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Asian carriers face bumpy flight path
COORDINATION IN COLOR Two T-50Bs of the Republic of Korea Air Force’s 53rd Air Demonstration Group, nicknamed the Black Eagles, are shown during a smoke-on dress rehearsal of their aerobatic routine before Singapore Airshow 2016 opened. The Black Eagles fly their Korea Aerospace Industries built single-engine jet trainers in airshows throughout the Asia Pacific region.
by Gregory Polek At yesterday’s Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit, Singapore minister for transport Khaw Boon Wan warned of a darkening economic outlook and its potential for slowing air transport growth. Even collapsing oil prices, which on its face might seem to benefit the region’s airlines, reflect the highly volatile economic environment and could portend a slowdown in travel demand, he said. Nevertheless, the minister predicted a good long-term outlook for aviation growth,
which in itself raises challenges to air navigation service providers (ANSPs), for example. The number of passengers within ASEAN has tripled in the last decade, while the number of routes has grown by almost 40 percent to more than 1,500 city pairs, he noted. Still, the industry continues to lag in profitability, noted IATA general director Tony Tyler. Even though fuel prices have fallen, the rise of the U.S. dollar by some 20 percent over the last 18 months has Continued on page 61 u
Singapore mulls F-35 purchase, and lots more by Chris Pocock of Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft is seemingly premature. As for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the island state continues to send mixed signals on when it might commit to the stealth fighter, and which variant it will buy. In an email interview with
MARK WAGNER
Here at the Singapore Airshow the host nation is poised on a range of defense aircraft purchases which has the OEMs vying for position, displaying their wares. For example Singapore will soon decide on a replacement for its 30-year old fleet of Super Puma helicopters, but speculation about a purchase
Continued on page 61 u
Avionics
Air Transport
Regional Defense
International Trade
Business Aviation
Rockwell Collins On Asia
SIA Meeting Its Challenges
RAAF’s F-35 Integration
U.S. Firms Leverage TPP
Jet Aviation’s Area Growth
The Asia Pacific region’s developing economies pose unique opportunities for both its civil and military avionics, says Rockwell Collins, while long-standing relationships with established customers remain an important focus. Page 20
Facing growing competition from low-cost and Middle Eastern carriers, Singapore Airlines says it is adopting a long-term strategy of diversifying and investing in new markets to build its future routes and regional hubs worldwide. Page 34
Lessons learned from placing the F/A-18 into service are leading Australia’s military to carefully consider all of its options as it plans to receive its first squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters, which is currently set for the end of 2018. Page 47
The pending Transpacific Partnership (TPP) agreement has many U.S. aerospace companies eager to expand their markets in the Asia Pacific region, and they’ve chosen Singapore Airshow 2016 to highlight their offerings. Page 48
Twenty years after establishing its facility at nearby Seletar Airport, one of business aviation’s best-known FBO/MRO brands continues to expand its Asia Pacific presence with upgraded facilities and new regional regulatory approvals. Page 56
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Airbus recently delivered the Philippine Air Force’s third and final C295 medium transport. The PAF also will receive two former U.S. Navy C-130T Hercules.
Singapore Airshow News
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FOUNDED IN 1972 JAMES HOLAHAN (1921-2015), FOUNDING EDITOR WILSON S. LEACH, MANAGING DIRECTOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – Charles Alcock EDITOR - INTERNATIONAL SHOW EDITIONS – Ian Sheppard PRESS ROOM MANAGING EDITOR – Mark Phelps THE EDITORIAL TEAM Neelam Mathews Caroline Bruneau Ian Goold Liz Moscrop Mark Huber Bill Carey Chris Pocock Vladimir Karnozov Pete Combs Gregory Polek Chris Kjelgaard William Dennis Peter Shaw-Smith Reuben Johnson Dave Donald Matt Thurber Andrew Drwiega Jennifer Meszaros Chad Trautvetter Dzirhan Mahadzir Thierry Dubois PRODUCTION EDITOR – Martha Jercinovich THE PRODUCTION TEAM Jeb Burnside Mona L. Brown John A. Manfredo Grzegorz Rzekos PHOTOGRAPHERS David McIntosh; Mark Wagner
Philippines fills out Airbus C295 fleet, Mali signs first 2016 order by David Donald Recently, the Philippine Air Force took delivery of its third Airbus Defence & Space C295 medium transport. This aircraft completes the nation’s April 2014 order, the first having been delivered in March 2015. Built at the company’s facility at Sevilla, Spain, the turboprop twin was ferried to Clark Air Base to join the other two C295s as part of a program to recapitalize the PAF, which has also seen
the recent delivery of the first two of 12 KAI FA-50 light fighters. The Philippines is shortly to take delivery of two former U.S. Navy C-130T Hercules to further swell its transport fleet. For Airbus, the C295 has been a good seller, and has also been sold in the region to Vietnam and Indonesia, where the type is assembled by PTDI. As well as its transport capabilities, the aircraft can be
GE plans new MRO investments in Singapore
adapted to various special missions, including maritime patrol, with anti-ship capability, anti-submarine warfare, airborne early warning and surveillance. There is even a gunship version, developed in conjunction with ATK for the Jordanian air force. Airbus secured its first 2016 order for the C295 last month when Mali signed for one aircraft, becoming the type’s 23rd customer nation in the process. The Malian aircraft is in the C295W current production version, which has higher engine power ratings and is fitted with winglets for increased performance and greater fuel efficiency. The Mali Air Force is scheduled to take delivery of its aircraft in transport configuration in the second half of this year. o
’s Singapore Airshow News is located in Chalet CS62 Editor: Ian Sheppard • isheppard@ainonline.com
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by Jennifer Meszaros GE Aviation Engine ServicesSingapore is kicking off its 35th year of operations here with plans to invest $78.6 million in the facility over the next 10 years. The investment will go into several new projects, including a lab for advanced lean manufacturing; an Asia Pacific center for its current range of products; an advancedtechnologies center for research and development; and an automation and robotics center. Launched in 1981, GE Aviation (Stand G23) was the first aircraft engine manufacturer to establish an MRO facility in Loyang Industrial Estate in the Changi area, then designated the “aviation city,” to support technology development in Singapore. Initially focused on the GE CF6 engine line, the company has since built a reputation for
repairing and overhauling engine components for the CF6, CF34, CFM56, GE90, GP7200+ and GEnx engine families, as well as the LM-series of marine engines. Today, two GE Aviation facilities are operational in Singapore with a combined staff of 1,500 who perform, repair and overhaul combustors, compressor and turbine airfoils, and other rotating parts. The facility integrates mechanization and automation processing and uses a wide range of robots on its production lines. “The investment plans for the site will enable GE Aviation to better support its customer repair needs for existing engines as well as new engines that are beginning to enter service,” said Shane Wright, chief financial officer at GE Aviation. o
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AIN Seeks Reporters in Asia AIN is looking for reporters to expand its coverage of the aviation industry in Asia. To discuss opportunities contact AIN editor-in-chief Charles Alcock, who is in Singapore for the show. Mobile: +1 201 250 3503 Email: calcock@ainonline.com. At the Singapore Airshow you can find AIN at Chalet CS62.
4 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
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Employees of Pratt & Whitney’s Shanghai Engine Center mark the delivery of its 500th overhauled CFM56 turbofan. Below, Singapore’s Eagle Services is a joint venture between Pratt & Whitney and Singapore Airlines Engineering Company.
Pratt ready to support GTF in Asia Pacific by Gregory Polek Pratt & Whitney considers itself well positioned for the introduction of the PW1000G PurePower geared turbofan (GTF) into revenue service in Asia, with the company having established aftermarket capability in several locations to support a backlog of some 2,000 engines in that region alone. Speaking with AIN just before the start of the Singapore Airshow, Pratt & Whitney commercial engines aftermarket vice-president Liping Xie stressed the importance of the OEM’s 90 years of experience in the aftermarket business and the volume of engines it already supports. “Since 2000 we have overhauled over 10,000 engines within our system, so that’s a lot of experience on which we can draw best practices,” he said. “We also have very strong engineering capabilities, so in the aftermarket we leverage those capabilities for repair development. In terms of cost reduction, that’s a huge differentiator for our airline customers.”
Xie also talked about the company’s emphasis on so-called big data, and its ability to use the information to better predict maintenance requirements and, thereby, extend time-on-wing and improve reliability for its customers. Pratt maintains a global operations center in East Hartford, Connecticut, that continuously monitors fleet status and collects live data, around the clock, to provide technical feedback to customers and manage logistical arrangements. Meanwhile, a group of employees works solely on fleet management programs, under which the customer pays by the hour and the OEM takes responsibility for maintenance planning. “Experience has told us that the engines under that program we were able to deliver better reliability and also longer on-wing time,” said Xie. The Pratt executive emphasized the importance of China, India and the AsiaPacific region as a whole, where some 28 percent of its total backlog of PW1000Gs resides, making it a “huge focus” for
Pratt & Whitney’s Eagle Services facility in Singapore serves as a center of excellence for PW4000 engine overhaul.
8 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
the campaign. In fact, of the company’s roughly 5,000 employees at its 15 repair and overhaul centers around the globe, 3,000 work in the Asia Pacific region. In Singapore, Eagle Services Asia–a joint venture between Pratt & Whitney and Singapore Airlines Engineering Company–specializes in PW4000 work and is the first designated engine center for the PurePower family. A Pratt partnership with Air New Zealand in Christchurch, called Christchurch Engine Center, will specialize in PW1100G work for A320neos, while a joint venture with China Eastern Airlines in Shanghai specializes in CFM56 engines. Pratt also considers its partnership with Turkish Technik in Istanbul as part of the network that supports the Asia Pacific region. Singapore ‘Center of Gravity’
Separately, two-thirds of Pratt & Whitney’s customer training capacity resides in the region, namely a center in Beijing and another in Hyderabad, India. The Hyderabad center opened just last September and already carries the capacity to train the equivalent of 2,000 students in a one-week class per year. Eventually, Pratt expects capacity at the facility to double. In China, United Technologies Far East and China Aviation Supplies (CAS) Holding Company just renewed a 10-year-old joint venture supporting Pratt’s Beijing training center for another 15 years. That campus has trained some 14,000 students based in China, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and Korea on Pratt & Whitney and IAE V2500 engines. While much of the company’s aftermarket focus centers on preparing for the geared turbofan, the most ubiquitous engine type in the region for Pratt’s aftermarket services remains the V2500, some
6,000 of which operate around the world, said Xie. Averaging some seven years old, those engines in many cases will operate for another two decades at least, meaning they still account for a huge piece of the company’s activity well into the future. “The V2500 has by far the largest installed base, both globally and in the region, so that’s clearly a key focus for aftermarket,” he noted. “It’s still a relatively young fleet, and some of the Vs haven’t even seen their first shop visit yet...I believe for the next 10 to 15 years the V fleet will still be one of the main profit drivers for the aftermarket,” he said. Xie said he expects a “seamless” transition from V2500 work to geared turbofans over that period due to its strong relationships with design partners MTU of Germany and JAEC of Japan, both of which have supported V2500s for several years. Pratt has worked with those OEM partners for some two years to help them understand parts requirements, logistics flow and other processes involved in the transition to geared turbofan support. “These people know the engines very well, just like, to some extent, Pratt & Whitney,” said Xie. “We really want to leverage that advantage and use that to support our initial wave of customers first.” In terms of concentration of MRO work Pratt performs, Xie said Singapore remains a sort of “center of gravity” for the region. Some 2,000 people work at what Xie characterized as four or five very important repair facilities on the island and form the hub of a network including shops in New Zealand, China and Turkey. “We have excellent people [who are] very well trained, very disciplined, process oriented, Englishspeaking, with a long history in maintenance practice, so [Singapore] will continue to be the center of gravity in terms of MRO activities,” said Xie. o
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The S-92 simulator at CAE’s Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Centre recreates many different realistic flight environments.
CAE’s Brunei training center ready to serve region’s markets Canadian simulation and training provider CAE (Stand T87) has a stake in the future of Brunei, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to diversify its economy from a concentration on oil and gas. The two are joint venture partners in a stateof-the-art multipurpose training centre (MPTC) that supports commercial and military flight training, not only in Brunei but throughout the region. Located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, and surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Brunei Darussalan (the “abode of peace”) is a tiny nation of some 420,000 people that gained independence from the UK in 1984. Today, 67 percent of its GDP is derived from the oil and gas sector, which has left it vulnerable to the global decline in oil prices. Brunei is not unprepared for upheaval though; under its long-term Wawasan–or Vision–2035 strategy, the young nation aims to achieve a diversified, sustainable economy. “Perhaps it’s an even stronger wakeup call,” Harris Ibrahim, head of foreign direct investment with the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), said of the oil price crash. “But initiatives have been in place for the past four or five years.” Drawing foreign direct investment is a major thrust of Brunei’s economic strategy and helped lay the groundwork for Montreal-based CAE’s presence in the country. The nation allows 100-percent foreign ownership of companies, but CAE has entered into a joint-venture partnership with the Brunei Ministry of Finance to establish the MPTC, with the parties
owning 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The BEDB owns the facility and leases it to CAE. The center employs 35 people and represents an investment of $102 million. “This is a showcase for CAE for sure– not only the facility, but the business model,” said Peter Redman, general manager for Asia Pacific with CAE Defence and Security. Redman was among CAE and Brunei government executives who hosted reporters at the training center last week. Built in 15 months, the Brunei MPTC started training pilots in September 2014. It houses a CAE Pilatus PC-7Mk II flight training device (FTD) the Royal Brunei Air Force uses to screen and train aspiring student pilots; a 3000 Series full-motion simulator for the Sikorsky S-92 medium twin-engine helicopter, which serves multiple offshore helicopter operators; and as of this fall a Series 3000 simulator for training Brunei air force S-70i Black Hawk pilots. The center also houses a training center for emergency management trainees that supports the Brunei National Disaster Management Centre and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. CAE is no stranger to the Asia Pacific region; it has aviation training centers at Seletar Aerospace Link in Singapore as well as in Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, China and Bangalore. But Brunei is the company’s only multi-purpose training center in the region focused on the offshore and military markets. Kevin Speed, Brunei MPTC general
New loitering munitions are helping grow IAI’s portfolio by David Donald & Charles Alcock Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI, Stand N41) is showcasing a range of new products at the Singapore Airshow, including the latest developments in its growing family of loitering munitions. The company already offers the Harop electro-optic/infraredguided man-in-the-loop weapon and the Harpy autonomous anti-radar loitering munition, and recently the latter has been thoroughly revamped into the Harpy NG. Two main changes differentiate the new version of Harpy. First, it has been repackaged into the same airframe as the Harop, in turn offering higher altitude capability, extended range and longer loiter time compared to the original model. Harpy NG also has a new seeker that has greater frequency coverage, extending particularly into the lower frequencies, to enable it to counter a wider range of modern air defense radar threats.
Another new loitering munition is the Green Dragon, a low-cost tactical munition designed primarily for use by small ground units, including special forces. Powered by an electric motor, Green Dragon can loiter for up to two hours at a range of up to 25 miles (40 km). It sends back imagery via a low-power datalink to a tablet-sized control panel, from which the operator can designate a target for attack. The vehicle has a warhead of around 6 pounds (3 kg) and can be aimed with an accuracy of less than three feet (about 1 meter) CEP (circle of error probability). The Green Dragon is launched from a sealed canister, and up to 16 can be carried on a small tactical vehicle. Loitering munitions form one part of a large exhibit from IAI (Chalet CD03) that highlights the company’s diverse portfolio. Various unmanned technologies are on show, as are missile products such as
10 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
BILL CAREY
by Bill Carey
manager, traced CAE’s involvement with the nation to the Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition held in 2009. There, CAE learned of and ultimately won a ministry of defence contract to provide a national modeling and simulation system. “That was the start of us having boots on the ground” in Brunei, he said. The Royal Brunei Air Force’s 2011 order for 12 Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawks–now all delivered–presented another opportunity. But the first customer to sign a contract to use the facility was Brunei Shell. The energy company “was looking for an option other than traveling all the way to North America or potentially Aberdeen (Scotland) at the time to train on the S-92. They were really looking for a local solution. All of those pieces came together for a win-win business case,” Speed said. The Level D S-92 simulator was certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency in May 2014, followed in succession by the Brunei Department of Civil Aviation, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. While Brunei Shell is its anchor customer, China Southern Helicopter uses the simulator most. Other customers include Bristow Helicopter Australia, CHC Helicopter Australia, S-92 operators
in Thailand and Korea and the Royal Thai Air Force, attesting to the regional appeal of the $15 million machine. The PC-7 flight training device passed ministry of defence acceptance in May 2014 and became operational that November. The air force uses four PC-7 turboprops for ab-initio pilot training; the FTD helps it screen out students who will not make good pilots and further train those who have the appropriate skills without the expense and risk of using the aircraft. The course syllabus is completed with a ratio of 60 percent simulator sorties and 40 percent actual flying sorties, according to the air force. Student pilots who plan to fly Brunei’s CN-235 twin-engine transports undergo fixedwing multi-engine training at Tamworth, Australia, or in the UK. Those planning to fly helicopters graduate to the Bell JetRanger for advanced rotary-wing training. Ultimately, Brunei’s helicopter pilots will graduate to the Black Hawk. The S-70i simulator that will hone their skills was undergoing test and integration work in Montreal at the time of the press tour. CAE plans to ship the $20 million machine this summer and to begin training with it by October, providing Brunei and the region with a sophisticated new capability. o
Barak 8. The company is also promoting its civil aviation cyber-security solutions, and its aerostructures capabilities that will see IAI produce more than 800 wing-sets for the Lockheed Martin F-35 in the coming years. Here in Singapore, IAI has established its new Custudio research and development center as a center-of-excellence for advancing cyber early warning capability.
special missions aircraft and cyber-technology. The company reported a rebound in its recently sluggish Boeing 757 passenger-to-freight conversion business. In Asia, IAI’s reach is expanding through a series of local acquisitions and partnerships. “There is no doubt that competition is growing and markets are becoming more and more challenging,” Weiss commented. “We will continue to look for new markets and for ways to deepen our holding in current ones, including acquiring and partnering with local companies, local production, knowledge transfer and more.” In China, IAI recently announced a joint venture with Lingyun (Yichang) Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd., to establish its first local Chinese maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) enterprise in the Hubei province. This joint operation will be dedicated to expanding civil maintenance services and cargo conversion, as well as laying the groundwork for additional business. Elsewhere, IAI has an agreement to cooperate with the Shantou municipal government of China, the Guangdong Airport Authority and other Chinese partners, to develop and expand the local civil aviation industry. o
Strategic Shifts
In an interview with AIN in advance of the Singapore show, IAI president and CEO Joseph Weiss said that shrinking international defense budgets have played to the strengths of his company in terms of its ability to deliver products with reduced total life-cycle costs. In this regard, he believes IAI leads the way, especially in the UAV and simulation and training system sectors. That said, he added that in the coming five years, IAI aims both to put in place a stronger strategy for exploiting the commercial aerospace market and also, more specifically, to achieve significant growth in both land- and maritime-related products. For now, the main focus of research and development spending will be in the areas of UAVs, robotics, air defense systems,
NEWS CLIPS
Turkey’s Roketsan missile maker expands portfolio and capabilities
z Two Parker Joint Ventures Get ISO Approval Parker Aerospace (Stand D23) announced that its two joint venture companies with Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) have received AS9100C certification for their aerospace production, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) processes. The two JVs, Parker FACRI Actuation Systems and NEIAS Parker Aero Systems & Equipment, have also received MRO approval from both the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Xian-based Parker FACRI supplies flight control actuation products on the C919 single-aisle airliner and on the ARJ21 turbofan regional jet, both developed and produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac). NEIAS Parker Aero Systems & Equipment provides manufacturing and assembly support for Parker’s fuel, inerting and hydraulic systems on the C919 and the ARJ21. The Nanjing-based company offers a machining center and special processing line. “Parker is proud to have earned these three important certifications for our Chinese joint ventures,” said Pui Ho, Parker Aerospace vice president and regional general manager for the Asia Pacific region. “We are committed to providing products and services that meet and surpass the highest standards of the global aerospace community, providing the C919 and ARJ21 with superior equipment and support.”
by David Donald Roketsan has come to the Singapore Airshow with its expanding range of missiles and related systems. The Turkish company has recently achieved several important tests of its weapon systems as they mature towards service entry. Among them is the Hisar air defense missile, which is being developed in both low- and medium-altitude versions. Hisar employs imaging infrared terminal guidance, thrustvectoring control, mid-course guidance and a dual-pulse rocket motor. A number of successful test firings have been made with the Hisar-A low-altitude weapon, while the Hisar-O medium-level missile began firing tests last July. Last year Roketsan (Stand C23) completed development and qualification of the L-UMTAS laser-guided anti-tank/precision attack weapon, and first deliveries to the Turkish armed forces are imminent. The laser version is employed by the T-129 Atak attack helicopter, and has also been fired from the Turkish navy’s Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. An infrared-guided version is in development. Meanwhile, the Cirit laserguided rocket has been successfully employed in combat. The weapon was first delivered to the Turkish armed forces in 2012 for use with the AH-1W Cobra and T-129. In 2014 the United Arab Emirates air force took delivery of the Cirit to arm its Iomax AT-802i/Archangel fixed-wing aircraft, which have fired the
A Roketsan L-UMTAS laserguided anti-tank missile is shown being test-fired from a Turkish navy Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopter.
z FAA Approves Honeywell’s Fast Wi-Fi for 757s
weapon during action in Yemen. Here in Singapore the company is highlighting Cirit’s landbased application with the new PMC (pedestal-mounted Cirit) system that can be installed on a high-mobility tracked or wheeled vehicle. Other air weapons on show are the Teber, an INS/GPS kit that transforms a standard Mk 81/82 bomb into a precisionguided weapon, and the SOM.
The latter is a stand-off missile that is now in Turkish air force service with F-16C/D Block 40s and F-4E-2020 Phantoms. Roketsan, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, has developed the SOM-J version for internal carriage by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, plus external carriage by other types. Flight trials of SOM-J are due to being in the first quarter of 2017, with serial production expected to start in
Extant wins five-year USAF contract for countermeasure dispenser system by Gregory Polek Extant Aerospace has won a new five-year indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract from the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, to fabricate, integrate, test and deliver line replaceable and shop replaceable units for the AN/ALE-47 countermeasures dispensing system (CMDS). Extant places the estimated total value of the award at up to $62.3 million
over the full contract period. The AN/ALE-47(V) is the U.S. military’s most widely used CMDS system and appears on more than 30 different fixed-wing and helicopter platforms, including attack, transport, fighter and surveillance aircraft. This year marks the 15th consecutive year Extant has served as the U.S. government prime contractor for the supply and support of the AN/ ALE-47 CMDS.
Melbourne, Florida-based Extant Aerospace specializes in supporting program managers with product licensing, obsolescence management and reengineering, lifecycle sustainment and counterfeit prevention services for aging, non-core electronics, avionics and electromechanical products used in various military, business and general aviation and airline applications. o
Honeywell’s JetWave wireless in-flight connectivity system has received FAA approval for the Boeing 757. JetWave is hardware that connects to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress high-speed broadband satellite network. The network spans the globe and will enter service this year for aviation. Inmarsat claims it will provide fast, seamless and reliable connectivity. Passengers will thus experience the same Wi-Fi experience they get at home or in the office while traveling at 35,000 feet, including watching video, according to Honeywell (Stand G39). Testing involved more than 180 flight hours aboard Honeywell’s Boeing 757 flying testbed aircraft. This involved various altitudes, angles/attitudes and speeds, through several different types of weather, over both land and water. Inmarsat’s new GX constellation, initially formed of three Ka-band satellites, was introduced into global commercial service in December. A fourth GX satellite is currently being built by Boeing and is likely to be launched in the second half of 2016, “to provide additional GX network capacity.”
z Bombardier Service Center Expands Capabilities Bombardier (Chalet CD61) continues to expand the capabilities of its Singapore Service Center after receiving 14 approvals from international authorities and five engine and avionics authorizations. In 2015 alone, the facility received six new certifications from United Arab Emirates, CASA, FAA, Qatar, India and Taiwan. Since opening in 2014, the facility doubled its engineer and technician workforce while providing maintenance support for over 800 customer visits. “After two years of operations, the Singapore Service Center continues its outstanding performance, and its success is a key indicator of our continued commitment to serving the region,” commented Stan Younger, vice president of Aircraft Service Centers. He also said this facility strengthens Bombardier’s expanding presence in Asia. The Singapore Service Center features 3,000 sq m (32,000 sq ft) of hangar space, 3,500 sq m (38,000 sq ft) of dedicated ramp and 3,500 sq m (38,000 sq ft) of workshop, warehouse and office space. The facility performs scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, modifications, avionics installations, and aircraft on ground (AOG) support for Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft.
www.ainonline.com • February 16, 2016 • Singapore Airshow News 11
Performances by marquis airshow stars, such as Dassault’s Rafale multirole fighter, help keep the Singapore Airshow among the “must see” events for aerospace professionals.
Singapore Airshow still growing, setting the standard for its rivals by Chris Pocock & David Donald Since its first edition in 2008, the Singapore Airshow has “cemented its position as Asia’s largest airshow,” reports Leck Chet Lam, managing director of show organizer Experia Events. This year’s show features more than 1,000 companies from 50 countries, including the top 65 global aerospace players. Twenty national pavilions and groups are participating, including first-time pavilions for Indonesia and the Philippines. Experia says the show is the “strategic platform of choice for key industry players.” With increasing competition from shows in neighboring countries, the organizers are taking a leaf from the Singapore government’s overall economic strategy–by going upmarket and adding value. An impressive conference program on the eve of the show is being backed up by new business forums here at the event. In order to keep the Singapore airshow relevant to today’s and tomorrow’s marketplace, the airshow is focusing on three areas: tapping into emerging opportunities, engaging in emerging dialogs, and showcasing emerging technology. Emerging opportunities are addressed in four business forums scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, of which three are new. France is the featured country of this year’s show, and a France-Singapore forum is being held, co-chaired by GIFAS and Singapore Technologies
Aerospace and featuring 20 panelists and moderators from the two countries. Just prior to the show, the French ambassador to Singapore, His Excellence Benjamin Dubertret, told reporters that 60 French companies are participating, while the Dassault Rafale is taking part in the aerial display. The Airbus A350XWB is another flying exhibit, the new airliner having already secured orders from 13 ASEAN airlines. Other forums include one on Emerging Technologies, which will focus on additive manufacturing and big data analytics. The forum on Training and Simulation is particularly dear to Leck Chet Lam’s heart. The airshow boss has an aerospace engineering background, and said that the Asia-Pacific region
Leck Chet Lam, managing director, Experia Events, briefs the press in advance of Singapore Airshow 2016. Acknowledging rival shows, he mapped out Singapore’s assets.
needs many more individuals to take up this career. The fourth of these two-hour forums will discuss Asia Business, with contributions from Ameco Beijing; Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, SR Technics and GMF AeroAsia of Indonesia. Leck Chet Lam describes the show as a “platform for thought leadership,” evidenced by the conferences that took place before the show. The show also features various themed zones, which to some extent mirror and complement the business forums. The existing Training and Simulation Zone expands on previous years, while a new Aerospace Emerging Technology Zone is new for this year. Singapore Growth
Singapore holds a leading place in the regional aerospace sector, and the airshow reflects that. Tan Kong Hwee, director of transport engineering for the Economic Development Board, outlined the nation’s already impressive position in the sector, with an annual growth of more than 8 percent over the past decade. Singapore now boasts 130 aerospace companies with an $8.3 billion output. The nation has captured around 10 percent of the global MRO market share, and each year a number of important new facilities are opening. Pratt & Whitney, for instance, is opening a blade and disk manufacturing facility, and
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Rolls-Royce is already assembling Trent 700 engines at Seletar. With the ASEAN region forecast to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2050, air travel in the region continues to grow at a rapid pace, requiring greater levels of in-region aftermarket support. Also, major OEMs are looking to the region, and Singapore itself, to respond to increasing demands on the supply chain. Singapore’s government has outlined a plan to become a globally recognized aerospace nation, with both a competent manufacturing and aftermarket presence by leading OEMs, and a range of homegrown enterprises able to service major aerospace programs. To that end, the government has committed major investment to both research and development programs, and into aerospace academic institutions. These initiatives are evident in a number of exhibits at the show. Display Highlights
Two military types are making their first appearance here in Singapore–an Airbus A400M airlifter from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF)
and a pair of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighters from the U.S. Air Force. Also making show debuts are two helicopters: the Airbus H145 and Bell’s developmental 505, in mockup form. Finmeccanica has brought Project Zero, its experimental tiltrotor, for static display. The hour-long flying display will be dominated by heavy military metal, with quieter relief provided only by the Airbus A350 XWB. There will be a coordinated display by an AH-64 Apache and F-15SG Strike Eagle of the RSAF; the French Air Force Rafale combat jet; a U.S. Air Force F-16C fighter; a C-17 airlifter; and a Su-30MKM fighter from the RMAF, the latter demonstrating a remarkable series of thrustvectoring maneuvers. For many the highlight will likely be the dynamic Black Eagles aerobatic team of the Republic of Korea Air Force, making a welcome return to the Singapore airshow with an expanded routine in their eight T-50 supersonic jet trainers. Looking forward to the next Singapore airshow, and amid some speculation as to where the next show will be held (due to the work that is already underway on the expansion of Changi Airport), Leck Chet Lam reassured visitors that “we’ll still be here in 2018”. o
NEWS CLIPS z AFI KLM E&M Launch MRO Lab Singapore Air France Industries-KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M), the maintenance, repair and overhaul branch of Air France-KLM, is here launching its “MRO Lab Singapore.” The innovation center is being formed jointly with Ramco, a supplier of software for the MRO sector. The center employs around 10 people, working on designing and developing “innovative, rapid-deployment solutions.” Some of them will be carrying out demonstrations here at Stand G08. Developments are expected in areas such as wearable technology, “big data”, predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence, maintenance process optimization, customer experience and the “Internet of Things”. AFI KLM E&M claims to have an established culture of innovation, as its suggestion scheme generates 4,000 ideas a year. It is also taking part in a business accelerator to set-up partnerships with innovative aviation start-ups.
z Honeywell to Supply Systems for Japan’s P-1 Honeywell Aerospace (Stand G39) announced this week that it has been selected by Kawasaki Heavy Industries to supply various systems for the Japan Ministry of Defense’s 20 P-1 maritime patrol airplanes, under a multiyear procurement contract. The systems include the 131-9J auxiliary power unit, the enhanced ground proximity warning system, the SmartTraffic traffic collision avoidance system, the cabin pressure control system, the engine starter bleed system valve, exterior and interior lighting, a personal oxygen unit, the ram air turbine, a thermal anti-ice system, the air-conditioning system, the bleed air system and a Sonobuoy dispenser.
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BREIT LING.COM
ATR sees role for t-prop in China’s route system
Jakarta-based Wings Air operates ATR 72-500s and -600s. It began service in 2003. ATR has a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region, but would like to increase its role.
by Thierry Dubois ATR (Stand E01) is here with a strong presence in the region, but one it would like to expand further–especially in China. Late last year the FrancoItalian turboprop manufacturer opened a representative office in Beijing, estimating the time is right for its 50- to 78-seat turboprops to find their first customers in China. ATR has long complained that China is not an open market, notably due to prohibitive tariffs. The company’s new Beijing office, located at Tianzhu Airport, is headed by v-p sales and chief representative in China, Wang Qi. “We have hired three former Airbus salesmen–they are Chinese and have a wealth of
ATR Launches Initiative on Safety in Asia After five accidents in Asia involving its turboprops in the 2014-2015 period, ATR has adopted a proactive approach, according to the manufacturer’s CEO, Patrick de Castelbajac. He pointed out that the ongoing investigations have found no technical problems, so far, on the three fatal accident aircraft. Nevertheless, in more than 20 missions, pilots and maintenance specialists from ATR have visited Asian airlines, looking at their procedures and providing advice. Operator conferences are organized to share know ledge and experience. It appears to ATR’s experts, however, that cultural problems are still hampering progress. –T.D.
experience in aircraft sales,” ATR CEO Patrick de Castelbajac told AIN. Airbus, which has 300 employees in Beijing, is fully supporting ATR through its established relationship with Chinese authorities, Castelbajac added. Formerly, ATR had only one representative in China, and he did not speak Mandarin. “We should not complain, we must convince,” Castelbajac asserted during a recent press conference in Paris. Some 2,600 commercial aircraft are flying in China, of which 68 are considered regional aircraft with a capacity of less than 90 seats. Fewer than 20 of those are turboprops–specifically, Avic MA-60s. The remainder consist of Bombardier and Embraer jets, according to Castelbajac. “But there is no reason why the regional-aircraft fleet should account for [only] 5 percent of the total in China, against 25 percent worldwide,” he said. Right-sizing Capacity
ATR executives believe many of the routes currently flown do not need a 150-seat aircraft. Yet, many small cities are, nevertheless, believed to warrant direct airline service. Such routes may not be found on the densely populated coastal areas but rather in areas like Inner Mongolia. This is the kind of place where ATR salespeople estimate they have the best chances to place their aircraft. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) does not know a lot about ATRs, and turboprops have a bad reputation in China, Castelbajac conceded.
The civil aviation authorities of Indonesia and Myanmar in 2013 ordered the grounding of Merpati Nusantara Airlines’ and Myanmar Airways’ MA-60 fleets for airworthiness checks following a series of accidents. Shortly after, New Zealand sparked a controversy when it warned its nationals in the Pacific island country of Tonga against flying on an MA-60 operated by Real Tonga airline. Castelbajac did not refer to the grounding or the controversy, but said he intends to demonstrate to the CAAC and Chinese airlines that ATRs are safe and reliable. He believes the environmental friendliness of ATR aircraft–burning an estimated 50 percent less fuel per passenger-mile than a jet–will help convince Chinese operators and a country where environmental issues have recently become more important. Asked for a sales objective, he suggested one or two ATRs might be sold this year in the country. “But once the airlines see the aircraft in service, a lot A subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, Firefly operates 19 ATR 72s, a mix of -500s and -600s.
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will follow,” he predicted. Import tariffs had long been cited as an obstacle. Duty and VAT, combined, are still higher for aircraft weighing less than 25 metric tons. However, airlines may now amortize those costs over several years.
Despite the lack of any orders from China, Asia still accounts for 51 percent of ATR’s backlog, and more than 350 ATRs are flying in the region. ATR also has Chinese suppliers in its network, such as Avic, which manufactures 20 percent of the fuselage. o
Bizjet broker envisions a decade of uncertainty by Kerry Lynch Despite challenges in the Chinese economy, Asia-Pacific will account for 12 percent of worldwide business aircraft deliveries through 2024 with Southeast Asia helping bolster the market, according to the Jetcraft brokerage group. In its recent 10-year Market Outlook, Jetcraft (Stand U63) predicted a global market for 8,755 business aircraft valued at $271.1 billion through 2024. North America will remain the dominant region, accounting for 4,728 units, or 54 percent of the deliveries. But Asia Pacific will continue to gradually increase its share, with buyers taking delivery of 1,050 units. China remains a driver of deliveries in the Asia Pacific market. “However, with China’s $10 trillion economy now decelerating…there are serious issues looming,” Jetcraft warned, pointing to efforts of the government to “deleverage” the debt-laden economy. The reforms have meant a shift away from governmentbacked infrastructure investment, putting airport development in jeopardy, Jetcraft fears. Other Chinese government reforms, including the
clampdown on corruption, have “had the unintended effect of suppressing what is deemed to be any overt display of ‘ostentatious’ wealth, including business aircraft,” Jetcraft said. “This has hurt legitimate companies that use business aircraft as a tool to compete internationally and, more importantly, driven ultra HNWIs [high net worth individuals] away from the region.” Jetcraft’s report identified similar problems in India in terms of limited infrastructure and bureaucratic obstacles to growth, but it believes South East Asia has more promise. “The hope is that some of the more prominent Southeast Asian economies such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand (all of which have customers with long track records in business aviation) can, in part at least fill the vacuum until at least China’s economy stabilizes,” Jetcraft said. “We are seeing momentum happening in Southeast Asia through its key business aviation hubs such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia,” added David Dixon, president of Jetcraft Asia. o
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New VIP interiors shop opens in Singapore by Thierry Dubois Aeria Luxury Interiors, a subsidiary of ST Engineering (Stand G01), is launching its VIP
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16 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
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the current ST Engineering site at Seletar Airport, will offer services for narrowbody and widebody aircraft, Ron Soret, Aeria’s v-p and general manager for completions, told AIN. To date, Aeria has operated from its sole facility in San Antonio, Texas. “We recently delivered a BBJ to an Eastern European customer,” Soret said. The BBJ was completed from its green, fresh-from-the-factory state. Last year, another four aircraft went through Aeria’s workshops, for maintenance, avionics modification or refurbishment. These were a mix of Boeing 737s, BBJs and 757s. The 100,000-sq-ft hangar can accommodate two narrowbodies and two widebodies. Aeria was incorporated in 2012 and now “the line is up and running,” Soret said. The workforce has grown rapidly; it stands at 120 employees, 70 percent of them dedicated to aircraft completion. Currently, work is in progress on one widebody (for completion and modifications) and delivery is planned for the first quarter of 2017. Two BBJs are undergoing maintenance, refurbishment and avionics modifications. Aeria’s initial target market was green aircraft completions. The avionics business, which was added later, grew by 20 percent in 2015, according to Soret. Aeria is an authorized dealer for Honeywell and Rockwell Collins products. The company purchased a 3D printer in 2014. It can produce large parts, with dimensions up to 3 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet. “We are using it extensively for completions, making prototypes and decorative pieces,” Soret explained. For the BBJs, 3D-printed parts included single-seat armrests, loudspeaker bezels and brackets for electronics components. Aeria is resorting to a thermoplastic material that has sufficient structural strength and also meets flammability requirements. o
hat you fly
F-35’s ongoing problems delay proposed block buy by Chris Pocock Singapore is “in the advanced stages of evaluating the F-35,” according to its air force chief. The U.S. has been asking other partner countries on the Lightning II to commit to a block buy. But that prospect has now receded for a couple of years, after the latest report on the stealth fighter by the Pentagon’s own weapons tester, released on February 1. The Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) listed a range of deficiencies in the Block 2B software that was loaded on the U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs when they declared initial operational capability (IOC) last July. He also described problems with the Block 3i version with which the U.S. Air Force wants to declare IOC on the F-35A next August. And the development and test schedule for the ultimate Block 3F software was judged “unrealistic.” In the U.S. system, the services can declare IOC before the DOT&E conducts a formal IOT&E (Initial Operational Test and Evaluation). The IOT&E for the F-35 is supposed to start in August 2017, upon completion of the jet’s System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase. But in his latest report, the DOT&E warned the U.S. and its F-35 partners against committing to a block buy before the IOT&E is done. “Significant discoveries requiring correction… will continue to occur throughout the remaining developmental and operational testing,” he noted. All the aircraft delivered to date need modifying before they are combat-ready, he added. Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) began calling for a block buy last
year in order to drive down unit costs to the $80 million goal for the F-35A version. The JPO said there were no surprises in the latest DOT&E report, which had not given enough credit for the program’s efforts to solve problems that arose. Recent technical challenges that had been successfully overcome included the F135 engine rub, the F-35B auxiliary inlet door, and the F-35C tailhook. “Risks do still exist but are understood and manageable,” it added. At a briefing in Washington last week, JPO chief Lt Gen Chris Bogdan said there were currently 419 deficiencies in the program that needed correction, but another 700-plus had already been addressed. He said that the proposed block buy would not now take place until U.S. Fiscal Years 2019 through 2021, although it had the potential to save the U.S. and international F-35 partners over $2 billion in savings. In the meantime, the JPO is in the final stages of negotiating Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) batches 9 and 10 with Lockheed Martin and engine maker Pratt & Whitney. More than 150 F-35s are now operational, and together with the 18 SDD aircraft, they have logged more than 48,000 hours. Five partner nations–Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK–are now flying the jet. Israel and Japan will receive their first examples this year. Training of pilots and maintainers is progressing well, the JPO said. It listed eight significant achievements in 2015, including
Lockheed Martin in late 2015 delivered the 45th F-35 Lightning II, meeting production goals. Of the 45, eight are F-35B models and eight are F-35Cs. The rest are F-35As.
A Paveway IV precision-guided bomb is shown being released from an F-35B Lightning II during initial testing in mid-2015.
90 flight test separations of seven weapons–the DOT&E report noted the “limited weapons carriage, i.e. two bombs, two airto-air missiles,” of the Marines’ F-35B at IOC. The JPO conceded that much work remained to be done on the mission systems software. The DOT&E said that Block 2B suffered from “deficiencies in fusion” and “ambiguous threat displays.” Block 3i was supposed to re-house Block 2B onto new core processors without modification, but the U.S. Air Force has “insisted on fixes for five of the most severe deficiencies.” Flight testing of the definitive Block 3F software began last March but probably can’t be completed before January 2018, the DOT&E believes. It also describes a separate and serious set of problems relating to compilation of the mission data files. The DOT&E report also mentioned the flight-testing of the F-35’s ‘dog-fighting’ capability, the report of which was leaked last July. This subject has been controversial for years– and some say the jet represents a new warfighting regime in which close air combat capability is irrelevant. Anyway, 17 engagements were staged between an F-35A and an F-16D that was restricted to 7g by carrying fuel tanks. Nevertheless, the F-35A “remained at a distinct disadvantage on every engagement,” the DOT&E reported. The DOT&E noted problems with the ejection seat (see box); over-pressurization of the wing fuel tanks (a fix is under review); and the structural life of the F-35B bulkhead (see box). A host of other issues were identified in the 50-page report but the JPO pleaded for these to be taken in context. It is during development that “issues are expected to be discovered and solutions are implemented,” it said. Development is now 80 percent complete, the JPO added. o
18 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
SOME OTHER POINTS FROM THE DOT&E REPORT • Despite the fielding of version 2, many critical deficiencies remain in the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), and its cybersecurity has not yet been properly tested. • Test pilots are reporting positively on the Generation III helmetmounted display system (HMDS), designed to solve problems of jitter, latency and ‘green glow’ afflicting previous designs. • High-fidelity simulation of the full range of threats and scenarios is not likely to be available to the IOT&E team, meaning more flights will be needed. • Fleet availability in 2015 averaged 51 percent versus a goal of 60 percent, and hardly improved over 2014. The numbers are depressed by the F-35B version. • The Marines’ suitability demonstration of six F-35Bs on the USS Wasp last May suffered from poor reliability and required extensive contractor logistics support. • There are heat build-up problems in the weapons bays. • Live-fire and EMP vulnerability testing is as expected. • All three variants are meeting their empty weight goals–but only just for the F-35C.
STRUCTURAL LIFE TESTING Earlier this month, BAE Systems reported that the structural design life of the F-35–8,000 hours–had been tested twice over on an F-35A test airframe in the company’s facility at Brough in the UK. The 350-metric ton test rig there includes more than 160 loading actuators, 2,500 strain gauges and 20 miles of wiring. Having ‘flown’ 16,000 hours, the airframe will now be subjected to a third lifetime of testing, before being dismantled for analysis. But it’s the F-35B STOVL version which has proved more problematic, with a wing carry-through bulkhead severing in 2013 after 9,080 hours. This caused a redesign and a 16-month delay before structural testing resumed. There were some more discoveries in 2015, leading to another five-month pause. Meanwhile, cracks were discovered in the front wing spars of the F-35C structural test airframe last October, after 13,731 hours. The cause has not yet been defined. – C.P.
TOO LIGHT TO EJECT SAFELY The DOT&E report provides more detail on this safety issue that has emerged. Lighter-weight manikins wearing the new and slightly heavier Gen III helmet mounted display system, that were ejected at 160 knots during sled tests last July and August, revealed neck injuries. As a result, pilots weighing less than 136 pounds are currently banned from flying the F-35. Martin Baker’s design of the jet’s US16E seat included a trio of airbags that inflate in a two-stage process during ejection as head and neck restraints. The company has now designed and sled-tested a fabric mesh support panel that fits behind the pilot’s head and between the parachute risers. It seems to work, but more testing is required and the mod could take a year to install on the fleet. In addition, a ‘heavy/light’ switch has been designed. When in the light(weight) position, the switch delays extraction of the ejection seat parachute by milliseconds, which should further reduce shock and stress on the pilot’s neck. – C.P.
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Rockwell Collins firms up Asia Pacific presence by Ian Sheppard devices and add to connectivity services with Inmarsat.” The company is emphasizing the need to have a greater presence in-region. “We can work to meet the needs of countries and do it in-country, partnering in-country,” said Mahoney. “There are lots of countries in the region, with various levels of maturity. We can help grow capabilities in emerging markets.” He noted that Rockwell Collins is a communications company, too. “We’ve done a lot of work on that. For example we rolled out TruNet, which allows militaries to communicate securely.” Sees Increasing Demand
In commercial aviation he said that it is already two years since Rockwell Collins acquired Arinc. “It’s really flown by,” he said. “Arinc gave us a whole new basket of goods, mainly commercial–ground communications networks, trip planning, flight tracking–we’ve already rolled out Arinc MultiLink to provide that service.” “On the airline side this is the biggest growth opportunity in the world,” Mahoney added “We’ve had a footprint in Australia for 50 years, 32 years in China and celebrated 20 years in Singapore last January [2015].” He pointed to the “numerous contracts” won since the last airshow. “Airlines
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC) forthcoming MA700 regional turboprop, above, will feature Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion avionics. Hainan Airlines will use Rockwell Collins’s 737 Head-up Guidance System, right.
are really paying us back for the level of support we provide,” Mahoney said. In service and support, he pointed to the: “increasing adoption of asset management and maintenance programs-by-thehour. We’ve seen that expand from the 787 to other aircraft, and now we are committing to availability guarantees. So we expedite turnaround times and provide guaranteed availability of spares.” He said more than half of the 787 fleet had been signed up for the
DAVID McINTOSH
Colin Mahoney, senior v-p international and service solutions for Rockwell Collins (Stand V77), told AIN, “Asia Pacific is one of the highest opportunity regions. Between Singapore airshows we’ve had material differences in [employee] headcount, up 25 percent from the last show [in 2014] to 1,000, from both organic growth and acquisitions.” There was an overall strategic move to “shift resources from slower growing markets, and adding several new hires, particularly engineering talent from India,” said the company. It opened a new engineering facility in Bangalore; and a new manufacturing facility in Sydney for the distributed aperture system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (the company also makes the helmet). Rockwell Collins has also opened a new facility for its BlueSky Aviation joint venture, called ACCEL Flight Simulation, in Tianjin, China. It has also launched a partnership with Zen Technologies of India for military simulation systems. In addition, a new division now includes activities in China, Australia and India, said Mahoney. One of its most significant acquisitions was Singaporebased Pacific Avionics, he told AIN, “bringing wireless capabilities to the IFEC market. It allows us to transmit content to people’s
IT’S ALL IN THE PREPARATION A huge amount of effort goes into preparing aircraft on static display at any air show, and Singapore Airshow 2016 certainly is no exception. Here, a worker is seen applying the finishing touches to the underside of a Cessna Model 208 Caravan’s wing in advance of the event’s opening day.
20 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
“Dispatch 100” program. On the threat of oil- and commodity-market angst, and the various economic difficulties in China, Mahoney said, “We don’t see any near-term lessening of demand. We follow retirements and recycling of aircraft, and where people put spares into their systems has some downside.” But, he said “more and more people in developing economies have the desire and the [financial] ability to fly. We don’t see any impact [of economic problems] on our airline and airports businesses.” Mahoney said, “Right now, Asia Pacific represents about 10 percent of our total business. It was half that five years ago so we’re on a great trajectory. Fortythree percent of direct sales are now international, not including the OEMs, and that’s going to grow to 50 percent. Asia Pacific is growing from 10 percent, as we’re investing in the right products and generally understanding better where we need to be.” He said that there was a lot of activity in China with OEM developments in particular, and the Japanese market looks good,
too–especially now that it has “changed its constitution on defense.” He added, “Recently we added a managing director, head of north Asia sales, and a strategic leader in Japan–people who understand the culture.” Regarding the Singapore Airshow this year, Mahoney said: “We always debate the roles of these shows, but these shows [Dubai, Singapore, etc.] are very meaningful ways to meet customers and stakeholders across the business in a short space of time–we’ll see airline and OEM heads, ministers of defense, etc, all in one place. “It’s far more significant for the region than what we’d accomplish at a Farnborough or a Paris. Our presence is about relationship building, not so much displaying technology,” he added, concluding: “There’s a lot going on in the Asia Pacific; I couldn’t be more pleased at the progress and enthusiasm. It’s very exciting.” o
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The Ground Master 400 system in mobile configuration, shown here with its antenna deployed. This one is in service in Estonia.
Thales ground radar offerings finding favor around the world by Chris Pocock The ground radar business of Thales (Stand F23) is the thirdlargest in the world, behind Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The company claims to offer the largest portfolio in the world, with no fewer than 25 systems, and says it is making 80 percent of its turnover from exports. A joint venture with Raytheon provides more sales, in the field of air defense command and control systems. In a comprehensive briefing at the company’s main site at Limours outside Paris recently, Jean-Christophe Seguineau, vice president of surface radar for Thales, told journalists that the company has no fewer than 1,300 ground and naval radars of 15 different types in service with 46 countries. Some of these radars are 40 years old, but still giving good service after upgrades, said Seguineau. They range from original large S-band air surveillance radars such as the Palmier and Tiger-S, through the electronically scanned TRS2215 and the Master T produced at Limours, to the Master and Smart radars that introduced active arrays and solid-state transmitters in the last decade. There was also a series of naval digital fire control systems produced at Hengelo in the Netherlands by Signaal, a site that was bought by Thales in 1990 and is still in operation.
Today, the product line is headed by the Ground Master family of fully digital surveillance radars that was launched in 2010 and took advantage of the second-generation solidstate technology of Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconducters. One hundred of them have since been sold, according to Peter Terpstra, Thales marketing manager for air defense radars. Terpstra claimed that these radars offer the best combination of compact antenna size with long-range detection performance. Furthermore, being S-band systems, he said that they offer better performance than higher-frequency radars in the presence of ground clutter or adverse weather (e.g. heavy rain). According to Terpstra, another key feature of the Ground Master family is the stacked-beam mode of operation, which offers significantly more time-on-target versus a pencil-beam design. Multiple stacked beams concurrently scan the coverage in elevation and in several azimuth positions, during a single antenna rotation. 250 Miles’ Range
The result is better detection of slow-moving and low-altitude targets. The antenna rotation rate is six seconds–fast for this class. Clutter is automatically measured at each elevation, and Thales claims the innovative use of multiple interlaced
waveforms. The advertised detection range is 250 nautical miles. “These radars have very advanced built-in test equipment [BITE], and we’ve doubled the
market standard for meantime-between-critical-failure [MTBCF] to 3,000 hours,” Terpstra continued. All maintenance is planned, so there is no need for on-site technicians to accompany a deployment, he added. Terptra noted that the GaN amplifiers operate at higher temperatures, and only require air (rather than water) cooling, thereby halving the system size compared with previous radars. “Everything that is needed for deployment can be carried in one adapted 20-foot container that can be carried by a C-130,” he added. This allows for frequent truck-mounted movement between locations, and for airtransportable deployments, which together provide a “strong operational advantage,” claimed Terptra. The total weight is less than 10 metric tons. However, the GM 400 is also offered in a fixed configuration. It has been qualified for operation in arctic, desert and tropical conditions. The smaller Ground Master 200 offers a detection range of 135 nautical miles against all types of threats including small, low-speed, and is designed for air or coastal surveillance, for countering rocket, artillery or mortar (C-RAM) attacks, or for use with weapons engagement such as surface-air missiles.
According to Terpstra, the GM 200 includes a full electronic counter measures (ECM) package and “has the highest availability in its category.” Again, it is offered in fixed or mobile configuration, the latter featuring a deployable mast that is 25 feet high when extended. The latest product from Limours is the Ground Master 60, a highly mobile radar that can be integrated on a wide variety of wheeled armored vehicles. It is optimized for use with ground-based air defense systems, and has already been sold to a Middle East customer for use with systems firing the Mistral and Mica VL missiles. It can search for targets while on the move, and has an antenna rotation rate of 1.5 seconds. The range is about 40 nautical miles, but in other respects the performance is similar to the GM 200, according to Terpstra. The GM 60 can also be used in a C-RAM role, using a different processing technique. Thales also offers a small C-RAM system designated GH 10 that operates in the UHF band and provides a 20- to 30-second warning against mortar attacks by siren and flashing lights. It has been combat-proven, and was deployed by the French Army in Afghanistan and Mali. o
RUAG SET TO LAUNCH DO-228NG PRODUCTION Starting in mid-2016, Ruag Aviation (Stand CD17) is set to begin serial production of its modernized “NG” version of the Dornier 228 twin turboprop. The aircraft is intended for a variety of applications, including commuter airline service and maritime surveillance, with existing customers in the Asia Pacific region including the Royal Thai Navy Border Patrol, Japan’s Central Airservice and the Bangladesh Navy. Thanks to Ruag, the Do 228 twin turboprop will re-enter serial production as Initially, Switzerland-based Ruag an improved “NG” variant with updated avionics and five-blade propellers. intends to produce the Dornier 228 at a rate of four aircraft per year at its assembly line at The former Royal Australian Air Force officer has Oberpfaffenhofen in southern Germany. In 2014, served with the company as sales and marketing the company signed up India’s Tata Advanced vice president since 2013 and assumed his new Systems as a key supplier for the program. The fuse- position on January 1. Ruag Australia, which until lage, wings and tail unit are all manufactured by February 2015 traded under the name Rosebank Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in Kanpur, India. Engineering Australia, provides maintenance, repair The Dornier 228NG features improvements and overhaul services for military operators. such as an all-glass cockpit and five-blade comSeparately, Ruag last month delivered 10 “misposite propellers that improve fuel efficiency sim” threat simulator test units to the German and reduce noise. The cabin can be fitted with Army. The company’s Aviation Products subsidup to 19 passenger seats or a variety of special iary developed the equipment as a way to test missions equipment. The aircraft offers superior the self-protection capability of military aircraft. It simulates electronic warfare threats including short- takeoff and landing capability. The most recent new customer for the 228 was radar, lasers, missile and hostile fire, and can be Guernsey-based Aurigny Air Services, which is adapted to just about any platform fitted with replacing its aging Britten Norman Trislanders with sensor equipment. three of the aircraft. The first of these new aircraft Ruag also offers a variety of upgrade programs for helicopters such as the Super Puma and Cougar. should be delivered by the end of 2016. This year, Ruag is boosting its management team Its aerostructures division is involved in manufacturin the Asia Pacific region with the appointment of ing of fuselage and wing components for airframers John Teager as managing director of Ruag Australia. such as Airbus and Bombardier. —C.A.
22 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
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Asia’s defense spending is a boon for Honeywell Honeywell’s Defense and Space business area enjoyed good growth in the Asia Pacific region in 2015, demonstrating an 8.5 percent increase in yearon-year revenue. The signs throughout the region are good for a sustained upward trend over the coming years, largely as a result of increased defense spending. Mark Burgess, v-p for Asia Pacific, Honeywell Defense and Space, told AIN that Honeywell has seen “strong growth in Korea, and a phenomenal growth in Japan,” the latter driven by major equipment acquisitions and a weak yen. Both Japan and Korea have adopted a twin-track approach to defense procurement, combining the acquisition of stateof-the-art equipment from the U.S. and elsewhere with the indigenous development of high-technology platforms using the best available technology from around the world. Kawasaki’s P-1 maritime patroller is a prime example of
the globalization of a national product, an indigenous design that draws in best-in-class components and systems from international sources. Honeywell is the largest foreign supplier to this program, and it is similarly a major supplier to the related C-2 airlifter program. Both Japan and Korea are to receive the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, providing Honeywell with increased business in the future, while both nations are also developing advanced fighter aircraft. The KF-X fighter, being developed by Korea and Indonesia in an 80:20 split, represents a major chance to increase business further, as it evolves. Honeywell works closely with industry in both countries, but Burgess noted that business in Indonesia can be “challenging, due to governance and compliance issues.” Honeywell has, however, forged an excellent relationship with aircraft-builder PTDI through the supply and support of engines and avionics.
Honeywell Defense and Space is the leading overseas supplier to Japan’s Kawasaki P-1 maritime patroller program.
Taiwan is another important market for Honeywell, notably concerning aero engines, as is Australasia, where the company has grown its business four-fold in as many years, with that level of growth set to continue. Among the new contracts is a five-year deal to support the French navy operating in Tahiti. Southeast Asia
While Malaysia represents a strong commercial helicopter marketplace for Honeywell, and Thailand a small but growing defense business, in Southeast Asia it is Singapore that dominates revenue, generating 75 percent of the business. This is due primarily to the large amount of U.S. equipment in use with
the Singaporean defense forces. ST Aerospace is a strong partner, and the companies have worked together on a number of RMU (repair, maintenance and upgrade) contracts, notably for the F-15 Eagle. RMU work is a growth area for Honeywell as the useful lives of platforms extends ever longer. Many of the upgrades being applied to varied fleets focus on greater economy and reliability of operation, and also on enhancing safety through improved avionics and the implementation of systems such as HUMS (health and usage monitoring system). For Honeywell, an exciting area is the increasing adoption by defense forces of wideband satellite communications systems, such as the JetWave system developed in partnership with Inmarsat. “Military operators are beginning to see the transformational effects of having fully connected aircraft,” remarked Burgess. “Special forces are leading the way in many nations, and now it is being rolled out into airlift, maritime patrol and VIP transport fleets.” Following a re-opened competition, Honeywell has recently been selected to provide the satcoms for the Kawasaki C-2 transport with its HSD-440 system. This is also used in the Royal Australian Air Force’s Viper satcoms for the C-130, for which Honeywell has devised a “roll-on, roll-off” solution. All RAAF C-130s have the necessary racks to accommodate the equipment, which uses a hatchmounted antenna, and can be rapidly fitted with one of six HSD-440 terminals, if required, for long-distance deployments. Local Activity
EYES TO THE SKIES A decade ago, the daily aerial display was just as enthralling as it is today. And by 2006, not only had digital cameras largely replaced film versions, but most high-end cellphones were sporting built-in, pixel-rich cameras of their own. And what better place to try out one of those miracle mini-devices than Asian Aerospace?
24 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
One driver of Honeywell’s growth in the Asia Pacific region is a focus on the localization of sustainment activities. While deep-level servicing and repair is still undertaken by the company as the OEM, Honeywell is
JAPAN MARITIME SELF-DEFENSE FORCE
by David Donald
promoting front-line and depotlevel work in-country, and is working with a number of channel partners in several nations. Local sustainment offers a number of attractive benefits: for Honeywell it increases business without the need for major investment, while for the customer nation it provides local employment and increases the nation’s base of technological capabilities. For the end-user a local sustainment activity means a faster turnaround for repaired or overhauled components, and at a lower cost. Having established an engine maintenance operation for the M1 Abrams tank in Australia– the first of its kind outside U.S. Foreign Military Sales arrangements–Honeywell is working with several local partners to offer similar capabilities in other fields. For instance, Honeywell and ST Aerospace are proposing a local sustainment model for Singapore’s F-15 fleet. Although the headline news is good for Honeywell Defense and Space, there has been one setback in the Asia Pacific region, where the commercial helicopters business (which falls under the Defense and Space umbrella) has been hit by the global slump in commodities prices, notably during the second half of 2015. Much of Honeywell’s business in this sector is connected with the onshore mining/offshore oil industry, and many of the company’s customers are contracted to include a Honeywell Avionics Plan, which provides sustainment for fleets on a perflying hour basis. The slump in prices has led to fewer hours being flown by operators, and therefore less revenue for Honeywell. Even here, though, there are signs of new business opportunities: faced with reduced funds for capital investment, operators are increasingly looking at upgrades to existing helicopters instead of making new acquisitions. o
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Rostvertol is now producing the new dual-control version of its Mi-28NE combat helicopter.
Rostvertol upgrading civil, military copters by Mark Phelps The Rostvertol division of Russian Helicopters (Stand J53) is here in Singapore promoting products from its military and civilian lines. On the military side, there’s the new dual-control version of its all-weather Mi-28NE Night Hunter combat rotorcraft. Developed from experience and combat applications involving the Mi-35 series (in service with more than 20 countries’ armed services), the Mi-28NE is touted for its enhanced maneuverability. It can perform advanced aerobatics, the better to evade missile attacks. The Mi-28NE, along with its stablemate Mi-35M were demonstrated for the first time at last August’s MAKS2015 show near Moscow. The Mi-28NE’s missions include destroying armored surface vehicles, as well as low-flying aerial targets such as groundattack aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, and other helicopters. Other missions include surveillance and target designation. The Mi-28NE’s weapons suite includes Ataka air-to-ground “smart” munitions; Igla heatseeking air-to-air missiles; and S-8 and S-13 unguided rockets. A 30mm gun mount is also available. The helicopter also includes armor protection for the cockpit and vital systems, capable of turning aside 12.7mm and 20mm armor-piercing ammunition. To further improve combat survivability, the Mi-28NE doubles redundancy of its vital systems, including adding engine controls to the second cockpit seat. It also includes the S28 on-board defense complex, which includes protection against: infrared selfhoming missiles; hostile electronic armament controls and active reconnaissance technology; laser irradiation, and the ability to identify the type, location and range of the source. Improvements on the latest Mi-35M model include an upgraded guided weapons suite: a swiveling nose-mounted NPPU-23 double-barrel 23mm canon; an ATGM missile system operating Shturm or Ataka missiles, B8V20 rocket pods for 80mm S-8 rockets; and up to two underslung UPK-23250 gun pods operating 23mm canon. The Mi-35M has an S35 on-board defense complex for defense against guided missiles
with self-homing sensor heads. Due to sanctions against Russia, the Mi-35M has been re-engined with Russian-built VK-2500-02 engines. For the same reason, other Russianbuilt elements are incorporated into the latest version of the combat helicopter. It operates a new pilot’s sight (identical to the one on the Mi-28NE) and other components formerly supplied by manufacturers in countries where Russian Helicopters is no longer permitted to do business. Civil Helicopters
Civil rotorcraft are also on the menu at Russian Helicopters’ Rostvertol corporate plans. The heavy-transport Mi-26T2 is the latest iteration of a legacy airframe platform. New features give the mammoth rotorcraft more utility, focused on all-weather and night operations. For a start, the crew requirement is reduced to three from five (excepting an eternal sling operator).
Modern avionics boost the mission capability of the Mi-26T. Five multifunction LCDs (with electromechanical backups) greatly enhance crew situational awareness. An onboard video system monitors sling operations. A digital autopilot reduces pilot workload, while collisionavoidance- and ground-proximity-warning systems improve safety and add utility. Missions that would have been too risky without these features can now be performed routinely.
The passenger/cargo area is heated and air-conditioned for creature comfort, but also to allow the helicopter to carry temperature-sensitive payloads. Those payloads are now easier to load and unload thanks to the Mi-26T2’s upgraded floor and traversing equipment. Crews can now safely and securely moor aviation cargo pallets for added safety during flight. The upgraded Mi-26T is now better suited to several of its
AeroVironment UAVs gain sea legs by Matt Thurber Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) manufacturer AeroVironment is focusing on maritime operations at its Singapore Airshow stand (R77) and has brought four systems to display to visitors. These include the Puma AE, Raven, Wasp AE and Shrike. A recent example of maritime UAS operations was a National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center of Excellence for Unmanned Technologies test mission. A team from the California State University Channel Islands was invited to see how the Puma AE works during a test mission on the research vessel R/V Shearwater, sailing from Santa Barbara Harbor in central California to the Santa Barbara Channel. The NOAA UAS operator flew the Puma AE for more than 10 missions, all hand-launched and followed by recovery after landing on the water. According to the university, UAS such as the Puma AE “can be used to survey and inventory marine mammals, vegetation, survey coastlines, monitor for poachers, document illegal fishing and much more.” The RQ-20A Puma AE (All
Environment) can be flown over land and water and is lightweight (six kg) and man-portable. It also “requires no auxiliary equipment for launch or recovery operations,” according to AeroVironment. Batteries can power the Puma AE for more than 3.5 hours, and it is equipped with a power adapter that allows integration of solar and fuel cell solutions that may be available in the future. Payloads can include a lightweight mechanical gimbaled system carrying an electro-optical and infrared camera and illuminator. Third-party payloads can be mounted under the wing on an optional transit bay.
The Puma AE has shown its worth in the maritime venue. Its electric motor is enviro-friendly.
26 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
Communications range from AeroVironment’s ground control station is up to 15 km, but the Puma AE can be programmed for autonomous navigation using GPS. The station is also compatible with the Raven, Wasp and Shrike, which reduces operator training time. According to AeroVironment, the Raven “is the most widely used unmanned aircraft system in the world today. It features a 4.5-foot wingspan and weighs 4.2 pounds. Line-of-sight range is 10 km. The optional stabilized gimbaled payload delivers realtime camera or infrared imagery to the ground station.
core missions. They include personnel transport; bulky cargo operations (including external sling missions); emergency evacuation and medical transport; building and construction (placing heavy materials and components, such as heating and air-conditioning components); firefighting; logging; and more. The Mi-26T2 can even carry its own supplemental fuel supply and refueling equipment to set up autonomous operations in remote locations. o The Wasp AE Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) is small enough to be carried by one person, can operate “virtually undetected” and can also be flown manually or autonomously. A deep-stall landing feature enables landings in confined areas on both land and water. Communications range is five km and endurance 50 minutes. It also carries a mechanically stabilized electro-optical and infrared payload. The Shrike is a vertical takeoff and landing MAV, according to AeroVironment, “designed for front-line day/night intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).” A single operator can direct the Shrike to operate in hover-and-stare or perch-andstare modes, “transmitting realtime persistent ISR to small unit commanders” via the ground control system. Shrike features modular payload bays that can carry a variety of payloads, depending on the mission. Recent contract wins include a $13 million order for the Puma AE from the U.S. Marine Corps; $18.5 million for Ravens under a U.S. Army foreign military sales award; 10 U.S. Army Raven/Puma AE orders worth $47.1 million; and $3.4 million worth of Ravens for a foreign military sales contract with Spain’s Ministry of Defense. o
Future combat aircraft might be called upon, not only to fight, but also to make cognitive judgments on when not to.
Northrop Grumman design goals target ‘autonomy with a conscience’ by Bill Carey Northrop Grumman (Stand CD01) offered reporters a glimpse of the future of military aircraft last month during a whirlwind tour of its manufacturing sites in California. Among the design drivers will be directed-energy lasers, “cyber resiliency” and valuesbased “cognitive automation,” the company believes. “We are working very hard on behalf of the nation to produce some really leading-edge capabilities,” said Tom Vice, president of Northrop Grumman aerospace systems. With innovations the company is developing in-house, the Pentagon “doesn’t need to go to Silicon Valley,” he declared. “We’re doing a lot of these things right here.” Due to the timing of the visit in mid-January, Northrop Grumman would not discuss in detail two major new platforms it is developing for the U.S. Air Force–the Long Range StrikeBomber (LRS-B) program that it was awarded in October, since held up over a protest by Boeing and Lockheed Martin; and the still-to-be-awarded T-X advanced jet trainer. The company announced last February that it plans to compete for the T-X program with a clean-sheet design. Its subsidiary, the famed aircraft design house Scaled Composites, is building the demonstrator at its base in the desert town of Mojave, California, where the company-hosted press trip stopped for a quick briefing, but was not shown the aircraft. “We’re trying to hold on to
the uniqueness of that design,” Vice explained later during a roundtable discussion at the company’s site in Palmdale, California, where it builds F-35 center fuselages, assembles RQ-4 Global Hawks and services the B-2 stealth bomber. But Northrop Grumman will likely fly the new aircraft in the first half of the year, he added. Scaled Composites also planned to roll out the twin-fuselage Stratolaunch rocket carrier, which promises to be enormous when it emerges from its hangar. Instead of discussing specific programs, Northrop Grumman touted its focus on basic research, hiring graduates from top research universities and exploring cutting-edge fields like nanophotonics, metamaterials and quantum computing as well as the natural science of biology. Its emphasis on system fundamentals begins with integrated circuits. In October 2014, the company’s advanced microelectronics foundry in Redondo Beach, California, was recognized for developing the world’s fastest integrated circuit amplifier–one that operates at one terahertz, or one trillion cycles per second–as part of a project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The foundry specializes in fabricating microelectronics using advanced semiconductor materials including indium phosphide and gallium arsenide. The terahertz chip could be applied in high-resolution imaging systems, high-capacity
communications systems, collision avoidance radar and spectrometers, according to DARPA. “[We’re] building the next generation of semiconductors in a trusted foundry where our nation knows where that actually started, how it was started, what the pedigree is,” Vice said. “These kinds of advanced microelectronics are what makes many of these advanced [aircraft] systems do what they do, because we start with the chip.” Sixth Gen Fighter
Some of the technologies the company is exploring will likely find their way onto
the LRS-B. That’s assuming Northrop Grumman keeps the Air Force contract for a future sixth-generation fighter, already the subject of “significant trade studies,” according to senior vice president for research, technology and advanced design Chris Hernandez. Though it is too early to say with certainty, the sixth-generation fighter entering service in the 2030s may have supersonic speed, but it will focus on excelling in range and endurance rather than speed and maneuverability, he said. Northrop Grumman also envisions the sixth generation fighter hosting a directedenergy laser. The company demonstrated a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser on the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Boeing 747-based Airborne Laser testbed, but chemical lasers must be large and correspondingly costly if they are to generate high power, Vice said. So Northrop Grumman is studying combinations of optical fiber lasers and techniques for beam forming and beam combining. “A big area” for the company is managing heat loss from lasers–the most efficient lasers are only around 35 percent efficient in terms of laser output, with the rest of the energy converted to heat. “How do we think about a high-powered laser weapons system sitting on a supersonic airplane? Everything wants to generate heat, and today’s answers to heat management are insufficient,” said Vice. “We’re spending an enormous amount of time thinking
about harnessing heat and reusing that heat in very innovative ways in the future.” With the amount of data that it will be expected to collect and integrate, or “fuse,” into actionable information and share with other military platforms, the sixth-generation fighter will have to be invulnerable to cyber attacks. Vice described this need for “cyber-resiliency” in biological terms. “The system of 2030 will have a digital version of a white-blood-cell system that is able to inoculate the inside of that system to prevent it from being attacked and harmed,” he said. This will be “absolutely a requirement for the next generation fighter.” A recurring topic during the press trip was “cognitive automation,” a capability that Northrop Grumman wants to imbue in its present and future unmanned aircraft platforms. Notably, the capability would be values-based; it would be “autonomy with a conscience,” in Hernandez’s words. Machines would learn and adapt and make judgments–and here, too, the research is inspired by biological processes. “We’re now bringing the ability for these systems to be cognitive, which requires an intense amount of new efforts around a number of new fields–processing power, neuromorphics, neurosynaptic chips,” Vice explained. “If you provide the ability for the system itself to have judgment, you must also provide the system with the ability to make that judgment within the context of American values, and that is really hard.” o
NEW ORBITER 1K LOITERING UAS MAKES DEBUT Aeronautics (Stand Q30) is exhibiting its growing The Orbiter 3 tactical UAS boasts an operational family of Orbiter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at the range of up to 100 km (62 miles) and up to seven hours Singapore Airshow. The Israeli company is showing the of endurance. It has a triple sensor electro-optical/ Orbiter 2 and Orbiter 3, alongside the new Orbiter 1K infrared payload with day and night channels, therloitering system, and is touting their operational flexibility based on their In 10 minutes, the Orbiter 2 can be assembled very small logistical footprint requireand ready to fly for up to four hours. ment and that they require just two or three personnel to operate. The latest Orbiter 1K model can detect and destroy a moving or stationary target after scanning an area. The system, which can be assembled in 20 minutes, also has recovery capability that allows it to return to its base camp and land using a parachute and airbag. After a catapult mal image and a laser pointer. The unit is electricallylaunch, the aircraft can fly for two to three hours, carry- powered for silent, covert operations. “We are pleased to participate and presing a multi-sensor camera with day and night channels. The Orbiter 2 UAS can fly up to four hours and ent our Orbiter family of UAS’s at the Singapore travel up to 80 km (50 miles). This catapult-launched Airshow,” commented Aeronautics CEO Amos system carries a multi-sensor camera with day and Mathan. “We recognize the importance of the night channels as well as a laser pointer. The gyro- Asian market and believe that our products are well fitted for this market.” –S.C. stabilized unit can be assembled in just 10 minutes.
28 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
India faces its drone issues, struggling to establish rules by Neelam Mathews based on the merit of the project, and skill of the operator could be considered while formulating the regulations, he added. Drones have been used in India for oilrig inspections, checking power lines, filming weddings and other applications. o
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The Indian government is considering comprehensive Civil Aviation Requirements to regulate small, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or “drones”), following recent incidents of their flying close to airports and the Indian parliament. Guidelines could include registration, tracking, implementation, and penalties for offenders. Drones are “being discussed internally and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has to work on this [further],” said R.N. Choubey, India’s civil aviation secretary, speaking to AIN. He acknowledged that the ministry was facing “technical challenges like tracking…how does one track recreational drones? Tracking costs money and increases the weight of a drone. It needs to be monitored, and tracking devices will have to be put across the country,” he added.
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Questions of Jurisdiction
Administrative issues are getting in the way, too, regarding which authority gives permission for drones to fly. “We are of the view that it should be the responsibility of the local police station to give permission,” said Choubey. However, this has raised issues of jurisdiction and airspace. “Even the U.S. is struggling with similar issues. While we are looking at international best practice, DGCA and MOCA are working [with] the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is responsible for homeland security, to allow civilian use of drones without a security component. We are struggling,” admitted Choubey. However, he said clearly: “This is a transition phase. If somebody does something dangerous, we have our standard operating procedures.” Presently, private civilian use is not permitted until technical solutions are found. “We have restricted use of civilian drones to government purposes only,” said Choubey. With no regulations, issues remain undefined and unaddressed. “The problem with an unregulated market is there will be irresponsible usage and a potential threat to public safety, as we have seen of late. We are looking forward to the government coming up with the regulations,” said Shinil Shekhar, co-founder of Mumbai-based Airpix, a specialist in aerial surveys and inspections using both multi-rotor and fixed-wing drones. In agreement with FAA’s guidelines that require over drones weighing more than around 250g (half a pound) to be registered, Shekhar said: “Weight restriction indirectly keeps a check on the kind of payloads you can carry and the range of the equipment. “Issues will remain with any regulation. So, the best way is to formulate a set of regulations, implement them and then keep making appropriate changes.” Registration of equipment, permissions
Like many other nations, India is struggling to administer the use of unmanned drones, of all sizes and missions.
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www.ainonline.com • February 16, 2016 • Singapore Airshow News 29
PHOTO: CHRIS POCOCK
The Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency operates three AS365 Dauphin rotorcraft in the role of air-sea rescue.
Surveillance exhibition favors low-cost options by Dzirhan Mahadzir With many countries facing fiscal crunches, aerial surveillance solutions that meet budgetary constraints or leverage more out of existing assets are being increasingly offered by smaller companies. Meanwhile, bigger companies are offering scalable solutions and various financing options. The IQPC-organized Maritime Domain Awareness and Coastal Surveillance Conference and Exhibition held in December in Kuala Lumpur, saw participation from large OEMs such as Saab, Thales, Airbus and Hawker Pacific along with smaller companies such as Airborne Technologies, Aerodata, Dexata and Tecnam. Geoff Van Hees, director of marketing and sales, Saab Asia Pacific, said the company’s offer of scalable aerial surveillance platforms took into account the fiscal constraints faced by countries globally. He promised customers could have their platforms scaled according to their current fiscal situation and then build upon them with later additions as further funding became available. He added that Saab offered a comprehensive package, with a strong relationship with Swedish banks and finance companies that could offer a wide scale of payment options. He also pointed to Saab’s expertise in integration work including both existing in-service platforms and the building of integrated command-and-control networks. Van Hees cited in particular Saab’s recent work in Thailand, where the Royal Thai Navy flagship H.T.M.S. Chakri Naruebet and
Naresuan class frigates H.T.M.S. Naresuan and H.T.M.S. Taksin are datalinked to the Royal Thai Air Force’s Gripen fighters and Saab 340 AEW aircraft. With components and systems becoming lighter and smaller, removable pod-mounted systems have become viable for existing aircraft. Aerodata’s Octopod and Airborne Technologies’s Self Contained Aerial Reconaissance (SCAR) pod were two such systems presented at the exhibition. The Octopod is a 400-kg (880-lb) belly mounted configurable pod that can be carried on a number of aircraft, including the Beechcraft King Air 200, 250 and 350 series; Bombardier Dash 8 Q200, Q300 and Q400
Airborne Technologies’ SCAR pod can be installed on an aircraft in 15 minutes.
series; Bombardier Challenger 605; Saab 340; de Havilland Twin Otter; and Embraer ERJ140 and ERJ145. This makes it a cost effective surveillance solution for countries which already have such aircraft in service already. Dr. Helmut Winter, mission systems and avionics project manager for Aerodata, said the pod could also be mounted on other aircraft types subject to the ground clearance of the belly. He added that by using a pod, only minor
modification was required on the aircraft, saving time compared to the extensive reconfiguration work required when installing integral surveillance systems on the aircraft fuselage. On the side of the scale is Airborne Technologies’ SCAR pod, which is designed to fit onto aircraft hard points and carrying up to 160 kg (just over 350 lb) of payload. George DeCock, Airborne Technologies’s SCAR pod and sensors head, said that the advantages of the pod include its cost effectiveness. Its ability to be easily removable and installed within 15 minutes meant that a customer did not have to buy pods for every aircraft. Instead it is possible to tailor the number according to mission requirements and aircraft availability rate. In contrast to purposedesigned aircraft, the SCAR pod can be transferred to another aircraft if the one assigned to the mission becomes unavailable due to a maintenance issue. The ability to mount the SCAR pod on light aircraft, such as the Pilatus PC-9 turboprop single and helicopters such as the Aerospatiale Gazelle, makes it an attractive ISR option for countries with limited budgets but who need an aerial ISR capability. Flight Tracking Solutions
The MH370 incident in 2014 illustrated the need not only for better flight tracking awareness but also the ability to analyze tracking data in real time. Dexata of Australia displayed its Horus ISR Deep Analytics tool, which is designed to meet this need. Dexata’s director of sales engineering Boris Novak said the Horus system is designed to filter through real-time surveillance systems’ tracking data, allowing known movement track patterns, such as scheduled civilian flights, to be filtered out to allow abnormal movement tracks–such as unidentified aircraft or flights deviating from their normal movement patterns– to be more visible. The system also provides 3-D visualization of the terrain and movement above it, providing a better picture of the search area, allowing those in the control centers to be aware of terrain obstacles that may hinder line of sight for units directed to the area. It also includes playback capability and can record user actions in regards to classification of tracks and action taken, thus allowing any post-mortem to know
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exactly the chain of events. This is in contrast to manually written logs, which are susceptible to having no entries made or, in the worst cases, falsified. The Horus system is continuously evolving, constantly updating its pattern library as time goes on. AIN spoke with the head of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA),
Admiral Ahmad Puzi Abdul Kahar, at the exhibition. The wing currently comprises two Bombardier 415s, three Finmeccanica (AgustaWestland) AW139s and three Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphins. Admiral Puzi said he was hoping to get funding from the MMEA for an additional Bombardier 415 and six medium-lift helicopters. o
SAAB PUSHES MARITIME DATA FUSION Best known for its airborne platforms, Saab’s experience in the maritime domain is sometimes overlooked. But it has delivered more than 20,000 transponders and 2,000 base stations for the Automatic Identification System (AIS) that monitors and tracks the movement of vessels. And it has developed a suite of applications that merges data from multiple sensors and presents it to maritime surveillance operators in meaningful ways. In a presentation to IQPC’s 2014 MDA conference, here in Singapore, Saab regional sales manager Mattias Wagman noted that the coastal surveillance systems of many countries were incomplete, and featured little integration of sensors such as AIS, radar and video. Some of this was due to conflicts of interest between civilian and defense stakeholders, he added. And yet maritime threats are escalating, from unauthorized immigration to illegal fishing, and from piracy to pollution. But, according to Wagman, the creation of a common Recognized Maritime Picture (RMP) is within reach of most nations. In another presentation, to the IQPC ISR conference in London last March, Saab engineer Torkil Nilsson described how the company has created track data fusion engines that apply Bayesian inference principles to present the most reliable ID information to operators. Normal shipping routes are loaded into a ‘Situation Detector’ that learns over time to display alerts when vessels deviate from their usual trajectories. Another Saab official told AIN that Thailand was “very happy with the maritime data fusion that we provided. Not many nations have that.” Saab sold Thailand a package comprising not only Gripen fighters and its 340 AEW aircraft, but also tactical data links and C4I systems. It continues to market the Saab 340 and 2000 airframes as maritime surveillance aircraft, the latter named the Swordfish. – C.P.
AIRBUS DS DEVELOPS NETWORK SURVEILLANCE Airbus Defence and Space has also developed network integration for maritime surveillance. The company was selected to securely link aircraft, ships and the National Coordination Centres (NCCs) of Italy, Portugal and Spain, that were all equipped with different communication systems. Project Closeye has created “a system of systems,” program manager Manuel Barriopedro told the Airbus DS in-house magazine On Air. “When the end users saw how it worked, they said they had been looking for a solution like this for years. The new communications system works so well that we proposed to expand it to include different assets from several countries, and extend it to integrate unmanned aerial systems (UAS).” A typical operation illustrated by the magazine shows a CN235 maritime patrol aircraft operated by Spain’s Guardia Civil detecting a boat of illegal immigrants in distress. Using new radar imaging modes, the air crew classifies the target and sends the information to an NCC by available communications such as Inmarsat, Ku- or X-band satellites. At the NCC, an operator creates a mark in the Common Tactical Situation Picture (CTSP). Immediately, two patrolling ships from the Guardia Civil and the Icelandic Coast Guard (on deployment to the Western Mediterranean in this case) can see the target on their CTSP terminals. As the CN235 moves closer to the target, it streams EO/IR frames and video to the network, which additionally allows all the participants to ‘chat’ in real time. The NCC operator coordinates the interception of the boat. – C.P.
When it comes to small-scale UAVs, the big OEMs are best: LockMart by Chris Pocock Lockheed Martin (LM) is not widely known as a major player in the UAV market. But the company has quietly built a portfolio that extends from the smallest hand-launched examples in Group 1, to the largest runwaydependent machines in Group 5. According to Jay McConville, LM’s director of business development for unmanned solutions, that’s unique. A few of them he can’t talk about, like the stealthy RQ-170 jet deployed to Afghanistan and flown over Iran. A few more he can acknowledge, but can’t discuss customers, like the Fury. This Group 3 machine with a pusher propeller and a heavy fuel engine also looks stealthy. It can fly for 15 hours at up to 15,000 feet, and appears to be LM’s answer to the Boeing/ Insitu Scan Eagle. McConville prefers to talk about exportable systems like
the Desert Hawk, the K-Max, the Indago and the Vector Hawk. The first of these is a hand-launched system with a small video camera that found its first long-term customer–the British Army–in 2009. It has now logged more than 30,000 hours, most of them in combat operations, and is onto its third version. The K-Max is an unmanned version of the intermeshing-rotor Kaman helicopter of the same name, that was trialled in Afghanistan for three years as a cargo lifter. The Indago is a small quadrotor vertical takeoff UAS that was recently demonstrated in Dubai. The Vector Hawk is a miniature UAS with a common centerbody but changeable wings, that can be configured as a fixed wing, a tiltrotor, or a fully VTOL device. Lockheed Martin is developing a tactical maritime version of the Vector Hawk that can be launched from canisters.
Like other LM UAVs, it is capable of autonomous flight and landing, “which shifts the operational focus from flying the aircraft to conducting the mission,” the company says. Then there is Stalker, another small, hand-launchable UAS that was designed at LM’s experimental Skunk Works and is in use by U.S. and other special forces to stream video. It was first fielded with a hybrid propane/battery propulsion system, and offered the ability to drop a small payload. Now, an extended-range (XE) version is available, powered by a more advanced solid oxide fuel cell. It has flown for as long as 12 hours and may soon achieve 16 hours. A mediumwave infrared (MWIR) payload has been integrated and demonstrated–no mean feat with such a small UAS, according to Kevin Lewelling, who manages the Stalker program.
Lockheed Martin’s exportable hand-launched Desert Hawk is now onto its third generation, and has logged 30,000 hours in service with the British Army.
According to McConville, the market is demanding longer endurance, a wider variety of payloads, the ability to rapidly reconfigure, and (of course) reliability and maintainability. He claims that a “quality” company such as LM is best equipped to deliver all these. “Our ultimate goal is to provide a lot more capability for a lot less cost,” added Lewelling. One means of achieving that is a common architecture for ground control. Last year, LM unveiled its Imperium common control suite of hardware and software for unmanned aircraft operations. The Desert Hawk,
the Fury and the K-Max can all be controlled by this suite. LM has also designed a UAS Traffic Management System (UTM) that utilizes the LM Flight Service to report the positions of UAVs to air traffic control. The collaborative use of different weight-class UAVs is also on McConville’s agenda. Last November, LM demonstrated a Stalker and a K-Max working together as fire-fighters, the former identifying hotspots and the latter dropping suppressants. This was done in national airspace, with reporting via the UTM. o
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Asian Airlines
Having built its baseline reputation as a full-service operator, Singapore Airlines has recently branched out to address other market segments, in part by adding low-cost carriers to the SIA Group.
SIA Group broadens its portfolio, addressing rivalry from Gulf region by Peter Shaw-Smith Singapore Airlines (SIA) is continuing to add subsidiaries, joint ventures and partnerships to its portfolio to meet the challenge of stiffening international competition on routes to Australasia and Southeast Asia from both local and Arabian Gulf-based carriers. The transition has taken SIA from being focused solely on the full-service market in recent years into the low-cost segment. The group now operates 186 aircraft and as of July flew to 280 destinations in 70 countries, almost twice the size of Emirates’ network. “We are making significant investments in a wide range of strategic initiatives to address these challenges and better position the SIA Group for the future,” CEO Goh Choon Phong said earlier this year in the company’s latest Sustainability Report. “Many of these new initiatives have been implemented over the past year.” SIA is frank about the challenges faced, which not only include the Gulf threat, but also other global trunk-route players, the low-cost battle, which is as acute in Southeast Asia as anywhere, and the Singapore market’s maturity, which has slowed growth. It is investing heavily, and establishing hubs away from its base. Tigerair has seen strong load factors of greater than 80 percent in all but one of the past five years, but has suffered operating losses in three out of the
past four financial years. On November 6, SIA announced the latest step in its strategy, the intention to take full control of the low-cost carrier, in which it already has a 55.8 percent stake, to stem losses. This would add to existing wholly owned subsidiaries Singapore Airlines Cargo, the full-service SilkAir, low-cost Scoot and SIA Engineering. “These are the main operating companies in the group. We have many other investments, but these are the core areas we are operating in. Most of the contribution from the group still comes from SIA and SilkAir in terms of the percentage of passenger revenue,” Nicholas Ionides, divisional v-p, public affairs for Singapore Airlines told AIN during an interview here in Singapore late last year. “But the others are growing, and the reason we have investments in them is because they are emerging segments of the travel market and we feel we should have a role in it to complement the rest of what we have.” SIA also has a 49 percent stake in Indian airline Vistara, which launched services in January 2015. It seeks to tap into India’s domestic market, as well as west-bound traffic flows when international flights become available. “It is a joint venture between us and Tata, the biggest conglomerate in India. It has eight aircraft now,” he said. “Because India has a law that
says that Indian airlines must operate for five years and have at least 20 aircraft before they can fly internationally, we are appealing to the Indian government to remove those restrictions, because we think that it holds back development of the Indian market.” Diverse Subsidiaries
As a long-haul low-cost operating widebodies, Scoot is almost unique. It started three years ago with Boeing 777s, but is transitioning to a Boeing 787 fleet. It seeks to tap into China and Australia. SilkAir is a regional airline that provides feeders into the SIA network. Singapore-based Tigerair is an LCC in the more traditional context, with a single narrowbody aircraft type, the Airbus A320. SIA’s investment in Thailand is through low-cost NokScoot, which is 49 percent owned by Scoot and 51 percent by Thai interests. SIA’s partnership with Virgin Australia, a 22.8 percent stake, began in 2011. The partnership is designed to ensure the group remains a strong Kangaroo route competitor. “On our own we fly to seven points in Australia. With Virgin Australia, we can fly to another 40 through codesharing. Passengers are connecting as well to the hubs that we serve in Australia, and then through the Singapore hub.” He said that in addition to Virgin Australia, Air New
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Zealand customers were flying on SIA to the Singapore hub and travelling on to many other parts of the world. “We have five flights a day from Sydney to Singapore. We have four flights a day from Singapore to London. The combinations can be very strong. Minimum connection time is less than an hour,” he said. “It’s very important that we remain efficient in Singapore, that the connections are very good, in order to give people a choice. When we are expanding our network, it’s not solely about new routes, although routes are important as a part of hub development. But it’s also about increasing frequency and ensuring that timings are very good.” He said the group’s strategic initiatives were focused on addressing competition of various forms. “The reality is that we’ve had competition on every route that we’ve operated on since day one. Competition is not new. The Middle East carriers are certainly strong competitors, but they are not the only competitors we are looking at,” he said. “If you look at the AustraliaEurope market, we’ve been a major player in that for all time. We remain a very strong competitor. You also have airlines in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur and other parts of Asia which are also tapping into the Kangaroo route traffic.” SIA has nine flights a day from Jakarta to Singapore, the most in its network in terms of single-destination frequency. Not all of those flights are sustained solely by point-to-point traffic: many people only fly the first leg because of the availability of a second. The group also
flies to 13 points in India and 24 points in China. “We have partnerships with Air New Zealand, Scandinavian, and we announced a joint-venture agreement with Lufthansa [in early November], to share revenue on flights between Singapore and points in Europe. Partnerships are very important for us. You don’t need equity necessarily in order to have a partnership.” The SIA Group’s order book is almost as large as its existing fleet. “Our policy of maintaining a young and modern fleet means we are very often in the market for new aircraft. As a group, we have something like 160 aircraft on firm order right now. That includes SIA, SilkAir and Scoot. The subsidiaries are growing quite effectively,” he said. Ionides put total Singapore Airlines fleet size at 107, with an average age of seven years, three months. “The figure is generally around 105. It’s not a static number.” As of November 30, Singapore CAA data showed that SIA had 19 A380s, 59 Boeing 777s (27 of them -300 ER variants), as well as 31 Airbus A330s. SilkAir’s transition from the A320-type (15 aircraft) continues, with fourteen 737-800s now in the fleet. In addition to two 777-200s, Scoot operates three 787-8s and six 787-9s. SIA’s cargo arm runs eleven 747-400Fs. SIA hopes to take delivery of its first A350 in February. It has 67 A350-900s on order (and it had seven A350-900 ULRs on order but these have since been cancelled). It also has a further batch of A380s expected in 2017. “[SIA] had an order for twenty 787s, split 10-10. We transferred that order to Scoot. They have been ramping up their 787 fleet. SilkAir has orders for 50-plus 737s. They are transitioning from an A320 to a 737 fleet and are about halfway through that process. “We have a portfolio strategy which gives us an interest in both the full-service and budget elements of the market. We have short-haul and medium long-haul. Tiger and Scoot provide [synergies] to each other at the budget end, and SIA and Silk Air [allow] feed-through to each other at the premium end,” he said. “It works for us because we are differentiated: very premium at one end and budgeted at the other. We limit cannibalization. It’s not something that works for everybody, but it works for us.” o
Malaysia Airlines facing trio of market challenges by William Dennis Rising domestic and regional competition, depreciation of the ringgit and a battered image could hinder Malaysia Airlines Berhad’s (MAB) aim of turning itself around in 2017 after an already difficult couple of years. Having cut capacity by 30 percent including axing routes to Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Brisbane, and having reduced its workforce from 20,095 to 14,000, its focus has been cut to little more than that of a regional carrier. London remains the airline’s only European destination. The pair of infamous air disasters within five months in 2014 put a heavy strain on the carrier financially and its image took a severe beating, with passenger loads dropping to an alltime low. It is almost two years since MH370, a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared from radar screens; and one year, seven months since MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Ukraine. MAB chief executive officer Christoph Muller acknowledges that passenger loads are still low. With traffic to Europe from the region down at present, MAB believes that dropping Paris and Amsterdam will be a significant contribution to its turnaround plans. The regional market is crowded with full-service and low-cost carriers (LCCs) engaged in fierce competition for a slice of a shrinking pie. So MAB is left with no choice but to drop its fares to compete in a tough market where LCCs have a whopping 60 percent share. Competing with LCCs in the domestic and regional markets just to fill the seats could prove costly for MAB, as history has shown. Farther afield, the airline surprised the industry when it announced a codeshare agreement with Emirates in December, coming into effect earlier this month [February]. Whether the Malaysian flag carrier will benefit from this partnership remains to be seen, as it is not in the same league as the UAE-based mega-airline. MAB has to upgrade its product, which has been declining over the past six years, if it wants to retain any hope of seeing improving returns. Opting to
codeshare with Emirates instead of Qatar Airways was surprising, as the Qatari carrier is also part of the Oneworld alliance, and has an extensive European network. The drastic cut in capacity saw the phasing out of the airline’s remaining four Boeing 777200ERs at the end of January,
the last of a 777 fleet that was once 17 strong. The 737-800 fleet will be reduced from 56 to 35 aircraft, when the 21 that are on operating lease are returned to lessors by the end of 2016. MAB expects to have an average daily utilization of 15 hours, one more than the current 14 for the 737-800, thus reducing the unit cost per aircraft. To save money on hotel accommodation costs for crew overnight stops, the airline has set up seven domestic bases–Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Labuan, Miri, Penang, Kota Baru and
Founded in 2007, MASwings is a division of Malaysia Airlines operating 20 ATR twin turboprops.
In a cost-cutting move last year, Malaysia Airlines placed all six of its A380s up for sale.
Once consisting of 17 aircraft, MAB’s Boeing 777ER fleet is now completely phased out of service.
Johor Baru. Flights from these bases will be operated by dedicated cockpit and cabin crew. The cut in frequencies on almost all routes has paved the way for Malindo Air and AirAsia to capitalize on the situation to add more services. Rising competition will only make it more difficult for MAB to regain lost ground. Meanwhile the reduction in its fleet size has left the airline with another problem–a surplus of pilots. While some have secured jobs with Asiana Airlines, Korean Airlines, Saudi
Arabian Airlines, Emirates and Hong Kong Airlines, many are still wondering what the future holds for them. An estimated 40 percent of its 250-plus 777200ER pilots have asked to take part in a voluntary Mutual Separation Scheme on an individual basis. Compensation will be paid to those who opt for this. Restructuring Woes
Those who decide to stay will have to wait for opportunities on other aircraft types with the carrier. This is the first time in the history of the airline that pilots have been affected under a restructuring exercise, which is the fifth since 2000. MAB started operations in October 1972 as Malaysian Airlines System (MAS). The carrier’s huge number of suppliers has been literally decimated, from 20,000 to 2,000 One even had a contract awarded for 25 years; but all contracts were renegotiated. Those suppliers that were retained had to reduce costs. Still in restructuring mode, MAB’s image took another knock on January 5 when it posted on its website that passengers traveling to London, Paris and Amsterdam would be restricted to cabin luggage of 7 kilograms for economy passengers and 14 kilograms for business class, “in the interest of safety.” Blamed on strong headwinds facing European-bound aircraft, the decision left passengers furious. Several hours later this decision was reversed for Londonbound flights, while the situation returned to normal for Paris and Amsterdam 24 hours later. With MAB finding it tough to regain market confidence, moves such as this will only make it more difficult for the carrier to recover. The airline claimed that its flights to Paris and Amsterdam were taking longer, 14 hours against the usual 11.5, as it was necessary to avoid Iranian and Egyptian airspace. In reversing the decision, the airline said it had reconsidered the risk assessment and would fly over Iran after all. The carrier has amassed $1.21 billion in losses since 2011, when it was taken private by the government investment arm, Khazanah Nasional Berhad (KNB), in a US$373 million buyout. In 2015 KNB committed an investment of US$1.5 billion (then) for the restructuring. The amount is expected to escalate with the payouts to B777 pilots who opt for the voluntary separation deal. o
www.ainonline.com • February 16, 2016 • Singapore Airshow News 35
Focus on:
Asian Airlines Jetstar Japan’s ambitious growth has led to some challenges.
Low-cost carrier business plan beginning to catch on in Japan by Jennifer Meszaros In comparison to the wider Asian region, airline liberalization, both domestically and internationally, has come relatively slowly to Japan, especially in adopting the low-cost carrier (LCC) model. It wasn’t until 2012 that the government truly began breaking down barriers, paving the way for greater market freedom. Since then, four new LCCs have cropped up in the hotly contested Japanese airline sector. A fifth, AirAsia Japan, is slated to re-commence operations in March or April from Nagoya Chubu International Airport. AirAsia Japan is the second attempt for the AirAsia Group to gain a foothold in the Japanese market. In 2013, a first joint venture (JV) with All Nippon Airways collapsed due to management differences. AirAsia sold its stakes to ANA Holdings– parent of All Nippon Airways–which used the remains of the partnership to launch its own LCC: Vanilla Air. AirAsia Japan’s current owners include the AirAsia Group, which holds a 49 percent stake with four local investors holding the balance. The airline has an initial capital investment of about $69 million and will start with a fleet of two Airbus A320-200s. By year-end, AirAsia Japan plans to operate a fleet of six A320s, adding five aircraft each additional year through 2018 when it expects to operate a total of 16 twinjets. AirAsia Japan’s initial destinations include Sapporo and Fukuoka in Japan and Seoul in Korea, with plans to add Sendai and Taipei later. By 2018, the airline hopes to move into Nagoya’s purpose-built low-cost carrier terminal
(LCCT), which is slated to be open in twoto- three years. The LCCT will cost up to $165 million and is expected to accommodate 3-to-5 million passengers per year. Initially, AirAsia Japan will be the only locally based budget carrier at Nagoya, although Jetstar Japan operates a mini hub there. Rather, Tokyo’s Narita International Airport has become a major base for Japan’s four LCCs–Spring Airlines Japan, Jetstar Japan, Vanilla Air and Peach Aviation. Last April, Narita became the third Japanese airport to open an LCCT, after Osaka Kansai and Okinawa Naha. Of the four Japanese LCCs at Narita, Peach is the only airline that has opted against moving to the new terminal.
effectively becoming the first Japanese LCC to enter the Chinese market. Meanwhile, Japan’s Vanilla Air is one of 10 airlines actively being courted by the Filipino government in a bid to attract more visitors to the island nation. ANA Holdings CEO Shinya Katanozak has hinted at the possibility of Vanilla adding more destinations in 2016, but as yet there has not been any definite announcement. Overall, Vanilla has been rather conservative when it comes to expansion. The LCC has two international m arkets– Hong Kong and Taipei, Taiwan–and operates service on four domestic routes. Over the next two years, Vanilla plans to double its fleet, from its existing eight A320s to more than 16 of the single-aisle airliners, while also looking at the possibility of acquiring widebody aircraft for future long-haul destinations. In contrast, Jetstar Japan has expanded aggressively since launching in 2012. While it has the largest domestic network among its peers, such tactics have come at a cost. Last August, the loss-making carrier received a cash injection of $57.8
million from major shareholders JAL and Australia’s Qantas Airways group. Qantas expects Jetstar Japan to be profitable in the 2016-17 financial year. Out of the four LCCs, Peach is the only one known to be profitable and the largest Japanese LCC with international seat capacity. According to OAG, Peach also surpasses both ANA and JAL in seat capacity from its main international hub at Kansai. Peach has a second base at Okinawa, a third at Narita and it is vying to make Sendai Airport its fourth hub by 2017. Over the last year, Peach has concentrated on expanding its international market by launching new routes and adding more flights. This trend is set to continue this year with new service from Haneda to Seoul beginning February 6. The growing LCC will also expand service between Okinawa to Seoul, and Naha to Taipei. Peach operates a fleet of 17 aircraft in the Airbus A320 family and the carrier plans to have a fleet of 20 A320s by April 2017. o
Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines launched in 1988.
Independent Financing
Unlike other Japanese LCCs, both AirAsia Japan and Spring Airlines Japan defy the status quo by not being affiliated with ANA or Japan Airlines (JAL). Spring Japan is also uniquely positioned as being the first Japanese subsidiary for a Chinese carrier. The LCC is 33 percent owned by Shanghai-based Spring Airlines, with the remainder held by various Japanese investors. Since its launch in 2014, Spring Airlines Japan has been restricted to flying domestically with an under-utilized fleet, leading to an accumulation of losses. Spring is hoping to turn this around after recently securing approval to fly internationally. Starting this month (February), the airline will launch flights from Narita to the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Chongqing,
AirAsia Japan is an up-and-coming low-cost carrier flying Airbus A320s.
36 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
China’s air transport industry benefits from trade strategies by Jennifer Meszaros Compared to the U.S., China could be seen like a late bloomer when it comes to the development of its aviation industry. For the last several years, the country has been playing catch-up, especially since committing to a series of reforms in 2013 to bring greater liberalization to the sector. It was during this time that President Xi Jinping unveiled the “One Belt and One Road” initiative–an ambitious plan to unlock massive trade potential and extend China’s influence with central, west and south Asia as well as Africa and Europe through a series of projects ranging from oil and gas pipelines to roads, air routes and railways. Since then, new airlines have cropped up, visa requirements have been relaxed, infrastructure has expanded and countries across the world have rolled out the red carpet for Chinese officials, welcoming hefty investments and new bilateral air service agreements. These efforts are now coming with a
tremendous pay-off. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the industry turned in a recordhigh profit of $8.5 billion in the first 11 months of 2015, representing an increase of 76.2 percent from the same period a year before. In terms of passenger growth, the CAAC announced that traffic had grown by an average of 10.4 percent annually for the past five years, with the industry’s accumulated total profit for the five years reaching $27.3 billion. According to the CAAC, this is more than triple the amount than in the previous five-year period. Meanwhile, China’s commercial fleet has more than doubled from 1,047 airplanes to 2,645 in the past five years, while the number of airlines has increased from 45 to 54. Looking ahead to 2016, the CAAC is targeting a 10.7 percent growth in passengers to 485 million. To help achieve this, several start-ups formed in 2015 are expected to start flying this year including Colorful
Guizhou Airlines and Yunnan Hongtu Air. In late December, Colorful Guizhou took delivery of two E190 aircraft from Brazilian jet maker Embraer as part of a larger order inked at the Paris Air Show last June. The deal includes seven firm orders and 10 options for the E190 in a transaction valued at $834 million. The airline’s long-term fleet plans call for 30 aircraft by 2020 and 120 to 140 in the ensuing years. Chinese start-up Hongtu Air also took delivery of its first aircraft in December, an Airbus A321. The airline has three A320s on order and will compete against five other carriers from its base at Kunming Changshui International Airport. Overall, the end of 2015 marked an auspicious time for jet makers. On Air China, based in Beijing, is the national flag carrier airline.
December 17, China Southern Airlines, Asia’s largest carrier by passenger volume, signed a $10 billion deal with Boeing to buy 110 aircraft, including thirty 737 Next Generation jets and 50 upgraded 737 Max aircraft. Its subsidiary Xiamen Airlines will receive 30 Max models that were previously logged as unidentified orders. According to a statement filed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, the airline will take delivery of the current model 737s between 2017 and 2018, and the Max jets from 2017 to 2021. Xiamen will take delivery of its aircraft between 2018 and 2021. Less than a week later, China Southern signed another deal, this time with Airbus for 10 A330-300s, valued at $2.3 billion at list prices. According to a company
China Southern subsidiary Xiamen Airlines is the previously unidentified order holder for Boeing’s 737 Max.
statement, the widebodies are set to be delivered between 2017 and 2019. December also saw China’s largest lowcost carrier, Spring Airlines, announce plans to buy 60 aircraft from Airbus worth $6.3 billion at list prices. The order includes 45 A320s and 15 A321s, which will be delivered from 2019 to 2030. Beyond fleet expansions, China’s airlines are looking to add at least 200 international routes this year, with the intention of strengthening air links among countries that fall under the Belt and Road initiative. In line with this strategy is China’s Thirteenth Five-Year Plan–a series of economic, political and social development goals for 2016-2020. While details of the plan won’t be released until March, industry officials have already drawn up a blueprint to accelerate aviation infrastructure development
and new medium- and long-haul routes linking core Chinese cities such as Urumqi, Kunming and Guangzhou for the purpose of connecting to the Middle East along with central, east and west Asia. By 2020, China aims to have 260 airports and more than 20 aviation hubs that will serve 91 percent of the national population who fall within a radius of 62 miles of each airport. Other issues on China’s agenda for 2016 include tackling flight delays, enhancing safety and security measures, addressing environmental concerns and building an open and transparent market for full-service and low-cost carriers. Industry officials are also vying to obtain an airworthiness certificate for China’s first large passenger aircraft, the C919, which made its worldwide debut last November. o
www.ainonline.com • February 16, 2016 • Singapore Airshow News 37
Focus on:
Asian Airlines
Myanmar boom wanes as overcapacity bites
Myanmar carrier Air Bagan, above, has a scant two international ATR flights per week to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Somewhat more successful, Myanmar Airways International, below, ambitiously added services to Taipei and Kunming, China for its ATR turboprop twins, totalling six destinations outside its home country.
GYROSTAT (WIKIMEDIA, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
second carrier to enter Myanmar– launched an inaugural flight from Dhaka to Yangon in early December. Thai Airways formally transferred its Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-to-Mandalay route to its subsidiary Thai Smile. The low-budget carrier launched its inaugural flight from Bangkok to Mandalay in October and launched a second inaugural flight, to Yangon, in December. This month [February 2016], low-cost carrier Hong Kong Express has plans to launch flights to both Yangon and Mandalay, too. With so many foreign airlines in the mix, Burmese carriers have seen their market share drop. The latest available data reveals that Myanmar-based carriers accounted for only 13 percent of the international market in 2014, compared to 15 percent in 2013 and 19 percent in 2012. In May 2015, Golden Myanmar actually suspended its A320 services on two highly competitive routes, Yangon-Bangkok and Yangon-Singapore. Air Bagan only operates one international route, Yangon to Chiang Mai with two weekly ATR 72 flights, while Myanmar Airways International (MIA) ambitiously
added two new routes in 2015, Taipei and Kunming, for a total of six international routes. State Gain
Where Golden Myanmar failed, state-carrier Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) hopes to gain. In June 2015, MNA took delivery of the first of ten 737-800s as part of an extensive rebranding effort. The $960 million deal was the largest commercial sale by a U.S. company to Myanmar in decades and the largest single aircraft order in the country’s history. In August, MNA made good on its promise and launched services from Yangon to Singapore, effectively ending its 22-year hiatus from international skies. On December 4, MNA added a second route, Yangon-Hong Kong, Myanmar’s domestic market is saturated with 10 carriers, making it tough for Mann Yadanarpon, left. Internationally, Myanmar National hopes to succeed where Golden Myanmar, below, failed.
ALEC WILSON
KOK CHWEE SIM
When Myanmar opened to the world back in 2012, the country experienced a rapid expansion in air travel. Thirteen foreign airlines carried roughly 2 million international passengers. By 2014, the international market had jumped to 3.2 million passengers traveling with nine foreign airline groups, bringing the total number of international carriers to 22. But now the initial boom seems to be tapering off. In the first half of 2015, the country’s three international airports–Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw–handled about 1.7 million international passengers, representing an increase of just 10 percent from the same period in 2014. In October 2015, the latest month with preliminary data, the growth was only 4 percent and Myanmar’s three airports handled 300,365 international passengers. While very few carriers increased capacity in 2015, two new foreign airlines entered the fray, bringing the total number of international carriers to 24. In October, Vietjet began operating non-stop services between Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon with a frequency of five return flights per week; while Novoair–Bangladesh’s
CALFLIER001
by Jennifer Meszaros
38 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
and it plans to include Chiang Mai by the end of 2015. Several new destinations are planned for 2016, including Taipei in January along with multiple airports in mainland China. Despite MNA’s optimism, Burmese carriers are relatively unknown outside the domestic market, making international expansion tricky. Moreover, routes such as Yangon-Singapore are already suffering from overcapacity with the Singapore Airline Group accounting for roughly a 62 percent share of total seat capacity. Myanmar’s domestic market is no better. While MNA is the largest domestic carrier, serving 27 destinations, it faces stiff competition from no fewer than nine other carriers, and has thus seen very little growth on its home turf. In 2013, total annual domestic passenger traffic numbered 1.9 million, representing a 5.5 percent increase over 2012–whereas in 2014 the market grew by 16 percent to 2.2 million passengers. Final growth figures for 2015 will likely be modest, too, although in the first half of the year Myanmar’s domestic market handled 1.2 passengers, up 10 percent when compared to the same period in 2014. “The biggest problem facing Myanmar is that the market is way too fragmented. Ten domestic carriers in a market that size is crazy. If you add them all together they wouldn’t have
enough aircraft to make up a small carrier,” said Ian Douglas, former advisor to Air Bagan. “There are airlines with two or three aircraft, and nobody has a fleet big enough to register on the radar anywhere else.” Recognizing that most domestic routes suffer from overcapacity, start-up FMI Air is positioning itself as a premium brand carrier. The airline currently operates two Bombardier CRJ200 jets to three destinations: Yangon, Naypyitaw and Sittwe. Mark Turner, FMI’s director of customer experience, told AIN that the airline is evaluating adding an additional three destinations in 2016–Thandwe, Heho and Bagan–along with a third aircraft option. By 2017, FMI expects to have a fleet of five aircraft. FMI has about a 36 percent share of capacity on the Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw route, but faces competition from MNA, Asian Wings, Air KBZ and Apex Airlines, which all operate on the same route. “In the long term the outlook is interesting, but only if there is consolidation. In the short term it’s very tough,” said Douglas. “If you look at Indonesia, they don’t allow carriers that have fewer than 10 aircraft. Myanmar needs that kind of discipline in the market.” o
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NEW GENERATION AIRLINERS
New narrowbody airliner designs include legacy brands and upstarts by Gregory Polek Narrowbody airliners occupy perhaps the most dynamic and active segment in all of commercial aviation, where no fewer than five new competitors vie for the attention of the world’s fleet planners. While the Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320neo have taken the majority of new orders, upstarts in the form of the Bombardier CSeries, Comac C919 and Irkut MC-21 have crowded the field and–in the estimate of the newcomer manufacturers–threaten to upset an unhealthy duopoly in the mainline airline business. Meanwhile, new platforms such as the Mitsubishi MRJ and the next generation of E-Jets called the E2s stand to redefine the limits of regional jet operations, where a relative newcomer in the form of the Sukhoi Superjet now commands a limited presence and the Comac ARJ-21 moved toward entry-into-service with its first Chinese operator. The first of the new narrowbody models due to enter the market–the Pratt & Whitey PW1100G-powered Airbus A320neo–gained its joint FAA and EASA certification on November 24, after the company
had to redistribute certification work among its flight-test articles to recoup lost time on the first aircraft, grounded by a defect in one of its geared turbofan (GTF) engines in April, and again in late September, by a separate problem the company described as “minor.” Development schedules call for the Pratt geared-turbofanpowered version of the family’s stretch variant, the A321neo, to gain certification late this year and the smallest model, the A319neo, before the middle of 2017. In January last year Airbus launched a longrange version of the A321neo designed to carry 206 passengers 4,000 nautical miles. Expected to win certification in 2019, the so-called A321neo 97t now ranks as the longestrange single-aisle airliner on the market, capable of flying transatlantic routes and potentially opening long-haul markets inaccessible by any other single-aisle airplane in production or in development. Teething Pains for GTFs
The original three-month “pause” in testing of the initial
two A320neos, both GTFpowered, followed discovery of a manufacturing defect in a 10-inch-diameter retaining ring in the powerplant’s combustor section. Both aircraft had returned to testing by late July. A third machine–equipped with alternative CFM International Leap-1A engines– continued flying after pausing briefly over the summer for engine-upgrade installation, onboard equipment enhancement and maintenance. Airbus’s flight test revisions meant that airplane had to undertake additional work previously earmarked for the GTF-powered A320neos and unrelated to engine systems. On September 30 Airbus confirmed it had to ground the first Pratt-powered example yet again, after finding a “minor problem” in one of its engines following hot-weather trials in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. At the time the company insisted that the incident would not affect plans to deliver the first airplane by the end of the year. However, an effective change in launch customer resulted when Qatar Airways balked at a temporary operating restriction involving
Airbus A320neo
40 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
the GTF, leading to Lufthansa’s agreement to take the first airplane. Finally, on December 30, Airbus delayed delivery of the first A320neo by “a few weeks” to help Pratt & Whitney address certain documentation items. Airbus continues flight trials of the CFM-powered version of the A320neo, which is scheduled for certification by the middle of the year. The Leap-1A gained joint certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on November 20, making CFM the only company to gain dual original certification from both agencies. Typically, a lead agency issues type certification and the second agency validates it. Calling the Leap development and certification effort the most extensive in its history, CFM tested a
total of 34 of the engines, logging more than 6,500 hours and 13,450 cycles. Max Power
As the sole engine available for the 737 Max 7, Max 8, Max 9 and Max 200, the Leap-1B naturally has outsold the 1A, notwithstanding the fact that the Neo, with firm orders for more than 4,400 copies, holds a considerable sales edge over the Max. Launched roughly a year and a half later than the Neo, however, the Max has sold at an undeniably impressive rate itself. On schedule for certification and delivery to launch customer Southwest Airlines in the third quarter of 2017, the Max had gathered firm orders for 3,072 copies by the time the company took the first prototype on its maiden flight on January 29. Although Airbus held some 60
Airbus A320neo Series Engines:
Pratt & Whitney PW1100G or CFM Leap-1A
Wingspan:
A319neo/A320neo/A321neo
117 ft., 5 in.
Length:
A319neo
111 ft.
A320neo
123 ft., 3 in.
A321neo
146 ft.
A319neo/A320neo/A321neo
38 ft., 7 in.
Height:
Maximum Takeoff Weights and Range Limits: MTOW (lb.)
Range (nmi)
Typical Two-class Seating
A319neo
166,400
3,750
140
A320neo
174,200
3,500
165
A321neo
213,800*
4,000*
206
*Specifications for A321LR version
percent of the total volume of orders for new narrowbodies by the end last year, 737 Max general manager Kieth Leverkuhn insisted Boeing would soon reach parity. “Don’t forget that the Airbus A320neo launched 18 months ahead of the Max,” he told reporters gathered on the floor of the company’s Renton, Washington, assembly building the day before the airplane’s rollout on December 8. “They gained orders early. But we’re very comfortable with the way the market is settling…It’s about fifty-fifty.” Boeing held the decidedly low-key rollout ceremony less than three months after starting final assembly of the first Max 8, on schedule. In early June it announced that it had started to assemble the wings for the first airplane, marking the official start of production of the company’s latest family of narrowbodies. Boeing places particular emphasis on the airplane’s newly designed winglets, which the company estimates will deliver up to a 1.8 percent fuel efficiency improvement over current “inline” winglet designs. Boeing will build the first 737 Max jets exclusively on a new production line in the Renton factory. The new line will allow the team to isolate assembly of the first 737 Max from the rest of production to help it learn and perfect the new build process while the Renton factory continues to turn out airplanes at a rate of 42 a month. The company has set an efficiency improvement target for the Max 8 of 14 percent over the 737-800NG. Boeing expects still more seatmile-cost savings from the Max 200, a subvariant of the Max 8 designed to hold as many as 200 passengers, compared with 189 in the baseline version. Launched in September 2014 with a firm order from Ryanair for 100 of the airplanes in a 197seat configuration, the Max 200 incorporates a mid-exit door to
Bombardier CSeries CS100
Boeing 737 Max 8 increase egress capability. Boeing expects to gain certification for the new design in 2019, following approval of the Max 9 in 2018. Neo, Max Dominate
In terms of firm orders, Airbus and Boeing by far dominate the field of competitors that also includes the Bombardier CSeries, the Comac C919 and the Irkut MC-21. While the Chinese C919 and Russia’s MC-21—officially scheduled to gain their respective certifications in 2018– enjoy somewhat captive markets in their home countries, the CSeries must compete against the Boeing and Airbus models on a far more global basis. In Russia, the fall in the ruble has led the government to encourage closer ties between its manufacturers and airlines. In the case of China, the state-controlled airlines often face pressure to buy Chinese and domestically made airplanes weighing less than 25 tons enjoy import-tax
exemptions, facts that have kept the long-delayed ARJ21 regional jet viable in its home country. Bombardier could rightly counter that claim of market dominance in the capacity category the CSeries CS300 occupies, because its product has actually outsold the 737 Max 7 and A319, neither of which have attracted much attention or market success. Still, questions of the overall size of the market persist; as of the end of last year the company still hadn’t collected orders for 300 CSeries airplanes management had targeted for the period leading to service entry. Although the CSeries gained Transport Canada certification on December 18, Bombardier has given itself a substantial time buffer to ensure on-time EIS of the CS100 by the second quarter. Speaking with AIN the day of the certification announcement, CSeries program head Rob Dewar explained that Bombardier decided to finish operations evaluation by certification authorities before formally training the pilots rather
Boeing 737 Max Engine:
CFM Leap-1B
Wingspan:
Max 7/8/200/9
117 ft., 10 in.
Length:
Max 7
110 ft., 5 in.
Max 8/200
129 ft., 8 in.
Max 9
138 ft., 4 in.
Max 7/8/200/9
40 ft., 4 in.
Height:
Maximum Takeoff Weights and Range Limits: MTOW (lb)
Two-class seating
737 Max 7
159,500
3,350
126
737 Max 8
181,200
3,515
162
737 Max 9
194,700
3,280
178
Note: range of 737 MAX 200 in one-class seating with 200 passengers is 2,700 nmi
than performing those tasks in parallel as it did during previous campaigns. That approach has become more typical across the industry, said Dewar, due to the high level of software integration and automation inherent in modern designs. “The general sentiment is that everyone wants us to get it right up front,” said Bombardier Commercial Airplanes president Fred Cromer during an interview with AIN earlier last year. “We are now proving that to be the case considering what we’re now
Bombardier CSeries Engines:
Pratt & Whitney PW1500G
Wingspan:
CS100/CS300
115 ft., 1 in.
Length:
CS100
114 ft., 9 in.
CS300
127 ft.
CS100/CS300
37 ft., 8 in.
Height:
Range (nmi)
Maximum Takeoff Weights and Range Limits: MTOW (lb.)
Range (nmi)
Typical Two-Class Seating
CS100
134,000
3,100
108
CS300
149,000
3,300
130
seeing with the impressive performance–we’re building that market confidence.” Of course, Bombardier hadn’t always gotten things right during the course of the CSeries program, which suffered no fewer than four separate delays due to problems ranging from software glitches to an uncontained failure of one of the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G turbofans during ground runs on the first flight test vehicle. Originally scheduled for certification at the end of 2013, the program finally gained its approval two years late and billions of dollars over budget. Quebec Comes to CSeries Rescue
Bombardier continues to talk with Canadian federal government officials about a further $1 billion investment following a $1 billion injection from the province of Quebec in October. The
Continued on next page u
www.ainonline.com • February 16, 2016 • Singapore Airshow News 41
NEW GENERATION AIRLINERS uContinued from preceding page
investment by the Quebec government came three weeks after Bombardier and Airbus each confirmed that they had explored “certain business opportunities” together, and that talks had ended following reports that Bombardier had offered a majority stake in the CSeries to the European airframer. The rescue bid belied Bombardier’s past efforts to dismiss suggestions that it didn’t control sufficient resources to overcome sluggish sales of the airplane and the certification delay. Before the Quebec investment, cost overages and a paucity of order deposits prompted Bombardier to raise $3 billion in debt and equity last year and announce plans to sell part of its train business to boost its balance sheet. Notwithstanding its money woes, Bombardier reports that the airplane meets or exceeds all technical specifications. In fact, last year Bombardier announced an increase in the CSeries’ maximum range, from 2,950 nautical miles to 3,300 nautical miles. “Entry into service is crucial. We need to be flawless,” Cromer said during an Investors Day the company held in New York in November. “We have very robust plans in place to ensure our best salespeople will be the operators of this plane.” Function and reliability proving runs lent more credence to those plans, as the CSeries logged virtually a 100-percent dispatch reliability and completion rate during the 270 hours of testing on a production configuration aircraft by the time of Canadian certification, reported Dewar. The
Comac C919
company’s production plans call for between 250 and 300 deliveries over the next five years. This year it plans to deliver between 15 and 20, then nearly double that rate to between 30 and 35 in 2017, and eventually the rate will reach 90 to 120 by 2020.
Engines:
CFM Leap-1C
Wingspan:
117 ft., 5 in.
Length:
127 ft., 7 in.
Height:
39 ft., 2 in.
Maximum Takeoff Weights and Range Limits:
Doubt Hangs over C919, MC-21 Schedules
In China and Russia, any plans for production rates would seem more hypothetical given the earlier stage of development those countries’ respective narrowbodies have reached. Still, on November 2 China’s Comac managed to roll out the first C919 airframe seven years after program launch. The C919 program has faced a series of setbacks, including technology and supplier problems, resulting in a delay to the first flight of some two years. Now engaged in ground testing of its avionics, flight controls and hydraulic systems, Comac expects to fly the
Irkut MC-21
MTOW (lb.)
Range (nmi)
Typical Two-class Seating
170,400
3,000
156
airplane some time this year. However, questions remain as to whether the Chinese group can get the C919 into production soon enough to meet demand from airlines outside its domestic market. Foreign program partners have told AIN that they cannot comment on the shifting timeline for the program, while Comac officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first airplane needs significantly more work and ground testing before authorities clear it to fly. Comac said in May 2014 that first delivery would happen in 2018 but it has since
declined to provide an update. However, the same Comac officials said that delivery in 2020 looked more realistic. Meanwhile, the timeline for Russia’s Irkut MC-21 also appeared less than completely firm, given Irkut parent United Aircraft Corporation’s failure to roll out an assembled airframe by the end of last year as planned. In January, the first MC-21 composite wing panel was delivered to Irkut’s factory by its supplier Aerocomposite. Last August, Irkut reported it had mated two fuselage sections of the first MC-21 prototype,
LATEST CROP OF REGIONAL JETS ARE ON THE WAY
Irkut MC-21 Engines:
Pratt & Whitney PW1400G or Aviadvigatel PD-14
Wingspan:
MC-21-200/MC-21-300
118 ft.
Length:
MC-21-200
121 ft.
MC-21-300
139 ft.
MC-21-200/MC-21-300
38 ft.
Height:
Comac C919
and re-affirmed 2018 as the target for type certification. In early December, the governor of Russia’s Irkutsk region inspected the Irkutsk aviation plant (IAZ), where executives showed him a “complete fuselage with all sections having been joined.” A statement from Irkut further indicated expected shipment of composite wing consoles “shortly,” in time for the first prototype to fly in the second quarter of 2016. United Aircraft invited several Western suppliers to participate in the MC-21 during the design’s development from 2010 to 2014, but the recent chill in relations with the West forced them out. Last year the airframer ran tenders among local suppliers to find substitutes to earlier selected Western components, and some local makers report that Irkut has installed their products on the first prototype. Nevertheless, Pratt & Whitney PW1400G geared turbofans will power the MC-21 on its first flight. Irkut placed an order for 100 of the engines, and Pratt & Whitney reported it had started shipments. An alternative powerplant–in the form of the domestically designed PD-14 turbofan—completed testing in a thermal barometric chamber that emulated atmospheric conditions for flight at altitudes of up to 37,000 feet. The successful completion of that testing, announced on December 9, paves the way for flight tests using an Ilyushin Il-76 test bed, on which a PD-14 replaced one of its original D-30KP turbofans. o
Maximum Takeoff Weights and Range Limits: MTOW (lb.)
Range (nmi)
Two-class Seating
MC-21-200
159,590
3,238
135
MC-21-300
174,713
3,184
163
While a crowded field of mainline narrowbodies have drawn interest from airlines around the world for their double-digit fuel improvement promises, manufacturers of new regional jets haven’t stood still either, using some of the same technology advances employed by their bigger counterparts to achieve equally impressive cost advantages over current technology. The 92-seat Mitsubishi MRJ90, for example, last November flew for the first time under the power of a pair of Pratt & Whitney turbofans whose geared architecture closely resembles that of the powerplants in the A320neo, Bombardier CSeries and Irkut MC-21. Like the CSeries, however, the Japanese regional jet has suffered through its share of travails, most notably involving a failure to follow FAA procedures introduced in 2009 for validating regulatory compliance of production processes. The resulting delay, along with several others involving design changes and systems glitches, forced Mitsubishi to move its first flight target no fewer than four times before the MRJ finally took to the air on November 11. Next, after flying three test missions from Nagoya, Japan, Mitsubishi in December
42 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
announced another one-year delay to certification following its recognition of “several issues” during the course of engineering work with experts in the U.S. Consequently, expected first delivery to Japan’s All Nippon Airlines has shifted to the second quarter of 2018, nearly five years later than the original target date set at program launch in 2008. “Specifically, in the progress of our engineering work together with experts in the United States, we have made additions to and revisions of test items in order to complete a better-integrated aircraft,” said Mitsubishi in a statement. “These have been reflected in the new delivery schedule. In addition, we have undertaken an overall review with our partners, and reflected this in our development schedule.” The company added it would carry out the planned flight test campaign in North America “as soon as feasible.” As of late 2015 it said it would start certification flight testing in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2017. Mitsubishi has decided to conduct much of the MRJ’s flight-testing at Grant County Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, in the U.S., to take
Continued on page 44 u
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advantage of its long runways and lack of regular scheduled airline service. Other testing sites in the U.S. include GunnisonCrested Butte Regional Airport in Colorado, where it plans to conduct high-altitude takeoff and landing tests. Meanwhile, it has chosen Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico for special runway tests and McKinley Climatic Laboratory in Florida for extreme environment testing. Plans call for the first flying prototype to perform envelope expansion and systems tests; the second to carry out performance and function tests; the third to evaluate detailed flight characteristics and avionics tests; the fourth to perform interior, community noise and icing tests; and the fifth to assess autopilot function. Apart from U.S. regional airlines SkyWest and Trans States, U.S. startup carrier Eastern Airways, Myanmar’s Air Mandalay, Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines account for the rest of Mitsubishi’s MRJ firm order total of 223 airplanes. Launch customer ANA, which holds a firm order for 15 and options on another 10, now expects to launch services with single-class, 88-seat MRJ90s in mid2018. The airline plans to use the MRJs to replace at least some of the Bombardier Q400s and Boeing 737-500s now flown by its subsidiary ANA Wings.
Mitsubishi MRJ90
Superjet Slowly Gaining Traction in the West
Embraer E190-E2
Sukhoi SSJ100
E190-E2 to Fly This Year
In terms of order activity, the MRJ’s most formidable competition comes in the form of the re-engined Embraer E-Jets, known as E2s. The Brazilian company finished assembly of the first of the threemember family of jets, the Pratt & Whitney PW1900G-powered E190-E2, at the end of last year and expects to fly the 106-seater by the second half of this year, possibly as early as July. Now operating its so-called iron bird in São José dos Campos, Brazil, Embraer plans to use four flight-test airplanes in the program, three of which it expects to fly in 2016 and the fourth– equipped with a full interior–early the following year. Embraer plans to deliver the first E190-E2 in the first half of 2018. It has scheduled the E195-E2 to enter service a year later and the E175-E2 in 2020. During a briefing at last November’s Dubai Airshow, Embraer Commercial Airplanes CEO Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva said that Embraer plans a two-year overlap between production of the E1s and E2s, building E1s until at least 2020. Production rates will increase slightly over the next two years, he added, and the company plans to maintain rates through the production transition. Although Embraer promotes the principle of cockpit and systems architecture commonality between the current E-Jets and the E2s for an easy transition from an operational standpoint, the company will enjoy little production commonality due to some fairly extensive design changes. Consequently, the company has had to install all-new rigs, and face a challenging three- to four-year period during which production of the current E-Jet and E2 variants will overlap.
Comac ARJ 21
While the E190-E2 serves as the baseline model and retains the E190’s current seating capacity, 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 to between 80 and 90 passengers. ARJ-21 to Enter Service This Month
Residing in roughly the same capacity category that the E175-E2 occupies, the first Comac ARJ-21 last November entered trial operations with China’s Chengdu Airlines and finally stands ready to enter revenue service this month,
44 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
some nine years behind schedule and more than a year after gaining Chinese type certification. Comac describes the ARJ-21 as “a new turbofan-powered regional jet with exclusive intellectual property rights owned by China.” It designed the baseline version to carry 90 passengers in standard configuration and 78 passengers in mixed-class, five-seat-abreast configuration. Powered by a pair of General Electric CF34-10 turbofans, it cruises at Mach 0.78 and at a maximum altitude of 39,000 feet. At a maximum takeoff weight of 40,500 kg (89,287 pounds), the standard version can fly 1,200 nautical miles. Although Comac claims to have collected orders for 278 airplanes, virtually all have come from domestic airlines, whose fleet decisions all depend on Chinese government approval.
Another regional jet heavily influenced by government involvement, the Sukhoi Superjet 100, has now flown in revenue service for almost five years. Powered by a pair of Powerjet SaM 146 turbofans built by a partnership between Russia’s Saturn and Snecma of France, the 100seat regional jet has suffered from a relative lack of Western demand and Sukhoi Civil Aircraft’s slow progress toward producing enough airplanes to meet even the modest requirements of the Russian and CIS markets. Nevertheless, the airplane recently attracted a firm order from its second Western customer, raising spirits at Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCAC) and its Western sales and support arm, Venice, Italy-based Superjet International (SJI). As the second major Superjet contract with a Western customer and the first in Europe outside the CIS, the lease deal for 15 airplanes involving Irish regional airlines CityJet has been portrayed as a major accomplishment for both companies. Until the CityJet deal, Mexico’s Interjet accounted for the Superjet’s only Western operator, and its fleet includes 16 of the 30 airplanes for which it has placed firm orders. All told, operators around the world operate some 60 SSJ100s out of more than 100 produced since SCAC delivered the first production airplane in April 2011. Speaking with AIN at November’s Dubai Airshow, SCAC senior vice president Evgeny Andrachnikov noted that the Russian government has mandated that his company and SJI sell at least 30 airplanes per year. Despite the existence of some 40 white tails, SCAC plans to produce 25 Superjets in 2016 and 34 in 2017. A recent commitment by Russian leasing company GTLK to place 32 of the idle jets will significantly close the white-tail gap, noted Andrachnikov. In October, United Aircraft Corporation’s executive board approved the renewed business plan for the Superjet, calling for 595 SSJ100 sales through 2031, compared with 800 previously. Of the 595 airplanes, the Basic model (SSJ100-95B) would account for 82, the Long Range model (SSJ10095LR) 331 and an enlarged-seatingcapacity version (for 110-125 passengers) 140. Business jets would account for the remaining 42. o
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Dassault bides its time, expecting solid rebound by Thierry Dubois Dassault Falcon is exhibiting two of its wide-cabin business aircraft, a Falcon 7X trijet and a Falcon 2000LX twinjet, here in Singapore. The Asian market, after a peak period in the early 2010s, is now much slower, but the French airframer is confident about the coming years. “Business aviation is a cyclical market, including in Asia,” JeanMichel Jacob, senior v-p for the Asia Pacific region, told AIN. There was strong growth four or five years ago, he said, but a quieter period began two years ago. Nevertheless, he added, “We remain very optimistic for the medium term,” he said. Two sub-regions have different dynamics, in Dassault’s view. China, Japan and Korea have seen a major decrease in new aircraft sales. This is the result of a degrading economy and rising uncertainty, Jacob said. In Southeast Asia, however, the market remains active – both for new and preowned aircraft – despite
the impact of China’s economy and falling commodity prices. This year will see relatively few Falcon deliveries in Asia, as a consequence of weak sales in 2015. “But we hope we will benefit from the sales rebound in Southeast Asia,” Jacob said, also mentioning a potential for upgrades to the first Falcon 7Xs delivered in China. The in-development Falcon 8X is believed to be particularly well suited to the needs of Asian operators, notably due to its range, which enables nonstop flights from Singapore to London. Governments and institutions have recently signed new contracts. In November, Dassault delivered a Falcon 2000LX outfitted for medevac missions to the Beijing Red Cross emergency medical center. Last spring, the Japanese Coast Guard selected the Falcon 2000’s maritime surveillance version. Nevertheless, Dassault’s Asian customers mainly consist of entrepreneurs.
Dassault’s Falcon 7X, above, was the first fly-by-wire business jet when it earned EASA certification in 2007. Featuring a large cabin and three-engine safety, the 7X pictured above is one of two examples in service with the French Air Force as an executive transport.
Indonesia, often referred to as the next booming country for business aviation, is still at the “promising” stage. “Indonesia is a huge country with a very strong potential for business aviation to develop,” Jacob said. So far, customers in that country have purchased few business aircraft, except a few ultra-long-range models that were available at discounted prices due to the economic downturn, he went on. “We still believe in this market, which could involve Malaysia or Thailand in the midterm,” he said. The Falcon 8X trijet is expected to receive its certification in the Dassault’s 7X combines fly-by-wire flight controls and Honeywell’s Primus Epic avionics system, left. Below, a Falcon 2000LX was recently placed into service by the Beijing Red Cross emergency medical center as a medevac platform.
46 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
middle of this year. Dassault also is developing a new Falcon 5X model, but it has had to “freeze” the production timeline for this following delays in certifying its Snecma Silvercrest engines. Dassault in 2015 created subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Beijing. The former coordinates marketing activities with offices in Kuala Lumpur,
Shanghai and Beijing. The latter deals with support. “Major” Falcon service centers can be found in Shanghai, while spare parts inventories are maintained in Beijing and Singapore. Last year, Beijingbased Deer Jet was authorized to provide line and unscheduled maintenance for the Falcon 7X. o
FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION SCHEDULES SAFETY SEMINARS IN ASIA Next month, the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is kicking off a series of 12 seminars with an event to be held at the Singapore Aviation Academy as part of its Global Safety Information Project (GSIP). The Safety Management Information and Sharing Seminars are part of the U.S.-based independent group’s two-year study of safety data collection and processing systems. Here in Singapore, the complimentary event is being co-hosted by Singapore Aviation Safety Seminars (SASS) and will be held on March 16. Running alongside it will be a two-day Maintenance and Engineering Safety Seminar on March 14-15 and a Flight Operations Safety Seminar on March 17-18. Between March and July, other seminars will be held around the Asia Pacific and Latin American regions at locations including Sydney, Santiago, Chile, Tokyo, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Panama City, Lima, Peru and New Delhi. FSF vice president Mark Millam, who is in charge of GSIP, said that the group is considering scheduling further workshops in the Philippines, China, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. Acccording to FSF, the GSIP workshops are intended to investigate the most effective ways to gather safety data and conduct risk assessments both with individual organizations and through wider partnerships in the aviation industry. To prevent future accidents, the industry is transitioning from the knowledge gained from aircraft accidents to the knowledge gained from hazards that are discovered during regular operations. “The next step is to begin to develop tool kits that may be useful as roadmaps for [safety data collection and processing systems] that are so crucial to safety management systems and state safety programs,” commented Millam. –S.C.
To minimize costs and maximize the effectiveness of its new F-35A fleet, the RAAF will have to closely follow U.S. weapons and training decisions.
Integrating the F-35 into the RAAF will require careful consideration by Chris Pocock
An RAAF aircraft maintenance officer at the USAF’s Luke AFB pauses while his squadron is trained to receive the F-35A.
ity, and training, if costs are to be restrained. Air Commodore Mike Kitcher, the RAAF’s director general capability planning, provided some insight into the issues for delegates attending The International Fighter Conference in London last November. “I don’t think we could repeat our F-18 Classic experience on the F-35; a higher-complexity platform with multiple security layers,” Kitcher said. He was referring to the RAAF’s choice of some unique weapons to arm its F/A-18A/B Hornets, 75 of which were acquired and entered service in the 1980s. They were the
MBDA ASRAAM (advanced short range air-to-air missile), the Lockheed Martin JASSM (joint air-to-surface standoff missile), and the extended-range (ER) version of the JDAM (joint direct attack munition). None of these weapons are in the U.S. Navy’s Classic Hornet inventory, and Australian engineers made “some startling discoveries” during the integration process, Kitcher added. And although the wide-open spaces of the Woomera range were available, “flight-testing 200- to 300-kmrange weapons is a considerable challenge,” he noted. The RAAF subsequently acquired 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets to replace a similar number of F-111s in 2010. Now come the EF-18s, and Kitcher said the RAAF is aiming for commonality of weapons on the Super Hornets, Growlers and the F-35s. The F-18 Classics will be retired at the rate of one squadron per year starting in 2019 as more F-35s enter service. In 2014, Australia confirmed it would buy another 58 F-35s, making a total of 72 for three squadrons plus an Operational Conversion Unit (OCU). “The intent is for our weapons to remain as closely aligned to the U.S. F-35 as possible,” Kitcher said. At initial operational capability (IOC) in December 2020, that means adopting the same line-up for strike as the U.S. Air Force F-35A: the laser-guided 500-pound GBU-12 bomb; the INS/GPS-guided 1,000-pound GBU-31 bomb; and the 25mm APEX cannon. But that’s only a modest armory, according to Kitcher, and by final operational clearance (FOC) at the end of 2023
the RAAF will want its F-35s to also be capable of dropping the GBU-39/53 Small Diameter Bombs, and the AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW). For maritime strike, the RAAF wants “a quality missile that can be carried internally,” Kitcher said. The two current options for the F-35 are the Norwegian Joint Strike Missile (JSM) or the Turkish StandOff Missile (SOM-J). They are slated for Block 4 F-35s, to which the RAAF also plans to add the GBU-54 laser JDAM. That weapon is already on the Super Hornets, and has been successfully employed during the RAAF’s current deployment to the Middle East for the air war over Iraq and Syria.
DAVID McINTOSH
CHRIS POCOCK
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is preparing to receive its first squadron of 14 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs in-country in late 2018. They will be preceded by a squadron of 12 Boeing EF-18G Growlers that will arrive next year. Like other air arms receiving advanced combat aircraft from the U.S., the RAAF must make careful choices about weapons and software commonal-
The RAAF plans to spend the years 2019-20 operationally testing the F-35 in Australia. During that process, “We’ll find things that we–and the Joint Program Office–don’t understand,” Kitcher predicted. Around 2020, Australia will decide whether to increase its order for the F-35 to as many as 100, as a replacement for the Super Hornets in the late 2020s. For the Super Hornet and Growler weapons, the RAAF is “reliant on the U.S. Navy flight plan,” Kitcher noted. These jets do boast a substantial inventory, and the RAAF has no regrets about buying them to bridge the F-111-to-F-35 gap, Kitcher said. However, he noted that the Growler’s airborne electronic attack (AEA) role is a new one for the RAAF. The service is fully embedded in the U.S. Navy’s AEA training system at NAS Point Mugu in California. Of necessity, the RAAF will rely on the U.S. Navy for any unique software updates that are required for its theater of operations.
The Air Commodore also noted that if the RAAF wants to keep the JASSM in service after the F-18 Classics are retired, “We’ll have to pay all over again for integration on the Super Hornet, unless we can persuade the U.S. Navy to also do it,” Kitcher said. Moreover, there’s a shortage of software engineers to work such tasks, he added. As for pilot training, Kitcher reported that all Super Hornet pilots are now trained by the U.S. Navy at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington State. The first F-35 pilots are well into their courses at Luke AFB in Arizona. The RAAF will create two-thirds of its first F-35 squadron there before transferring it Down Under for full and final workup. Thereafter, it will develop its own internal F-35 training system for both aircrew and maintainers. The service will aim to provide its F-35 pilots with 150 hours’ flying each year, plus 100 hours in simulators. Kitcher said the RAAF is aware that it will be impossible to generate all the potential F-35 operating scenarios in live flying training, due to the “challenging security implications.” There will be a heavy reliance on live, virtual and constructive (LVC) training to generate the necessary complexities, he added. The International Fighter Conference is organized annually in London by Defence IQ. See www.international-fighter.com o
UNDER A WATCHFUL EYE A crewmember monitors ground personnel as they tow his Embraer A-29 Super Tucano to the static display parking area after arriving at Changi International Airport for Singapore Airshow 2016. Embraer hopes to secure additional Asia Pacific orders for its close-air-support turboprop during the event.
www.ainonline.com • February 16, 2016 • Singapore Airshow News 47
U.S. aerospace firms leverage TPP at show by Charles Alcock & Samantha Cartaino The pending 12-nation Transpacific Partnership (TPP) is expected to provide further stimulus for aerospace trade and partnership between the Americas and the Asia Pacific region. U.S. exhibitors at this week’s Singapore Airshow are particularly eager to capitalize on the benefits of the deal, which still needs to be ratified by the U.S. Congress. The TPP was agreed in principle late last year between the U.S. and the following nations: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Among other benefits, the deal eliminates more than 18,000 taxes and trade restrictions. It also sets standards for products, business practices and working conditions. Here at the Changi Exhibition Center, the U.S. presence amounts to more than 140 exhibitors, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the show’s 430,000 sq ft exhibit space. Exhibitors occupying the 32,300-sq-ft U.S. Pavilion include a broad mix of some 70 manufacturers and service providers. Also participating are the states of Florida and Oklahoma. Among the U.S.-based airframers exhibiting in the Pavilion, which is organized by Kallmann Worldwide, are Cirrus Aircraft, Enstrom Helicopter, Gulfstream Aerospace, Piper Aircraft and unmanned aerial system (UAS) specialists General Atomics and AeroVironment. Last month, Florida-based Piper achieved a breakthrough in its
ambitions to supply training aircraft to the potentially huge Chinese market when it received a type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China covering the addition of the Garmin G1000 avionics suite to its piston-powered Archer TX/ LX single. Also present in the Pavilion this year are cockpit and cabin systems suppliers such as Flir Systems, L-3 Communications, Rogerson Aircraft Corp., Rockwell Collins and Universal Avionics. The U.S. contingent also includes leading aerostructures and modifications specialists such as Spirit Aerosystems and Aero Precision. Training organizations also are strongly represented on the U.S. roster at the Singapore show. These include simulator and training device maker Frasca International and the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Florida-based EmbryRiddle now has an Asia campus in Singapore, offering students from throughout the Asia Pacific region full degree programs as well as options for part-time and blended-delivery programs for working professionals. The Asia campus is operated in partnership with Singapore’s ERC Institute. States Seek New Business
The state of Oklahoma has come to the Singapore show seeking to boost the strong aerospace presence it has built over the past seven years. Among the international aerospace
MORE THAN JUST A LOW PASS Among the almost 70 individual U.S. companies exhibiting their goods and services at the Singapore Airshow 2016 is Boeing, which brought one of its C-17 Globemaster III military transports to the event. The C-17 will be on static display and also will perform an aerobatic routine on Sunday.
firms that have established a presence in Oklahoma are Japan’s Mitsubishi and Ferra Engineering from Australia, as well as Asco Industries (Belgium), Rolls-Royce (UK) and Lufthansa Technik (Germany). Mitsubishi currently has a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center for supporting its MU-2 twin turboprop, and the company is considering Oklahoma as a possible location for a service center to maintain its new MRJ narrowbody airliner. Around 120,000 people in Oklahoma work in the aerospace and defense sectors with approximately 500 companies.
Organized by Kallman Worldwide, the U.S. Pavilion at the Singapore Airshow 2016 will consolidate exhibits for almost 70 American manufacturers and service providers. Two U.S. states–Florida and Oklahoma–also are participating. The U.S. Pavilion opens this morning at 11:45 with a visit from U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore Mark Wager.
48 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
The state has a strong emphasis on MRO activity, as well as UAS and components manufacturing. The value of the industry output from the state has increased from $12 billion in 2012 to $27 billion in 2014. Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City employs approximately 26,000 people at a major U.S. Air Force support base and the American Airlines MRO hub at Tulsa has another 6,000 skilled staff. Boeing is in the process of expanding its existing facilities in the state, with the addition of a new laboratory building that will house a further 900 employees. Other major U.S. aerospace and aviation groups with facilities in Oklahoma include Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Nordam, GE Aviation, Honeywell, Raytheon and Sprint Aerosystems. More than 30 companies are actively involved in the development of UAS aircraft in Oklahoma, which also houses the only Department of Homeland Security-approved test site for unmanned aerial vehicles. Oklahoma State University has a doctorate-level program in UAS design, while Oklahoma University specializes in sensor development and Tulsa University has a cyber security department. Under its Career Tech program, Oklahoma provides specific aerospace skills training at some 59 locations in order to ensure that companies
can recruit qualified staff. The state offers a variety of tax and other financial incentives to companies investing there, as well as to employees taking skilled jobs in the state. There are further incentives for companies to build facilities on land formerly owned by Native American tribes. In terms of infrastructure, Oklahoma has two international airports, plus the only inland spaceport in the U.S. that is not in restricted airspace. Additionally, the state has the farthest-north inland port in the U.S., with a connection to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi river. The state of Florida is represented at the Singapore show by the Enterprise Florida organization, which in 2014 conducted a successful trade mission to Malaysia that resulted in almost $50 million in new sales for some 18 Floridian companies. Florida is home to more than 470 aerospace companies engaged in a wide variety of activities including surveillance and reconnaissance systems, missiles and space exploration. The U.S. Pavilion will be officially opened at 11.45 a.m. today. This will be followed by a VIP tour led by the U.S. ambassador to Singapore. On Thursday, the Pavilion will host a special briefing at 10 a.m. on the China aerospace market and this will be followed at 3.30 p.m. by a networking event for foreign buyers. o
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Airbus striving for production efficiency by Thierry Dubois
THIERRY DUBOIS
For Airbus, 2016 will see a strong emphasis on strengthening the production process as the European airframer deals with heavy delivery commitments for several programs. Announcing the 2015 results at a Paris press conference on January 12, Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier indicated that a record 635 deliveries took place last year and he set a target of more than 650, including 50 A350 XWBs, for this year. Lufthansa is expected to receive the first A320neo over the next couple of weeks, delayed from the original delivery date in late December. Brégier confirmed that the slight de-
John Leahy, Airbus COO, customers and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus CEO
lay is in part linked to the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines for the new narrowbody. “We have a few limitations [with the PW1100G],” said Brégier, citing issues such as the start-up phase for the geared turbofans. “The start time of these big engines is longer than that of the V2500 [the IAE powerplant that is one of the engine options for the current A320 family]. But it will improve.” The production ramp-up for the A320neo will accelerate in the second half of the year. In the first six months of 2016, Airbus wants to ensure production processes “stabilize” at its own factories and at those of its engine suppliers, COO Tom Williams told
AIN. He expressed confidence both Pratt & Whitney and CFM International (offering the Leap 1A engine) can increase their output as expected. There is no lack of capital investment and the management teams are strongly motivated, up to the parent company level, he said. Terminating the ceo?
The A320neo may entirely replace the current ceo version in production from mid-2019. However, Airbus does not rule out the possibility that it will build ceos after 2019, as customers may still want them. Single-aisle production is predicted to be between 60-63 in the 2019-2020 period. Airbus missed last year’s delivery target of 15 A350 XWBs, with only 14 aircraft reaching operators. Brégier blamed seat and lavatory supplier Zodiac. He said he had been “very patient” and appeared irritated at the French firm’s top executives, who he said have been “in denial” over the problems. Zodiac has been deselected as an A330neo cabin supplier. However, there is no intention yet to switch to another equipment manufacturer on the A350, as Zodiac has instituted a remedial action plan to improve its performance, according to Brégier. Nevertheless, Airbus was satisfied with the overall performance of its supply chain last year. The number of missing parts is decreasing, for example. “We have issues beyond Zodiac but this is normal work,” Brégier said. Therefore, Airbus is continuing the ramp-up with a target of 10 A350s per month by the end of 2018. “Now, it is a question of how we bring carbon fiber up to speed [in terms of production rates],” Williams said. Reducing the amount of rework in general
is important, too, he added. Airbus is adding more employees and machine tools to increase production and make processes “very repeatable.” Digitalization is being emphasized as a means to improve production efficiency across all Airbus plants and programs, for example: connecting workers on the assembly line with the company’s back offices. “We have to fix a lot of quality issues every year, and digitalization should help us anticipate and eradicate the problems,” Brégier explained. Last year, Airbus also worked on securing production rates for the A330 twinjet. Having received some more orders for the existing A330ceo model, the airframer confirmed that it will produce these at a rate of six per month until it is eventually replaced by the new A330neo. In Tianjin, China, where Airbus already has an A320 final assembly line, the investment for an A330 cabin completion and delivery center is to be launched next month with an undisclosed Chinese partner. The facility should be ready in 2017. A380 Breaks Even in 2015
Meanwhile, 27 A380s were delivered last year, allowing Airbus to break even on the program for 2015. Brégier said this had been achieved through cost cutting and indicated that the company expects to be able to break even even if annual delivery rates fall to the low 20s. Airbus confirmed that late last year it did receive an order for three A380s from an undisclosed customer. COO, customers John Leahy would say only that the contract is with “a global leading airline”; there is wide speculation that this is Japan’s All Nippon Airways. However, Airbus also reported that Russia’s Transaero
A330-900neo
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A380
has cancelled one of its four A380 orders, bringing the net tally to just two sales of the widebody in 2015. A380 orders thus total 319 since program launch. Pressed about the prospect of a downturn, Brégier and Leahy appeared unfazed. One concern may be IATA’s passenger traffic forecast, which has been cut recently from 4.1 to 3.8 percent in average annual growth. “IATA is in a strange situation– they don’t cover all airlines,” Brégier suggested, stressing Airbus deliveries last year were above what would be expected based on IATA’s numbers. He added that the Chinese economic slowdown is not being felt, as the appetite of Chinese consumers is being fueled by factors such a more relaxed U.S. visa policy. At the same time the country continues to build, Brégier said. Asked whether China’s economic slowdown is impacting Malaysia and Indonesia, Brégier suggested that the tumbling Shanghai stock exchange should be seen as unrelated to the real economy. “More and more people are joining the middle class in Southeast Asia and they want to travel,” he insisted. The Airbus executives touched on various other factors. Brégier said that low fuel prices “help our customers prepare for the future. They don’t expect oil will stay so cheap for a long time.” Competition from Bombardier and Comac is not deemed a
threat; the CSeries and the C919 “will get some market share, but not massive,” Brégier said. As of mid-January, the first A321neo was expected to fly “in the coming weeks.” The maiden sortie of an A319neo was predicted for next spring. The first delivery of an A320neo with CFM Leap engines is envisioned for the summer months. Final assembly of the first A350-1000 was to start this month (February) with a first flight targeted for this year’s fourth quarter (2016). On the in-service A350-900, “we will achieve 98.5 percent of operational reliability this year, which is the minimum on a widebody,” Brégier promised. The 635 aircraft Airbus handed over last year included the highest number it ever delivered–144. The company gained 1,036 new orders, expanding its backlog by 401 units. The total backlog for Airbus now stands at 6,787 aircraft. This should increase further in 2016, as the book-to-bill ratio is projected to be above one. In conclusion, Leahy pointed out that the Airbus firm order backlog is so strong that the manufacturer cannot afford to slow deliveries before 2020, no matter what happens in the meantime. o
A320neo
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Bell 429
Thailand,” he said. Moulay also sees a growing market for the 407GXP thanks to its new high/hot capabilities. “We just sold the first GXP into India and completed the first demo tour through Asia. It helped us show customers how the GXP can perform at high altitudes. For many years the perception from the market has been that the [Airbus H125] has been the best performer in high altitudes, but frankly, with the GXP we believe that we have a better aircraft now for our customers’ high-altitude missions.” Moulay said Bell is looking at innovative ways to support its customers worldwide, including moving away from the “simple sale of spare parts” to “a more turnkey solution where we stand alongside our customers during the lifecycle Bell 412EPi
Bell still views Asia as a growing market by Mark Huber Bell Helicopter is here in Singapore displaying several rotorcraft, including the new 407GXP; a 429 light twin with executive interior; a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor; a 505 mock-up with full interior; and the super-medium twin 525 “Relentless” cockpit simulator– the first time the 525 simulator has been displayed in Asia. Bell has an ongoing campaign to show its technological leadership, according to the company’s new CEO, Mitch Snyder. “You’ll see increased emphasis on innovation. I mean that in terms of leaps in technology not just incremental movements in products, processes, and services,” Snyder told AIN. Bell (Stand Q01) continues to do well in the Asia Pacific market, said Patrick Moulay, Bell
senior v-p sales and marketing. Moulay pointed to several recent wins for Bell in the region including a $3.2 billion deal with Fuji announced in July for 150 UH-X helicopters for the Japanese Ministry of Defense. The new helicopter will be based on the Bell 412 EPi. Japan also ordered the V-22, which represents the first foreign military sale of the tiltrotor. Overall, orders from the region were up 10- to 15 percent in 2015 compared to a year ago, Moulay said, and he characterized the region as a “continued growth market for us. “We have not seen any slowdown, whatsoever. China has had its ups and downs this past year, but it has been a pretty good year for us in China as well. Asia is a focus for the company.
It is where we see some of the biggest long-term potential, and that is where we want to focus in the coming years.” Moulay said the workhorse 412 medium twin continues to be popular in the region, with eight delivered last year to the Philippine Air Force, ahead of schedule. “We see much more potential for the 412 in countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, and we see more requests coming our way. It is particularly suited for those emerging markets like Vietnam, Myanmar, and
of the product.” Moulay said Bell would be making a specific announcement on programs in this regard later this year. “We want to get closer to a guaranteed cost of operation, a guaranteed DOC [direct operating cost],” he said. The executive added that Bell’s Singapore maintenance hub, established two years ago, is up and running with all the necessary certifications from country aviation authorities in the region. He said Bell is contemplating establishing a training
Bell 505 Jet Ranger X
Bell 525
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academy there, modeled after the one the company established recently in Valencia, Spain. “We definitely want to have a training center in Asia, closer to our customers,” he said. Bell is making good progress on its new helicopter programs, he explained–highlighting the 505 light single and the 525 super-medium twin. Jet Ranger X
Bell is now aiming to have its new short-light single Model 505 Jet Ranger X certified in the first half of this year and plans a very fast production ramp up that could grow to 200 helicopters per year by 2018, according to program manager David Smith. Through the first week in December, Bell held 354 letters of intent for 505s. “We feel very confident that we will be able to sustain 200 aircraft a year [production] for a considerable period of time even in this market,” Smith told AIN. He added that some accessory kits for the aircraft are already in flight test. “We’ve got the first round of kits mostly mature and in certification testing, many are installed on the third test aircraft and include Htaws, synthetic vision, a second VHF com, ELT, and standby altimeter. “Those are very close to being certified. There are a slew of kits just behind that including HF antennas and a second integrated navcom, and we are working with the makers of autopilot systems and emergency floats.” Smith continued: “Our corporate customers really like to fly over water and many of them are used to flying with autopilots that make flying cross-country more comfortable and manageable. Those are areas we are really focused on, and our follow-on kits will meet the customers’ needs coming right out of the factory.” Air conditioning will be available on all factory deliveries and can also be retrofitted, he added. 525 Testing “Ahead of Plan”
Test flying of the new super medium Bell 525 Relentless twin is “ahead of plan” according to Larry Thimmesch, vice president of the 525 program. He said a second 525 flight test vehicle (FTV2) joined the effort late last year and that the program remains on track for certification in 2017. Eventually there will be five test aircraft. Through the end of last year Bell held 75 letters of intent, the majority from the offshore energy services industry. Bell has yet to formally release a price for the aircraft, however. o
Embraer Executive Jets’ Legacy 500 is making its first appearance at a major airshow here in Singapore. The long-range, fly-by-wire twinjet is perhaps best known in the region for its launch customer, actor and company spokesperson Jackie Chan.
Embraer’s business jets finding a ready market by Ian Sheppard Claudio Camelier, v-p sales for Middle East and Asia Pacific (not including China) for Embraer Executive Jets (EEJ), told AIN last week that the region accounts for 10 percent of its fleet now. At the Singapore Airshow, the highlight for the Brazilian company will be the debut of its Legacy
500 here; it also has a Phenom 100, a Phenom 300 and a Legacy here on the static display. “It’s the first time for the Legacy 500 at a major airshow,” said Camelier. “We have two registered already in the Asia Pacific–one in Australia and another in China [owned by Jackie Chan].”
Claudio Camelier is Embraer Executive Jets v-p of sales for much of the Asia Pacific.
Camelier said that although the U.S. General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) results for 2015 haven’t been published yet, he expects the Legacy 500 to have achieved “a 50 percent market share in its segment.” Generally in the Asia Pacific market, he reflected that “Embraer is the youngest OEM in the bizjet market–we had our first delivery here in the early 2000s, and the bizjet division was launched in 2005--and we are now close to reaching 1,000 business jet deliveries worldwide.” He added that around 88 of these deliveries had been in the Asia Pacific. The next generation of EEJ aircraft will have the new Pratt & Whitney geared turbofans that have been selected to power the new E2 regional jets. “Today we have the [existing] Lineage 1000 that is based on the Embraer 190. Embraer right now is in the middle of developing three new E-Jets, the 170E2, 190E2 and 195E2. So it will be a natural [progression] for the Lineage,” said Camelier. “But nothing has been decided or launched yet by Embraer’s board.” There is is an E2 cabin mockup on the static display here at the show.
Camelier said that the markets in China and the rest of the Asia Pacific were very distinct. “China is a very different story [but] in the rest of the Asia Pacific the market has suffered after the crisis of 20089, with a reduction in demand. In general, it is still very much not a mature market, except for Australia, for example. And maybe Indonesia and India are slightly more mature. “The current economic crisis and the strength of the dollar is not really helping. So we have seen in the past two years a slow growth in the market, but lower than what we see in the long-term–GDP is growing very rapidly and there is a huge population and distances, but connectivity to secondary cities is very limited.” Camelier believes that “business aviation could help a lot of businesses to get more connected.” Distant Lands
He noted that for all the aircraft manufacturers, the Asia Pacific is “a long way from where they’re located…so it [required] a big investment in customer support.” In Embraer’s case he said, “We have an MRO service center network and we keep extending our footprint in the
region as the fleet grows. “Beginning last year with the first Legacy 500 we expanded the service center network and have three spare parts depots. In terms of customer support we have been quite successful worldwide if you look at how we are graded by customers; in the past few years we have been towards the top, including in [the AIN product support survey]–number two in 2015, and we were number one in 2014. “We know that buying an aircraft is just the beginning of a very long relationship,” added Camelier. As for FBOs in the region, he acknowledged that there was a lack of available infrastructure, but said “Yesterday we heard of two new FBOs near New Delhi airport, but in many airports in the region there has not been a lot of activity on the FBO side. The main ones are in Singapore, for example. “In Singapore there is a large fleet of business jets and also very good air connectivity. In Indonesia, Malaysia and so on, there are large cities…companies have businesses spread [around] in lots of locations and air connectivity is tricky, so a business jet really serves companies…I like to say a bizjet is a productivity tool,” he continued. o
SHIMMERING IN THE SINGAPORE SUNSHINE With just a little bit of help, this sparkling business jet is ready for close-up inspection during the 2016 edition of the Singapore Airshow.
Singapore Technologies Engineering’s aerospace arm, ST Aerospace (Stand G01), has clinched four pilottraining contracts worth about $16 million. The latest contract wins include two ab-initio programs–one each with China Airlines and Hainan Airlines–as well as a one-year extension contract from the Qatar Aeronautical College and an extension contract from Xiamen Airlines. ST Aerospace president Lim Serh Ghee said that the company’s pilot training programs have gained traction since they first started in 2007. “We believe in continuously breaking new ground to provide customers with innovative training solutions,” he said. “Our key differentiator is the ability to innovate the way we construct our training programs – whether being among the first movers for the MPL (multi-crew pilot license) program in Asia, or exploring immersive technologies to enhance our training value chain.” In addition to celebrating the success of its pilot training programs at the Singapore Airshow, ST Aerospace will be showcasing, for the first time, its virtual reality training simulation tool. The training device requires the cadet to wear a set of virtual reality goggles, which immerses the pilot into a virtual cockpit environment. ST Aerospace said that the training tool will enhance the entire learning process, which would eventually lead to better trained pilots. –J.M.
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DAVID McINTOSH
ST AEROSPACE WINS PILOT TRAINING CONTRACTS
Fast-growing Luxaviation group seeks more bizav consolidation by Charles Alcock A flurry of acquisition activity over the past two years has seen Luxaviation (Stand A39) more than triple in size to become one of the world’s leading business aviation services groups. Now, the Luxembourg-based group is preparing for further expansion with two or three more acquisitions planned during 2016, and the company also has expanded its presence in the Asia Pacific region. Luxaviation’s boldest move came in May 2015 when it bought ExecuJet Aviation, a major aircraft charter and management group, with FBOs and maintenance operations spread across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. Prior to that, it had already snapped up Abelag in Belgium, Unijet and Masterjet in France, and London Executive Aviation in the UK. The group, which also has a subsidiary in Germany, now has a fleet of some 250 aircraft and more than 1,500 employees worldwide. Luxaviation’s presence in the Asia Pacific region is grounded in its offices in Singapore, plus the bases that ExecuJet also has here and in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. “The Asia Pacific region will be a very positive market in the future,” Luxaviation CEO Patrick Hansen told AIN. “It is very complicated and there is lots of wild activity there, but there is certainly opportunity for a big player like
us. There has been some stagnation lately because Chinese [economic] growth has not happened as expected, but this will be the most dynamic market in the future.” Consolidation And Integration
The group’s Chinese connections are strengthened by the fact that China Minsheng Investment is now a leading shareholder, with a 33 percent stake (supplementing the support of founding shareholder Edison Capital Partners). “China Minsheng’s investment [made in 2015] gives us access to more funding for future transactions and a big presence in Asia,” said Hansen. The Chinese financial group already owns China-based operator Minsheng Jet and a significant aircraft lease portfolio. According to Hansen, Luxaviation’s customers are benefitting directly from its growing size through significant savings in operating costs. “There are important economies of scale for costs such as fuel and insurance,” he explained. “There is also more fleet flexibility and the ability to further improve the quality and safety of our services through common standards across the group.” Over the next six months, the Luxaviation team is looking to make further progress in integrating its operations around the world. This is mainly focused on IT infrastructure that will allow the group’s various aircraft operators to know exactly where their
Embraer CEO seeing big roles for small jets by Gregory Polek Despite deep market penetration that the world’s commercial aircraft manufacturers have already achieved in Asia, several untapped opportunities remain, particularly in the segment covering large regional jets and small narrowbodies. This is the message from Brazil’s Embraer; the company’s regional market studies show 70-to-130-seat jets would be better in 30 percent of the markets currently served by narrowbodies. More than 250 markets in the region operate with less than one daily flight, strongly suggesting equipment downsizing will improve service levels. Embraer data also show routes longer than 250 nautical miles account for 37 percent of Asia Pacific regional turboprop capacity. In those cases, more capable,
Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva plans for growth.
longer-range jets offer operating costs that can match turboprops, according to Embraer, suggesting yet another large untapped market for its E-Jets. The company counts more than 600 unserved markets appropriate for 70-to130-seat jets in the Asia Pacific region. In China, Embraer claims a 90-percent market share in the 100-seat category. Throughout the
Luxaviation’s CEO Patrick Hansen, above, believes consolidation will be key to greater worldwide competition in the business aviation sector. Through bold acquisitions, the Luxembourg-based company has grown rapidly in the last two years and now includes aircraft charter and management services, right, plus FBOs and MRO providers.
collective fleet is dispersed worldwide and so improve utilization rates. “We have to look at what the brand stands for and where it is strong,” Hansen added. “For instance, ExecuJet is the only [Luxaviation] company that stands for FBOs and MROs [ground handling and maintenance for business aircraft], and since it is also strong in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australasia it makes sense to keep using that brand name. In Europe, Luxaviation has made a strong name for itself in aircraft charter and management and so the local companies there, in countries like France, will have this brand.” In Hansen’s view, what the business
Asia Pacific region, Embraer says it has roughly 70 percent of the new-delivery market. Speaking with AIN before the Singapore Airshow, Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva insisted that far more growth lies ahead, particularly in emerging markets such as Indonesia. “Indonesia is an excellent market for smaller jets, given the geographic situation and the number of people connecting, so there’s a tremendous market opportunity there,” said Silva. “Of course, the region is immense, so there are many other opportunities. But it is important to say we are taking actions in order to tap that region, especially with the E2 now, which is coming very soon...So we believe that the region is very good for the size of the 195 E2, for instance.” E2 Program Update
The Brazilian company finished assembling the first of its new three-member family of jets, the Pratt & Whitney PW1900Gpowered E190-E2, at the end of
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aviation sector most needs to see in 2016 is long-overdue improvements in what he views as an irrational approach to regulation and a further wave of market consolidation. He has little optimism that regulators will see reason and doesn’t want to “waste my time begging for change.” In terms of market consolidation, he appealed to owners of smaller charter companies to take a more objective look at the viability of their businesses. “My fear is that in 2016 we will see more consolidation, but it won’t necessarily involve smaller companies that are struggling to make money,” he said. “It will more likely involve the larger companies.” o
last year and expects to fly the 106-seater by the second half of this year, possibly as early as July. Embraer plans to use four flighttest airplanes in the program, three of which it expects to fly in 2016 and the fourth–equipped with a full interior–early next year. The company plans to deliver the first E109-E2 in the first half of 2018. It has scheduled the E195-E2 entry into service (EIS) a year later and the E175-E2 in 2020. While the E190-E2 serves as the baseline model and retains the E190’s current seating capacity, the second model scheduled for EIS–the E195-E2–would carry three more rows of fourabreast passenger seats than the current E195, for a maximum high-density capacity of 144 once it enters service in 2019. “Many of these airlines are flying the narrowbodies inefficiently,” said Silva. “We believe that there is room for these airlines to become more efficient [by] utilizing the right size of aircraft in combination with another narrowbody.” Silva also predicted a trend
toward turboprop replacement in the region, particularly as developing markets grow. Of course, Embraer believes the smallest of the new E2 models, the E175, presents the most appropriate solution for airlines wanting to graduate to turbofan-powered equipment. “[The E175] can have an operating cost that in certain circumstances be very close to the ATR, and in certain circumstances better than the [Bombardier] Q400,” claimed Silva, referring to cases when stage lengths exceed 300 nautical miles and passenger capacity totals 84. “Of course, we haven’t done a deep, deep analysis with oil prices at $20 or $25. So this is something new,” said Silva. “But at a normalized oil price the 175 is very competitive vis-a-vis the Q400.” Referring to China, Silva acknowledged that the country’s economic troubles have caught Embraer’s attention. “Things started this year in a different mood in terms of the economy in general. So, of course, we are following the events very closely to make sure we can adapt.” o
Production of the Il-114 regional turboprop may be restarted if the Russian government has its way.
UAC launches Il-96-400M widebody and resumes Il-114 production by Vladimir Karnozov & Charles Alcock Russia’s government has given approval for United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, Stand J39, Chalet CD41) to press ahead with series production of the new Ilyushin Il-96-400M widebody. In December, it instructed the stateowned group’s VASO factory in Voronezh to boost its annual production rate to eight per year. The move, confirmed in December, is part of a Kremlin move to reduce the dependence of the country’s air transport industry on foreign aerospace equipment at a time of mounting tensions with the West. It also comes as UAC is undergoing a further restructuring in a bid to be more competitive in difficult market conditions. Equipped with more fuelefficient new powerplants, the new four-engined -400M now appears to be viewed as a more attainable and affordable alternative to the government-backed plans for the Russian and Chinese industries to jointly develop a new widebody. Plans for the Il-96-400M were first disclosed in November 2015 when Ilyushin general designer Nikolai Talikov addressed an aviation conference in Ulyanovsk. The new model is a follow-on from the early Il-86 and Il-96300/400 families, the main innovation being the replacement of the existing Aviadvigatel PS-90A1 turbofans with new PS-14Ms. The Perm-based engine maker developed the 14-metric-tonthrust (30,864-pounds) PS-14 for Irkut’s MC-21 narrowbody and is now able to offer an uprated 16-metric-ton-thrust (35,273 pounds) M version (initially developed for the new Il-214based military airlifter being developed by Russia and India). According to UAC, the PS-14M turbofan will give the Il-96-400M comparable direct operating costs to the twinengine Airbus A330-300 and the Boeing 777-200. Eventually, the airframer hopes to be able
to offer a twinjet version of the Il-96, assuming Aviadvigatel can fulfill its desire to develop a 35-metric-ton-thrust (77,160 pounds) PD-35 turbofan. Preparatory work for this program is based on the core of the NK32-2 engine that powers Tupolev’s Tu-160 bomber. UAC is looking to exploit the more competitive pricing for Russian-made parts resulting from the falling value of the ruble since 2014. It also is committed to reducing maintenance requirements and costs. Initially, the new Il-96s are largely expected to go into military service, for which they could fill a variety of applications, including surveillance and longrange air tankering. The Russian government is expected to urge Russian airlines to also invest in the new model. Cuba’s Cubana de Aviacion is currently the only carrier operating the Il-96-300, and VASO has been making the 160-seater at a rate of barely one per year. Il-114 Relaunched
Meanwhile, the Russian government also has urged UAC and its subsidiaries Ilyushin and NAZ Sokol to resume production of the 64-seat Il-114 twin turboprop regional airliner. This week, Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya is staging a conference to determine levels of demand for the model. The State Scientific Research Institute of Civil Aviation estimates the size of the Russian market at 230 large turboprops through 2034, plus maybe another 70 aircraft for military use. According to UAC, this would be sufficient demand to merit the resumption of production. The final decision has yet to be taken, but it is expected that the Kremlin may go so far as to restrict domestic sales of foreign turboprops, such as the ATR72, in order to bolster demand for
the aircraft, which until 2012 was built by the TAPO factory in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Another prospective competitor is the Chinese Comac Modern Ark family, about which there have even been discussions of possible Russian production. Currently there is only one Il-114 operating in Russia and this is used by avionics group Radar-MMS as a flying testbed. Uzbekistan Airways has seven of the type in its fleet, with these being the -100 version, featuring Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127H engines, as well as Rockwell Collins avionics and other Western equipment. The current standard Il-114 is powered
by Russian Klimov TV7-117SM turboprops, but UAC plans to adopt the new -117ST engines that have been developed for the Il-112V military transport. The initial plan is for UAC’s NAZ Sokol factory in Nizhny Novgorod to assemble the new Il-114s from kits provided by TAPO, and also to restore existing aircraft now in storage to operational standards. The first of the new batch is expected to be ready to enter service in the middle of 2018. The Russian government has committed to providing 27 billion rubles ($338 million) to support the program through the 2016-2022 timeframe. These funds would be available through federal funding to support engineering work and investment in manufacturing equipment. UAC has indicated that total investment in the production relaunch would be around $220 million. According to UAC, the Il-114 burns between 520 kg and 550 kg (1,146 pounds to 1,213 pounds) of fuel per hour, which it says makes it competitive with the ATR72 (the published figure for the ATR 72 in cruise is 584 kg, or 1,287 lbs). According to Talikov, Uzbekistan Airways uses its aircraft up to 1,800 flight hours per month. One factor behind the planned relaunch of the Il-114
is that licensed production of the 52-seat Antonov An-140 was recently discontinued. This followed the refusal of Ukrainian companies, including Antonov, to supply components and parts to their Russian partners. More UAC Restructuring
The relaunch of Il-114 production is part of wider strategic changes announced by UAC president Yuri Slyusar. The company is establishing five new divisions, responsible for “commercial, combat, transport, special purpose aviation, as well as for aircraft maintenance and support.” In addition to Ilyushin, the group combines design bureau brands such as Sukhoi, MiG and Tupolev. Its most advanced aircraft program is the PAK FA fifth generation T-50 fighter, for which two new prototypes are set to begin flight testing soon to evaluate combat mode performance and weaponry integration and use. Already in production is the Superjet SSJ100 narrowbody airliner. This program has benefitted from around $500 million in government funds released to the State Transport Leasing Company to support sales to operators such as Yamal Airlines, which is to get 25 aircraft, and Kazakhstan-based SCAT, which has 15 on order, plus five options. o
CHANGI TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN INDIAN AIRPORTS Signed in November last year, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) is gaining ground. The agreement is to facilitate cooperation in mutually agreed areas of civil aviation services and airport management. A team from Changi Airports International (CAI) is to visit the two airports identified for development, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, to look into modalities and assess the scope of work, a ministry of civil aviation official told AIN. SCE was formed to facilitate public sector collaboration projects, build long-term partnerships with foreign governments, and generate economic spin-offs for Singapore’s private sector. On a visit to Singapore in November, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Indian government was exploring collaboration with Singapore’s Changi Airport to operate two airports in India. The MOU includes design, planning, traffic and commercial development, service quality and operations and management. Privatization plans for two other airports–Chennai and Kolkata–were scrapped last year, and they will continue functioning under AAI. A formal agreement with Changi Airport has not been negotiated yet for Jaipur and Ahmedabad. “A need was felt that in order to ensure high standards of service at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, AAI may enter into operation and maintenance [O&M] contracts, either with or without the responsibility of maximization of non-aeronautical revenue in the terminal building [excluding land on city side and air side]. The city side and airside will continue to be managed directly
by AAI,” said the Ministry of Civil Aviation in a statement. While O&M contract models are common around the world for entire airport operations, AAI does not have any previous experience operating O&M turnkey contracts. “In order to implement the decision, it was necessary to ensure that a suitable entity be engaged for undertaking the O&M contract at Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports,” the statement added. The official said these two airports would be pilot projects with more airports to follow based on the model. Under the government-to-government agreement, it is likely Changi will manage the retail space inside the terminal buildings and the car parking spaces. The operations of the airports will remain with AAI; the official made it clear that Changi would not be permitted to pick up a stake in the airports. “They may at best charge a success fee, over and above the fee for O&M expertise, but there is no question of AAI diluting any stake in either airport.” Once the Changi team visits the two airports, the O&M contract is likely to be discussed, according to RK Srivastava, chairman and managing director, AAI. “It is possible that Changi decides that the procurement of some services at the two airports should be done via a tender. Let the team come and more details will emerge,” said RN Choubey, secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation. Changi Airports India, a subsidiary of CAI, is the largest single shareholder in Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) after it increased its stake to over 32 percent in May 2014. It secured the aerodrome license last year to start operations. The airport has offered a tax holiday on fuel for six years in an attempt to attract airlines. – N.M.
www.ainonline.com • February 16, 2016 • Singapore Airshow News 55
20 years after the bizav services group opened its facility at Seletar Airport, Jet Aviation’s presence in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region continues its strong growth.
Jet Aviation still expanding operations after 20 years of service in Singapore by Charles Alcock When business aviation services group Jet Aviation first established its Asia Pacific headquarters at Singapore’s Seletar Airport back in 1996, it was far from clear how market prospects would unfold. Celebrating the impressive facility’s 20th anniversary this week, Jet Aviation president Robert Smith said he feels the company’s far-sighted investment has been more than vindicated with plenty more growth in private and corporate aviation anticipated in this part of the world. In 2014, Jet Aviation (Stand S87) completed a major expansion that almost tripled the size of its presence at Seletar, with the addition of a 54,000-sq-ft maintenance hangar that has freed up space in the adjoining hangar for covered aircraft parking. Last year the company completed an extensive refurbishment of its FBO, which provided ground handling for around 1,500 movements in 2015. It is one of six FBOs at Seletar, which is building a new executive terminal, and it also offers handling at Changi Airport. “The first few years were a struggle but we made the move to the Asia Pacific region as a long-term strategy and it paid off,” Smith told AIN. “We were there as the market started to improve in the early 2000s.” More expansion is on the horizon in the shape of a new 43,000sq-ft maintenance facility and hangar in Macau that is due to open in the second quarter of this year. This will provide much needed extra capacity given that nearby Hong Kong International
Airport, where Jet Aviation already has a significant maintenance and aircraft management operation, is very congested. Jet Aviation has increased its fleet of managed aircraft across the Asia Pacific region to 31 jets, including four Gulfstream G650s, nine G550s, seven G450s and two G200s, as well a Bombardier Global Express, three Global 6000s, two Global 5000s, a Challenger 605, a Dassault Falcon 900LX and a Falcon 7X. The Asian Business Aviation Association recently honored the company as the best aircraft management company in the region. The new Jet Aviation Macau operation will provide aircraft maintenance, cleaning and parking. It is now covered by the Hong Kong facility’s Dassault
Falcon authorized line service center approval, which has just been renewed. The Macau site will also serve as a Gulfstream authorized service center and in addition to Part 145 approval from the Macau authorities, will also be covered by equivalent FAA and EASA clearance. Singapore Hub
But Singapore remains the hub of Jet Aviation’s maintenance capability in Asia, holding approvals from the local civil aviation authority, as well as from the U.S., Europe, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Australia. The facility mainly specializes in working on all Gulfstream jets, as well as the
Boeing Business Jet family and most Bombardier Challenger and Global Express types. This year, it plans to add the G200 and G280 to its support roster. According to Jet Aviation Singapore vice president and general manager John Riggir, getting Chinese maintenance approval has been a major breakthrough in attracting customers from the country’s growing fleet. To achieve this it had to first go to special lengths to get equivalent Singaporean approval, which was by no means straightforward since there are no business jets on the country’s register. The facility provides everything from line maintenance up to heavy 8C checks. The latter work is often done in conjunction with cabin refurbishments, for which it has a comprehensive array of skills including cabinetry, upholstery and painting. The operation also has around 15 aircraft for which it provides continuous airworthiness maintenance organization cover.
“The number of business jets in this region has increased a lot in recent years, and we have also seen a migration to larger aircraft,” Riggir said. “Owners who previously had small turboprops are now in Gulfstreams and Globals.” Despite the global economy’s troublesome start to 2016, Jet Aviation remains optimistic about prospects for further business aviation growth in this part of the world. “Overall, we are not concerned about long-term prospects,” said Smith. “Yes, there is some uncertainty, but flight activity is still growing in the region, but not at the same pace as three years ago. After all, the Chinese economy is still growing, there has just been a reduction in the level of growth.” Here at the Singapore Airshow, Jet Aviation is serving as the exclusive handling agent for customer demonstration flights. Exhibitors in the event’s new business aviation zone have the option to operate flights for prospective customers. o
P&W OPENS SINGAPORE GTF BLADE FACILITY Pratt & Whitney (Stand L39) held a ceremony yesterday to mark the official opening of its first manufacturing facility in Singapore, in conjunction with its local subsidiary P&W NGPF Manufacturing Company Singapore. The 16,000-sq-m (172,223-sq-ft) production plant, located at Seletar
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Aerospace Park, will produce fan blades and high-pressure turbine disks for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan. “Pratt & Whitney is proud of our presence in Singapore and our more than 30 years of engine overhaul and maintenance service on the island,” said Danny Di Perna, senior vice president of engineering and operations. “With the opening of this brand new state-of-theart-manufacturing facility to produce our innovative hybrid metallic fan blades and critical turbine rotating components, we are creating much needed manufacturing capacity and capability for our PurePower engine family.” The new manufacturing facility is located alongside Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions (PWCS), which opened in 2014 to perform engine component repairs. Together the two buildings represent a $110 million investment, said the U.S. engine maker. “We are delighted to see Pratt & Whitney’s relationship with Singapore grow. Pratt & Whitney’s manufacturing investment in Singapore is a testament to our strengths in complex aerospace manufacturing,” said Tan Kong Hwee, director of transport engineering at the Singapore Economic Development Board. —J.M.
Thailand’s Nok Air flies the Bombardier Q400 in an 86-seat configuration.
Late to the turboprop party, Bombardier hones sales effort by Gregory Polek While it should come as no surprise that the C Series narrowbody on display here serves as the centerpiece of Bombardier’s presence at this Singapore show, the Canadian company’s sales aspirations for the region extend well beyond its newest product. Speaking with AIN just ahead of the start of the show, Bombardier Aerospace commercial vice president Colin Bole acknowledged that the company had let its laser focus on the C Series compromise efforts to sell Q400 turboprops in the region. Consequently, ATR has assumed an undeniably dominant position in the market, particularly in Southeast Asia, where the likes of Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Bangkok Airways and MASWings operate more than 300 of the Franco-Italian turboprops. Although Bombardier (Chalet CD61)
has sold Q400s in significant numbers to SpiceJet in India, QantasLink in Australia, ANA Wings of Japan and Japan Air Lines subsidiary Ryukyu Air Commuter, the company sees more potential to add to its Southeast Asian base in particular. “To be very candid, we dropped behind in terms of market share in the Q400 against our competitor, I think primarily because we had our eye off the ball and too were focused on the C Series,” said Bole. “We’re re-emphasizing the Q400 in the Asia Pacific region and we will certainly be coming out with some interesting new messages at the Singapore Airshow around that aircraft type.” Bole cited Nok Air of Thailand as a prime example of the potential the Q400 holds for Southeast Asian airlines that
need a high-capacity turboprop capable of carrying as many as 86 passengers. He also emphasized the Q400’s “quasi-jet” capability which, he said, allows airlines to more easily integrate the turboprop into a broader jet operation. “We’ve got a number of operators around the world that successfully operate hub-and-spoke operations or intermixed Q400s with 737s in particular, and Nok Air is actually one of those examples,” said Bole. Bombardier also advertises the Q400’s “jet-like” appearance, characterized by front-door boarding, as opposed to the rear-door entrance in the ATRs. Meanwhile, the Q400’s baggage compartment resides in the back of the aircraft in a more traditional airline configuration, rather than between the cockpit and the cabin as in the ATRs. Finally, Bole pitched the Q400’s active noise suppression system, which, he said, “basically gives a jet feel in terms of the overall cabin environment.” Although a bigger, faster and more expensive airplane than the ATR, the Q400 can operate just as efficiently as its competitor, insisted Bole. “One of the
ATM SUPPLIER FREQUENTIS ACQUIRES GERMANY’S COMSOFT Austrian air traffic management (ATM) and communications provider Frequentis Group last month acquired ATM system manufacturer Comsoft, of Karlsruhe, Germany, through an insolvency proceeding. The companies did not disclose the value of the transaction. Vienna-based Frequentis (Stand F74) is an ATM ground infrastructure supplier of communications, information and tower automation systems to air navigation service providers and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The company employs 1,250 people and generated €214 million ($233 million) in revenue in 2014.
Vienna-based Frequentis, a leading supplier of ATM ground infrastructure systems, has acquired Comsoft, a German manufacturer of ATM equipment.
Comsoft specializes in ground-based information and surveillance systems, and has supplied automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) stations to countries including Iceland, India and Papua New Guinea. In addition to its headquarters in Germany, Comsoft has locations in Singapore and the Philippines. It had annual revenue of €40 million ($43.5 million) in 2014. The companies announced the sale to Frequentis on January 13. According to the announcement, Comsoft filed an application to open insolvency proceedings with the District Court in Karlsruhe in late October. The court began the proceedings on January 1 and appointed lawyer Christopher Seagon as the insolvency administrator. Seagon requested pre-financing of insolvency payments to provide wages and salaries for about 250 employees. “Following intensive discussions with key stakeholders, Seagon stabilized the business and continued operations in the interim,” the companies said. “With the sale, Seagon secures around 220 jobs and the office location in Karlsruhe. Frequentis thus expands its portfolio, specifically in the areas of air traffic control and air traffic management. Both sides agreed not to disclose details of the sale.” Under Frequentis, the German company will be called Comsoft Solutions. “I am pleased about this extension to the Frequentis Group,” stated CEO Hannes Bardach. “The high quality solution portfolio of Comsoft, as well as the competence of the Comsoft team, will support the Frequentis Group in its efforts to develop innovative solutions for the ATM market, consistent with international standards.” –B.C.
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nice things about it is that, of course you can operate it with high-performance, and we have a cruise speed that can be close to 100 knots higher than the ATR. But on the other hand, you can easily throttle back and operate at a more traditional turboprop speed,” he said. “So you can trade off speed versus time without any noticeable penalty.” The benefits boil down to the specific routes a particular operator flies, and that applies to the effect of falling fuel prices as well. For inter-island traffic, for example, or flying into small airports, a turboprop will always have an advantage over a jet, said Bole, who opined that airlines do not generally make fleet decisions based on spot fuel prices. “You’ve got to think of an airline making a decision typically for 30 to 40 years,” he said. “They’re deciding not on one aircraft but on a fleet of aircraft that will come in over the next two, three, four, five, six years, then will be operating for 20 or 25 years, and the tail end of that fleet will then be probably around for another five years. “And the other thing is...it’s very much a matter of hedging. An airline isn’t replacing 100 percent of its fleet at once. It is typically looking at 10, 15, 20 percent of its fleet being rolled over. So of course there is a fuel impact, but it’s so diluted at the end of the day that airlines are still very focused on the operational matters... fuel burn is an element, but it’s not as important as people often think.” o
‘MAKE IN INDIA’ EFFORT GAINS MOMENTUM Last month’s official visit of French President François Hollande to India prompted the signing of a new partnership agreement between Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence. The “statement of intent” agreement signed in the presence of Hollande and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi falls under the remit of the government’s “Make in India” initiative intended to promote inward investment by foreign companies. Airbus and Mahindra intend to build several as-yet unspecified helicopter models in India. The partners are already exploring possible sites in India for new manufacturing facilities. The next step will be to establish a final assembly line and develop a network of tier one and two suppliers who will produce around 50 percent of the content for each aircraft made in India. “Mahindra Defence and Airbus Helicopters have agreed on a blueprint that can put India on the world map for military helicopter manufacturing,” said Pierre de Bausset, president of Airbus Group India. –S.C.
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Rolls-Royce puts focus on its regional support by Ian Goold A year after opening an initial customer-service center (CSC) here in Singapore to serve the Asia Pacific (including the Indian sub-continent, Japan, and Australasia, but not Greater China), Rolls-Royce (Stand N23) has established a global chain of such units. In January, it opened three further CSCs aimed at improving responsiveness, local awareness, and customer proximity in the Americas (served from Washington, D.C.), Greater China (Beijing), and Europe and Middle East/Africa (Derby, UK). Following two years of consultation with owners/operators, the UK engine maker has re-structured support activities that previously were centered mainly at its Derby headquarters, according to head of services marketing Alex Dulewicz. The moves constitute a major overhaul of aftermarket operations that includes rationalizing R-R’s engine MRO network and enhancing other services. The Singapore CSC, described by Dulewicz as having “pushed the limits of possibility to test the waters,” has provided a “major step change, a real organizational move right into the operators’ location” to serve the Asia Pacific, and is said to have reduced by 65 percent the lead time to address local customer issues. Establishment of regional CSCs offers a faster response for customers (with support responsibility
delegated locally), while providing increased OEM accountability for “issues” and giving R-R a better understanding of “cultural nuances,” according to Dulewicz. He underlines the value of offering direct support in Singapore, eight hours ahead of Derby (although R-R’s civil large engines “Flight Deck” operations service desk is open 24 hours a day). This rationale does not extend, however, to the Americas CSC, which is located on the U.S. East Coast since Rolls-Royce North America is based there–rather than the more logical West Coast, which is both eight hours behind the UK and ahead of Singapore. Dulewicz also acknowledged the value of a dedicated Middle East and Africa region for customer support, even though the related CSC is at Derby. Each CSC also will provide a hub for R-R’s airline support teams. Singapore also features in Trent engine MRO network developments that include rationalizing cross-shareholdings between two Asian R-R joint ventures (JVs), Singapore Aero Engine Services (SAESL) and Hong Kong Aero Engine Services (HAESL), and closure of Dallas-based Texas Aero Engine Services (TAESL). Ownership of SAESL now is shared 50-50 between R-R and SIA Engineering (SIAEC), while the manufacturer is an equal partner in
Hong Kong Aero Engine Services figures prominently in Rolls-Royce’s support network.
From its Derby UK nerve center, Rolls-Royce’s”Flight Deck” support network allows service representatives to stay in touch with customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The center recently celebrated 10 years of 24/7 operation.
HAESL with Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company. TAESL, a 50-50 Rolls-Royce/ American Airlines (AA) venture, saw dispatch of its last “old” Rolls engine last month. A further R-R/SIAEC JV–International Engine Component Overhaul, which overhauls aero-engine components in Singapore – has been absorbed into SAESL. Tripling Demand
Anticipating tripled demand for MRO service by 2030, R-R also has evolved the 10-strong network of company-and customer-owned approved maintenance centers (or “shops”) and JVs to create a more competitive model that transcends previous territorial rights. Each entity, plus N3 Engine Overhaul Services (a 50-50 R-R/Lufthansa Technik partnership) will compete to provide contracted Trent overhauls and basic MRO “time and materials” services, said MRO services director Simon Hutson-Smith. The manufacturer also has appointed U.S.-based Delta TechOps, the world’s third-largest MRO, as the first independent maintenance center for Trent XWB and 7000 powerplants at a new 100,000-square-foot facility and test-bed, scheduled to open by 2020. An early industry philosophy of “sell an engine, wait until it breaks, and then sell spares” had been “turned on its head” with the 1990s’ introduction of R-R’s TotalCare power-by-thehour support, said customer strategy and marketing senior v-p Richard Goodhead. The program, which R-R claims covers 90 percent of the Trent fleet (with all support customers also choosing it for future engines), has mushroomed: the nine customers logging 1.2 million engine-hours/year in the late 1990s has grown to 85+
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R-R Anticipating a 10-year Widebody Bonanza Rolls-Royce director of services Tom Palmer foresees a 7,450-strong R-R engine “fleet” by 2025 and claims a 45-percent share of what he calls the “modern widebody market,” including Airbus A330, A340, A350 and Boeing 747-8, 777 and 787 aircraft in service, stored, or on order (but not earlier Airbus models or Boeing 767s and 747-400s). This volume will reflect delivery of ordered engines to growing markets in Eastern and Southern Europe, the Indian sub-continent, Latin America, North and Central Africa and Russia/ Commonwealth of Independent States. In the past 20 years, these engine numbers have grown from 2,160, heavily weighted among North American and European customers, to around 3,350 ten years ago and 4,500+ today–including “huge” growth in China, north Asia, Southeast Asia and Australasia (dubbed “non-traditional markets,” by R-R head of services marketing Alex Dulewicz). Running neck-and-neck alongside is General Electric, which Palmer said has a 43 percent market share, ahead of Pratt & Whitney (7 percent), CFM International (3 percent), and the GE/P&W Engine Alliance (2 percent).
operators recording 14 million engine-hours annually, as R-R’s installed base has grown from 2,160 units to more than 4,500. Meanwhile, customer expectations have increased and extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) have become de rigueur. A 1980s’ engine “onwing” life of 300 hours was acceptable, but today’s Trent 1000 target is 25,000 hours. The key requirement has been to eliminate unscheduled events and aircraft downtime, said R-R director of services Tom Palmer, while Goodhead emphasized that customer-support programs give both parties an interest in increasing on-wing time. Fleet growth has been accompanied by an evolving TotalCare service with three variants: Term (fixed-period contract), Life (variable term accommodating change of engine ownership), and Flex (until retirement, or end of engine life). Increasing maturity among RB.211 and early Trent engines has spurred recent developments, and R-R has had to consider what customized services would best support them toward the end of life.
Accordingly, almost 20 years after its first such deal, R-R has come full circle with AA, the original customer, launching the latest SelectCare service offering for the same engines: RB.211-535s powering its Boeing 757s. The contract replaces current AA/R-R TotalCare and MRO Services agreements, the latter involving basic aftermarket reactive support with direct payment for engine-shop time and materials. SelectCare fits between R-R’s comprehensive pro-active TotalCare product and the MRO Services offer (as used by Japan’s All Nippon Airways for Trent 1000 support), according to Goodhead. SelectCare introduces eventbased pricing, fixed-price overhauls, engine exchanges, and customized work scopes, allowing customers to contract for required services over an agreed number of shop visits to match requirements and budget. R-R claims its knowledge of RB.211 and Trent engines, comprehensive service network and advanced enginehealth monitoring differentiate SelectCare from other fixed-price overhaul agreements. o
Asian carriers face bumpy path
An RSAF Boeing F-15 Eagle releases defensive flares while practicing its aerobatic routine in advance of the flight display portion of Singapore Airshow 2016.
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DAVID McINTOSH
significantly limited the positive effect, Tyler said. Second, while Asia Pacific accounts for some 40 percent of the world’s air cargo market, “business has never been so tough” in that sector, he added. After peaking at $67 billion a few years ago, air cargo revenues will fall to some $50 million, projects IATA. Finally, the region’s competitive environment in general continues to grow more intense. At the regional level, low-fare carriers now control 54 percent of the market—the highest in the world. Meanwhile, so-called “super connectors” of the Persian Gulf have increased competition in the Asia Pacific carriers’ traditional markets from Europe to Asia and down to Australia. For Wan, the region’s reaction
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AIN, Maj Gen Hoo Cher Moo, commander of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) said that suitable, cost-effective replacements for the Super Pumas are currently being evaluated. Alongside the larger Chinooks, they have featured in some of the RSAF’s humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations. There have been more of these in the past two years than in the preceding four years combined. These included the missing Malaysian Boeing 777 (MH370) and crashed Air Asia Boeing 737; flood relief in Kelantan, Malaysia; earthquake relief in Nepal and Sabah, Malaysia; and fire-fighting in Sumatra, Indonesia. The RSAF’s Fokker 50s have been providing maritime surveillance since 1995, and have also contributed to the recent HADR operations. “We will continue to operate them for as long as it is operationally and economically feasible,” Moo said. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy deploys ships and P-8 Poseidons to Singapore, from where they have operated close to the islands and reefs in the South China Sea that China is controversially building and claiming. Referring to those tensions, Moo said that the regional security environment is becoming increasingly complex and challenging. But Singapore’s defense minister, Dr. Ng Eng, told the country’s Parliament last year
that, “our defense relations with China are excellent.” Singapore has been a ‘Security Cooperative Partner’ in the F-35 program since 2003, and sends representatives to the Joint Program Office (JPO) in the U.S. Two years ago, Dr. Ng said the country was “in no particular hurry” to buy the F-35. Moo told AIN that the RSAF was, “in the advanced stages of evaluating the F-35.” But he also said that a final decision would not be made until “we are satisfied that [it] is on track to be operationally capable, and most importantly, is a costeffective platform.” Amplifying that point, Dr. Ng said last March that, “we do not buy a platform when it is just new. We watch [for] when the price comes down.” There has been speculation that Singapore could buy the F-35B STOVL version and operate it from a new ‘Joint Multi-Mission Ship’ that would be built here by ST Marine. Dr. Ng revealed that project in June 2014 as a potential replacement for the Singapore Navy’s four Endurance-class amphibious transport docks, but only as a helicopter carrier. Moo said that, “each of the F-35 variants has its unique strengths that could enhance our operational capability.”
array (AESA) from Northrop Grumman; an advanced helmet mounted display and datalink; and being armed with the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM). He said that their service life will be extended for another 20 years. The RSAF is set to receive six Airbus A330MRTT tankertransports beginning in 2018, to replace ageing KC-135s. They will come with both boom and hoseand-drogue refueling equipment, which will enable the RSAF to work more effectively with other air forces. Moo noted that these big twinjets can be quickly configured for a variety of airlift missions. The RSAF currently flies ten C-130s in that role, all of which have had an avionics upgrade. But Airbus would doubtless like to follow up its tanker success by selling some A400Ms
F-16 Upgrades, Life Extension
Meanwhile, the RSAF will upgrade its large fleet of F-16C/ Ds to the F-16V standard as promoted by Lockheed Martin and also sold to Korea and Taiwan. Moo is looking forward to these fighters being equipped with the new active electronically scanned
SINGAPORE MINDEF
Singapore mulls F-35, and more
Maj Gen Hoo Cher Moo is the chief of Singapore’s air force. His three-year tour at the top will end next month, when he is replaced by Bg Gen Mervyn Tan Wei Ming.
here–it has arranged for neighboring Malaysia’s first such airlifter to be on static display here. Singapore has also turned to Europe for new air defense equipment. At the last Singapore Airshow (in 2014), the RSAF showed the Thales Ground Master 200 mobile radar for the first time (locally renamed the Shikra; see page 22 for more on this system). Singapore is also acquiring MBDA Aster 30 surface-toair missiles (SAMs) to replace the I-Hawks that have served for more than 30 years. The Singapore Navy already operates Thales radars and Aster SAMs on its six French-built frigates. The RSAF has built a reputation as the region’s best-organized and most credible air arm. Thanks to partnerships with Australia and the U.S., it is able to demonstrate long-range, combined-arms capability there, in exercises that could not possibly be staged on this small island. “Our servicemen and women are committed, technologically-savvy, and better educated than before,” said Moo. They need to be. “The emergence of hybrid warfare such as the conduct of cyber-attacks and information operations could pose a great challenge to our security environment,” Moo said. He continued: “The increasing number of self-radicalized individuals and the orchestration of terrorist attacks, as seen in Paris and recently in Jakarta, are stark reminders that as one of the most diverse regions in the world, stability in Southeast Asia must not be taken for granted.” o
must involve so-called air service liberalization. “Externally, ASEAN is working with partners such as China, the EU and others to conclude liberal air service agreements,” said Wan. “The EU and ASEAN are exploring a comprehensive air transport agreement, following the EU-ASEAN Aviation Summit at the sideline of the last airshow.” Wan also cited the need to harmonize aviation regimes, share information and collaborate. “This is not just across governments, but increasingly government and industry also need to work handin-glove. Industry has the technical expertise, while governments set the rules of play.” On the issue of safety, Wan cited the proliferation of unmanned aircraft and their potential threats, as well as heightened security threats from terrorist groups such as ISIS. “Air traffic volumes are rising, especially on the back of the growing middle class in emerging economies,” said Wan. “However airport capacity cannot increase overnight, and the volume of airspace for aircraft to operate is finite. And we will need to share this volume of airspace with unmanned aerial systems. Safety is an increasing challenge for Air Navigation Service Providers in such an environment.” o
DAVID McINTOSH
FRIENDLY FIRE
CHINA TURBOPROP UAV First revealed at the Beijing Aero Show in September last year, the Chengdu Wing Loong II turboprop-powered UAV is being exhibited in model form for the first time outside China (Stand S09). The model shows a slender fuselage like the General Atomics Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper, and a Y-shaped tail. The Wing Loong II wings are designed with constant-chord center section, which taper outboard and mount winglets. Wing Loong II’s powerplant is unknown, but could be a variant of the 600-hp WJ-9 developed initially to power the Harbin Y-12 light transport aircraft. The vehicle can carry up to 12 guided missiles in pairs on its six underwing pylons, targeted by an undernose sensor turret. Illustrations show the Norinco BA-9 weapon. Released figures include a 67-ft., 3 in. (20.5 m) wingspan and – D.D. 20-hour endurance.
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U.S. strengthening its defense partnerships throughout Asia by David Donald On the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Republic of Singapore, U.S. government departments and industry representatives have united at the Singapore Airshow to reinforce America’s position as a major exporter to the ASEAN region, and to Singapore in particular. The U.S. presence this year has expanded over previous shows, with 27 first-time exhibitors. Speaking yesterday to reporters, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Kirk Wagar described the nation as a “phenomenal partner” in both economic and mutual defense terms. The strong participation by U.S. industry and the Department of Defense (DoD) is one of the key features of the Singapore Airshow, the importance of which is underlined by the first
appearance of the world’s premier fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, said Wagar. He summarized U.S. participation at the show as “demonstrating what America has best to offer.” Representing the DoD at the show is Vice-Admiral Joseph Rixey, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency that oversees Foreign Military Sales programs, who reaffirmed the value of FMS deals and the “full-spectrum capability” that they provide. “Success is not the delivery of the end-item,” said Rixey, “but the partnership that is built.” FMS programs are designed to offer a total package approach, with through-life support provided. Currently the Asia Pacific region provides around a third of U.S. aviation exports, accounting for $48 billion of
From left: U.S. government representatives Ambassador Kirk Wagar, VADM Joseph Rixey and Secretary Marcus D. Jadotte.
business last year, and is set to grow significantly as GDP in the region increases. Assistant U.S. Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis Marcus D. Jadotte outlined some of the assistance that the Congress Department is providing to U.S. enterprises to help them enter the market, or to increase existing business. Here at the show 14 specialists are on hand to help establish business ties between U.S. and regional industries and customers. The Congress Department has
also initiated an Aviation Infrastructure Workshop to showcase capabilities. Expected to underpin increased business in the region is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which was signed on February 4 in Auckland by 12 Pacific Rim nations, including the U.S. and Singapore. Although it is yet to be ratified, TPP will “allow companies to compete on a level playing field,” remarked Ambassador Wagar. Other signatories in Asia include Brunei, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam. o
New fuel cells help Singapore break UAV endurance record by Chris Pocock
Sikorsky’s S-92 heavy twin helicopters remain popular with offshore operators and are approaching airliner-level reliability, according to the company.
Sikorsky bucks offshore slide by Thierry Dubois On the heels of its recent acquisition by Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft (Stand L55) is striving to find ways to offset the brutal downturn in offshore oil-and-gas helicopter sales, which is being badly felt in Asia Pacific as in the rest of the world. Some 250 civil Sikorsky aircraft are based in the region, two dozen of which were delivered over the past two years. As oil prices fell, the company realized the market was not only driven by the offshore business but also by oil revenues for governments, Christophe Nurit, Sikorsky’s v-p for sales and marketing in Asia Pacific, explained. This can be seen in countries like Brunei and Malaysia. Still, there are aircraft to be replaced in those fleet that fly to and from offshore rigs. Nurit has seen a trend, due to reduced activity, for postponing helicopter renewal–a trend he predicts cannot be sustained for long. Oil companies require operators not to use aircraft older
than seven or nine years, for example. Therefore, deferring their replacement may end up forming a bubble that will burst eventually. Demand for VIP rotorcraft in the region, meanwhile, is not going down. Another market expected to generate civil sales–paradoxically–is that for paramilitary missions. “Governments want the reliability of commercial helicopters,” he said. Sikorsky’s S-92 heavy twin is said to be approaching the level of reliability of fixed-wing airliners. There are currently 15 S-92s flying in China–the majority in offshore oil-andgas operations–and more than 40 S-76 medium twins. “We are the only airframer supplying aircraft to all three offshore operators in China–COHC, EGAC and Zhuhai Helicopters,” Nurit pointed out. Over the 2014-2015 period, the U.S. manufacturer delivered 20 S-76Ds and “a couple” of S-92s in the Asia Pacific region. o
62 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
Singapore is claiming a new world endurance record for a UAV powered by a solid hybrid fuel cell, achieved here last Saturday in a near-six-hour flight of the Skyblade 360 mini-UAV. The development was one of many high-tech innovations briefed to a large audience at the Singapore Aerospace Technology & Engineering Conference (SATEC) here yesterday. Prof. Quek Tong Boon, Singapore’s Chief Defence Scientist, said that compared to a typical system taking compressed hydrogen from a tank, the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell takes solid hydride H2 on demand and supplies the UAV’s motor via a hybrid power manager. There is a backup battery. “We’ve been trialing this for a couple of years, and it shows great promise,” he told delegates. The 9.4-kg (21-pound) Skyblade 360 covered 300 km (162 nautical miles) in five hours, 53 minutes. It can be seen here on the ST Aerospace section of the ST Engineering stand (G01). Quek also described the efforts of the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to develop “what we need but cannot buy.” He described decision support systems for better command and control of the island’s air defense system, and work on the control and operation of multiple UAVs simultaneously. He revealed that the launch of Singapore’s first operational imaging satellite TeLEOS-1 last December had also included five other small satellites, with a plan to demonstrate inter-satellite communications. Ng Chee Kern, the MINDEF’s permanent secretary for defense development, said that innovation was “a critical
enabler” for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He called for the developers of commercial platforms to consider defense requirements at the design stage, to avoid costly modifications later. Suppliers should also ‘design for support’ to reduce maintenance manpower requirements, he added. Maj. Gen. Thomas Masiello, commander of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), described the AFRL’s three big current technology drives: hypersonics, directed energy, and autonomy. The third of these was the most important, and fed into the Pentagon’s Third Offset strategy, which he described as “human-machine teaming for collaborative combat.” He described various challenges, including the growing congestion in space, sophisticating air defense systems, and shrinking availability in the frequency spectrum. He warned that “anyone can buy off-the-shelf spectrum attack tools. Networks are being attacked every day and frankly, we haven’t got our arms around it.” Masiello said that, despite a $4 billion annual budget, the AFRL looked abroad to harvest innovative technology from partnerships, including with Singapore. Dr. Bicky Bhangu, director of RollsRoyce in Singapore, gave a detailed account of the company’s efforts to meet the 2020 mandates of ACARE (the Advisory Council for Aviation Research in Europe) for reductions in the CO2 and NOx emissions, and the noise, of its big turbofans. Looking to 2050, he predicted that significant further reductions were possible, even though one fundamental would not change: “The gas turbine engine is here to stay,” he declared. o
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