm orders for 177 CSeries airplanes, including the recent consummation of a conditional deal with Russia’s Ilyushin Finance Company for 32 of the larger of the pair of CSeries variants, the 135- to 160-seat CS300. Notwithstanding earlier suggestions that the order distribution between the 110- to 135-seat CS100 and the CS300 had proved
fairly balanced, Arcamone said that market interest has since shifted definitively toward the CS300, a 160-seat version of which Bombardier launched during the same event. Latvia’s AirBaltic, which had placed a firm order late last year for 10 CS300s, has opted for a 148seat version of the newly enlarged airplane, stretched two feet beyond its former design length of 125 feet to accommodate the extra capacity the company has specified. Originally meant to carry 130 passengers when configured with a 32-inch seat pitch, the CS300 now holds 135 seats in the same dualclass baseline layout. In an interview with AIN following that announcement, CSeries program head Rob Dewar explained that Bombardier added the extra length to the center fuselage section, the only part of the CS300’s fuselage that doesn’t use part numbers common to the CS100. However, said Dewar, Bombardier also needed to apply some of the modifications needed for the CS300 to the 100- to 125seat CS100, thereby contributing to its six-month delay.
new zealand air’s new livery The Airbus A320 on display here is wearing the airline’s latest paint scheme. Gone is the familiar teal blue, replaced by distinctive black and white, but the "koru" logo survives.
MARK WAGNER
CSeries first flight date ‘in the hands’ of pilots
Now scheduled for entry into service roughly a year after the CS100 reaches the market, the CS300 has drawn much more interest from low-fare airlines since its stretch, said Arcamone.
“The market has really responded,” he said, in reference to the 160-seat CS300. “Several existing customers have looked at the denser configuration since we launched it.” o
Preparations for first flight of CSeries FTV1 have reached the end stages in Mirabel, Quebec.
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Mike Arcamone
Bombardier Issues 20-year Forecast Bombardier projects a virtual split in the value of demand for business aircraft and commercial airplanes in the 20- to 149-seat segment over the next 20 years in its latest market forecast, issued June 14. According to the Canadian airframe maker, growth in the airline business will generate a demand for 12,800 airplanes worth $646 billion in the 20- to 149-seat segment. In the business jet market, Bombardier sees a market for 24,000 units worth $650 billion. While the latest forecast shows virtually the same level of worldwide demand reflected in the outlook Bombardier issued a year ago, the company has realigned the regional distribution to reflect an expectation of below-average GDP growth in the mature markets of North America and Europe, and for more robust growth in emerging markets. Still, it expects North America to remain the world’s largest market in aircraft deliveries, taking an expected 3,710 new aircraft, followed by China and Europe, where it projects unit demand for 2,330 and 1,700 aircraft, respectively. Meanwhile, Bombardier expects demand from
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international markets such as India, China, Africa and Latin America to increase significantly. The forecast numbers reflect strong projected traffic demand, an expanding middle-class population in growth markets and the continued relaxation of scope clauses during the forecast period, said Bombardier. In the 60- to 99-seat aircraft market, Bombardier expects regional jets to account for 2,950 units–representing 52 percent of the 60- to 99-seat segment total–and turboprops to account for 2,700 deliveries over the 20-year forecast period. The company expects the 100- to 149-seat segment, where its CSeries narrowbodies reside, will generate demand for 6,900 airplanes. According to the forecast, technical obsolescence and rising oil prices will prove the most critical factors influencing airline fleet decisions over the next 20 years. Underscoring the importance of the replacement market, it expects operators to retire 60 percent of the current commercial fleet by 2032. In the business jet market, short-term growth
appears modest and gradual, said Bombardier. However, it expects the industry to surpass its prior delivery peak by as early as 2016. “The business aviation market continues to recover, and while current macroeconomic indicators are mixed, the overall trend for the world economy is stable to positive,” Bombardier said. “It is expected that as confidence returns to world markets, aircraft orders and backlogs will expand and deliveries will grow.” While it anticipates that business jet deliveries this year will roughly match those of 2012, Bombardier believes deliveries will begin to improve next year. As demand for business jets shifts toward emerging markets, the fleet of large and mediumcategory aircraft will grow, it said. Over the 20-year forecast, Bombardier predicts North America will receive the greatest number of new business jet deliveries, followed by Europe. It expects China to rank third, generating demand for 1,000 deliveries from 2013 to 2022 and 1,420 deliveries from 2023 to 2032. –G.P.
Thales unveils ‘future cockpit’
The ArchAngel is on display with a wide range of weapons, several of which have already been fired and cleared for use.
ArchAngel a bargain patroller by David Donald Based in Mooresville, North Carolina, Iomax USA (Chalet A132) has chosen the Paris Air Show to launch its ArchAngel border-patrol aircraft. The ArchAngel has a wide variety of sensor and weapon options available and offers customers a low-cost but highly effective platform for a range of ISR and light attack missions. ArchAngel is in many ways an evolution from the Air Tractor AT-802U armed agricultural aircraft that was previously displayed at Le Bourget. However, much has changed since then. Although no AT-802Us were produced, Iomax undertook the integration of mission systems for 24 similar AT-802i aircraft that were sold to a customer that was widely reported in the media as being the United Arab Emirates. The ArchAngel builds on that aircraft, with some important changes, not least of which is a switch of airframe supplier to Thrush. Iomax made the change as it can now incorporate its own modifications on the production line, something that was not possible with the Air Tractor. A new avionics suite is installed, with Esterline CMC Electronics and Honeywell components and an all-new cockpit. The weapon system has also been improved, and with it the range of weapons that is available. The main EO/ IR sensor turret is changed from the Flir Systems Britestar to an L-3 Wescam MX-15, although other turrets are options. The ArchAngel can also be6:50:03 fittedPM AIN_SA14_124x78_FAP.pdf 1 6/13/2013
with missile defenses, such as the BAE Systems AAR-57 CMWS, and ballistic protection is an option. Iomax has also designed a flexible pod system that can mount EO/IR sensor turret, SAR/MTI radar, Sigint sensors, video and weapons datalinks, missile and radar warners and UAV command and control systems. Here at the Paris Air Show the ArchAngel is being displayed with a range of weapons, including the Hellfire missile and Roketsan Cirit laser-guided rocket. Iomax undertook the first firings of Cirit from a fixed-wing aircraft in January, firing the weapon from an AT-802i at a range in the Middle East. Final qualification of this weapon is expected in late August/early September. The company expects to also test Roketsan’s UMTAS air-to-surface missile in the near future, as well as an FN Herstal 0.5-in caliber machine gun pod. Both are represented on the aircraft here in the static display. GBU-12 laser-guided bombs can be dropped and guided, as well as INSguided weapons. Iomax is shortly to fly a twin-rack launcher that it has developed for these 500-pound class smart bombs. ArchAngel’s show debut is being made at Paris after a commendably short installation program. Iomax received the aircraft from the Thrush factory in March, and in less than three months had the aircraft back in the air in late May with its new avionics suite and cockpit. The company hopes to undertake in-country demonstrations to potential customers later in the year. o
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Thales will today unveil its vision for a future cockpit for commercial aircraft. Avionics 2020 is a demonstration of technology that is available now and could be in service in seven years’ time, and it looks quite different from today’s cockpits. Gone are the complicated, multi-color displays, with lots of symbology overlaid; while coming in are somewhat austere, monochrome screens that nevertheless offer a rich menu of information. Think iPad. Think touchscreens. Think of dragging data from one screen to another. The two displays in the lower center of the pedestal can even be detached from their housing, for more comfortable interaction. “The human factors experts told us that pilots need less extraneous information, so they can concentrate on the essentials,” said a manager in the Thales Cockpit Competence Center near Bordeaux, France. The demonstrator “is much more pilot-friendly, especially with respect to air traffic management. We have focused on the piloting tasks, rather than being system-driven,” he added. There are head-up as well as head-down displays, and this cockpit could theoretically be adapted to helmet-mounted displays, too. Thales (Chalet B253) describes Avionics 2020 as “an intuitive solution, comprising all aircraft systems and functions.” The cockpit builds on the Odicis (one display for a cockpit interactive solution) that Thales showed here at Paris two years ago. The displays can be personalized, to the extent allowed by each customer. They have the option to do this themselves, “to retain control over IP aspects and enjoy greater autonomy in the development,” said Thales.
Data from various avionics and nonavionics systems onboard the aircraft are merged before display. This feature is found on the latest combat jets, and it comes as no surprise to learn that Avionics 2020 also borrows from Thales’s experience in designing the cockpit of the French Rafale fighter. NextGen and Sesar functionality is embedded, and so is Green Sky in the form of fuel burn notifications, and a feature to adjust the takeoff and climb profile to trade CO2 emissions against noise. “We are showing the world that a cockpit designed around more seamless interaction between the pilot and the electronics is no longer a purely intellectual concept, but a viable commercial application,” said Denis Bonnet, head of innovation for the Thales Cockpit Competence Center. The Thales Center is Avionics 2020
CHRIS POCOCK
DAVID McINTOSH
by Chris Pocock
organized like a modern software development campus, á la Google, in order to foster innovation. “We include every discipline from engineering to software; it’s very non-traditional for Thales,” said Alain Paul, the center’s director. The Airbus A380, A350 and A400M cockpits were all developed here, too. o
U.S. Navy opts in for 99 Ospreys; full contract valued at $6.5 billion The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) awarded the Bell Boeing team a five-year contract on June 12 to supply 99 V-22 Osprey tiltrotors. The second multiyear procurement (MYPII) contract, with an earlier $1.4 billion contract award in December, has a total value of $6.5 billion. It specifies 92 MV-22s for the Marine Corps and seven CV-22s for the Air Force for delivery through September 2019. Bell Boeing said the contract is structured to provide nearly $1 billion in savings when compared with single-year procurement contracts. It includes an option for up to 23 additional aircraft. Navair awarded Bell Boeing the first multiyear contract in 2008, covering aircraft purchases from fiscal years 2008 through 2012. The five-year, $10.4 billion contract specified 141 MV-22s for the Marines and 26 CV-22s for the Air Force Special Operations Command. There are currently 214 V-22 Ospreys
in operation. They have accumulated 200,000 flight hours, with more than half of those hours logged in the past three years, Navair said. Israel has also requested V-22s as part of a U.S. foreign military sale and would be the first foreign country to acquire the tiltrotor assuming the package is approved. Marine Corps Colonel Greg Masiello, V-22 program manager with Navair’s PMA 275 joint program office, said the V-22 has been continuously deployed since 2007 for combat, special operations and humanitarian purposes. “Signing this contract speaks volumes toward the confidence our services have in the V-22 Osprey,” Masiello said. “Ospreys continue to transform our Marine Corps air ground task force and Air Force Special Operations by enabling missions not possible with conventional aircraft. The V-22 has helped save lives where others could not.” –B.C.
reaching supersonic speed without using afterburner. “The Su-35 is stirring keen interest among the air forces in many countries,” the agency said. “It is the fighter that will be among the main actors on the international arms market in the medium term. Nevertheless, Su-30MK-type fighters are still of immediate interest and Russian industry is ready to upgrade them so they will be capable of employing the latest airborne weapons.” Rosoboronexport (Chalet B367, Halls 4B 188 and 4D 187188) said the latest MiG-29 full mission simulator will be shown at Le Bourget. The MiG-29M/ M2 and MiG-29K/KUB series feature the latest modifications of the venerable fighter. MiG29K shipborne fighters are being delivered to the Indian navy. In the training segment, Rosoboronexport offers the Yak-130 two-seat advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft, suitable for training pilots of both light tactical fighters and heavy multirole fighters. Powered by twin Ivchenko Progress AI-222-25 engines, the high-performance aircraft “will forgive many errors of novice pilots,” the agency said. Yak-130s are being fielded by the Russian air force, where they will replace Czech L-39s; in addition the aircraft has been delivered to a number of overseas customers.
by Bill Carey Russian aviation is presenting one of its most vivid and memorable displays at this year’s Paris Air Show. Three military aircraft, the Su-35 multirole fighter, the Yak-130 combat training aircraft and the Ka-52 attack helicopter are participating in the flight displays above Le Bourget airfield. Aircraft and equipment represented 37 percent of deliveries by Russia’s Rosoboronexport
export agency in 2012. The Su-35 is designed to plug the gap between the existing Su-30 and future fifthgeneration fighters. The aircraft incorporates fifth-generation technologies, according to Rosoboronexport, with new information management and fly-by-wire flight control system, Irbis-E phased-array radar and higher thrust NPO-Saturn 117S engines capable of
Sukhoi Su-35
Yak-130
Cool ’Copters
PHOTOS: DAVID McINTOSH
Kamov Ka-52
One of the fastest-growing segments of Russian arms exports is helicopters. In 2012, helicopter exports through Rosoboronexport alone increased by 40 percent and comparable growth is expected by the end of this year, the agency said. The Mi-17 series helicopters “are still the undisputed bestselling product,” the agency said. “Efficient, reliable, easy to pilot and operate, they have literally conquered the world and have become indispensable workhorses for carrying out various tasks in the most difficult climate and, no less important, in heavy combat conditions, owing to their superior survivability and effective mix of armaments.” However, Rosoboronexport expects the coaxial rotor Ka-52 attack helicopter will generate the greatest interest at Le Bourget. The Ka-52 and the Mi-28NE attack helicopter are “actively entering the global market,” the agency said. “Both the helicopters are all-weather, can effectively operate at night, are heavily armored and carry various weapons.”
MARK WAGNER
Russia returns to Paris with trio of performers
le bourget history revisited Beginning in 1946, Air France operated a fleet of Douglas DC-3s from its first operations and engineering base–right here at Le Bourget. That year, the airline began Paris-New York service with fuel stops at Shannon, Ireland and Gander, Newfoundland. The trip took 20 hours.
Rosoboronexport will also exhibit the upgraded Mi-26T2 heavy lift transport helicopter. The main difference with its predecessors is an all-new avionics suite. Among air defense weapons Russian industry will display are the Igla-S man-portable air defense system (Manpads), the Pansir-S1 Spaagm system and the Tor-M2E and Buk-M2E surface-to-air missile systems. “Given the recent trends in the
international arms market, Rosoboronexport is ready not only to export finished products, but also to establish full-fledged industrial cooperation and carry out the joint development of new weapon models,” the agency said. “Work with India on the licensed production of Su-30MKI fighters and the development of the fifth generation tactical fighter and MTA multipurpose military transport aircraft are the best examples of such cooperation.” o
GKN engineering center opening up in Bangalore A growing need to access India’s top engineering expertise has led GKN Aerospace to launch a new engineering center in Bangalore. The new facility will employ around 100 skilled engineers, of which 70 will be transferred from GKN’s new Engine Operations (formerly Volvo Aero) office, according to a company spokeswoman. GKN Aerospace’s (Chalet B73 Hall 2b F169) involvement on the Airbus A350 XWB includes the design, development and manufacture of the aircraft’s composite rear wing
spars, manufacture of the composite components for the wing’s inboard and outboard flaps and manufacture of RollsRoyce Trent XWB structures including thrust struts, inner core fairings and blisks. “Our excellent team of suppliers who have worked with us to create the innovative structures and components…are helping Airbus realize a real step change in fuel efficiency and emissions with the A350 XWB,” said Marcus Bryson, CEO of GKN Aerospace and Land Systems. –N.M.
With its involvement in the Airbus A350 program, GKN’s new engineering center in Bangalore will employ as many as 100 skilled engineers.
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