PUBLICATIONS
TUESDAY 2•14•2012
Vol. 44 No. 6
Singapore
Airshow News
TM
AINonline.com
China Express
Seletar Phase Two
Indian Air Transport
Smokey Bandits
China Express Airlines was revealed as a Bombardier CRJ900 buyer during Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent visit to China. Page 11
The second phase of the transformation of Seletar airfield into a modern aerospace complex is nearly complete, and four companies are showing off their new digs. Page 18
IndiGo, India’s largest budget carrier, kicked off 2012 with a $15 billion aircraft order. But India’s domestic carriers are facing rising costs and mounting debts. Pages 46-47
The Royal Malaysian Air Force’s crack Smokey Bandits display team lives up to its name. The group is making its Singapore Airshow debut, streaming smoke from its MiG-29s. Page 55
> Visit ainonline.com for full coverage of the Singapore Airshow, including AINtv videos, blogs and podcasts.
As seen from Above
DAVID McINTOSH
Changi Exhibition Center meets the waters of the Singapore Strait, providing a scenic backdrop for the 2012 Singapore Airshow. AIN’s exclusive aerial view was snapped from a Eurocopter EC 120B helicopter piloted by Capt. Richard Wong of ST Aerospace.
We won’t accept ETS, Asia tells Europe India chose Rafale on cost,
but UK wants second chance
by Neelam Mathews Asian air transport industry leaders yesterday signaled European Commission vice president Siim Kallas that they will step up their war against the European Union’s emissions trading scheme (ETS). But Kallas held firm, telling the Singapore Airshow’s Aviation Leadership
Summit that while the EU is willing to negotiate over how ETS applies to airlines outside Europe, it will only do so on its own terms and is in no hurry to give ground. Kallas addressed the conference barely a week after the Chinese government banned its
airlines from complying with ETS. Legislation currently moving through the U.S. Congress would have the same effect. What isn’t clear is how the EU would respond to a widespread refusal to comply with ETS. Its regulations call for Continued on page 62 u
by Neelam Mathews and Chris Pocock France’s Dassault Rafale than those of the Eurofighter fighter won India’s $10 billion- Typhoon. This verdict came plus medium multi-role com- from “a top [Indian] defense bat aircraft (MMRCA) contest ministry source” quoted by The for 126 combat jets because its Times of India newspaper in direct acquisition and life-cycle Delhi last Friday. AIN believes costs were 22 to 25 percent lower Continued on page 61 u
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The Boeing 787 test airplane, ZA003, is in the midst of a six-month, worldwide Dream Tour. It is on static display here through Friday.
Singapore
Airshow News
TM
MICA (P) 014/12/2011
FOUNDED IN 1972 James HolaHan, Founding editor Wilson s. leacH, managing director
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner began its inaugural visit to Singapore when test article ZA003 flew in from Bangkok on the latest leg of its sixmonth global Dream Tour. It is due to fly back to Seattle after spending three days in the show static display, February 14 to 17. ZA003 has logged some 650 hours in the air during some 195 flights. The airplane’s primary mission involves demonstrating the unique features of the composite-bodied airliner to
potential customers around the world. The Dreamliner showed off its long-range capabilities just a few days ago, while flying 7,679 miles nonstop from Seattle’s Boeing Field to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The airplane has visited some 25 locations so far, including the 2010 Farnborough Air Show in the UK, Alaska, Dubai, China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Qatar and Ireland. Next, after flying back to Seattle following the Singapore
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online editor – Matt Thurber online videograPHer – Joseph W. Darlington Web develoPer – Mike Giaimo
Rainbow colors show the full spectrum capability of Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s LED cabin interior lighting system.
its flying days under mandate by the FAA. Boeing retired the second flight test aircraft, ZA002, this past week. Meanwhile, ZA001 sits partially dismantled in San Bernadino, California, where crews have already begun the process of stripping its engines and other salvageable parts. o
’s Singapore Airshow News is located in Chalet 72/74/76
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The Dream Tour 787 on static display here in Singapore is configured with a luxurious business class cabin, seen above. The 787 cockpit (below) features five Rockwell Collins 15.1-inch LCDs and Astronautics Corp.’s electronic flight bag.
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by Gregory Polek
show, schedules call for the airplane to embark on another North American tour, taking it into Canada and Mexico as well as around the U.S. Outfitted with a representative 12-seat business class featuring B/E Aerospace Diamond seats and an economy section consisting of nine-abreast Weber seats, the ZA003’s cabin has undergone a number of changes over the years, from the time Boeing used the airplane as an environmental and fire-detection systems test bed for certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The airplane also underwent static hold and coldweather testing at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida, where engineers exposed it to temperatures as low as -45-deg F. For operational cold-weather testing, it visited Fairbanks, Alaska. Scheduled for decommissioning in May after three more months of touring, ZA003 will reach the end of
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Dreamliner awakes to Singapore debut
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PHOTOS: MARK WAGNER
editor-in-cHieF – R. Randall Padfield international editor – Charles Alcock Pressroom managing editor – Ian Sheppard Production director – Mary E. Mahoney tHe editorial team Bill Carey Peter La Franchi Gregory Polek David Donald Dzirham Mahadzir Peter Shaw-Smith Thierry Dubois Neelam Mathews Chad Trautvetter Curt Epstein Nigel Moll Benet J. Wilson Ian Goold Liz Moscrop Vladimir Karnozov Chris Pocock tHe Production team Mona L. Brown R A T E B I N L Jane Campbell Alena Korenkov John Manfredo Lysbeth McAleer Colleen Redmond Annmarie Yannaco O R R T Y Y E A PHotograPHers David McIntosh Mark Wagner Press room administrator – Barbara Torgoff
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4 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Singapore Airshow News is a publication of The Convention News Co., Inc., 214 Franklin Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432; Tel.: (201) 444-5075. Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of The Convention News Co., Inc. is strictly prohibited. The Convention News Co., Inc. also publishes Aviation International News, AINalerts, AIN Defense Perspective, AIN Air Transport Perspective, AINmx Reports, Business Jet Traveler, ABACE Convention News, EBACE Convention News, HAI Convention News, MEBA Convention News, NBAA Convention News, Dubai Airshow News, Paris Airshow News, Singapore Airshow News. Printed in Singapore by KHL Printing Co. PTE Ltd. Computer Services: Computer Rentals & Cares Pte Ltd., Singapore.
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Bell’s 525 Relentless super-medium twin is aimed at the offshore market, with a range of more than 400 nm, a speed near 150 knots and a ceiling of 20,000 feet.
“In critical situations the system identifies the problem and does something about it,” said Larry Thimmesch, Bell vice president of new programs. While chock-full of new technology, Thimmesch said that the 525’s cockpit will not be so complicated as to befuddle pilots. “This is the first touchscreen interface in a Part 29 helicopter, but we are not over-designing this thing so it is the Starship Enterprise. This technology makes sense to the operator,” he said. That includes “unparalleled” real-time health usage and monitoring systems data transmitted via uplink with trend monitoring and diagnostic capabilities. Maintenance Factor
Bell launches ‘Relentless’ super-medium twin by Mark Huber
B
ell Helicopter has launched the largest civil helicopter in its history. The 525 “Relentless” super-medium twin is an 18,000-pound-plus ship aimed squarely at the offshore market with a range of more than 400 nm, a speed near 150 knots and a ceiling of 20,000 feet. Offshore helicopter service provider PHI is the launch customer. The 525 is a culmination of the “Project-X” and “Magellan” research programs that first came to light in a series of leaked intercompany memos more than a year ago. In reality, Bell has been working on the 525 “on and off ” for more than a decade, said company senior commercial vice president Larry
Roberts. The helicopter’s value proposition is to offer medium helicopter economics while delivering large helicopter comfort and capabilities. The new program was announced at the Heli-Expo show in Dallas, Texas, last Sunday. It will be powered by a pair of General Electric CT7-2 engines (1,600 shp each) driving an all-composite five-blade main rotor system and a four-blade tailrotor. Roberts said the rotor system and transmission have been optimized for the engines. The aircraft will incorporate a triple-redundant fly-by-wire flight control system with a BAE flight computer that borrows lessons learned on the Bell/ Boeing V-22 and AW609 (formerly Bell/ Agusta 609) tiltrotors. The Relentless’s ergonomic cockpit features pilot seats, left, that J-track, pushing back and swiveling for ease of egress. Garmin’s G5000H touchscreen-controlled glass panel integrated avionics suite and Telligence voice command capabilities are two key components of Bell’s new ARC (awareness, react and control) cockpit, below.
6 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
The big helicopter also will feature the new Garmin G5000H touchscreencontrolled glass-panel integrated avionics suite with four main displays and Telligence voice command capabilities, two key components of Bell’s new ARC (awareness, react and control) cockpit. The ergonomic cockpit features pilot seats that J-track, pushing back and swiveling, for ease of egress. Right-hand, fly-by-wire side sticks replace the conventional cyclics. The ARC cockpit will give flight crews a level of comfort and awareness “they have never had before in a helicopter,” Roberts said. That includes the ability to see over the helicopter’s nose. ARC is intuitive and can sense, for example, when system failures require an autorotation and it automatically sets up the helicopter to enter one. “The system gives the crew the ability to react very quickly,” Roberts said. “The pilot can think about other critical things in those five to six seconds rather than worrying if the collective is down and the aircraft is in the right attitude.”
The 525’s composite and metal airframe also features an emphasis on ease of maintenance and durability. “Our design goal is to be able to remove and replace any [line replaceable unit–LRU] aircraft component in ten minutes, and that includes access,” said Thimmesch. “To do that we used quarter-turn fasteners for nonstructural aircraft panels and common group link fasteners to get around structural panels. Also, you don’t have to remove one LRU to get at another,” he said. Thimmesch said that in designing the 525 Bell evaluated more than 20 years of data to identify maintenance cost drivers for the offshore industry and found that 32 percent of maintenance is related to fighting corrosion. So Bell is using monolithic composites in places susceptible to corrosion, such as the lower airframe structures, and also designing-in floor drainage. “Once you get water into a structure, you can’t get it out so the best solution is to not let it in there in the first place,” he said. Conversely, metal airframe parts are sometimes easier to inspect, so Bell has not totally eschewed them on the 525. “It comes down to using the right materials in the right place,” Thimmesch said. “Composites make sense for reducing the parts count and for complex curves, but for simplicity of design and structural integrity, metal makes sense in the ‘big bones’ structures.” Thimmesch calls the approach
Continued on page 8 u
Bell Sees Strong Demand in Asia for Improved 429 Speaking to AIN ahead of this week’s Singapore Airshow, Larry Roberts, Bell Helicopter’s new senior commercial vice president argued that an increase in the maximum certificated gross weight of the Bell 429 model will make it even more attractive in the Asia Pacific market. “This will play very well in Asia,” he remarked. The program has been a joint development with Korea Aerospace Industries. The light-twin helicopter is certified for single-pilot operations in IFR conditions. Roberts also highlighted that the company is building a new facility in Singapore’s Seletar Airport, which is due to open in the second quarter of the year. “It’s a significant investment, with hangar and maintenance facility, spares operation and offices,” he said. The new facility is a joint development with Bell’s Textron sister company, Cessna. “Helicopters are playing a larger role in developing the [Asia Pacific] region,” said Roberts. “The future is bright.” He agreed that the market consists of lots of discrete sales opportunities rather than large operators, and that there is a broad variety of missions, with the robustness of Bell’s rotorcraft being particularly suited to the tropical environment. “As understanding of helicopters develops you’ll see more infrastructure and helipads,” predicted Roberts. “The 407 continues to be the leading seller in Southeast Asia, the 412 has done well and the 429 is gaining momentum.” –M.H.
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by Bill Carey The U.S. strategic tilt toward the Asia Pacific region plays to Raytheon Co.’s strength in active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a key technology being used and sought by countries in the region to enhance the capabilities of their legacy fourth-generation fighters. Under the new strategic guidance announced by President Barack Obama on January 5, the U.S. military will “of necessity rebalance” toward the Asia Pacific region using its own power, emphasizing existing alliances and cultivating new partners to meet the challenge posed by China’s emergence as a regional power. “It was very gratifying to see the U.S. defense policy now moving to focus more and more on Asia Pacific,” said Jim Hvizd, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems vice president for international business development and strategy. “We have seen over the years that this is an area where we have become a trusted ally and we need to maintain those relationships. From a product standpoint, we look at
the region as somebody we’ve known for a long time and have sat together and worked to solve their urgent operational needs.” Electronically steered AESA radar, offering a vast improvement in range, resolution and reliability over older, mechanically steered systems, is a technology deployed by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) on its Boeing F-15SGs, fitted with Raytheon’s APG-63(v)3 AESA radar. More recently, the company fielded questions from Singapore about the RSAF’s F-16C/Ds, which would be candidates for the Raytheon advanced combat radar (RACR), a retrofit offering for the F-16. “They have started to discuss some upgrades to their F-16 fleet,” said Hvizd. “We’ve been able to provide them some high-level briefings.” Raytheon (Booth U07) is teamed with Boeing in offering the F-15 Silent Eagle with stealth features for South Korea’s 60-aircraft FX-III requirement. Other contenders are the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Eurofighter Typhoon.
Bell launches Relentless
for a total of 16 passengers. A higher density passenger cabin is anticipated. The aft baggage compartment will be configurable, possibly with a sliding cargo pallet, with room for the equivalent of 37 sets of golf clubs. Roberts said the 525’s first flight would likely occur sometime in 2013 or 2014 and that the company is aiming for certification in 2015. He said it is expected to be priced between the AgustaWestland AW189 and Eurocopter EC225. The 525 was designed to be cost competitive from a value perspective for any mission between 50 and 400 nm currently performed by helicopters ranging from AW139s to Sikorsky S-92As, he added.
uContinued from page 6
“hybrid construction.” Roberts said the 525’s tailboom has been designed to provide less resistance and more lift that translates into higher hover out-of-ground-effect altitude than conventional designs. “The placement of the tailrotor and the torque derived from it is based on a different formulation than anything you have ever seen in the helicopter market,” he said. While the five-blade main rotor is a commercial first for Bell, its design will be fairly conventional. “It’s a conventional airfoil with canted blades to broaden the center of gravity envelope,” Roberts said. “You won’t see any big dihedrals on the tips.” Entry to the 525’s 4.5-foottall cabin is through a pair of hinged doors located between the cockpit and the first row of four seating areas or through a pair of large aft sliding doors. Each seating area offers comfortable four-abreast seating
Developing Kits
Concurrent to designing the 525, Bell is developing various kits for the aircraft and plans to have the most popular available when it is delivered. The company also plans to have a flight simulator on line by the time of first delivery. Secondtier kits will be available during the first year of delivery
RAYTHEON
Raytheon sees AESA potential in Asia Pacific
Raytheon already provides the AN/APG-63(V)1 multi-mode radar for South Korea’s existing F-15Ks–the F-15SEs would be fitted with the APG-63(v)3 AESA radar. A request for proposals was expected in early 2012, with a selection by yearend, Hvizd said. South Korea also plans to upgrade up to 134 Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries KF-16C/Ds with AESA radar. Raytheon will offer its RACR through the foreign military sales process, competing against Northrop Grumman’s scalable agile beam radar (SABR) AESA radar. In October, the Obama Administration decided against selling new F-16s to Taiwan, proposing instead to upgrade 145 older F-16A/Bs with AESA radar, embedded GPS/inertial navigation, joint helmetmounted cueing system, new armament and other features. The requirement again pits Raytheon’s RACR against Northrop Grumman’s SABR. Hvizd said the requirement continues to be negotiated between the U.S. and Taiwan, which in January saw the reelection of President Ma Ying-jeou to a second term. “Once both parties have agreed on the scope of the offer, we expect to get guidance from the U.S. government on how that will proceed,” Hvizd
Raytheon sees Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore as potential customers in the Asia Pacific region for the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar, a drop-in active electronically scanned array radar for fourth-generation fighters such as the F-16 and F-18.
said. “It’s some months off. We’re answering any questions the U.S. government may come up with, and we’re ready to engage.” Another country in the region–Malaysia–reportedly is seeking 18 aircraft to replace a similar number of MiG-29s in 2015 and 2016. Boeing’s F/A18 Super Hornet is considered a contender. The Royal Australian Air Force has ordered 24 F/A18Fs equipped with Raytheon’s AN/APG-79 AESA radar. Hvizd said Raytheon has delivered more than 300 AESA radars to the U.S. military and foreign customers for the F-15 and F-18. Its manufacturing facility in Forest, Mississippi, now produces up to six radars
a month, and is capable of doubling that rate. The company would have provided the AESA radar on the Super Hornet offered for Japan’s F-X requirement, which went instead to the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and Northrop Grumman’s AN/APG-81 radar. Nevertheless, Raytheon is the prevailing AESA provider in the Asia Pacific region, Hvizd said. “We understand their requirements and interoperability needs with the U.S. war-fighting capability, and we’ve delivered on that capability combat-ready solutions, flying over 250,000 sorties,” he said. “That experience is something no one else can come close to touching.” o
The Bell 525’s 4.5-foot-tall cabin offers comfortable four-abreast seating for a total of 16 passengers.
with more specialized kits coming later. In addition to offshore, Bell envisions a variety of uses for the 525, including law enforcement, EMS, SAR, coastal patrol and VVIP configurations. Last month Bell CEO John Garrison announced that the 525 would be built at the company’s Amarillo, Texas plant, currently home of the Bell/
8 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Boeing V-22 final assembly line. That program has been a cash cow for Bell, but is widely seen as winding down in the face of anticipated Pentagon budget cuts. Roberts said it is a safe bet that Bell would offer a military variant of the 525 in the future. Currently, 320 Bell employees in Fort Worth, Texas, and Mirabel, Quebec, are working
on the program. Roberts expects that number to grow to 500 in the near future. The 525’s program costs are estimated near $500 million and are part of a $1 billion facility, researchand-development and inventory investment program Bell announced earlier this year. While it has a launch customer for the 525, the OEM is not yet taking other orders. o
Certified super Now in service with some of the world’s most established names in the regional jet market, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a true rising star. And, with its recent European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification, it continues to scale the heights of achievement. It’s an industry seal of approval that represents a real milestone for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 team, our partners and our shareholders and builds upon last year’s EIS and Type Certificate successes. Team that with the aircraft’s impressive combination of state of the art technology, reliability – plus lower fuel consumption and operating costs – and customers certainly have a super contender to consider. Find out more at www.superjetinternational.com and www.scac.ru
We know where the world’s going
Singapore’s air force unveils Heron 1 UAV Among the debutantes here at the 2012 Singapore Airshow is the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s latest UAV, the Heron 1 from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Singapore’s armed forces have acquired a number of Heron 1s under
IAI Operates UAS Academy IAI has established an unmanned air system (UAS) academy to train and provide certification for operators and technicians. The academy provides a variety of services to IAI customers, both within the company’s facilities and at other locations. A range of courses is available, from those aimed at customers who are just embarking on establishing UAS operations, to advanced courses for mission commanders. –D.D.
their “third-generation transformation” program, and they are replacing IAI Searchers with the UAV Command. Deliveries began last year. The UAVs are equipped with IAI’s TAMAM MOSP (multi-mission optronic stabilized payload) and offer a significant improvement in sensor capability, endurance and autonomous operation. The Heron can carry multiple payloads, although only MOSP has been selected so far for the Singaporean aircraft. While it may be the public debut for the Heron in RSAF colors, the type is no stranger to Singapore skies. At the 2004 and 2006 shows IAI flew a Heron as part of the daily flying display, the first time that a large UAV made such an appearance. As well as being flown by the Israel Defense Force as the Shoval, Herons have
Radar and ECM deals announced by IAI Elta by David Donald Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary Elta Systems has announced a series of new orders to various customers for fighter radars, maritime surveillance radars and electronic countermeasures pods. Leading the way is a $150 million contract to supply ELM2032 fighter radars. IAI (Booth N41) does not comment on the identity of customers, but it has been reported that the customer is in Asia. This advanced sensor is of modular design with a mechanically scanned antenna that can be scaled to fit a range of fighter aircraft. ELM-2032s have already been installed in F-4, F-5, F-16, Mirage, Kfir, MiG-21, Jaguar IM and Sea Harrier aircraft, mostly as retrofits during upgrade programs. The radar has also been selected to equip Korea’s TA/FA-50s and the Indian Tejas fighter. Elta has also recently achieved more success for its ELM-2022A maritime surveillance radar, which offers a number of modes including inverse SAR. This company
has announced separate contracts from two undisclosed customers, with a combined worth of $35 million. More than 100 ELM-2022As are in service on a variety of platforms, including Australia’s P-3 Orions.
MARK WAGNER
by David Donald
been acquired by a number of nations, including Australia, Brazil, Ecuador, France (as the EADS Harfang), India, El Salvador, Spain and Turkey. Herons have also been leased by Australian, Canadian and German governments for service in Afghanistan, and a number of other nations are reportedly interested in leasing or purchasing the type, including Angola. The Heron is quite likely to figure in an ongoing cooperation with Russia, which has already seen the IAI
Woodward leaps forward on the Leap Fuel system specialist Woodward, here at the Singapore Airshow (Booth E35) for the first time, is highlighting its contribution to the in-development CFM International Leap engine family. Woodward is providing Leap’s fuel system, including (but not limited to) actuators and air valves. The Fort Collins,
The Republic of Singapore Air Force Heron 1 UAV supplied by Israel Aerospace Industries is under wraps on the static display. It is making its public debut in RSAF.
Searcher II put into service. Most recently a Heron was demonstrated to the European Union’s Frontex agency. This organization coordinates EU member operations in border security. For the demonstration
a Heron 1 was flown with a number of payloads, including MOSP and maritime radar, from the Greek airfield at Preveza/Aktion. Observers came from various EU border police and coast guards. o
Colorado-based company claims to have displaced other suppliers, such as Honeywell and Arkwin, from the new turbofan program. “We have worked with GE for a number of years on specific enabling technologies that will help the Leap-X engine meet market and customer demands for increased fuel efficiency, lower emissions and reduced noise,” Woodward chairman and CEO Tom Gendron said. Under the agreement, Woodward will be responsible for specification, design, production and after-sales support. CFM International is a joint
venture between General Electric and Snecma. The Leap win is a massive gain in market share, according to marketing manager Scott Davis. Full-rate production, to begin mid-decade, should take Woodward’s stake in the commercial market above 50 percent in three segments. This will consist of a predicted 55 percent in main fuel pumps, 65 percent in fuel metering units and 80 percent in fuel-driven actuators. The Leap family of engines has been selected to power the Airbus A320neo, the Comac C919 and the Boeing 737MAX. –T.D.
Gulfstream helps customers by serving as a broker IAI Elta has landed a $150 million contract to supply its ELM-2032 multimode fire control radar.
Finally, Elta has received $36 million worth of orders from two customers for its ELL8212/22 electronic countermeasures pods for the protection of fighter aircraft. The company has supplied hundreds of these pods to several air arms, and they equip aircraft of both eastern and western origin. o
Gulfstream Aerospace is set to expand its preowned aircraft sales division to include aircraft brokerage services. The company will draw on its worldwide customer and sales prospect database to facilitate its new offering, and says it will keep tabs on the global used aircraft market to ensure listings it sources are “competitively priced.” Jim Ross, vice president preowned aircraft sales, will oversee the brokerage services
10 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
group. He said, “With international demand for large cabin aircraft at an all-time high, it made sense for us to begin offering brokerage services for our customers.” Crucially for the business aviation market, Gulfstream said it will assist with financing options. Financing has proved to be a key barrier to entry for many wouldbe business aircraft owners due to the depressed global economy and “credit crunch.” The ability
to acquire a young preowned aircraft will also appeal to customers in Asia, who are increasingly turning to the secondhand market as the next available delivery slots for new large cabin ultralong-range jets are pushed into next year and beyond. Gulfstream will also help new owners with interiors suggestions and offer them a number of its aircraft programs, including its PlaneParts prepaid parts program. –L.M.
China Express Airlines new CRJ900 customer
Calm after the storm Local photographers take shelter under the wing of a Dassault Falcon 2000LX following a brief rain shower Sunday evening, just as the sun set. Dassault also is displaying a triengine Falcon 7X, seen to the left.
by Gregory Polek Leasing covering expanded cooperation in the area of financing of commercial aircraft sales in China and around the world. Avic Leasing, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp. of China (Avic), is a lease financing company with what Bombardier called “substantial assets and a rapidly growing aircraft fleet.” “This puts into place a lot of what we need to finance aircraft in China and elsewhere,” said Solem, who, while hesitant to identify specific deals, told AIN he expected his team’s efforts in the country to yield more business within the next year. “Bombardier’s portfolio of commercial aircraft is well positioned to meet China’s rapidly growing air transport infrastructure, and Avic Leasing will use this MOU to work with airlines and develop solutions to
MARK WAGNER
Canada’s Bombardier identified China Express Airlines as a customer for its CRJ900 regional jet last week during Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Beijing for the Canada China Business Forum. The conditional order for six dual-classconfigured CRJ900s plus options on another five, signed late last year, will give Bombardier its first sale of a new commercial airplane in China in “eight or nine years.” Based on list prices, a firm order for the six CRJ900s would raise $264 million for Bombardier. Should the airline convert all five options to firm orders, the value of the contract would increase to $491 million. “There’s been a lot of discussion about the need for new airplanes in [China’s] provinces,” Bombardier Commercial Aircraft vice president of sales for China
just towing in the rain
and North Asia Andy Solem told AIN here on Monday. “There are more wealthy entrepreneurs outside Beijing and Shanghai.” In China’s western provinces, particularly, as well as the central and northern parts of the country, the rate of annual traffic growth has reached into the “mid-tohigh teens,” creating ideal conditions for start-up enterprises to built fleets with jets in the size range Bombardier’s CRJ900 and 100-seat CRJ1000 occupy. The first privately owned regional airline in the People’s Republic, China Express, now operates a fleet of five CRJ200s. “Our 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets have served us very well since we started operations in 2006,” said China Express chairman Hu Xiaojun. “We are confident that the CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, which offers excellent economics, will support the growing capacity demand on our larger routes.” The disclosure–one of several announcements made in Beijing by Harper and Bombardier president and CEO Pierre Beaudoin– accompanied the signing of an MOU between Bombardier and China’s Avic International
their varied business requirements,” said Avic Leasing president Zhao Hong Wei. “This MOU provides Avic Leasing and Bombardier with increased opportunities to grow their businesses by providing airlines with optimized aircraft and financing solutions in China and elsewhere,” said Mairead Lavery, Bombardier Aerospace vice president of strategy, business development and structured finance. More than 80 Bombardierproduced aircraft, including CRJ Series and Q Series turboprops, as well as Learjet, Challenger and Global business jets, now operate in China. Bombardier forecasts that over the next 20 years China will become the world’s second largest market for new aircraft deliveries, following closely behind the U.S. Bombardier forecasts a demand for almost 2,400 commercial aircraft in the 60- to 149seat segment in China during that period (see page 36). o
China Southern Embraer 190 is towed to the static display in a rain shower that visited Changi Exhibition Center on Monday morning. The E-Jet, one of 20 destined for China Southern, is one of several jets on display by Embraer.
MARK WAGNER
China Express Airlines placed a conditional order for six CRJ900s plus options on another five, giving Bombardier its first sale in China in several years.
China Eastern equips A320 cockpits by David Donald and Bill Carey Rockwell Collins (Booth Q79) has announced that China Eastern Airlines has selected a range of the company’s avionics to equip 50 Airbus A320 aircraft that are on order for delivery later this year. Separately, Hainan Airlines has ordered radars and other equipment for its fleet of 47 new A320s. For China Eastern, individual items include the WXR-2100 multi-scan threat detection system that provides hands-free bad weather detection capability, and the GLU925 multi-mode receiver, which is certified for precision landing using either instrument landing systems or global navigation satellite systems. The GLU-925 will be the primary navigation sensor for all flight phases. Other Rockwell Collins equipment includes the
ADF-900 automatic direction finder, CPL-920D high-speed digital antenna coupler, DME900 distance-measuring equipment, HFS-900D high-speed data radio, SAT-2100 satcoms, VHF-2100 VHF transceiver and VOR-900. The two companies established a joint venture in 2003 to support avionics for the airline’s aircraft and other regional/business aircraft, and also in-flight entertainment systems for single-aisle airliners. Hainan Airlines has selected the WXR-2100 multiscan weather radar and GLU925 multi-mode receiver for its A320s. The MultiScan Threat Detection System is a fully automatic, “hands-free” airborne radar. The system provides optimal clutter-free weather information that reduces pilot workload and enhances safety
and passenger comfort by minimizing unexpected encounters with turbulence. Rockwell Collins said the GLU-925 is the first multimode receiver certified for precision landing using either global navigation satellite systems or instrument landing systems. The receiver is the primary navigation sensor for all phases of flight, and meets Required Navigation Performance 0.1 requirements (that is, within 0.1-nm) 95 percent of the time. Hainan Airlines also selected the following Rockwell Collins avionics for new A320s: the ADF-900 automatic direction finder; CPL-920D high-speed digital antenna coupler; DME900 distance measuring equipment; HFS-900D high-speed data radio; VHF-2100 VHF transceiver and VOR-900. o
www.ainonline.com • February 14, 2012 • Singapore Airshow News 11
news clips z Diamond Celebrates Flight Training Order
z Easyjet Tests Electric Taxiing System European low-cost carrier Easyjet announced on the eve of the show that it will be the first airline to test the electric taxiing system that Safran and Honeywell are developing to save fuel (see page 58). With the first operational trials due to take place in 2013, Easyjet’s role will be to help establish whether the estimated savings can be realized. The system enables an aircraft to taxi without its engines, by using the auxiliary power unit to power electric motors in the main wheels. Because it operates at high frequencies and on short sectors, Easyjet estimates around 4 percent of the fuel it burns annually is used when its aircraft are taxiing. This is based on an average taxi time of 20 minutes per flight, adding up to 3.5 million miles a year for its fleet of around 180 Airbus A320-family aircraft.
z Hawker Pacific Upgrades King Air 350 Hawker Pacific is hailing a couple of breakthroughs in avionics upgrades at its Asian service centers. At its Manila base in the Philippines, the company installed a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite on a Beechcraft King Air 350 turboprop. This “first” was a collaborative effort with its service center in Cairns, Australia. Meanwhile in Singapore, three King Air B200s received–for the first time in Asia, according to Hawker Pacific–Garmin G1000 systems. The same facility is now working on another major project: the installation of a Honeywell EASy II cockpit to upgrade a Dassault Falcon 900EX business jet.
z MAJ Aviation Opens GA Center at Seletar MAJ Aviation held a grand opening for its new general aviation center at Seletar Aerospace Park on February 10. The new hangar is designed to house MAJ’s aircraft storage and MRO operation, as well as FBO services and offices for flight training providers such as Discovery Flying Club. A unique feature of the MAJ hangar is a two-story carouselstyle aircraft parking system. The two levels of the carousel can hold up to 14 aircraft, which are loaded onto the top level by a hydraulic lift platform that sinks flush into the floor of the hangar when not in use. According to MAJ, “The GAC hangar is the first and only aviation center in Singapore dedicated to serving the GA community as a one-stop general aviation center.” The hangar is situated on a 2.5-acre airside plot that is part of JTC’s Seletar Aerospace Park master plan. It took just 10 months to build at a cost of nearly $8 million. In addition to MRO, MAJ (Booth A23) specializes in manpower supply, aircraft seats sales and technical services as the local and regional representative for Weber Aircraft and aviation consultancy.
Biggest airshow yet DAVID McINTOSH
Flight Training Adelaide, which trains cadets for airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Qantas, QantasLink, JAL Express and J-Air, has ordered eight firm and taken options on 18 Diamond DA40 light single-engine aircraft for its Parafield, Australia base. The contract was signed with Diamond Aircraft in conjunction with Australian distributor Hawker Pacific, which will provide after-sales support. The first four of eight 2012 deliveries will be made in mid2012. Meanwhile, the options, if exercised, are scheduled for delivery in 2013 and 2014. The DA40s will replace Socata TB-10s and Grob 115s. The new aircraft offer “the technology we desire and simplicity of operation and maintenance,” said Pine Pienaar, CEO of Flight Training Adelaide. The Garmin G1000 full glass cockpit “provides the perfect introduction for cadets and is an easy transition to our DA42 twins,” Pienaar pointed out. The after-sales support to be provided by Hawker Pacific, was “an important element of the decision,” he added.
The Singapore Airshow retains its world top three ranking with a 2012 event that is bigger than its predecessors, organizers say.
Singapore keeps pace among top airshows by Gregory Polek The Singapore Airshow will of announced orders. The 2011 retain its world top-three ranking Dubai show generated just over with a 2012 event that will be big- $63 billion, compared with $10 ger than any of its predecessors, billion in Singapore back in 2010. Analysts will be closely monaccording to show organizers Experia Events. Covered exhibit itoring transactions announced space for this year’s show total here this week to gauge the condition of aerospace and 50,000 sq m, which is defense markets in the 5 percent bigger than Asia Pacific region. At in 2010. Outdoor space face value, growth prosspanning 100,000 sq pects remain strong but m has been filled with recent signs of softenmore than 65 aircraft– ing in the Indian and up from around 50 two Malaysian markets have years ago. prompted some to ponHowever, on sevder whether expectations eral measures the rival Jimmy Lau have been too high. Dubai Air Show still Managing Director Experia Events “Asia is still the [air tops Singapore, having filled some 325,000 sq m of exhibit transport] hotspot,” Lau told space in November 2011 and with AIN on Saturday. “The feed125 aircraft on show. The exhibi- back is that even if China slows tor count for both shows is pretty down to one digit [economic comparable, with “more than growth], it is still huge growth in 900” here in Singapore compared terms of passenger numbers.” And what sets the Asia with 960 in Dubai. Singapore outguns Dubai in Pacific region apart in the terms of total visitors expected at global air transport market, around 120,000 (of which some according to Lau, is that airline 80,000 will attend on the public passengers are more discerning days). Dubai, which is confined customers with higher expectato trade visitors, drew more than tions for the travel experience. 56,000 last year. Singapore also “If you want to stay competiattracts a greater number of offi- tive [as airlines] then your fleet cial delegations–266 compared has to be modern with good entertainment systems, and so with 194 in Dubai. This morning, the official del- forth,” he said. Aircraft orders are expected egates will have the show entirely to themselves for two-and-a- this week in Singapore, most half hours because trade visitors notably in the regional airline do not have access until noon. and business aviation sectors. According to Experia manag- Indonesian carrier Garuda is ing director Jimmy Lau, this just one Asian operator expected arrangement assures exhibitors to announce fleet growth plans direct access to the delegations at the air show. In any case, the Singapore through preset appointments. One eye-catching differentiator Airshow team clearly believes between the two main contenders that the show’s future lies in diverfor the number-three spot in world sification. Experia has introduced air show rankings is the volume new pavilions covering Integrated
12 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Land Defense technology and UAVs. The Green Pavilion will feature a newly added component called “Deminars” (seminars and demonstrations combined), highlighting the industry’s efforts toward development of alternative fuel technologies. The Singapore Airshow’s forums on doing business in China, India and Southeast Asia have proved to be very popular. About 150 people had been expected to attend each of these, but now more than 500 are booked in each case and organizers are scrambling to find additional space. The Singapore show now includes separate pavilions for 22 nations or groups, including, for the first time, China and Ukraine. China has doubled its exhibit space this year to 700 sq m, but what many visitors will want to know is the extent of reported delays to both of its main new airliner programs– Comac’s C919 and Avic’s ARJ-21. The Chinese companies have been far from candid about these issues in the past. “China has a statement to make [at the air show]. They want to demonstrate that they are doing well in R&D and making headway with their own technology,” commented Lau. “The response to this year’s show has been very positive and we are delighted that the Singapore Airshow continues to be the event of choice for major players from across the aviation spectrum to network [and] exchange ideas,” said Lau. “Despite current economic uncertainties, we will be putting on our biggest show yet. This is a promising sign of things to come for the industry and especially for the Asia Pacific region,” he continued. o
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Rockwell Collins suites guide military tankers by Bill Carey With the award last summer of a $160 million contract to provide new avionics for the U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender aerial refueling tanker, Rockwell Collins (Booth Q79) became the primary avionics supplier for all USAF tankers. The venerable U.S. manufacturer recently completed a fleetwide update of systems on the KC-135 Stratotanker, and will provide flight deck displays and other systems on its replacement, the KC-46A. Rockwell Collins also is making its mark in the non-U.S. arena for modern air mobility, winning selection by Embraer to provide the flight deck of the KC-390 military transport under development for the Brazilian air force. The avionics company says it has delivered more than 150 C-130 avionics upgrades to customers outside the U.S. In winning a prime position on high-profile platforms such as the KC-46A and Brazilian KC-390, Rockwell Collins was able to leverage its work on similarly high-profile aircraft in the commercial and business aviation markets. For example, the KC-46A, based on Boeing’s 767200ER airframe, will feature 15.1 inch-diagonal liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) modeled after those on the 787 Dreamliner. The new-build KC-390 features a flight deck based on Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics suite, specified for the Embraer Legacy 450/500 midsize business jets and several other new business and regional jets. Lisa Steffen, formerly Rockwell
Collins principal engineering manager for the Boeing 787 display program, led the company’s KC-46A display system proposal. “That system leverages heavily from our commercial systems side of the business,” said Mike Jones, senior director of tanker/transport programs. “We’re using the commercial engineering team as an integrated member of the KC-46 program to make the modifications to the software involved, the applications.” Rockwell Collins is supplying a tactical situational awareness system (TSAS) display for KC46A pilots that will fuse information from satcom and Link 16 datalinks and onboard sensors to provide an integrated picture of the operational environment. Crewmembers will guide the refueling boom with a Rockwell Collins remote vision system based on optical sensors configured on the aircraft to provide panoramic and 3-D views.
Rockwell Collins is leveraging work on its Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics suite, selected for several business and regional jets, for the new Embraer KC-390 military transport (above), while flight deck displays for the new Boeing KC-46A aerial refueling tanker (below) are modeled after those on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Strategic Partners
Embraer and the Brazilian government launched the KC-390 in April 2009 as a replacement for Brazilian air force C-130s, and have signed on Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic and Portugal as strategic partners for potentially hundreds of aircraft. The Brazilian air force has committed to 28 aircraft. Jones said the selection of Pro Line Fusion for the Legacy 450/500 business jets, announced in April 2008, “exposed Embraer to what we believe is a very good set of
capabilities” and helped shape the eventual KC-390 avionics requirement–but didn’t guarantee Rockwell Collins a position on the new airlifter. “Our commercial business has several positions where Pro Line Fusion is established,” he said. “As Embraer made the decision to roll out KC-390, they also made the decision to bring similar types of capabilities as Pro Line Fusion. Of course, there was a competition [for the avionics]. Just because the commercial side of the business
Asia’s New Airliners Look West for Cockpits Three of Asia’s new airliner programs have looked west for cockpit technology, and, more specifically to U.S. avionics group Rockwell Collins. For China’s ARJ21 regional jet, it is providing its Pro Line 21 cockpit suite. The larger C919 will feature its full communications, navigation and surveillance package, plus a cabin management and in-flight entertainment system. Meanwhile, in Japan, Mitsubishi’s MRJ regional airliner will use its Fusion avionics. According to T.C. Chan, T.C. Chan, vice president vice president and manand managing director Rockwell Collins Asia Pacific aging director Rockwell
Collins Asia Pacific, both programs in China are going well and have allowed the U.S. company to work closely with local companies and put down roots in this vital market. For the C919, Rockwell Collins has completed the joint development of the systems with Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac) and by this fall expects to unveil details of the local partnership through which the program will go into production. Rockwell Collins already has established its China Systems Support Center to back up its efforts there. Its presence in Asia is further bolstered by a significant technical center in Hyderabad, India, where it already employs 400 engineers. At the Singapore show, Rockwell Collins is demonstrating its new Pave3 in-flight entertainment system. Chan said its IFE packages are doing well in the region with customers including China Eastern and Shandong Airlines. –C.A.
14 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
was established by no means meant it was a shoe-in.” A main difference of the military flight deck compared to the civil Pro Line Fusion suite will be to make it nightvision compatible, Jones said. The KC-390 will have five 15-inch LCDs, an integrated flight information management system with electronic charts and “point-and-click” access, a flight management system with graphical flight planning capability and automated database management. The airlifter will be equipped for required navigation performance (RNP) 0.3 procedures– the ability to stay within 0.3 nautical miles left or right of centerline on approach. RNP Upgrades
New aircraft programs may garner publicity, but updating legacy aircraft for RNP and other capabilities that eventually will be mandated in civilian airspace is a substantial business for Rockwell Collins. This past summer, the company completed avionics delivery of 419 C/KC-135 global air traffic management (GATM) upgrades to the U.S. Air Force. The upgrade involves communications, navigation and
surveillance (CNS) modifications that enable unrestricted access to civilian airspace. Rockwell Collins supplied products including the GNLU-955 multimode receiver, VDL-2000 VHF datalink, SAT-2000 satcom radio, CMU900 communications management unit and IPC-7000 integrated processing center. The four-engine KC-135, the military version of the Boeing 707 that entered service in 1957, now is going through a Block 45 upgrade to add a digital autopilot and engine instrument display system, replacing center-panel engine instruments with a nine- by 12-inch LCD. Jones said that so-called CNS/ATM (air traffic management) upgrades involve a long list of modifications, such as 8.33 kHz radio channel spacing for voice communications, RNP and installation of ModeS transponders for automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) capability, which will be required in European airspace in 2015 and U.S. airspace in 2020. o
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THALES
Pending delivery of the definitive Watchkeeper system, the UK opted to introduce the standard Hermes 450 UAV, provided by Elbit and Thales under an innovative service-by-the-hour contract.
Hermes 450 shines in Afghan role as UK awaits upgraded Watchkeeper by Chris Pocock The Hermes 450 UAV designed by Israel’s Elbit Systems has been acquired as a surveillance platform by at least 10 countries, including Singapore, but only the UK has requested major changes. The UK subsidiary of France’s Thales is the prime contractor to the British Army for the resulting Watchkeeper system. The company says it is “the best possible solution for the UK.” However, the program is costing about $1.25 billion and has taken six-and-ahalf years to deliver to the British Army. In this case, could the best be the enemy of the good? The Watchkeeper air vehicles certainly feature significant improvements over the original H450. The structure has been redesigned, including the wingfuselage for greater payload and strength. So has the undercarriage to allow operations from rough surfaces. A de-icing system has been added to the wings. There is a more advanced engine that runs on avgas. An automatic takeoff and landing system (ATOL) has been added, helping to ensure that the Watchkeeper can be operated by soldiers, not pilots. A second sensor system has been added to provide SAR/ GMTI radar coverage as well as EO/IR. There is also a laser target marker, ranger and designator plus line-of-sight narrow and wideband common datalinks produced by Cubic Corp.’s UK subsidiary. And unlike other military UAVs, this one must be certified to UK and European civil airworthiness standards. Moreover, Thales is providing many enhancements that make the Watchkeeper a true system. These include full incorporation into the UK defense communications network, and the
design of the complete imagery exploitation, dissemination and reference system. The air vehicle can broadcast images including metadata directly to soldiers who use small remote viewing terminals, as well as streaming video to the ground control stations (GCS). The GCS can communicate with a wide range of ground, air and even naval formations and commanders. Since Thales signed the firm price contract in mid-2005, its value appears to have increased by one third (including inflation). Thales said the customer subsequently added various urgent operational requirements. According to the UK National Audit Office (NAO), the unit production cost of the 54 air vehicles is now $1.5 million. They are being built in the UK by UAV Tactical Systems Ltd. (U-TacS), a 50-50 joint venture between Thales and Elbit. The contract also includes 15 ground stations. The first deliveries were not due until June 2010, and the British Army was increasingly
fighting insurgents in Afghanistan, as well as Iraq. Therefore, in 2007, Thales agreed to provide the Army with an interim tactical UAV capability using unmodified H450s and ground stations. In a unique arrangement called Project Lydian, U-TacS bought the UAVs from Elbit and retained ownership, charging the Army for their use by the hour. The Army’s specialist UAV regiment operated and main tained them, with contractor assistance. It took only six weeks to train the soldiers to fly the UAVs, learn the mission system and do the airspace coordination. ‘Basic’ 450s Performed Well
Ironically, as Thales fell behind schedule on the main Watchkeeper contract, the “basic” H450s performed very well on deployment. The Army praised the “revolutionary ISTAR capabilities,” including “very high quality visual and infrared imagery day and night.” By August last year, Project Lydian had logged no fewer than 50,000 flying hours on well over 3,000 sorties. Five daily “tasking lines” have been established in Afghanistan, and the operation has
In a typical surveillance operation, above, one suspect vehicle among many may be autotracked and followed to its destination. A single Watchkeeper ground station, right, can control up to three UAVs. The joysticks “fly” the cameras, not the airframe, which has fully autonomous flight control.
16 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
coped well with dust, heat, wind and high altitudes. In a briefing attended by AIN, Major Matt Moore of the Army’s Royal Artillery directorate showed typical H450 video from Afghanistan that tracked and followed suspect vehicles and persons. Operators in the ground station were able to do “target matching” and call in airstrikes or interdiction by ground troops. “At the UAV’s operating height, the insurgents cannot hear it,” Moore said. The H450 service provision contract has saved the lives of many British soldiers, he said. [AIN has learned that at least three H450s were lost, two to landing accidents and one after the datalink failed. This loss rate seems no greater than other UAV systems, although data is hard to obtain.–Ed.] Meanwhile, the first Watchkeeper air vehicle flew in Israel in April 2008, and the first system trial took place seven months later. In September 2009, Thales delivered the contracted training facility to the UK’s Royal Artillery at Larkhill. But the project was falling behind schedule. According to the NAO, the company struggled to integrate the mission software. There were also development issues with the ATOL system, which Thales claims is unique because it uses portable microwave radar sensors on the landing site that provide highly accurate steering commands to the UAV’s flight control system, so avoiding dependency on GPS for landing and takeoff. The de-icing system also had problems, and questions were raised about the safety and airworthiness evidence. A senior engineer then working for the Watchkeeper acquisition team told AIN that Thales seemed unable to get all the answers needed from Elbit to make progress on certification. Thales told AIN that the UAV’s initial military operations are being regulated by the UK Military Airworthiness Authority. “The European civil
certifications will be in line with the Global Airspace Access initiatives,” the company added. The first Watchkeeper flight in the UK took place in April 2010 at Aberporth, where special UAV testing facilities and airspace have been established. But it was six months late, and 2010 passed without the promised first deliveries. Most of the mission software was eventually approved in March 2011, although some features were deferred until later. Training of Army operators started in May 2011 and a revised target date of December 2011 was set for the deployment of enough assets to establish a first tasking line. But that date was also missed. Thales told AIN that the British Army is planning a progressive rollout in-theater during 2012. Army Is Enthusiastic
Still, the Army remains enthusiastic and the H450s already deployed provide the assurance of a smooth transition to full Watchkeeper performance. Nick Miller, Thales UK business development manager for ISTAR and UAS, said the system offers major breakthroughs in performance, utility, mobility and autonomy. “A single ground station can control up to three UAVs at the same time because the operators do not have to ‘fly’ them,” he explained. “Instead, they point the cameras by clicking on a map, and the camera then ‘flies’ the UAV as required. Similarly, the radar sensor turns on and off automatically, after the desired coverage area is designated in the ground station.” The Thales I-Master radar comes as a single LRU, weighs just over 60 pounds and requires 620W power. Housed in a turret that rotates through 360 degrees, it provides strip maps and submeter resolution spot scenes, plus ground moving target indicator mode and target tracking at ranges exceeding 15 miles. The Elbit CoMPASS IV EO/IR camera offers advanced optics and a laser subsystem. Thales said additional payloads such as COMINT and VHF/UHF rebroadcast could be deployed. According to Thales, the UAV can operate up to 16,000 feet for up to 18 hours, although 10,000 feet and 14 hours is normal. It dismantles easily for c arriage by C-130-size aircraft. The UAV will have low lifecycle costs thanks to low attrition rates, simple maintenance and training. Thales has signed a three-year performance-based logistics support contract worth over $80 million. o
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Firms flock to Singapore’s aerospace hub at Seletar by Chris Pocock
Singapore Home To One Quarter of Regional MRO Market According to Singapore government figures, the aerospace industry here comprises more than 100 companies employing 18,000 people. Over the past 20 years, it has grown by a compound 12 percent. The total annual output is now $5.8 billion and the value added to the economy is $2.25 billion. The totals do not include airline or airport activity. Ninety percent of the activity is MRO, and Singapore claims a quarter of the regional market for such work. Singapore Technologies Aerospace and the SIA/Rolls-Royce joint venture SIAEC head the list. Others include Goodrich (thrust reversers); Honeywell (avionics and APUs); JAMCO (cabin interiors); Messier Services (landing gear); Pratt & Whitney Canada (APUs); Nordam (thrust reversers); Panasonic (cabin interiors); Rockwell Collins (avionics) and Thales (avionics and cabin interiors). Manufacturing is only 10 percent, but the government target is to raise that to 30 percent. The arrival of Rolls-Royce will help. Others already producing original aerospace parts here include Diethelm Keller (cabin interiors); Hamilton Sundstrand (engine gearshafts, compressor and turbine wheels); Honeywell and Thales (avionics); ATI (recently acquired by GE Aviation Services) and SAM (engine casings and airfoils). -C.P.
of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) based training and transport aircraft here until they were relocated to Australia and Paya Lebar airbase, respectively. ST Aerospace then took over the RSAF hangars on the west side of the airfield and is currently doing Boeing 757 passenger-to-freighter conversions there. Meanwhile, MRO and FBO companies such as Fokker Services Asia, Hawker Pacific and Jet Aviation moved into other hangars, some of them dating back to the 1930s. In Phases 1 and 2 of the redevelopment, JTC has opened up the airfield with a threelane dual-carriageway perimeter road with direct access to the Tampines Expressway; done drainage works; and built a 66-kv electricity generation plant–the largest such facility by capacity in Singapore. Fokker and Hawker Pacific have moved from their old hangars in the East Camp into brand-new facilities on the West side. Another recently completed facility houses EADS, which has moved the existing Eurocopter MRO facility from Loyang and added the local branch of its R&D shop–the Innovation Works–from the Singapore Science Park. Eurocopter is also adding simulators there. Bell Helicopter is also moving its overhaul facility from Loyang and will share a building now being built with fellow Textron company Cessna Aircraft. Work has also started on a new building for Pratt & Whitney, which is expanding in Singapore; it is retaining its site at Loyang. These companies have mostly signed 30-year leases with JTC and paid their own construction costs. However, Yeo told AIN that some foreign companies prefer to employ a third-party developer and do a sale-and-leaseback deal that keeps the asset off their balance sheets. JTC charges rent by the month or will negotiate an upfront payment discount covering 10 years or longer. JTC itself has built eight standard factory units suitable for MRO or component manufacturing. Situated on the southern side of the airfield, these 17,200- to 38,750sq-ft units do not have direct access to the airfield. Yeo said they are suitable for companies wanting to quickly start operations here; she promised to announce their first tenants at the show this week. JTC has also completed a Business Aviation Complex on the west side. This is a Singapore-style, seven-story factory for light industrial users. The 38 units range in size from 474- to 2,150-sq-ft. They are already 80 percent occupied, according to Yeo. Also in this area is Seletar’s small passenger terminal, through which all business aircraft passengers must now pass for immigration and security screening. Hawker Pacific, Jet Aviation and Universal Aviation offer FBO services at Seletar. Jet Aviation has signed a 30-year lease to retain its existing hangar and facilities near the passenger terminal.
18 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
This view from the southeast shows how the Seletar Aerospace Park will look when redevelopment of the old air base is complete in 2014-15. Rolls-Royce already occupies the largest buildings.
Meanwhile, on the east side, JTC has taken the initiative to put some small, general aviation companies together in a hangar-cum-training facility that has airside access. They include MAJ Aviation, which runs the Singapore Flying College and Youth Flying Club, and the Air Transport Training Centre. JTC is responsible for about half, or 400 acres, of the Seletar site. The other half is the airfield itself, which is managed by the Changi Airport Group, a part of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. It is extending the runway from 5,000 to 6,000 feet in two stages; adding an ILS to Runway 03 and approach lighting to the other end. A new control tower and fire station has just been commissioned. Mixed Views
Not everyone is impressed with developments at Seletar. After operating there for seven years, charter operator Executive Jets Asia is moving to the rival Senai Aviation Park at neighboring Malaysia’s nearest airport in Johor. EJA chief executive Prithpal Singh told local media last year that rental, construction and operating costs there were about half of the total at Seletar. EJA is spending $13 million on a 70,000-sq-ft hangar at Senai, where it “will compete very well against the MROs in Singapore, which have huge costs and space constraints,” he added. Malaysia had offered his company
Hawker Pacific opens new FBO at Seletar park Hawker Pacific is opening a new FBO plus an aircraft sales and support services facility at Seletar Airport, joining many other well-known companies that have been setting up in the Seletar Aerospace Park. The company, which has had a presence in Singapore for the past 35 years, will officially launch its new FBO location during this week’s airshow. The Sydney-based company’s CEO, Alan Smith, said, “2012 marks another successful year of expansion for Hawker Pacific and the launch of our new service center means our presence this year could not be more timely.” The new FBO marks another step forward in the Australian firm’s regional expansion–it already has a network of
CHRIS POCOCK
Conversion of the old Seletar airfield (situated on the north of the island, about 25 minutes’ drive from Changi) into a modern aerospace complex continues here in Singapore. Phase two of the governmentsponsored redevelopment is nearly finished, and four companies that have moved into new facilities are showing them off to airshow visitors and local guests this week. The new Rolls-Royce aero engine factory is the “signature” facility here, dominating the southern end of the airfield. The JTC Corp. (Booth G39) wants to attract more manufacturing and assembly companies. But Celine Yeo, manager of aerospace development for JTC, said the Seletar Aerospace Park (SAP) is also designed for companies specializing in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), business aviation, training and R&D. JTC is the government’s industrial real estate developer. It is responsible for no fewer than 43 industrial parks that house 5,600 companies. These parks include Changi North and Loyang, where some major multinational aerospace companies have settled (see box). It leases land to companies that want to purpose-build, and also offers ready-built facilities. With no more land available at either Changi or Loyang, JTC began upgrading sleepy Seletar in 2007. The Republic
About half of the charming old colonial houses on the property now occupied by the Seletar Aerospace Park have been retained.
a five-year tax holiday. C&A Aviation, another Seletar tenant that overhauls engines, is also moving to Senai. Malaysia is also developing a similar aviation park at Subang, the former international airport for Kuala Lumpur. JTC is now forging ahead with the third phase of the SAP. This is a three-year project to demolish and redevelop the old East Camp, which will also involve claiming some land from an adjacent army camp. More new hangars and factories are planned on the 170-acre site. o centers that includes Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Singapore, Perth, Shanghai and Malaysia. Its maintenance, repair and overhaul activities comprise structural modification and support services for both civil and military operators. Two years ago the company opened a facility at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport, receiving China’s first Part 145 maintenance operations approval last November. As the official authorized sales and service representative for Hawker Beechcraft, Hawker Pacific is also exhibiting three of the manufacturer’s business airplanes: the King Air 350ER, Hawker 4000 and Hawker 900XPR, in the airshow static display. “We have continued to make huge inroads with these aircraft in the Asia Pacific region and our display this year reflects their continued market suitability and demand,” Smith remarked. Hawker Pacific also represents Bell Helicopter and Diamond Aircraft, and is one of the largest independent companies of its type in Asia with nearly 600 employees. –L.M.
by David Donald Israel has a major presence here at the Singapore Airshow, arranged into a national pavilion under the auspices of SIBAT, the Israeli MOD’s defense export and cooperation division. Nine companies are exhibiting as part of the pavilion, between them offering what Brig. Gen. Shmaya Avieli, SIBAT’s director, describes as, “a wide range of Israeli technologies in the aviation, space and defense sectors, that together create a full and complete solution.” General Avieli highlighted the ability of Israeli industry to rapidly develop tailored solutions to suit any customer. “The close connection between the IDF [Israel Defense Force] and the industry creates a situation whereby the development, and the response to needs, is one of the fastest in the world,” he commented. As well as the household names of Elbit, IAI, IMI and Rafael, the Israeli pavilion includes participation by Aeromaoz, Hydromechanical Engineering (HEC), Kanfit, MTC Industries and Research, and Plasan. Aeromaoz is exhibiting a wide range of its human-machine interface applications, which include display panels, control systems, joystick and handgrip elements, and various internal and external lighting solutions.
HEC specializes in both test equipment for military and aviation applications, and ground support equipment. Examples of the latter include hydraulic launchers for UAVs, towing carts and fueling vehicles. Plasan designs, develops and manufactures ballistic armor protection and survivability
Israel’s aerospace industry is a major supplier of equipment to the Singapore air force, as evidenced by Israel Aerospace Industries’ G550 Conformal AEW aircraft on display here.
P&W has a good year as F-35 engine supplier by Ian Sheppard Pratt & Whitney’s engines power a wide range of military aircraft in operation around the world, but 2011’s developments in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Lightning II program made the company’s year–especially as its F135 became the sole powerplant for all three Lockheed Martin JSF variants: the conventional F-35A, STOVL F-35B and carrier-based (CV) F-35C. According to Bennett Croswell, Pratt & Whitney’s president for military engines, 2011 was a good year for the program. In October and November, the CV aircraft completed initial sea trials. Also last year, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded a long-lead production contract for the F-35 and Japan became the 13th customer to join the program. The ship trials involved two
systems. It provides a customized service for a wide range of air, sea and land vehicles. Here at the airshow it is showing off its armor solutions for tactical helicopters such as the Sikorsky Black Hawk, Boeing Chinook, Eurocopter Super Puma and Mil Mi-17. Plasan also offers armor solutions for Lockheed
C-130 Hercules transports. MTC Industries and Research Carmiel (Booth N51) is showing off its latest product in the Israeli pavilion–a redundant electromechanical rotary servo actuator (ERSA). The company claims that the redundancy built into the new ERSA will significantly reduce the number of UAV flight control failures, and so reduce the number of high-value losses. The ERSA is based on duplicate flight controls located on two separate control boards.
F-35B jets deploying to the USS Wasp for 20 days, said Croswell. This exercise contributed to nearly 1,000 flights undertaken by F-35 test aircraft during the year. Meanwhile, Pratt & Whitney delivered a further 27 productionstandard engines in 2011 to add to the first 12, delivered in 2010. It is due to deliver around 50 engines this year, confirmed Croswell. “The first aircraft are deployed at Eglin [Air Force Base in Florida] now, so it will soon be truly operational,” he explained to AIN. Asked about what it meant for Pratt & Whitney that the U.S. DOD had effectively eliminated the possibility of the GE/RollsRoyce rival F136 engine being continued, Croswell commented: “Our focus remains the same as always–getting the cost down. For example, we took $1.5 million
out of costs last year, so we are behaving no differently now that the F136 is not in it.” He admitted, however, that being “so far along” with the F135 program had meant the F136 would have a lot of catching up to do. The F135 has now logged more than 20,000 hours powering the F-35 fighter. Asia Pacific Success
Japan was a big deal for the program, with it beating off rival bids from Eurofighter (Typhoon) and Boeing (with the F-18) to win the order. This takes the F-35 customer base to 13: eight partner nations, Israel and Japan, and the three U.S. services. The next big announcement will be the downselect by South Korea where the F-35 is up against the Boeing F-15 and Eurofighter Typhoon–a choice that involves Pratt & Whitney engines on two of the three competing platforms: the F135 and the F100 on the F-35 and F-15, respectively. Meanwhile, Pratt & Whitney hopes that Singapore will ultimately choose to order the F-35. At present it has “observer status” as a so-called
DAVID McINTOSH
Israeli pavilion showcases industry
security cooperative participant. The other big regional news in 2011 was the announcement that India is to procure 10 Boeing C-17 transport aircraft, each of which will be powered by four Pratt & Whitney F-117 units (so the total will be 40 fitted engines plus five spares). “This was big as it is a relatively large buy,” said Croswell, who also noted that Australia took its fifth C-17 in the
This back-up feature allows the UAV to continue flying in the event of a component failure. Another advantage of the ERSA is its use of dual DC brushless motors, which offer much-reduced maintenance requirements due to a lack of wear and tear compared with traditional brush-based motors. Control and servo actuators are just one product line in MTC’s portfolio of electromechanical products. The company also produces a range of gyros and MEMS devices, electric motors, position sensors, solenoid valves, slip rings and gimbal units. As well as its production location at Karmiel in Israel, the company operates a facility in Dallas, Texas. Exhibiting as part of the Israeli Pavilion, Kanfit (Booth N49) is showcasing its capabilities in the field of developing and manufacturing components for the aerospace industry. The company has considerable expertise in integrating composites and metal, and also using resin transfer molding (RTM). One area where the company has employed its capabilities is in the manufacture of chaff- and flare-dispenser magazines. RTM technology provides lightweight units that, through the removal of seams and welding, have no failure points. Kanfit’s technology allows the units to be highly reproducible with tight tolerances, said the company. o year, with a sixth likely to follow. Moving out of production after only 187 (plus eight development aircraft) were made–out of the initially planned total of 1,500–is the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter, which is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s F119 engine. “This year we will deliver the last one,” said Croswell. The F119 recently exceeded 200,000 flight hours on the aircraft. o
Bennett Croswell, Pratt & Whitney military engines president, noted progress on the F-35 program during 2011.
www.ainonline.com • February 14, 2012 • Singapore Airshow News 19
Film star and philanthropist Jackie Chan’s new Embraer Legacy 650 is on the static display here in Singapore.
Dallas Airmotive boosts engine support in Asia
Jackie Chan’s Legacy is Singapore showpiece by Liz Moscrop Film star Jackie Chan’s new Embraer Legacy 650 executive jet is on display in the static park here at the Singapore Airshow. The aircraft touched down on Sunday evening, making its first public appearance since the actor and philanthropist took delivery on February 3 in São Paolo, Brazil. “I am looking forward to flying in this marvelous aircraft. China has become a very important market for executive aircraft and I am honored to be a part
of Embraer’s efforts in my home country,” said Chan, who is the first Legacy 650 owner in China. Embraer’s new brand ambassador is as famous for his deathdefying stunts as he is for his acting, and has broken just about every bone in his body. Speaking to AIN at the delivery ceremony last week, he said, “I am the king of action films and people expect this of me.” He added that the aircraft will help him with promotional tours and his charity work. The star also designed
Record deliveries in Asia raise overcapacity alarm by Neelam Mathews Even as Asia Pacific airlines survived a testing 2011, overcapacity as a result of increased fleet orders is still concerning investors, who are already less willing to finance procurements in the current debt-laden environment. This was the message from Sydney-based thinktank, the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), at the Low Cost Airlines Asia summit here in Singapore last week. Record aircraft delivery levels in 2012 are taking place with gusto despite the slow growth in traffic. Overall, Asia Pacific airlines have 520 aircraft on firm order for delivery over the next three years, 120 of which are widebodies, with many of the new deliveries additional rather
than replacement aircraft. This equates to 15 aircraft deliveries per month, which could increase
the vibrant red-and-yellow paint scheme on the aircraft, which incorporates his logo–a dragon image and his son’s initials. “Jackie’s ebullient personality, spirit of relentless innovation and commitment to society echo the core values of Embraer,” said Ernest Edwards, president of Embraer Executive Jets. “His worldwide prestige makes him an ideal brand ambassador.” China is consistently cited as the fastest growing market for new business jets, and Embraer is still in negotiations with Aviation Industry Corp. of China about establishing a Legacy 600/650 production line in China using the infrastructure, financial resources and workforce of their joint venture company, Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Co. o to a rate more than double this number, based on leased additions, cautioned the CAPA. “The upshot of the combination of factors is lower load factors and reduced yields…, which in turn implies damage to airlines’ bottom lines in what is now an intensely competitive market, with low-cost airlines, Gulf carriers and Chinese airlines all
Air Asia X was established in 2007 to focus on the low-cost, long-haul market segment. The airline is part of the Malaysia-based Air Asia Group, Asia’s largest low-cost carrier.
20 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Dallas Airmotive’s regional Pacific region are based in Singaturbine center at Singapore’s pore and Bangalore and will be Seletar Aerospace Park cele- added in Hong Kong and eastbrated its official opening with ern Australia this year. Teams a ceremony on Monday led by work 24/7 to respond to incidents general manager Francis Lee. throughout the region. Speaking at the ceremony, The center will offer authorized Honeywell services for auxil- Lim Kok Kiang, executive direciary power units (APUs) and tor transport engineering at the business aviation engines, and Singapore economic developrespond to aircraft-on-ground ment board, said Dallas Air(AOG) situations. motive’s presence “will help The new facility will pro- to reinforce Seletar Aerospace vide major periodic inspections Park’s position as the leading and line maintenance for the business aviation location in TFE731 engine, and line main- the Asia Pacific region.” Daltenance for Honeywell CFE738 las Airmotive president Hugh and HTF7000 turbofans–engines McElroy emphasized his comfound on aircraft such as the pany’s “long-term commitment Dassault Falcon 2000, Bombar- to operators and suppliers in the dier Challenger 300 and a variety region.” The new service center of Bombardier Learjet, Cessna is, he added, “only the beginning Citation and Gulfstream mod- of what promises to be a very els. Plans call for adding other fruitful collaboration.” –T.D. engine programs in the future. In addition, it will offer line maintenance for Honeywell RE100, RE220 and 36 series APUs. The Seletar Aerospace Park facility is part of Dallas Airmotive’s First Support global technical support network. For AOG response, the company’s mobile field ser- Dallas Airmotive technicans work on the Honeywell vice teams for the Asia TFE731 turbofan, now supported at Seletar airpark. vying for larger shares of markets that were historically the territory of the region’s flag carriers,” added the CAPA. Five new airlines were launched in Asia last year. “What worries equity investors is overcapacity and rise in fuel prices. If fuel spikes, yields will fall. As a result of overcapacity, business will be down,” Anup Mysoor, managing director and Asia head of aviation with Citi’s Global Investment Banking division, said at last week’s conference. Frequencies already are being added feverishly in the north and northeast Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan) sectors and discounted airfares are becoming the norm. Budget airlines with large orders seem to be aware of the challenges ahead. “Growth will happen here, north to Asia and south to Australia,” said Azran Osman Rani, CEO of AirAsia X. “We are reallocating. We need to bring scale. There is difficulty in spreading too thin.
Concentration and scale will be key as we double our fleet. For us, it is driving the power of the network. That is why we chose Japan,” added Azran. ANA Group, Japan’s largest airline, and AirAsia have teamed up to form AirAsia Japan, a new budget carrier. The words of Garry Kingshott, chief executive advisor, Cebu Pacific, might be a sign of things to come. When asked how he viewed competition in light of excessive entrants heading in the same direction, he said: “Who cares? We’re the lowest cost producer. We’ll win the war.” According to OAG data as at January 27, the total Asia Pacific fleet stands at 5,436 aircraft (plus 75 in “storage”) with a further 3,202 on order. o
PRODUCTION POD
Vigilance AESA radar pod is surveillance all-rounder
Pod Pylon Mounts
by Chris Pocock Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have teamed to offer a podmounted radar surveillance system that can easily be fitted to transport aircraft or medium-size helicopters. The Vigilance system is being marketed as a viable alternative to expensive, role-dedicated airborne platforms. It also offers maritime and overland reconnaissance options, thanks to the versatility of modern AESA radar technology. The Vigilance system was unveiled at an airborne early warning conference in Malaysia recently. The impetus for the collaboration was a pending UK requirement to replace aging Sea King airborne surveillance and control (ASaC) helicopters. Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems is proposing to adapt some of the Royal Navy’s EH-101 Merlin helicopters for this purpose. The company is already contracted to upgrade the mission systems of the UK Merlin fleet, which is used for maritime surveillance and attack. The software and hardware (including operator consoles) from this upgrade project form a key part of the Vigilance proposal. They process and display the
APG-80/SABR AESA Radar
IFFiES Antenna EMS Sensors
data from the radar and other sensors mounted in self-contained pods that have their own environmental control system and anti-vibration mountings. The radar is a minimal adaptation of Northrop Grumman’s fighter-size APG80/81 series. A gimbal will be added to provide a 180-degree field of view. Two pods fitted to each side of a Merlin, H-60 or similar-size helicopter would provide hemispheric coverage. On a C-130, the pods would be mounted under the outer wings. The CN-235 is another potential fixed-wing platform. Up to four roll-on, roll-off consoles can be included. “This is a modular and scalable
Cooling System
The Vigilance pod is fully self-contained, with its own cooling system. The APG-80 radar was first fitted to F-16 Block 60 fighters sold to the UAE Air Force. A UK Royal Navy Merlin helicopter (left) fitted with the prototype Vigilance pod is to make test flights shortly, as the pod has already completed ground testing.
multi-role fit solution that incorporates leading-edge technology at a low cost of ownership,” said Neil Morphett, manager of systems solutions for Lockheed Martin UK. He said a prototype pod has been developed with company funds and will be test-flown in the UK shortly. It has already been ground-tested at Northrop Grumman’s Baltimore facility in the U.S., where it tracked airliners approaching the adjacent BWI airport. The pod weighs just over 600 pounds and requires 25 kW of power. Morphett said the Vigilance system can
import the host aircraft’s navigation and communications systems, although this is not a prerequisite. Lockheed Martin UK has designed an easy-interface panel that fits on the side of the display console and offers multiple connections to the aircraft. Because the mission system backbone is Ethernet-based, the outputs can be datalinked to the ground via multiplex and time-sharing on the aircraft’s existing antennas. Lockheed Martin claims that the Windows-based software displays are very flexible and adaptable, and easy for operators to learn and maintain. o
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DEFENDING WORLD SECURITY
Indian MRO Air Works extends its service reach by Neelam Mathews Air Works, India’s only thirdparty maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider in commercial aviation, is making large investments to enter the general aviation market for heavy maintenance and, at the same time, is putting down roots in Europe, with the imminent opening of a new aircraft paint facility at Bratislava Airport in Slovakia. The 60-year-old company already claims to hold a 30- to 40-percent share of the general aviation MRO sector in India. Meanwhile, Air Works (Booth G93) also is looking to play a larger role in supporting India’s growing regional airline network as more smaller cities get scheduled service. For instance, budget carrier SpiceJet’s initial order for 15 Bombardier Dash 8 Q-400s (seven of which have been delivered) and Embraer’s aggressive efforts to market its E-Jets in the country have prompted the
863 ,946 TIONS
company to plan ahead. Currently, it is working with both Bombardier and Embraer to develop a $2 million maintenance facility with up to C-check level capability at a private airfield in Hosur, near Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore). “The facility will take a year to complete, along with training, tooling, building confidence of the team and customers,” Air Works CEO Vivek Gour told AIN. “India is a long-term destination and our plans for expansion are not related to the fortunes of a few airlines.” Air Works will move in anticipation of growth expected in the country and will eventually tap business from Central Asia, the Middle East, Thailand and Sri Lanka, he said. The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding for a 25-year lease with Slovakia’s Bratislava Airport for a new paint hangar already under
Air Works offers heavy maintenance checks on 12 aircraft types, including Hawker Beechcraft jets, Bombardier Challengers, Dassault Falcon 2000s and Bell 407 and 206 helicopters.
construction to be ready by July. It will undertake paint work there for single-aisle Boeing and Airbus aircraft, Fokker 70 and 100s, as well as old Soviet Tupolev Tu154s and Antonov An-24s. Air Works, which already holds an 85-percent stake in paint specialist Air Livery UK, expects to win around 50 new contracts for painting aircraft each year at the new facility–earning revenues of up to $4 million per year. Of India’s assorted fleet of 425 general aviation aircraft, about 125 are executive jets, and half of them are preowned. Since the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation requires separate Indian certification for every model, Air Works initially has identified 12 commonly used types for which it offers heavy maintenance checks. They include Hawker Beechcraft’s jets, Dassault Falcon 2000s, Bell 407 and 206 helicopters and Bombardier Challengers. It is now in the process of acquiring approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency for its Mumbai and Delhi facilities. “While, technically, we do not need EASA, it is accepted as a stamp of quality,” said Gour. Heavy maintenance checks have already been carried out on
Visit us at stand J23
the Bell 206 and 407 and three business jets, including a Hawker 800 and a Bombardier Challenger 600. By the end of this year, the company plans to have completed between 12 and 15 heavy maintenance checks at its Mumbai and Delhi hangars, said Gour. It expects to have more than 20 clients by 2013. “Then, we’ll be in business,” he said. Air Works is currently constructing a 32,500-sq-ft-hangar in Hosur to accommodate the Challenger, as its present hangars in Mumbai and Delhi are not tall enough for the larger models in that family o
Rolls-Royce powers up at new Singapore site by Chris Pocock The new Rolls-Royce factory in Singapore could be producing half of the company’s large commercial engines by the middle of this decade. The 1.65-million-sqft campus at Seletar Airport has cost more than $450 million to build, with some of the funding coming from the island republic’s Economic Development Board. Rolls-Royce managers expect to assemble engines and make fan blades more efficiently here than in the UK, thanks to the clean-sheet, all-under-one-roof building designs. Assembly of Trent 900 engines for the Airbus A380 is to begin in the huge Seletar assembly and test unit (SATU) in middle of this year, followed by Trent 1000s for the 787. By the end of 2013, the company predicts 250 engines will leave Singapore for Seattle or Toulouse every year. Three of the eight Trent 900 modules are also planned to be built here, starting next year. 6,000 Blades Per Year
In a second large building next door, preparations to manufacture the company’s signature wide-chord fan blades (WCFBs) with their hollow titanium design, are well advanced. Production is to start next October, and output is expected to reach 6,000 blades per year by 2015. About 500 people are to be employed in the new operations at Seletar. Rolls-Royce has attracted employees from other aerospace companies in Singapore, but is also working closely with the island’s Institute of Technical Engineering and polytechnics to train new young engineers. The company’s goal is to employ 80 percent local
talent, with the other 20 percent coming from abroad, including elsewhere in Asia. A Regional Training Centre (RTC) forms an integral part of the Seletar “campus,” and will eventually offer courses to 4,000 people each year, including airline customers. The RTC has attracted funding support from Singapore’s Workforce Development Agency. During the commissioning process at Seletar, various employees have been drafted from the UK, and the newly appointed local production managers have spent up to eight months in the UK learning the processes there. Assembly Line
The assembly process at SATU will begin with the logging of inbound modules and components by CEVA Logistics, the supply chain manager that Rolls-Royce has appointed. The fan cases and vertical cores are built up on separate, sixposition flow lines starting from opposite ends of the building. They move forward at a rate of one position per working day. On the seventh day, the fan and core are joined, tilted and moved by overhead gantries to a horizontal line, where four more stages are taken to complete the assembly. Trent 900s and 1000s can be assembled on these lines interchangeably. The gantry system is flexible enough to move one engine ahead of another if an assembly problem holds up any one unit. The completed engines are then moved onto one of four gantries where they are prepared for test runs. The single
Engineers complete assembly work on a Trent engine in one of four horizontal build stations at Rolls-Royce facility. For the first time ever, Rolls-Royce has transferred the sophisticated technology to manufacture wide-chord fan blades outside the UK.
test cell was built by Sanco, a Safran company, and is due to be handed over next month after proving runs using a Trent 900 engine built in Derby, UK. Rolls-Royce has not previously manufactured WCFBs outside the UK, so the Seletar factory is another high-tech landmark for Singapore. Blades for the Trent 900, 1000 and XWB will all be produced here, as a second source to the company’s Barnoldswick facility in the UK. Diffusion bonding, superplastic forming and geometrical optical measurement techniques are all part of the process, organized into six stages (or cells) of production. The layout is an improvement on Barnoldswick, and so is the target cycle time: 21 days to manufacture. But the output must exactly match that
of the UK site, with any new processes introduced here also introduced there. Joint Ventures Continue
So much for manufacturing. Rolls-Royce will continue its two well-established engine overhaul joint ventures with SIA Engineering Co. at Changi and Loyang near the airshow site. Singapore Aero Engine Services Ltd. has been handling Trent engines for 11 years, and now employs 800
people. International Engine Component Overhaul employs a further 200. A study commissioned by Rolls-Royce concluded that, by 2015, the c ompany’s activities in Singapore will contribute nearly $1.2 billion and sustain nearly 25,000 jobs in the wider economy. o
The two new Rolls-Royce factories and central hub building at Seletar dominate one end of the airfield that is being redeveloped as an aerospace park.
24 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
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Pilot Report:
Eurocopter EC175
Eurocopter launched its medium-class EC175 four years ago at the Heli-Expo show in Houston, Texas, showing a fuselage mockup of the new helicopter. Last month, AIN editor-in-chief Randy Padfield had the opportunity to fly one of the EC175 prototypes at Eurocopter’s main facility on MarseilleProvence Airport in France. This is his report of that flight. Alain Di Bianca, chief test pilot of the Eurocopter EC175 program, and Michel Oswald, flight engineer, made it clear to me before our demonstration flight in January that the aircraft we would be flying is a prototype, in fact, the first of two EC175 prototypes. Therefore, it is not fully compliant with the production EC175s, two of which are in final assembly at Eurocopter’s
Marignane, France facility. Certification of the new model in its configuration for the oil and gas market is pegged for the end of this year. Di Bianca and Oswald explained that several components of prototype PT1 are not representative of the production aircraft, and they warned me it might suffer some failures during the flight, particularly with the autopilot. This proved prophetic. Then Di Bianca asked me to sign a document that released Eurocopter of all liability in case of an accident. “It is standard procedure for any non-Eurocopter pilots,” he said. I signed without hesitation. The two prototypes had logged some 270 hours since the first one made its initial flight on Dec. 4, 2009. I was sure PT1, which had accrued
17,500-pound AW189 (planned for first deliveries in 2014), as well as the new Bell 525, which the U.S. company announced at the 2012 Heli-Expo show. One could also add the larger Super Puma and Sikorsky S-92, many of which are already in the fleets of operators who constitute the EC175’s target customers. With these markets in mind and feedback from current Dauphin and Super Puma customers, Eurocopter engineers set about designing a mediumclass offshore helicopter that could also perform SAR or be purpose-built for other missions, including VIP and law enforcement. Safety, comfort, reliability and performance better than current offerings were the main goals. Eurocopter has not publicly announced prices for the EC175.
190 of these hours, was safe. Earlier that day, EC175 marketing manager François de Bray told me the new model’s main markets are the oil and gas industry, search-andrescue (SAR) and VIP transport, in that order, but the most important is oil and gas. SAR is a dual market, for stand-alone SAR operations and for oiland-gas operators who need to provide quick-change SAR services for their customers. A seven-metric-ton-class aircraft, the estimated 16,500pound EC175 fills an empty niche in Eurocopter’s product line between the Dauphin series (AS365N3+ and EC155B1) and the Super Puma series (AS332L1 and EC225). Its main competitors are the 14,000-pound AgustaWestland AW139 (in production) and
Information Display
PHOTOS: ERIC RAZE/EUROCOPTER
F-WWPB is the first EC175 prototype (PT1). The medium twin features a new-generation Spheriflex five-blade main rotor and threeblade tail rotor. The wind sock on the hangar shows the lack of wind for the demo flight.
26 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
On our demo flight the safety aspect, particularly from the pilot’s perspective, was evident from the engine start. The EC175 cockpit borrows heavily from the EC225, and includes several improvements and features to simplify the pilot’s job while protecting the passengers, crew and components, particularly the single largestcost item, the helicopter’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67E turboshaft engines. Eurocopter is taking a bold step in how it presents information to the pilots. The goal is to reduce pilot workload by showing information about systems only when they warrant attention, and in a graphically clear manner. This is made possible
R. Randall PADFIELD
by R. Randall Padfield
Alain Di Bianca, chief test pilot for the Eurocopter EC175. The two prototypes of the helicopter have more than 270 flight hours.
by providing a greater degree of automatic control by the aircraft’s many systems, primarily the avionics, autopilots and full-authority digital engine controls (Fadecs). If you want a fictional example, think of Hal in the book and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, but in a nicer way. Eurocopter calls this new system Helionix. Take the oil and hydraulic temperatures and pressures as an example. None of these, except when misbehaving, is shown on the multifunction displays (MFDs), called “flight navigation displays” (FNDs), in front of each pilot, because the FNDs show all the parameters required for flight management, but only these parameters. However, the noncritical information is available for the pilots to view on
the flight, the VMD page stays out of view and the secondary MFD is used to display multiple mission functions, including digital map, H-Taws, Flir, electronic flight bag and more. For our engine start, Di Bianca demonstrated use of the optional “declutch” feature that is available for the left (number-one) engine only. The design objective is to provide electrical power without adding the cost and weight of an aircraft auxiliary power unit or the need to engage the MGB
or the cabin. Interestingly, the customer must choose which one when selecting this option. SAR operators may want the cockpit heated or cooled, while VIP aircraft operators would probably select the cabin. Before starting the left engine, the crew must select the declutch switch. Then the engine is started, but it remains declutched from the MGB, turning only a generator, and the rotors don’t move. When it is time to go, the pilot starts the right engine, which engages
EC175 Dimensions and Weights Fuselage width
7.4 ft (2.25 m)
Main rotor diameter
48.6 ft (14.8 m)
Length from main rotor tip to tail rotor tip
59.3 ft (18.06 m)
Height from ground to top of tail rotor
17.5 ft (5.34 m)
Clearance from ground to tail rotor
7.5 ft (2.3 m)
Clearance from ground to bottom of fuselage
1.3 ft (0.4 m)
Cabin
Length:
12.8 ft (3.9 m)
Width:
7 ft (2.13 m)
Height:
4.6 ft (1.4 m)
Volume:
434 cu ft (12.3 cu m)
Cargo compartment volume
95.3 cu ft (2.7 cu m)
Approximate maximum weight
16,500 lb (7.5 metric tons)
Maximum fuel External cargo hook limit
4,660 lb (2,590 liters) gravity refueling 4,710 lb (2,710 liters) pressure refueling 6,600 lb (3,000 kg)
EC175 Performance and Maintenance
PHOTOS: ERIC RAZE/EUROCOPTER
the vehicle management display (VMD) page on a second MFD in front of each pilot, which is used during most of the flight as a mission display. This MFD also displays a digital map, helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (H-Taws), forward-looking infrared (Flir) and electronic flight bag. All systems’ parameters are constantly monitored by the Helionix system. If the main gearbox (MGB) oil pressure decreases, for example, an alert appears in the “Master List” at the bottom of the FND. This Master List color-codes items by severity and lists them by priority. If the severity of the condition warrants a red alert, an automated voice announces the warning to the pilots. The MGB, by the way, has already proved it can run for more than 30 minutes after losing lubrication. Redundancy in the Helionix system works such that pilots can access all information on a single monitor, if need be. Helionix goes beyond the way information is displayed (or not) and uses the dual flight management system (FMS) with GPS, four-axis automatic flight control system (AFCS, from the EC225) and dual-channel Fadecs to provide flight-envelope protection as well. H-Taws and Tcas II (traffic alert collision avoidance system) are also included. A complete rendering of this philosophy as it applies to the EC175 would require a much longer article, but a few examples will show how it is applied. The VMD page is used for engine start. During the start, the dual redundant Fadecs keep engine rpm and temperature within limits, and shut down the engine automatically if necessary. Engine starts are done with the rotor brake off, so the rotor begins to turn as soon as an engine speeds up enough to turn the connection to the MGB. The pilots need only monitor the VMD page for any warnings as the engine and rotor speeds increase to idle. For the rest of
Maximum speed (Vne)
175 kts
Best range speed
140 kts
Best endurance speed
Not yet defined
Radius of action, offshore configuration (L to r) Alain Di Bianca, EC175 test pilot; Michel Oswald, flight engineer; Francois de Bray (standing), EC175 marketing manager; Mickael Melaye, senior operational marketing manager (oil and gas applications) and the author. Below, the flight engineer’s console, behind the copilot, takes up a large part of PT1’s passenger cabin.
6 pax
135 nm
18 pax
100 nm
12 pax
190 nm
Engines (two)
P&WC PT6C-67E, with dual-channel Fadec
Maximum power
about 2,000 shp each
Power ratings
OEI 30 seconds, OEI 2 minutes, MTOP allowed 50 minutes
Estimated fuel consumption
1,035 pph (470 kph)
Engine TBO
5,000 hours
MGB TBO
5,000 hours
Main and tail rotors
“on condition”
EC175 Additional Features
and turn the rotors when an external power unit is unavailable. One of the main reasons to have electrical power is to run the displays, hydraulics and radios and the heater or air conditioner for either the cockpit
EC175 Development and Certification Eurocopter, a division of EADS (Booth J23), is developing the EC175 in cooperation with Avicopter, a subsidiary of Avic, in China. Avicopter is the sole-source provider of the fuselage. Eurocopter is the technical lead and systems integrator and has responsibility for the MGB, tail rotor, avionics, autopilot, hydraulic and electrical systems, doors and windows. Avicopter’s version of the helicopter is the Z-15, which is being produced by Avic’s Harbin Aviation Industry Group (Haig). Haig is responsible for the airframe, tail and intermediate gearboxes, main rotor, fuel system, flight controls and landing gear. Eurocopter expects to obtain EASA certification for the EC175 before the end of this year and deliver the first aircraft to the launch customer soon after.
the MGB and turns the rotors. The Fadecs bring the rotor rpm to idle. After the pilot switches off the declutch switch, the Fadecs gently accelerate the left engine so it engages the MGB as the power turbine speed (Nf) increases to idle. After the start, Di Bianca taxied PT1 from the Eurocopter ramp on Marseilles Provence Airport, which held several other helicopters awaiting test flights or delivery, to a spot where we could hover. Oswald was sitting behind me at a flight-test console in the cabin, just behind the copilot’s seat. In this position, he could see Di Bianca in the pilot’s seat, but would have to look around the console to see me. Flight-test equipment filled much of the
• New-generation Spheriflex, five-blade main rotor • New-generation Spheriflex, three-blade tail rotor • Five-tank fuel system complying with latest crashworthiness requirements • 18-person life rafts and personal locator beacons in the steps • Automatically deployable emergency locator transmitter (floating) on tail boom • Emergency locator transmitter in cockpit next to copilot • Emergency flotation certified to sea state 6 • Cockpit video camera • Tail-fin video camera showing on MFD in cockpit • Ice-protection development to come in 2012
rest of the prototype’s cabin. The EC175 was designed to accommodate 16 passengers for oil and gas operations. With this number of passengers, the helicopter has a radius of action of 135 nm. Eurocopter recently introduced an 18-seat cabin configuration, which cuts the radius of action to 100 nm. The cabin length, from the back of the pilots’ seats to the beginning of the shelf that defines the storage compartment, is 12.8 feet (3.9 meters); the height of the cabin is 4.6 feet (1.4 meters) and its width is 7 feet (2.13 meters). In both the 16- and 18-seat configurations, most seats face forward,
except for the front row, which faces back to make club seating with the first and second rows. No passenger is more than one seat away from an egress door or window, all of which pop out. The seats comply with the latest crashworthy requirements. Eurocopter officials said the size of the storage area had been checked by filling it with 18 bags of the size typically carried by offshore oil workers. With the autopilots in the three-axis mode (Eurocopter uses “autopilot” interchangeably with “AFCS”), Di Bianca showed how one can hover just about hands off, at least Continued on page 30 u
www.ainonline.com • February 14, 2012 • Singapore Airshow News 27
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Pilot Report:
Eurocopter EC175
uContinued from page 27
in the no-wind condition we had at the moment. Then he made a standard takeoff and climbed to the northeast. In cruise flight, Helionix holds rotor rpm at 97 percent when below 1,000 feet agl to reduce the 175’s noise footprint. Flight Envelope Protection
In the area of flight-envelope protection, Helionix safeguards the engines and MGB in both all-engines operating (AEO) and one-engine inoperative (OEI) conditions. The Pratt turboshafts have three OEI ratings, including “super emergency power,” which is the 30-second OEI rating. So if one engine had failed on our takeoff, the AFCS would have put the aircraft into the correct attitude to obtain and hold Vy (the optimum OEI speed) and the Fadecs would have increased the engine power to the 30-second OEI rating. If needed, the pilot could pull the collective
past maximum power. Everything would have been clearly annunciated in the “Master List” on the FND and audio warnings provided. During normal flight and with the autopilots in the threeaxis mode, Helionix maintains airspeed between 60 knots and Vne and will automatically activate control of the collective axis (thus adding the fourth axis) when airspeed decreases to 60 knots. In addition, protection from controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) is facilitated by automatic engagement of altitude hold when the helicopter descends to 200 feet above the ground and airspeed hold maintains 65 knots. And at low forward airspeeds and in hover, Helionix limits vertical descent to 300 feet per minute as a way to avoid settling with power (also known as vortex ring state). When we reached a safe practice area, Di Bianca demonstrated another example
Helionix places two large multifunction displays in front of both pilots. All displays are interchangable. Eurocopter elected to keep a caution/warning annunciator panel in the center to ease the EC175’s certification. The panel of instruments above the glare shield are for flight testing only. The cyclic (right) provides control of numerous items.
of the EC175’s flight-envelope protection. Eurocopter has designed the helicopter to be flown hands off using four-axis autopilot control, but pilots can also easily fly it without engaging any of the autopilot’s higher hold functions (altitude, heading, navigation, airspeed, glideslope and so on). Regardless of the
PHOTOS: ERIC RAZE/EUROCOPTER
When opened, the sliding cabin doors do not block the baggage compartment doors on each side of the EC175, nor the pressure refueling port on the right side. All windows qualify for emergency egress of occupants.
30 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
autopilot modes engaged, if the 175 enters into a flight attitude in which the pilot feels unsafe, he or she can depress a designated button on the cyclic twice in quick succession and the autopilot will immediately take control to level the helicopter and hold heading, altitude and airspeed steady. Di Bianca did this during a climbing right turn that skimmed the bottom of a ragged overcast. Then he let me try the function while in a descending left turn. In both examples, the AFCS took control immediately and we were quickly flying straight, level and safely. Sweet. However, shortly after this demonstration, both autopilots dropped off line. I was still flying. Di Bianca noted the advisory messages on the NFD and said something in French to Oswald. I was still getting comfortable with both the cockpit displays and feel of the aircraft, which did seem a bit touchier than before, but not alarmingly so. Then I saw the indication about the autopilots. Di Bianca called this a “degraded SAS mode,” because the prototype has a rudimentary stability augmentation system instead of the more capable back-up autopilot of the production aircraft. Nevertheless, PT1 still seemed fairly stable to me, about the
same as flying a typical SAS in a light helicopter. At that point in the flight I had maybe 15 minutes of stick time in the aircraft, so I half expected Di Bianca to take control. This was a dual autopilot failure, after all. But he let me continue flying all the way to touchdown at Aix les Milles, a small general aviation airport about 10 minutes away. After we landed, he tried resetting the two autopilots again, but only the number-one system came on. However, only one system is needed to engage the higher AP functions, had we wanted to use them. Hovering did seem more stable with the autopilot back on. I did pedal turns in both directions and Di Bianca showed a max-rate pedal turn, which was much beyond passenger Continued on page 32 u
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Pilot Report:
Eurocopter EC175 uContinued from page 30
was no wind, so I did not have to contend with cross and tail winds. I was quickly becoming comfortable with this helicopter. I asked to see an out-of-ground-effect hover at 1,000 feet, thinking I’d take off,
PHOTOS: ERIC RAZE/EUROCOPTER
comfort, as well as my own. He demonstrated 50-knot sideways flight down an empty taxiway, after which I did the same at a much slower speed, adding a couple of 360-degree hovering turns as we glided back to takeoff spot. There
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32 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
climb and then slow to zero airspeed. But Di Bianca took over, got clearance from the tower and quickly climbed straight up to 1,000 feet. From our high perch, I could not detect any drift over the ground. Granted, the helicopter was well below the prototype’s max takeoff weight of about 7.5 metric tons (16,500 pounds). We had taken off weighing just under seven tons and flown for about 45 to 50 minutes, which gave us a weight of about 14,500 pounds. So we were medium weight, but that vertical climb was impressive nonetheless. Di Bianca gave the controls back to me. I nudged the cyclic forward and lowered collective to gain airspeed in a dive. I was hard pressed to feel any change in vibrations as the aircraft moved through translational lift, and was reminded that I had not noticed an increase in vibrations on my approach to a hover at Aix les Milles either. De Bray, the marketing manager, had said earlier that the EC155’s vibration level was the engineers’ benchmark for the 175. I have not flown that model, but Di Bianca claimed that customer pilots who have flown both agreed that the vibration levels of the two models are similar. Because vibration has been optimized at the source, using the MGB mounts and a torque-absorbing, flexible mounting plate inherited from the Super Puma, the 175 does not need an activevibration control system, as many other helicopters do, de Bray had said. As I flew back to Marseille Provence Airport, we passed over an uninhabited plateau. Di Bianca took the controls again, banked steeply, allowed the nose to drop and did a reasonable imitation of a strafing run before he banked into a hard right turn, pulling some more gs. Test pilots are fun to fly with. Some hikers below looked up and waved. Eurocopter, with around 8,500 employees in the area, is apparently well liked around Marseille. The control tower directed us into the pattern behind an airliner as we flew
over the Etang de Berre, a large, freshwater lake into which Runway 13L/31R protrudes. I made the approach and then ended at about 50 knots in a high hovertaxi down the 11,483-foot runway until I turned into the taxiway that fronts the Eurocopter facility. Our photographer waited near the landing pad, so I made the touchdown as carefully as I could. The EC175 lifts off slightly nose up, with the right wheel coming up just before the left one, so when landing, the left wheel touches down first, just before the right one, and then the nosewheel. Di Bianca had taxied out for our takeoff from Marseille, so this was my first chance to ground taxi. Under his instruction, I held the cyclic in a neutral position and pulled an inch or two of collective to get us rolling. Gentle application of tail rotor pedals kept us in the right direction and the brakes worked equally well. Ground taxiing the Super Puma can be a real bear, but the 175 was a piece of cake. The new model’s landing gear, by the way, retracts such that it still hangs low enough below the fuselage to permit a landing without the bottom of the fuselage touching the ground, a customer request, Mickael Melaye, operational marketing manager, had said during another briefing earlier in the day. Shutdown went so quickly I almost missed it. I saw that Di Bianca had engaged the rotor brake only after I saw the main rotor blades slowing. Our onehour, five-minute flight was over. o About the author Randy Padfield, AIN’s editor-in-chief, flew helicopters in the USAF for search and rescue, in North Sea offshore service and for Donald Trump. He has more than 9,000 flight hours.
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Airbus Military’s C295 could be assembled in Indonesia under the terms of a new agreement. The airlifter’s rough-field capabilities are seen as having wide application throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Airbus Military boosts Indonesia’s industry Airbus Military has embarked on a major program to assist the Indonesian aerospace industry expand its capabilities and to put the planemaker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI - Indonesian Aerospace) back on its feet after suffering heavy losses accumulated after the Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s. In October the two companies signed a teaming agreement defining the initiatives of the initial 18-month phase of the recovery plan, following a strategic collaboration agreement signed last July. For Airbus Military (Booth G53a) the deal establishes Indonesia as its marketing and production base for expansion in the Asia Pacific region. That expansion does not cover just the smaller transport aircraft, but could include the A330 MRTT tanker/transport and A400M airlifter as well. For PT DI the agreement allows Airbus Military in to oversee the implementation of more modern processes as the Indonesian company strives to return to profitability. The partnership between Airbus and PT DI dates back to September 1974, when the nascent Indonesian aviation industrial concern, then known as Nurtanio, signed a deal with Germany’s MBB to build the BO 105 helicopter, and with Spain’s Casa to build the Aviocar under license as the NC212. In 1976 Nurtanio became IPTN, and in 2000 adopted its current title. In the early 1980s Casa– now Airbus Military–and IPTN jointly developed the CN235 transport, which first flew in 1983. Development beyond
the initial version was handled independently, resulting in both companies occasionally competing for the same order. IPTN’s successes have mainly been in the Far East countries, including South Korea. In late December PT DI delivered the third of four CN235 maritime patrollers to the Korean coast guard, while in November the Indonesian navy ordered three CN235-220 maritime patrollers. Under the renewed agreement there will be a more joined-up approach to marketing, with an agreement on co-marketing the CN235 a likely outcome. C295 Marketing
A direct result of the teaming arrangement became apparent in late October, when a memorandum of understanding was signed covering the joint marketing in the Asia Pacific region of the Airbus Military C295, a larger derivative of the CN235. At the same time, the Indonesian government announced a requirement for at least 12 of the aircraft: nine for the air force and three for the police air wing. A firm contract has not yet been signed but, if it goes ahead as seems likely, most of the order will be assembled by PT DI, adding the C295 to the company’s portfolio. Airbus Military sees a bright future for the C295 in the region, and not only to answer additional Indonesian needs. The aircraft has already been demonstrated to several nations, including Vietnam. In Thailand the demonstrator was used late last year to undertake humanitarian aid flights in connection
Representatives of Airbus Military, Spain and Indonesia signed a teaming agreement in Jakarta last October 5. Left to right are: Budi Santoso, director of PT Dirgantara Indonesia; Antonio Estevez, Spanish commercial attaché; Irnanda Laksanawan, deputy minister of State Owned Enterprises; Domingo Ureña Raso, CEO Airbus Military; and Boyke W. Mukijat, director State Owned Asset Management Co.
Airbus Military
by David Donald
with the flooding disaster. The application of Airbus Military expertise across the company also benefits PT DI’s other activities, which include license-manufacture of the Eurocopter Super Puma and Bell 412. The company also makes components for Airbus commercial aircraft, including the A350 and A380. PT DI has long harbored ambitions for its own development projects. In August 1995 IPTN flew the prototype of the N-250 50-passenger transport, but was forced to cancel the program in the light of the regional economic crisis. Following a down-scaling of the company in the aftermath of the crisis, ambitions for new developments were put on hold, but the recovery plan has given PT DI new confidence. It is currently working on
the N-219, a utility passenger/ freight transport for operations in remote areas based on the NC212 Aviocar. Funding for this project has been restored following commitments for 20 by local carrier Merpati Nusantara, and for 15 from Papua New Guinea. A first flight is scheduled for 2014. More ambitious is the agreement made by the Indonesian government in July 2010 for PT DI to take a 20-percent stake in the development of the KF-X next-generation fighter led by Korean Aerospace Industries. Delivery Numbers Up
At Airbus’s annual press conference held in Hamburg, Germany, on January 17, CEO Tom Enders said the group’s military division achieved higher than anticipated delivery numbers in 2011. It holds a backlog
Canadians are probing prospects in Asian market by Benet J. Wilson Canada’s Manitoba Depart ment of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (Booth U98) has an exhibit at the Singapore Airshow for the first time to assist small and medium-sized companies looking for new or expanded business opportunities. Manitoba’s focus in the past had been in Europe, said Robert Manson, a senior project manager with the department. But Asia is where the future markets are, and the province is working hard to become more familiar with the region, said Manson. In its 2010-2011 annual report, Manitoba’s exports to the Asia Pacific region totaled C$1.9 billion ($1.89 billion), with China as the second-largest import market, totaling C$649.9 million ($647 million). The department representing the Canadian province is in Singapore supporting its companies that are exhibiting, said Manson. “We’ve branded Manitoba as a cold-weather test center of excellence, and hope to gain
34 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
more knowledge about Asian markets and dynamics and bring attention to our facilities,” he said. “We’re also attending a day-and-a-half long seminar with our embassy that includes meetings with all the Canadian trade commissioners in the Asia Pacific region.” Manitoba’s ties to aerospace and aviation go back to the beginning of the 20th century, said Manson. “Standard Aero [Booth T95] goes back to 1908. Magellan Aerospace’s Bristol Aerospace [Booth T107] goes back to before World War II and Boeing [Booth U23] has been in the province since the 1970s,” he said. Manson said attending airshows like Farnborough and Paris helped them develop “tremendous working relationships” with engine manufacturers RollsRoyce and Pratt & Whitney. “I won’t say that being at the show got them to Manitoba, but it did facilitate it,” he said. The level of activity and contacts at airshows
of 220 aircraft–mainly consisting of the new A400M transport (174 orders), but also including new orders for the new C295 and CN235. Airbus plans to deliver 20 to 30 of these medium and light transports each year. Last year, Airbus also the achieved first six deliveries of its A330-based MRTT tanker to three different customers. This program is now supported by a backlog of 22 aircraft. Deliveries last year included anti-submarine versions for Chile and Brazil. Enders reported that five A400Ms are in flight-testing, with the last having joined the fleet in December. They have logged nearly 3,000 flight hours and the Airbus chief executive said that, after overcoming some certification delays due to engine troubles, it is on track to start deliveries to the French air force in January 2013. o like Singapore and the fact that so many executives are in such a concentrated area is something a person could spend months on outside this event, said Manson. Also attending the show is Don Callis, vice chair, president and CEO of the department’s Manitoba Trade and Investment Corp., which was created to support building the province’s economy through increased exports and industry investment. “He and I have the same agenda, plus he will meet with the Singapore Economic Development Board,” Manson said. “We generally try to take a political individual to the airshows. It allows us to gain entry to companies and talk at the levels we like.” The Department of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade does not have a mechanism in place to measure its return on investment in attending the Singapore Airshow, said Manson. “We’re not approaching the show with signed orders. But we do get feedback and queries afterward,” he explained. “You have to be patient. Five years is the average, from the first inquiry to companies on the ground.” Also representing Canada at the show is the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development & Innovation (Booth T91). o
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Bombardier eyes new Asian markets by Gregory Polek end of 2013. Still, the dwindling numbers of airplanes scheduled for delivery among the only two families of commercial aircraft now in production has no doubt given rise to concern at Bombardier’s headquarters in Montreal. Nevertheless, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft v-p of marketing Philippe Poutissou said he considers last year an aberration, and that sales will rebound in the North America and Europe and
“If we set aside the CSeries and talk about the Q400 and CRJ, we’re going to work very hard to ensure that the result from 2011 is a one-off,” continued Poutissou. “In fact, we’re taking a few steps, one of which is to ensure we have better presence and penetration in the emerging markets.” In an effort to help reverse its fortunes in emerging economies, Bombardier recently announced two new vice presidents of sales for the Asia Pacific region and the introduction of a vice president of sales for the Middle East and Africa based in Dubai. The company has also devoted
the capacity and range to allow some of the Asian carriers– and [CSeries customer] Korean [Air] is a great example of it– to expand their route networks into secondary destinations.” Poutissou also referred to the new 100-seat CRJ1000 as a potential magnet for Asia Pacific carriers that previously rejected the smaller CRJs for their comparatively high seat-mile costs. “We know that the Asia Pacific market is one that is very much driven by low seat costs…So with the CRJ1000 now going into service we have a new tool we can offer to those customers.” Bombardier also hopes SpiceJet’s experience in India with the Q400 will convince others in the region–outside its relatively large base in Australia and Japan–to more seriously consider the 78-seat turboprop. Meanwhile, Bombardier still holds high hopes that its so-called framework agreement with Chinese manufacturer Comac will help it make headway into a market that, by its own reckoning, stands to account for 18 percent of the world’s demand for 20- to 149seat airliners over the next 20 years. Although Bombardier has not yet signed a firm contract with Comac, Poutissou indicated that the companies “certainly have [partaken] in a high level of engagement and [held] many discussions on areas of cooperation.” o
For years Bombardier Commercial Aircraft claimed a modest level of sales success in Asia, selling 297 airplanes over the years to 38 operators. But its performance there has proved uneven, and the company traditionally has depended on strongholds in North America and Europe for the majority of its revenues. Unfortunately for the Canadian manufacturer, what once stood as the world’s two biggest markets for regional aircraft have become saturated. Consequently, Bombardier’s failure to forcefully penetrate emerging markets has cost it a once dominant position in the segment. It now must play catch-up, prompting it to turn more of its attention to places such as China and India, where, until recently, it had woefully underperformed. In fact, the company announced that last December it had signed its first CRJ customer in China in several years. The deal, involving a conditional purchase agreement for six CRJ900s, came from an unidentified Chinese airline and includes options on another five airplanes. In India, meanwhile, last year’s delivery of the first tranche of 15 Q400 turboprops on order by SpiceJet finally gave Bombardier a firm foothold in
a country where rival ATR has dominated that segment of the market over the past decade. Globally, however, the company’s commercial aircraft division has faced an undeniable struggle. Bombardier recently released figures showing that it delivered only 78 commercial aircraft during the 11-month period that comprised its last fiscal year (February 1 to December 31), while receiving
net orders for just 54 aircraft, resulting in a backlog that, as of last October 31, dwindled to 52 CRJs and 29 Q Series turboprops. The previous year it drew firm orders for 93 commercial jets and delivered 97. Fortunately, the backlog for its new CSeries airliner stood at 133, meaning Bombardier has sold out all the delivery slots for that program for two years, following expected first delivery at the
accelerate in developing economies. “It has been a challenging time for many of our customers, particularly in our strongholds of North America and Europe,” he told AIN. “In 2011, of the orders we did book, we had quite a bit of success on the CSeries side, where we specifically booked 43 firm orders and, in January, we added another order for five from business aviation operator PrivatAir.
more resources to overseas customer support offices in places such as Mumbai. In the Far East, Bombardier maintains support offices in Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney. “I would say a couple things are changing,” said Poutissou. “First of all, we have new products that are perhaps more adapted to the needs of the airlines in the region. For example, the CSeries absolutely has
Australia flight school buys DA40s
Hawker Pacific is the Austrian airframer’s appointed distributor for Australia and New Zealand. Flight Training Adelaide is to receive the first four of its order for eight of the Garmin G1000 glass-cockpit-equipped four-seaters by the middle of the year, with the remainder to follow by yearend. The company has options for an additional 18 scheduled for possible delivery over the following two years. The entrylevel aircraft will be powered by Lycoming IO-360-M1A engines. According to Pine Pienaar, CEO of the Adelaide-based training provider which aims to develop future
airline and helicopter captains, the aircraft, chosen for its overall performance and lifetime running costs, won the contract after a head-to-head flyoff conducted late last year between short-listed aircraft. The new DA40 CS group will join the company’s 42-aircraft fleet, which already includes seven twin-engine DA42 L360 airplanes. Diamond Aircraft Industries president Peter Maurer said Hawker Pacific, which also operates a network of FBOs as well as providing aircraft charter and MRO facilities in the Asia Pacific region, was integral to his company’s successful bid. –C.E.
ST Aerospace reports $350M in contracts in Q4
Aircraft sales, services and support company Hawker Pacific (Booth H65) has announced an agreement with Flight Training Adelaide for the sale of up to 26 Diamond DA40 CS single-engine composite aircraft. In addition to serving as a vendor for Hawker Beechcraft and Bell Helicopter products,
SpiceJet’s order for 15 Q400s has given Bombardier a firm foothold in India, where rival ATR has dominated the turboprop market segment.
Flight Training Adelaide will take delivery of the first four of its eight Diamond DA40 CS airplanes by the middle of this year.
36 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
Singapore-based MRO provider ST Aerospace, one of the world’s largest MRO providers, announced that it finished out 2011 on a high note, securing $350 million in new contracts for the fourth quarter alone. The firm’s aircraft maintenance and modification group reported deals involving base and heavy maintenance, interior refurbishments and conversions of passenger aircraft to cargo-hauling configuration. By the end of the quarter, ST Aerospace (Booth G01) redelivered 101 aircraft for airframe-related maintenance and modification work, including converting five Boeing 757200 freighters for FedEx Express. The company’s engine total support group clinched new onand off-wing maintenance contracts as well as asset and technical management deals for a variety of engine types, including the CFM56; Pratt & Whitney JT8D,
F100 and F110; the Rolls-Royce Allison T56; the GE J85 and F404; the Honeywell T53 and the Turbomeca Makila. In the fourth quarter, the division serviced 72 engines, and its leasing joint venture captured a 10-year deal from Indonesia’s Lion Air for three CFM56-7B engines. To support its increasing engine business, ST Aerospace also began operations at a new MRO facility in Xiamen, China, specializing in the CFM56 series of engines. For the quarter, the firm’s component total support group serviced more than 13,000 aircraft components for commercial and military customers. ST Aerospace was also recently certified as a Part 147 maintenance training organization by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the European Aviation Safety Agency to provide aircraft type training for both narrow- and widebody aircraft. –C.E.
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Hawker Pacific opens MRO facility at Seletar by Ian Sheppard Hawker Pacific is celebrating its continued growth beyond Australia and into the wider Asia Pacific region by formally opening its new Singapore operation during the airshow here this week. With construction started last year and completed last month, the new maintenance facility at Seletar Airport is three times the size of its old one (101,000 sq ft, and with 100 staff) and follows the 2010 opening of a similar base in Shanghai Hongqiao Airport in China. The Seletar site’s MRO capabilities cover the complete range of Hawker Beechcraft and Dassault Falcon Jet business aircraft, plus the Embraer Phenom and Legacy models. The Brazilian airframer’s larger Lineage is due to be added later this year. “It has been a very busy time for us straight on the back of the new development in Shanghai, which received its Part 145 approval from CAAC in December, so we are the first to get that in China, and we have great facilities out there,” John Riggir, Hawker Pacific senior vice president for Asia, told AIN. Maintenance activity at the Shanghai site has started with support for Hawker Beechcraft, Dassault Falcon and Bombardier aircraft. Riggir said business aviation is still very much in its infancy in China but he added that Chinese authorities now are being supportive in efforts to boost this side of the vast country’s aviation infrastructure. “We’ve built for the future and the expanding market in Asia,” added Riggir. “We’re already very busy; looking out at our new Singapore facility, we have our maintenance hangar full with a F900EX EASy, three Falcon 2000s, two Hawker 900XPs, a Hawker 400XP, Embraer Phenom and Legacy and many other aircraft.” Three Hangars
Hawker Pacific’s new Singapore facility consists of three hangars. The main unit has space to park four large business jets simultaneously and is alongside the maintenance hangar. An aircraft-painting hangar is due to open by the end of March. “It is a fully filtered cross-flow booth meeting all the stringent environmental standards, and will
allow us to paint aircraft up to the size of the Dassault Falcon 7X, G550/Bombardier Global Express to a new aircraft standard,” said Riggir. The company has existed with its current name since 1978 and has its headquarters in Sydney, Australia. It is jointly owned by Saab of Sweden, U.S.listed company Seacor Holdings and Lynton Aviation Holdings, a private investment company. Hawker Pacific is a Hawker Beechcraft, Bell Helicopter and Diamond Aircraft sales dealer and authorized service center for Hawker Beechcraft, Dassault Falcon Jet, Embraer Executive Jets, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Rockwell Collins. It also is a spares dealership and representative for many OEMs, such as Textron Lycoming and TCM. Hawker Pacific also has operations at Sydney’s Mascot Airport (an FBO and hangars) and at Bankstown Airport, where the corporate headquarters are located (with a service facility focused on Hawker Beechcraft and Dassault Falcon models and Bell helicopters). The group also extends to an FBO network covering the Australian cities of Brisbane, Perth and Cairns– the latter being a Bombardier authorized service center for regional airliners and the largest of all its MRO operations. The company has a service agreement with Australian flagcarrier Qantas to support heavy maintenance checks on its fleet of Bombardier Dash 8 twin turboprops. In addition, it provides through-life support for 16 Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350s used by the Australian government for training military pilots. According to Riggir, gaining other through-life support arrangements and maintaining aircraft to military and civil standards in Asia is a company goal. In this it works closely with the OEMs such as Hawker Beechcraft, offering support solutions in the region along with sales, and it can include everything from delivery and integration to full-life support. Under a contract from Lockheed Martin, Hawker Pacific’s Perth facility in western Australia supports Pilatus PC21s operated by Singapore’s air
Hawker Pacific’s new MRO facility at Seletar Airport, three times the size of its previous site, consists of three hangars, with the main unit able to house four large business jets simultaneously. The aircraft painting hangar is due to open at the end of March.
force. It also supports Malaysian government King Air 350s and King Air B200Ts, from a dedicated facility in the capital Kuala Lumpur. Eyes Aircraft Management
Managing private and corporate aircraft management is a major growth target for the company in all its locations, said Riggir. Hawker Pacific also has a joint venture with the SkyPark FBO at Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport, an arrangement that has been in place since 2009. In New Zealand it has an eight-year-old support operation at Auckland’s Ardmore Airport for Hawker Beechcraft and Bell aircraft. Meanwhile, the company is also the Bell Helicopter dealer in Australia,
New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the United Arab Emirates, with a base in Dubai, where it also runs RBI Hawker, a joint venture with Bell for the overhaul and repair of helicopter rotor blades. In addition, it runs a hydraulic overhaul shop and an avionics shop that was recently opened. “This is a very successful operation that we hope to expand as new opportunities open up in the Middle East and [Indian] subcontinent,” said Riggir. “We also have a well-established Hawker Beechcraft and Bell service center in Manila [in the Philippines], where we currently employ over forty staff. “We maintain a serious interest India,” Riggir told AIN. “We have been looking at an India
strategy for some time, although more recently our focus has been on completing our new facilities in Shanghai and Singapore. “Over the next 12 months we will be developing opportunities there and also with our neighbors in Southeast Asia. In India we plan to position ourselves in or close to one of the major centers, like New Delhi, where the key is to secure location and build relations with a strong local partner.” Riggir noted that OEMs are looking to move greater levels of support into the Asia Pacific region and Hawker Pacific feels well placed to provide the right solutions. The company employs more than 500 people and current annual sales are in the region of $350 million. o
GE weathers ARJ21 program delays by Gregory Polek Two years ago, with a firm launch customer in hand and the fourth test aircraft ready to take flight, China’s ARJ21 program appeared to have found its stride just as the last Singapore Airshow approached in 2010. At the time, project leader Comac and subsidiary Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co. (SAMC) expected to gain certification by the end of that year, around which time a new carrier called Chengdu Airlines agreed to take the first production airplane, officially placing China back in the business of delivering indigenously designed and built commercial airplanes. Now, following a series of setbacks involving unspecified design changes and testing delays, the certification schedule has slipped to the point where Comac appears unlikely to earn certification before the middle of this year. Of course, Comac’s part ownership in launch customer Chengdu Airlines has lent the manufacturer a certain amount of latitude to extend the program’s development. Government-owned Comac reached an
38 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
agreement with Sichuan Airlines and Chengdu Investment Co. in 2009 to restructure Chengdu-based Airbus A320 operator United Eagle Airlines (an Airbus A320 operator), rename it Chengdu Airlines and place a firm order for 30 ARJ21s. The arrangement increases the airline’s capital base from 300 million yuan ($44 million) to 680 million yuan ($100 million) and gives Comac a 48-percent share, while Sichuan Airlines and Chengdu Investment Co. hold, respectively, 40.97 percent and 11.03 percent of the reorganized entity. GE Engine Progress
Since Chengdu’s formation, the ARJ21’s highest profile Western supplier–engine maker General Electric–finished ground testing of the airplane’s 16,000-pound-thrust CF34-10A turbofans at its Peebles, Ohio test facility and received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Part 33 certification of the engine in July 2010. The U.S. company, whose Middle River Aircraft Systems division also supplies the
thrust reversers and nacelles, has built eight engines for the flighttest program “plus a couple of spares,” along with eight production engines built at the GE plant in Durham, North Carolina, reported Tim Varga, program manager for Comac in GE’s Small Commercial Engines division. “Certainly in the past there have been delays so what we’ve tried to do our best to align our schedule to theirs,” said Varga. “We don’t want to pace the program but we don’t want to get any further ahead of the program than is beneficial for us or Comac. “It’s best for us to try to align our resources and our timing so we can support their certification efforts and our needs for the propulsion system concurrent with their flight-test program and their reports to their agency.” Wins CAA TC
With ground testing finished, GE has reached several milestones over the past year or so, said Varga, including inflight thrust demonstrations and nacelle certification tests. The engine also received its
Continued on page 40 u
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GE weathers ARJ program delays uContinued from page 38
validated type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) last November. “We’ve had pretty good progress over the last year or so in terms of the propulsion related aspects
of their certification,” he said. From GE’s perspective, integration of the engines onto the airframe “has matured” from a configuration standpoint, he added. “It’s just a matter of going through all the various additional tests that need to be done and preparing the certification reports.” Varga said GE has submitted
One of four ARJ21-700 protoypes taxies following a flight test in China. Beset by setbacks resulting from unspecified design changes and testing delays, the Chinese jet is unlikely to earn certification before the middle of this year.
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to Comac roughly 80 percent of its certification-related reports on the propulsion system. Plans remain in place for GE to eventually enter a CF34-10A coproduction agreement with China’s Shenyang Liming Aero Engine Group, said Varga, but, again, certification delays have impeded the progress of those negotiations. Two years ago, then CF34 program manager Chuck Nu gent told AIN that talks had centered on granting Liming responsibility for “some of the assembly activities and final testing,” possibly within five years. Beyond then, whether production would go to Liming completely remains a question for the fairly distant future. GE’s Philosophy
Whatever its eventual scope, such an arrangement would follow with GE’s stated philosophy to serve as much as a partner to the Chinese as a supplier of powerplants. In fact, in September last year GE opened a new customer and employee training center in Shanghai at the Customer Technology Park, site of GE China’s headquarters. There, customers learn line maintenance and other procedures related to on-board service of the GE engines. So far, the company has held two classes. Now employing some 20 of its own people in China to directly support the ARJ21 project, not including sales, marketing and product support personnel, GE also maintains an on-site team of Chinese nationals. According to Varga, they have served as an invaluable communication conduit between Shanghai and GE’s headquarters in Cincinnati. “They’ve done a fantastic job for us, being on-site, being able to communicate during the Chinese day with Comac directly and then back here with Cincinnati, so that’s been a huge success story for us.” o
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40 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
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Boeing’s new ETOPS option brings Asia closer to the rest of the world
Air New Zealand completed the first 240 ETOPS flight late last year with a Los Angeles-to-Auckland-bound 777-300ER.
by Gregory Polek Boeing expects the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue approval for Rolls- Roycepowered 777s to fly 330-minute ETOPS (Extended Operations) missions by the end of the first quarter, followed by authorization for Pratt & Whitney-powered airplanes some time near the end of the year, according to 777 vice president and chief project engineer Bob Whittington. In December the company gained approval for operators of 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs, 777
Freighters and 777-200ERs powered by General Electric GE90 engines to fly up to 330 minutes from an alternate airport, allowing for more direct routes, less fuel burn and a reduction in CO2 emissions–particularly over the vast expanse of the South Pacific and on polar routes from Asia to North America and Western Europe. The first airline to buy the new, longer ETOPS option–Air New Zealand–completed the first 240 ETOPS flight late last year with
a Los Angeles-to-Aucklandbound 777-300ER. Whittington told AIN that the airlines that opt for the longer ETOPS capability must still gain operational approval from their respective regulatory agencies. Still in the midst of that approval process, ANZ must first fly 240-minute ETOPS for about a year before it can start flying routes requiring 330-minute ETOPS. Meanwhile, Boeing continues to work toward European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
approval to satisfy the international regulatory agencies that require European certification, allowing Air France, for example, to fly more direct routes from Paris to Tahiti. Whittington estimated the GE90-powered 777s would gain European paperwork within three to six months. After Boeing worked with the FAA for some two-and-half years to win authority to offer 330-minute approval, analyzing data on each system to ensure they all met reliability standards,
engineers needed to change nothing in the airplane, he said. “The two major components that have to change to make the airplane good for extended ETOPS, whether it’s 240 or 330 [minutes] are the crew-oxygen and the fire-suppression systems,” explained Whittington. “So [the question is] if you have a fire in the cargo compartment, do you have enough Halon to keep it suppressed for 330 minutes?” Most of the airlines interested in flying 240-minute ETOPS, for example, fly airplanes already equipped with extended oxygen and Halon options, he added. “Air New Zealand, for instance, didn’t have to do anything to the airplanes,” said Whittington. “We updated their flight manual and they just had to get regulatory approval and they could go.”
Maximum Time Authorized for Various Regions Reflect Real-World Needs 180-minutes 207-minutes – Flight-by-flight Pacific Ocean areas north of 40°N latitude including NOPAC ATS (North Pacific air traffic service) routes and published PACOTS (Pacific Organized Track System) tracks between Japan and North America.
One-engine-out Capability
240-minutes – Flight-by-flight
In fact, Boeing’s ability to extend its ETOPS offering had less to do with any advances in technology than with the demonstration of the 777’s ability to divert on one engine from such distances. “A couple of things have happened,” said Whittington. “One is, we have demonstrated the reliability of the airplane and the engine over the past 15 years, which has given everybody comfort…we have real data that says all the systems are capable of operating at that ETOPS range. And the other thing is that the markets have developed, so where we used to fly just 747s essentially–big airplanes from hub to hub–and as the market fragments and wants to go to smaller point-to-point service, there has been more market demand for smaller airplanes that can fly point to point over such long distances.” Now regularly using 240minute ETOPS capability, ANZ flies a 777-300ER between the U.S. mainland and Auckland. For any airline, the capability will reveal its value most on missions between the South Pacific and the U.S. mainland, the South Pacific and Africa or South America, and polar routes between Asia– including such points as Singapore, China and Japan–and both Western Europe and the U.S., said the Boeing executive.
North polar area and Pacific Ocean north of the Equator.
ETOPS up to and beyond 240 minutes Pacific Oceanic area between the U.S. West Coast and Australia, New Zealand and Polynesia; South Atlantic oceanic area; Indian Ocean area; oceanic area between Australia and South America; (and South Polar area as only beyond 240 minutes).
Extended Operations in the Southern Hemisphere
Boeing expects to receive FAA approval to conduct 330-minute ETOPS flights in the Southern Hemisphere by the end of 2012’s first quarter.
42 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
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Boeing’s new ETOPS option uContinued from page 42
Flying directly over the North Pole using the 180-minute ETOPS standard requires open landing alternatives in Siberia, for example, forcing operators to re-plan the route and add fuel
in the event of an airfield closure due to weather. Such diversions cost considerable fuel and time, while even a 240-minute ETOPS capability would avoid most such scenarios. In fact, relatively few routes require 330-minute capability, said Whittington. Although Boeing’s package allows the airplanes to fly 330-minute ETOPS, most
airlines need only 240. “When you start drawing 330-minute circles, there aren’t many places on the globe where you need to go from 240 to 330,” he said. 330-min South Pole Routes
Most of the routes that could benefit from 330-minute ETOPS–such as Sydney to Buenos Aires or Auckland to
Three routes are seen as benefiting from ETOPS operations greater than 180 minutes: the North Polar/North Pacific, the Mid-Pacific and Southern.
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Johannesburg–take airplanes over the South Pole. “A typical 180 [ETOPS flight] across the South Pacific would create a dogleg,” explained Whittington. “If you fly direct, that’s 20 percent less fuel that you need to upload.” While Air New Zealand will account for one of the few airlines that will make use of the 330-minute capability, the airline already gleans quite an advantage from its 240-minute ETOPS operation. On a route between the U.S. mainland and Auckland, Boeing calculations show that compared with a four-engine airplane, a 777 equipped to fly 240-minute ETOPS would save about 100 minutes in transit time, burn 20 percent less fuel and emit almost 20 percent less carbon dioxide. The fuel savings alone equates to roughly 50,000 pounds. Compared with a 180-minute ETOPS-equipped 777, an operator would save about 30,000 pounds of fuel, or about 11 or 12 percent, said Whittington. Boeing twin-engine jets have flown more than seven million ETOPS flights since 1985, and more than 120 Boeing operators fly more than 50,000 ETOPS flights each month. “Really, the 767 opened the door to ETOPS,” said Whittington. “Again, it was part of Boeing’s philosophy of pointto-point service. It used to be you’d round everybody up at JFK, put them in a 747 and fly them to [London] Heathrow and distribute everybody from there. But then the engines [on the 767] had become so reliable that we were able to convince the regulatory agencies that the 767 could fly, say, from Chicago to Brussels directly.” Years later, airlines replacing four-engine airplanes with 777s over the Pacific began recognizing they could use more than the 180-minute ETOPS capability offered “out of the box,” convincing Boeing some two-anda-half years ago to launch the 330-minute ETOPS program. “This is the logical continuation of the Boeing philosophy of point-to-point service,” said Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 777 program. o
DAVID McINTOSH
The Sikorsky S-92 displayed at Singapore is on a nine-month Legacy of Heroes Tour.
Sikorsky S-92 ‘Heroes Tour’ honors airborne lifesavers by Matt Thurber The Sikorsky S-92 on the static display here at the Singapore Airshow is a civilian helicopter, even though from the distance the gray paint job makes it look quasi-military. But step a little closer and the gray isn’t uniform. In fact, the helicopter is covered with signatures added by visitors all over the world who have viewed this unique S-92, which embarked on a nine-month Legacy of Heroes Tour back in October. Its mission: “To celebrate everyday heroes and touch the lives of the people they serve and protect.” “Igor Sikorsky’s desire was to build an aircraft to help people,” said Joel Vigue, a Sikorsky production test pilot who flies the Heroes S-92 with production test pilot, Jamie Wittmeyer. Since the first civilian helicopter rescue on Nov. 29, 1945, in a Sikorsky R-5, Sikorsky helicopters have saved an estimated two million lives. “This tour is to honor our roots,” said Wittmeyer. The Heroes S-92 started from Sikorsky’s factory in Pennsylvania and made stops along the U.S. eastern seaboard before being shipped to Malaysia. Stops followed in Thailand and Indonesia before the crew flew the S-92 to the Singapore Airshow. Following the show, the helicopter will be shipped to India where it will fly
from Chennai to Bengalaru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi. More than 150 S-92s are in service and, naturally, the S-92 Legacy of Heroes crew is showing off the helicopter’s search-and-rescue capabilities during the tour. One of the unique features of the S-92 in search-and-rescue configuration is its ability to fly itself to a predetermined spot during a rescue and hold that spot while the crew saves the endangered people. Once hovering over the desired spot, the crewmember operating the Goodrich rescue hoist in the cabin can move the helicopter around using a control button next to the hoist, moving the helicopter fore, aft or sideways at up to 15 knots. These features dramatically lower pilot workload during SAR missions. “It’s very capable in demanding situations,” said Wittmeyer. Sikorsky is developing an automatic oil-rig approach as part of the automatic flight control system. Testing is done and certification should take place shortly. An anti-torque pedal hold system keeps the turn-and-slip ball centered as long as the pilots keep their feet off the pedals, but shuts off when a microswitch senses that the pilot wishes to push on a pedal and control the tail rotor blades manually. o
GLOBEMASTER III LOOMS LARGE OvER chAnGI
MARK WAGNER
US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III performs flyover of Changi Exhibition Center. The USAF is displaying the C-17, E-3B Sentry and KC-135, while the U.S. Navy is showing a P-3 Orion.
www.ainonline.com • February 14, 2012 • Singapore Airshow News 45
Focus on
Indian Air Transport and Aerospace
Indian air transport industry has mixed beginning in 2012
The low-cost airline SpiceJet is experimenting with Bombardier’s Q400 twin turboprop in a bid to open up affordable air service to numerous provincial airports.
Even though the year ended with doom and gloom, the Indian air transport sector couldn’t have asked for a better beginning to 2012 with its largest budget carrier, IndiGo, signing a memorandum of understanding for the biggest commercial aviation deal in history valued at approximately $15.6 billion. The deal, which was subsequently firmed up, called for 180 of Airbus’ A320 family narrowbodies. This topped an earlier order by the carrier for 100 aircraft and seemed a clear indication that the Indian market is back on track after suffering severe losses during 2008-2009. However, 2011 saw private airlines in India lose an estimated $700 million in the first six months of India’s financial year (April to September 2011), $580 million more than they lost in any previous
Indian domestic carriers are already hurting with large debts, including outstanding payments to suppliers, including $6- to $7 billion in aircraft-related loans. “Recovery, particularly for the full-service carriers, [such as] Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher, will be slow. Air India’s debt will increase by a further $4 billion if it proceeds with plans to purchase 27 Boeing 787s, generating an annual interest burden of $1.25- to $1.5 billion,” concluded the CAPA. The industry still managed to grow 17 percent in 2011, flying more than 60 million domestic passengers. Domestic traffic has increased by 85 percent over the past five years and OEM forecasts maintain that India will need more than 1,000 new aircraft by 2028.
Nanded Airport, a public airport in the western Indian state of Maharashtra is one of several airports being redeveloped on long-term leases by private company Reliance Airports.
financial year, according to the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA). “Amid an environment of slowing GDP growth, [the challenges] will be to ensure yields and profitability are maintained,” said a recent report by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA). “At the same time, the nation’s full-service carriers continue to suffer under the burden of approximately $16 billion in debt, ensuring financial recovery will be slow in India’s aviation market.” Poor infrastructure, taxation and intense domestic competition has resulted in an unsustainable yield-cost imbalance, while a depreciating rupee is leading to increased payments for fuel and aircraft leases, which are generally priced in U.S. dollars. With many airlines reducing fares, allegations of predatory pricing are being raised. “The issue of predatory pricing has proven notoriously controversial from [the point of view of] competition law,” said Suzanne Rab, a partner at London-based law firm King & Spalding. “It can be difficult to prove that prices fell because of deliberate predatory pricing rather than legitimate price competition. In any case, competitors may be excluded from the market before the case is ever heard or resolved.”
Boeing, which sits on an orders backlog including 27 of its 787s for Air India, ten 787s and seventeen 737s for Jet Airways and more than thirty-two 737s for SpiceJet, is not complaining. “We are not changing our growth-rate forecast for India, which is still the highest [in the Asia Pacific region],” said Dinesh Keskar, Boeing’s senior vice president for Asia Pacific sales. However, Keskar is quick to admit, in the present situation, with fares below costs plus India’s highly taxed fuel (accounting for 40 percent of operating costs) and costs up due to a rising dollar, the short-term outlook will be challenging. This is consistent with the CAPA’s latest report, which estimates that, collectively, Indian carriers will lose $2.5 billion in fiscal year 2012 on total revenues of just under $10 billion. Foreign direct investment (FDI) could be a potential lifeline for debt-laden Indian carriers. Currently, India allows foreign investment of up to 49 percent in Indian carriers, but foreign airlines are banned from investing directly or indirectly in domestic airlines. This is likely to change, with the Indian government having recently granted approval in-principle to a proposal allowing foreign carriers to invest. “I am an avid supporter of FDI,” liquor
46 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
DAVID McINTOSH
by Neelam Mathews
The Rise of India’s Regional Carriers A growing appetite among Indian carriers to serve regional routes makes the country a potentially big market for 250 regional jets with a capacity of up to 120 seats, according to Brazilian airframer Embraer. Twin-turboprop manufacturer ATR estimates in the next five years India will require around 100 aircraft, and 200 in the longer term. ATR is preparing. It will soon to make an announcement about a new Indian MRO provider, and already has a customer support center and warehouse in Singapore and training facilities in Bangkok. Despite SpiceJet having selected 15 Bombardier Q400s, more than 80 percent of regional turboprops flying or on order in India are ATRs. With fuel in India more expensive than the world average, regional carriers are facing increased operating costs and many of the country’s provincial airports have relatively short runways, which can constrict jet operations. In India, around 250 low- to medium-density routes remain unused, as they are not profitable to run with narrowbody jets. Beyond the major Indian cities, 133 routes have less than one frequency a day. “This doesn’t provide adequate frequency to passengers,” said Alex Glock, Embraer’s airline market vice president for the Asia Pacific region. “No wonder other forms of transport are used such as first-class rail with fares of air travel [being so high].” In India’s smaller cities, where populations tend to be in the millions, the Q400 will shake up the transport market, said SpiceJet
chief executive Neil Mills. “We’re flying to airports that lack suitable infrastructure and are incapable of handling narrowbodies,” he said. “We are a low-cost carrier that is flying into regional markets. If I could have flown into some of these smaller markets with a Boeing [737] and kept the business simple, that’s exactly what I would have done. I can’t because of infrastructure constraints, so I needed a different machine.” But Mills conceded that testing these new routes could prove to be hit or miss. Initially, SpiceJet will test the Q400s on a limited number of city pairs and will withdraw the aircraft from routes that are not working. SpiceJet operates a fleet of 30 Boeing 737800s and 737-900ERs. It recently announced an order for 30 B737-800s, fitted with winglets. As numerous regional airlines start to get ready to launch operations, Bengalurubased Regional Airport-Holdings International (Rahi) said it will concentrate its business on regional airports even as it firms up its business plan for a new air taxi operation. With the first movement at Gulbarga–one of the two airports in the south of India under construction by Rahi– planned for May 1, the group’s founder-chairman Umesh Kumar Baveja, is optimistic about long-term growth prospects. “We are looking at serving hinterlands rather than the [metropolitan areas],” he told AIN. “Rahi may acquire half of the 99 airports we plan to operate by 2025. This is not ambitious given that ministry of civil aviation has plans to set up 500 airports by 2020. –N.M.
Jet Airways, India’s largest domestic carrier, with a fleet of 101 aircraft, including ATR twin turboprops and a mix of Boeing 787s and new 737s on order, is having to raise fresh capital and cut costs.
Kingfisher Airlines is battling to restructure crippling debts that threaten the survival of what was, until recently, India’s second largest carrier. Its debt burden is about $1.5 billion.
tycoon and Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya commented last year. “I don’t see any reason why FDI from strategic partners like airlines should be banned or not permitted. Who would understand an airline better than another airline?” However, Kingfisher alone has an accumulated debt burden of around $1.5 billion and matters seem to be going from bad to worse. It once was India’s second largest carrier by passengers, but it fell to fifth with a market share of 14 percent last November, ahead only of budget carrier GoAir. The carrier’s attempts at returning to profitability by restructuring operations and debt last year did not yield results. Knock-on effects include Oneworld deferring from the original February 10 date set for Kingfisher’s entry into the alliance, with no new date being given. This follows closely Kingfisher’s being suspended by IATA’s clearinghouse, which, in effect, means that Kingfisher can no longer sell joint tickets with any IATA carrier. It is not confirmed, but this could also mean blacklisting by IATA unless the money is paid in the required time. According to Rab, “Kingfisher has suffered multiple problems recently, ranging from payment defaults, unpaid taxes and salaries, and concerns over safety to rising debts. If a private investor does not inject the necessary liquidity, fears have been voiced that creditor banks could step in. “It may be difficult to see whether there is a credible trade buyer since many of Indian’s own airlines are themselves in
a difficult–even if not perilous–position,” Rab said. Kingfisher is now looking at reducing its fleet, exiting unprofitable routes and relying on the higher-yielding business segment to improve profits. Barring, perhaps, IndiGo, which has not shown losses, other domestic carriers also are experiencing them. For example, India’s largest domestic airline, Jet Airways, which operates a fleet of 101 aircraft and has implemented cost-cutting measures, is leasing equipment to raise capital in the short term. By April it is set to have consolidated its budget subsidiary JetLite with its present alleconomy Jet Airways Konnect. Meanwhile, budget operator SpiceJet, is facing an exodus of employees to carriers in the Arabian Gulf. But the worst hit of all is governmentowned Air India, which has a debt of more than $10 billion. It is likely to get a fresh injection of funds through a mix of equity and debt transfer of around $5.5 billion. Nonetheless, consulting firm Booz and Co. recently said that the airline is slipping into a “slow and silent decline” and, unless drastic steps are taken, it could slide to a “point of no return.” Overall, the paradoxical position of India’s airlines is set to continue. No one doubts that the strong market fundamentals in terms of the country’s economic potential and the robust growth in demand for air transport will continue. But to survive mounting costs and squeezed margins, carriers will have to battle to raise fresh equity and take on yet more debt, further eroding their viability. o
India is hungry to develop hi-tech aerospace expertise by Neelam Mathews India’s big-ticket military acquisitions are expected to aggressively push schedules for the transfer of production to the country’s ambitious aerospace and defense industry. But the technology that India expects to be transferred through co-development work generated by offset agreements is raising concerns among vendors about possible violations of intellectual property rights (IPR). A revised policy on offsets is expected to be released soon and the industry hopes that this will at last deal with the thorny issue of transfer of technology (TOT), which is no longer mandatory as part of bids, as it was in the past. Starting with projects awarded from 2011, TOT can now be offered as offsets. Industry observers say India’s lack of clarity on dual technology and IPR may result in OEMs finding ways to circumvent the use of advanced technology on the grounds that India does not have safeguards to protect manufacturers that license technology to local partners. The Indian industry has called for a National Technology Audit Agency and an integrated legal framework to be put in place to ensure TOT protects the OEM.
Issues are already surfacing. India’s Aeronautical Development Agency selected 99 GE F414 engines to power the Mk II version of Hindustan Aeronautics’ Light Combat Aircraft for the Indian Air Force. GE Aviation will supply the initial batch of F414-GE-INS6 engines and the rest will be manufactured in India under a transfer of technology arrangement. The contract requires 10 engines to be provided in flyaway condition. The agreement also contains a 30-percent offset clause and will tap some of the 24 Indian companies that GE has certified. But with India indicating that it might use the TOT for the engine for its indigenous aircraft under development, OEMs are seeing red. “We can almost be sure there will be no transfer of crystal blades of the F414, something India desperately needs,” said an analyst under condition of anonymity. Last year, there were more than 50 contracts in India that required offsets worth $10 billion. This will increase proportionately with programs such as the $12-billion-plus contract for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft contract, the $4 billion Boeing P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft program, Boeing’s Harpoon anti-ship missile and the
India Undertakes Needed ATM Modernization With the air transport growth curve soaring, India’s air traffic management system (ATM)– and the associated communication, surveillance and navigation (CNS) infrastructure–needs fundamental modernization. Airlines, hit by rocketing fuel costs, have pleaded with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to reduce congestion in the air and ensure more fuel-efficient landings. Present ATM challenges for India include insufficient manpower, inefficient use of airspace, bottlenecks in ground infrastructure, inadequate CNS/ATM technology and congestion in the busiest airways. Things are moving in the right direction, but there is further to go. AAI has put in place ATM initiatives that include improved airport accessibility. The programs include the introduction of the following elements, according to AAI’s general manager for ATM, A.K. Dutta: ground-based augmentation
$4.1 billion deal for 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Further, contracts for basic jet trainers, light helicopters and towed artillery are close to being signed. Public-private sector partnerships are expected to play a key role in the future. Clarity on the long-delayed joint venture policy to increase foreign participation from 26 to 49 percent is awaited. The potential of Defense Private Sector Units (DPSUs) as large-scale offset discharge vehicles remains uncertain, especially given the capacity and current orderbook mismatch. A choked orderbook for DPSUs looking to honor delivery timelines and future order absorption capacity is a concern. “India’s largest defense manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics currently has an orderbook of $18 billion... Its ability to absorb additional orders remains uncertain, given the historical structural issues, even after adjusting for complexity for the order pipeline, currently faced by HAL,” concluded a report by consultancy Aviotech. The comparable order backlogs for other major aerospace firms is around three years for Embraer and around one year for Lockheed Martin. A letter addressed last year to the India minister of defense by various international associations, including U.S. Aerospace Industries Association and GIFAS of France, recommended increased FDI, wider permission for dual-use technologies and expand the scope of offsets–many of which
systems (GBAS), performance-based navigation, improved runway safety equipment–such as advanced surface movement guidance and control systems in six airports–as well as improved traffic flow management by 2012 with greater capacity and flexibility provided by systems such as ADS-B and ATFM. “Infrastructure development should continue at a rapid pace,” said Capt. Saleem Zaheer, flight operations vice president with local carrier IndiGo, at a recent conference organized by the ATC Guild. “Connectivity to second- and third-tier cities should be augmented with upgrading airport and navigation facilities. GBAS, ADS-B and improved radar coverage would significantly enhance efficiency in Indian skies. With these improvements, by 2020 we will be able to carry 154 million passengers and sustain this growth without penalizing our pockets and our environment.” –N.M.
the MOD has adopted. The letter asks for multipliers in offsets contracts especially in TOT and production-license-based projects and FDI. The letter also calls for “one clear offset authority” outside of the Defense Acquisition Council with decision-making power to “approve contracts in a predictable, efficient and transparent manner.” “We improve it [the policy] every year, with suggestions from industry and vendors…and refine [it] as we go along,” said Pallam Raju, state minister for defense. Recently, at a public forum, Raju acknowledged that DPSUs lack program management skills. “ [Improving the skills] is a painful process. It will take some time to gather the requisite skills as programs mature gradually,” he said, while adding that the government is committed to encouraging private participation in defense production, with the ministry focused on strengthening and widening the defense industrial base. “The Indian aerospace industry is exposed to some risk from its limited expertise in materials science,” said Rahul Gangal, Aviotech’s director for defense advisory and investments. For example, capability has not evolved in the composites precursor and fiber segments of aircraft design and production. Keeping this in focus, the new offsets policy is expected to include certain areas where TOT is required in India, including nanotechnology, single crystal blades, titanium honeycomb and investment casting for barrel manufacture. o
www.ainonline.com • February 14, 2012 • Singapore Airshow News 47
news clips
CAE’s training center in Manila, a joint venture with Cebu Pacific Air, is due to open this year.
z Singapore Airlines to Install Boeing ELB Boeing (Booth U23) has secured a launch customer for the new version of its electronic logbook (ELB): Singapore Airlines (SIA). Developed with Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Ultramain Systems, the ELB is designed to improve communications between pilots, ground crews, maintenance technicians and engineering personnel. SIA will install the ELB on its Boeing 777s. The ELB software runs on the electronic flight bag to connect flight data into a central repository where it is combined with maintenance and engineering information. This enables airlines to “better understand and diagnose issues,” Boeing explained. Airplane information is thus “efficiently and quickly shared with the people who need it,” said Per Noren, vice president of Boeing’s commercial aviation information services.
CAE training network grows in Asia Pacific
z ADS-B Out Retrofit Available for Falcon 50EX Dassault Falcon has developed a supplemental type certificate (STC) to install automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast out (ADS-B Out) on the out-of-production Falcon 50EX business jet. The STC is available for those aircraft equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics. List price for the STC data package is $9,995, which does not include the cost of labor, GPS receiver or transponder.
by Nigel Moll
z EASA Grants Air Works India Part 145 Approval Mumbai-based Air Works India Engineering’s Delhi facility has become the first independent general aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organization in India to be awarded European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 145 approval covering general aviation aircraft. “[This] opens our Delhi hangar doors to carrying out maintenance on European-registered aircraft,” said Nick White, Air Works’ vice president of general aviation. “This beginning will allow us to release Hawker family aircraft [from 750s to 900XPs] to European operators, but it is just the beginning as we will quickly add additional aircraft types.” The 60-year old company holds EASA approval for its facility in Hosur near Bangalore, where it maintains Airbus A320 family, Boeing 737 Classic/NG series and ATR 42/72 series aircraft. Through its Air Livery subsidiary, Air Works is one of Europe’s largest providers of aircraft paint services. SA Air Works India, a joint venture with Scandinavian Avionics, Denmark, has an EASA-approved avionics shop in Delhi (see page 23).
z Jet Aviation Hong Kong Adds Falcon Approvals Jet Aviation’s Hong Kong facility is now authorized by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency to provide full line and base maintenance services for Dassault’s Falcon 2000EX, 7X and 900LX/DX/EASy aircraft. “We are actively expanding our support services to Dassault Falcon customers traveling in the region,” said Nigel Parker, managing director. The Hong Kong facility also recently took delivery of a large consignment of Falcon aircraft spares. Jet Aviation (Booth G87) also holds Hong Kong CAD maintenance repair station approval, plus joint maintenance approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China to work on aircraft registered in the People’s Republic, and from Macau’s aviation authority to work on Macau-registered aircraft. In addition, the Swiss-based group services aircraft registered in 11 other countries via its parent group’s maintenance approvals in Singapore.
The Rebel 300 aerobatic stunt plane operated by Blair Aerosport is the only one of its kind in Australia. It is performing during trade and public days. Blair Aerosport Rebel 300 on static display at Changi.
MARK WAGNER
z Rebel 300 Aerobatic Plane Comes to Singapore
Flight training group CAE is big and getting bigger in the growing Asian market, according to Jeff Roberts, group president of civil simulation products, training and services. The Canadian company has 16 training locations in the Asia Pacific region, and 16 of the 30 full-flight simulators sold in the current financial year (which ends next month) will earn their keep in the region–a clear indication that this part of the world has a healthy appetite for training aviation professionals. A Boeing forecast in September 2010 predicted that the region will require 180,600 pilots and 220,000 mechanics over the next 20 years. No other region has greater needs, and within the Asia Pacific region China will employ the largest numbers (70,600 and 96,400, respectively), according to Boeing. Asia Pacific demand in FY2012 continues a trend evident at CAE for at least the past five years, with the region taking 13 of 37 full-flight simulators sold in FY08, 15 of 34 sold in FY09, 11 of 20 sold in FY10 and 16 of 30 in FY11. Broadly speaking, CAE’s total revenue is split roughly 50:50 between civil and military aviation, and within each of those two segments the company derives half its income from products and half from training and services. But according to results for the third quarter of FY2012 published last week, the civil side of the business is growing faster (at around 13 percent) than the military (1 percent). Within the past five years, CAE has opened training centers in India (at Rae Bareli, in conjunction with the Indian government; at Gondia, with the Airports Authority of India; in Bengaluru, with CAE’s own training center;
48 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
and also in Bengaluru, a helicopter simulator training facility with HAL), Australia (Perth, in a joint venture with China Southern Airlines) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, with Air Asia). Announced recently and yet to become operational are training centers in the Philippines (Manila, due to open this year in
a joint venture with Cebu Pacific Air); Australia (a business aviation training center in Melbourne, due to open in the next four months and specializing in the Beech King Air 350 equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21), India (Delhi, due to open by next year with InterGlobe Enterprises) and, in a location yet to be decided, a CAE Asia business aviation training center to be up and running by 2013. CAE has ab initio training facilities in India (two), Australia and Malaysia, operating Diamond and Cessna piston aircraft and Daher-Socata TBM turboprops. o
CAE full-flight simulator of an Airbus A320 cockpit. The Canadian flight-training group has sold 16 of 30 full-flight simulators ordered in Asia Pacific region this fiscal year.
Lufthansa Technik opens A380 maintenance hangar Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) has opened a $30 million widebody hangar at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, joining two others at the site. The 91,500-sq-ft building has a 115-foot ceiling and has space for a widebody and a pair of narrowbodies to be worked on simultaneously. The company’s third hangar will meet the increasing demand for technical services for longhaul aircraft, particularly in the Asian market. “By adding A380 capability, it underscores Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ role as global aircraft overhaul
center,” said Lufthansa Technik chairman Wilhelm Henningsen. Current A380 operators in Asia Pacific include Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qantas, Korean Air and China Southern, with deliveries to be made in the near future to Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways. LTP is a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik (51 percent) and the Philippine MacroAsia Corporation (49 percent). It offers technical services including lease return checks and cabin modification for the Airbus A330/A340 and A320 families and now for the Airbus A380 as well. –N.M.
DELIVERS HOPE. WHEN ALL SEEMS HOPELESS.
C O M B AT · H U M A N I TA R I A N · L O G I S T I C S · R E S C U E · S P E C I A L O P S Around the globe, V-22 Ospreys are making a critical difference in humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions—delivering food, water, medical supplies and time-sensitive cargo to those in need. The V-22’s unique blend of helicopter flexibility, high speed and long range provides timely aid to remote areas that would otherwise be unreachable, saving lives in the balance.
Boeing manufacturing booms in SE Asia by Gregory Polek The supply of parts, assemblies and services for Boeing products has created valuable new economic opportunities in Southeast Asia in recent years. In fact, since 2009, Boeing suppliers have established aerospace manufacturing centers for commercial aircraft production in five Southeast Asia countries: Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Meanwhile, Boeing suppliers in other countries, including Australia and Malaysia, have added new commercial or defense manufacturing capacity to their portfolios. In a pre-Singapore Airshow interview, Boeing Asia president Skip Boyce shared with AIN a sort of bird’seye perspective on a region whose industrial base has grown to include no fewer Skip Boyce than 50 suppliers to the Boeing Company. Employed by Boeing for four years and as a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department for 31, Boyce knows the region well. Far more diverse in many ways than Western Europe or North America, Southeast Asia doesn’t lend itself to easy classification. “As a region, [Southeast Asia] is hardly homogenous,” stressed Boyce. “It’s a region where 10 different countries possess 10 strikingly different cultures and different histories…so the challenge in Southeast Asia is to keep a handle on a lot of different countries and markets.” Of course, coordinating the activities of the various suppliers in the fast-growing region,
too, presents its challenges, as well as opportunities. Of the 50 suppliers in Southeast Asia with which Boeing now does business, 11 have begun doing new work for the OEM over the past two or three years. Boyce divides the region into three “tiers” or categories of technological capability and experience, the first residing in Australia, particularly in the military realm. In the second category Boyce placed Singapore and Malaysia, which he described as “relatively advanced” economies compared with the rest of the region and where Boeing maintains ties with companies such as Spirit Malaysia, which last November announced it would assemble the fixed leading edge for the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing also maintains a joint venture in Malaysia with Hexel called Asian Composites Manufacturing (ACM). Located in the remote enclave of Alor Setar, ACM opened in 1998 and now produces primarily composite wing parts for virtually the entire range of Boeing products. Increasingly moving “up the value chain,” ACM’s activities represent an example of what Boeing wants to project as a serious contribution to the region’s development rather than just another opportunity to exploit cheap labor. “That means hiring more people, training them and bringing high-tech [manufacturing] into a sort of very little area of Malaysia,” said Boyce. Finally, some of what Boyce
Moog Baguio, located in the Baguio City Economic Processing Zone in the Philippines, employs nearly 1,300 people and supplies gears for Boeing’s 777 and 737NG.
Southeast Asian suppliers with new Boeing work announced since 2009 Company
Boeing Airplane Program
Country
Asian Composite Manufacturing
Malaysia
Composite parts for all Boeing commercial programs
CTRM
Malaysia
787 fan cowl
Ferra Engineering
Australia
F/A-18F rudder pedals
Honeywell Bintan
Indonesia
Avionics for all Boeing commercial programs
Honeywell Penang
Malaysia
Avionics for all Boeing commercial programs
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Vietnam Aerospace
Vietnam
737NG wing flaps
Moog Philippines
Philippines
777 and 737NG gears
Nikkiso Vietnam, Inc.
Vietnam
GE blocker doors for 777 engines
Primus International
Thailand
737NG door assembly
Rolls-Royce
Singapore
Trent 1000 assembly for 787
Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing
Malaysia
787 machined parts
Spirit Malaysia
Malaysia
787 wing fixed leading edge
characterized as “third-tier” countries, such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, have proved the most interesting in terms of their growing levels of economic activity and their appetite for more business. “We have either successful sales or very important campaigns in all the countries I just mentioned,” said Boyce. “Obviously, to the extent we can, we want to be responsive to approaches by governments and airlines as far as tech transfer and the kinds of things we can do in industrial participation, et cetera…and also perhaps identifying areas ourselves.” Meanwhile, Boeing continuously attempts to identify areas where it can serve as a good corporate citizen. “We get a lot of approaches from Southeast Asian governments to support
50 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
their aerospace manufacturing growth,” said Boyce. “They’re very interested in direct foreign investment…setting up industrial areas, new factories. They’ve even invested resources in education and we’ve often supported that as well through our own investments in things like universities and secondary schools to help develop the capable labor force needed to go in that direction.” Boyce mentioned “over 20” different projects in Vietnam alone, some in rural areas in dire need of the kind of modern education infrastructure Boeing’s resources can bring. All told, in 2011 alone, Boeing spent $457,000 on socalled corporate social responsibility activities in Southeast Asia. Of course, like any company, Boeing doesn’t invest in developing regions out of pure altruism.
For example, educating a young and dynamic population for careers in aerospace translates into a deeper pool of talent in a region whose labor costs now compete “very attractively” with China and India, said Boyce. Yet another attractive, seemingly inherent characteristic of Southeast Asia centers on its economic resilience. As a whole, Southeast Asia has rebounded from financial crises more effectively than either the U.S. or Europe, for example. “If you look back over the last 20 or 30 years, the trend line has been consistently up, and given the nature of our production capacity requirements and capability requirements, Southeast Asia by and large [consists of] very important and exciting countries,” concluded Boyce. o
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Asia Pacific continues to boost ATR sales by Ian Sheppard Airlines from the Asia Pacific region played a big part in the sales success enjoyed last year by European airframer ATR (Booth E01), with operators such as Wings Air of Indonesia, Malaysia’s Firefly and Skywest Airlines of Australia among its client list. ATR believes there is more to come and this week’s Singapore Airshow could well see a further 40 or so orders and commitments announced from this part of the world. At the Toulouse, Francebased group’s annual press conference in Paris last month, CEO Filippo Bagnato said the company is pressing ahead with plans to increase its production rate over the next three years. He also confirmed that ATR is preparing to add a larger, 90-seat member of its twin turboprop to its product family, which currently consists of the 50-seat ATR 42-600 and 74-seat ATR 72-600. After rolling 54 aircraft off the production line in 2011, the company is aiming to
manufacture 70 in 2012, 80 in 2013 and 85 in 2014, while its revenues are projected to increase from $1.3 billion to $2 billion per annum. It expects to propose the 90-seat model to its shareholders (EADS and Alenia) by the end of 2012 in a bid to respond to customer interest. Last year saw ATR book a record 157 firm orders for its aircraft (13 Model 42s and 144 Model 72s, plus a total of 79 options) from 13 clients worldwide, well ahead of its previous record year in 2007 when it received orders for 80 aircraft. Its backlog as of mid-January stood at 236 aircraft, worth some $5 billion and representing around three years of production. This is after removing the 38 aircraft India’s Kingfisher Airlines would have taken before it missed delivery prepayments, triggering effective order cancellation. In December ATR confirmed that it will discontinue production of the older -500 models toward the end of 2012 and produce only the new -600 version.
Air Vanuatu operates a single ATR 72-500, shown above in Toulouse, France, shortly before it was delivered. ATRs have proved very popular for island hopping in the Asia Pacific region. At right, Malaysia’s FireFly regional also flies ATR 72-500s, from Subang and Penang international airports.
This features a new Thales glass cockpit, enhanced Pratt & Whitney Canada powerplants and a new Armonia cabin to optimize baggage space. According to Bagnato, the new ATR 72-600s have already made more than 3,000 flights since entering service with Royal Air Maroc last August, achieving a 99.7-percent dispatch reliability rate. The other airlines that are already operating the type are Azul and Trip of South America, and Caribbean Airlines. Further
Piper seeks more training sales in Asia Piper Aircraft (Booth V63) sales Dana Cox and Asia genhead of global sales and busi- eral manager Alex Omar. This ness development Drew McEwen group has achieved recent gains is leading the Vero Beach, in selling aircraft into the Florida-based company’s Asia Pacific area and is delegation here at the Sinanticipating more opporgapore Airshow. The Brutunities with the diverse nei government-owned economies of the region. aircraft manufacturer also “We have seen the comes to the Singapore Piper fleet grow increshow under new managementally in the Pacific ment–until a few months Rim just since the Sinago Imprimis was directgapore Airshow in 2010, ing the company; Brunei, Drew McEwen and this is exemplified which bought Piper in 2009, now by our recent sales to a number holds the full reins. of pilot training providers in the Joining McEwen from Pip- region,” McEwen said. “One in six new airplanes er’s Brunei sales offices is director of global fleet sales Chuck we build is being purchased by Glass, director of Asia Pacific Pacific Rim countries and we The Piper fleet in the Pacific Rim counts at least 18 Seminoles among other models serving in regional training roles.
would like to see these sales grow even more. That is the primary reason we are taking this opportunity to focus our sales presence in this important region at the Singapore Airshow,” he said. –C.T.
50 Sales in Two Years In the last two years, Piper has sealed more than 50 training sales in the Pacific Rim. These include: u 10 Seminole piston twins for the Civil Aviation Flight University of China; u 18 Warrior piston singles for Sekolah Tinggi Penerbang Indonesia, the government flight school at Budiarto Airport in Curug; u eight Warrior IIIs and two Seminoles for Australian Airline Pilot Academy; u two Seminoles for Oxford Aviation Academy of Moorabbin, Australia; u 10 Warrior IIIs and two Seminoles for Asia Pacific Flight Training of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and u two Seminoles for Hanseo University in South Korea’s Chungchung Namdo province.
52 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
deliveries are imminent to both of the last two operators, and also to Wings Air in Indonesia. In Australia, Skywest is due to add nine ATR 72-600s to its fleet after Singapore-based lessor Aviation Plc ordered a further five aircraft in December (adding to four ordered earlier). Skywest operates routes for Virgin Australia and already has four ATR 72-500s in its fleet, with the first -600 due to join them later this year. According to John Moore, ATR’s head of sales, Asia is the “number-one market for growth and about half our orders have been from the Asia Pacific region over the past four to five years.” He said Brazil and Russia have also seen good growth. “There is a large base of operators already and good infrastructure in the region,” he commented. “We have a customer in just about every country, and our product is very well suited, for example, to the challenging airfields. Wings [Indonesia] is a good example, with high frequencies, and there are lots of underdeveloped regional routes in the area, where there is no or very little by way of air services.” He observed that these regional airline markets are “nowhere near saturation.” During the Paris briefing, Bagnato highlighted the fact that in the market for 50- to 90-seat aircraft, turboprops now represent some 85 percent of orders and he claimed that, of these, ATR has achieved a 70 percent market share. “Turboprops, and particularly ATRs, appear more and more to be the
right solution for regional aviation,” he said, adding that its planned 90-seater would not mean its smaller models would disappear. The company anticipates that these will always account for two thirds of a market it estimates at some 3,000 aircraft over the next 20 years. Bagnato also revealed that its orders total includes four orders that have not yet been disclosed, covering 41 aircraft. Three of the customers are in the Asia Pacific region and it is these prospective deals that ATR might be able to announce before the end of the show. On May 3 ATR will hold a ceremony in Toulouse to mark the delivery of its 1,000th aircraft, while another milestone this year will come with the anticipated certification of the ATR 42-600, which Bagnato said should be the ideal aircraft to replace the large number of aging smaller turboprops in the U.S. “I am reasonably confident that the ATR 42 can be a good answer, as there is a tendency toward larger aircraft,” said Bagnato. He added that some 1,400 small turboprops are to be replaced in the U.S. over the next few years. Delivery of the first ATR 42-600 is expected to take place in August. The manufacturer also has revealed new list prices for its current models: $19.5 million for the ATR 42-600 and $23.4 million for the ATR 72-600. Bagnato said his ambition for 2012 is “to ideally reach the end of the year with at least the same backlog as today; if we do that I will be reasonably satisfied.” o
by Liz Moscrop Gulfstream Aerospace comes to Singapore with, among other things, a G450 demonstrator aircraft fitted with its new Elite interior. The all-new optional package features elements from the company’s flagship G650, and is available for G550 aircraft as well. AIN got a taste of the new cabin during a pre-show demo flight, courtesy of the U.S. manufacturer. The sleek design features clean lines and white leather seats, offset by black high-gloss woods and matte silver finishes. Each element–up to the tiniest detail, such as the brushed chrome window shade controls– is a credit to its designers. However, it is the aircraft’s invisible features that will make most difference to passengers. The company’s new cabin
management system (CMS) includes digital control through Apple devices. Passengers can download an application that allows them to manipulate lighting, temperature, speakers, monitors, entertainment, window shades, and even call the flight attendant. They’ll also be able to set and save their preferences. For example, if they like to work using the reading light, a closed window shade and a certain color for the indirect lighting, they’ll be able to save these preferences under their “work” label, which will automatically fire up their chosen settings when selected. All the cabin systems (waste, water, communication, lighting, power, cabin control and entertainment) are designed to ensure
DAVID McINTOSH
Gulfstream shows off new G450 Elite cabin Gulfstream Aerospace has arrived in Singapore with a G450 demonstrator aircraft fitted with its new Elite interior. The new optional interior features elements from the company’s flagship G650 large cabin, long range jet, and is also available for the G550 business jet.
that no single point failure will result in the loss of cabin functionality. Should a failure occur, maintenance staff on the ground will receive a message on the ground while the jet is still in the air. There is an option for motorized seats. To ensure total comfort throughout all phases of flight, they sport heated back and seat cushions, a massager, single-position memory preset and press-and-hold controls for full upright and full-flat positions.
Lovers of gourmet cooking will appreciate the spacious galley, which houses a stainlesssteel appliance stack with two coffee makers, a microwave and a convection oven, plus a refrigerator with freezer and removable shelves. There are touch controls built into the walls and the hinged doors on the crystal
storage unit can double as an added work surface. With such luxury on board, the flight seemed all too short. Should you want to experience the G450 interior for yourself, head to the Gulfstream stand (Chalet CD47) where the aircraft is on display, alongside a G150 and G550. o
Yotaisc promotes X200 coaxial helicopter UAV
getting a lift to the show Ground support personnel tow a Cessna Citation to the display area at Changi Exhibition Center for start of 2012 Singapore Airshow. More than 65 aircraft are on display this year, according to the airshow organizers.
ExecuJet Taijin wins Honeywell support ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services China, which provides maintenance, technical support and aircraft-on-the-ground services in Tianjin and Beijing, has been appointed an authorized avionics dealer for Honeywell in mainland China. Under the agreement, the Tianjin-based
business aviation specialist will promote, sell and support the full range of Honeywell’s avionics products, warranties and protection plans for Chinese business jets. “This partnership gives customers more local and readily available technical support and parts,”
the company said. The operation is a joint venture between Swissbased ExecuJet Aviation and China’s Haite group. –T.D.
X200 can carry 176 pounds of fuel, giving a maximum hovering endurance of five hours. As well as its UAV activities, Yotaisc also provides bird detection and clearance equipment to the Chinese market.
MARK WAGNER
DAVID McINTOSH
Yotaisc, a high-tech company from Beijing, China, is exhibiting a new rotary-winged UAV on its booth (C99). The X200 employs coaxial, contrarotating rotors to reduce the footprint of its main rotor. This has the added benefit
Yotaisc’s X200 UAV carries up to 200 pounds of payload and can hover for five hours carrying 66 pounds.
that rotor torque is eliminated, thereby negating the need for a long tailboom and tail rotor. Control of the X200 can be accomplished completely autonomously through the HeliAP system, although there is also a manual remote-control option. The X200 has a maximum payload of 220 pounds, but there is a trade-off with fuel carriage. With a 66-pound payload the
It currently offers the DeTect Merlin bird detection radar, YXD series of directional acoustic emitters, HLQ1110 hand-held green laser birdscarer, and the TOM500 fixed green laser device developed by Lord Imaging in France. Last December it was announced that four TOM500s are to be installed at Kunming Airport in southwest China. –D.D.
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Irkut MC-21 mockup is hint of future airliner by Gregory Polek The fuselage is 25 percent wider than that of a 737 and 11 percent wider than that of an A320, even though it would weigh less than either of the established aircraft. “Each MC-21 aircraft will
MARK WAGNER
Irkut has brought a full-scale mockup of its nascent MC-21 short- to medium-range midsize airliner to Singapore, giving visitors their first chance to see up-close the shape of things
The full-scale mockup of the Irkut MC-21 midsize airliner on display here gives Singapore Airshow attendees a taste of the design of the Russian civil aircraft.
to come in the design of Russian civil aircraft. Characterized by a particularly wide fuselage, the MC-21 also features advanced aerodynamics, extensive use of composites and two modern engine choices–either the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan or the Aviadvigatel PD-14–all meant to decrease direct operating costs by 12 to 15 percent compared with existing airplanes in the same category.
provide its operator with $4 million to $5 million of additional profit annually,” according to Irkut vice president Kiryll Budaev. Irkut is a subsidiary of Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. Benefiting from “intense international cooperation,” the MC-21 brings together companies from Russia, the U.S. and Europe, he said. For example, the wing, under development by Austria’s Diamond, will make extensive
Airbus shows off ACJ with luxurious cabin by Liz Moscrop If you’re looking to experience a touch of luxury in Singapore, you could do worse than to visit the Airbus stand on the static display where the European manufacturer is exhibiting one of its ACJ318 corporate jets for the first time here at the air show. The executive version of Airbus’ smallest regional aircraft model (the A318) can seat up to 19 people and features a lounge area and a private office / sleeping area with an en-suite bathroom and plenty of relaxation space. The example “bizliner” in the static park is operated by Abu Dhabi’s Al Jaber Aviation. In Asia, Hong Kong and Shenzhenbased management company BAA Asia operates two ACJ318s out of Shenzhen. China’s DeerJet and TAG Aviation Asia also operate Airbus Corporate Jets. Meanwhile, Airbus announced
last week that its outfitting arm in Toulouse, France–the Airbus Corporate Jet Centre (ACJC)–had delivered its 10th VIP cabin to an undisclosed customer in Europe. Last December ACJC announced that its ninth cabin was the first to offer a full-HD cabin entertainment system, plus connectivity and telephony, based on a complete Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satcom offering. Regionally, last year the OEM
use of new carbon-infusion technologies. This January the wing’s prototype passed durability tests “quite successfully,” said Budaev. “By using state-of-the-art composites, the MC-21 will surpass the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 considerably,” said Budaev, who added that it would allow a decreased weight and a wider fuselage. Scheduled for first flight in 2014, the MC-21 is due to gain certification in 2017. Plans for the cockpit include sidestick controls and an avionics suite with an optional head-up display. Irkut claims the next-generation flight system will reduce pilot workload and support single-pilot operations, should they win approval in the future. Irkut (Booth V87) counts orders totaling 235 MC-21s, almost half of which it describes as “firm.” Here in the Asia Pacific region, it has approached Malaysian companies–particularly those that specialize in composites manufacturing–to participate in the program. Russia has proposed a program offset with its Su-30MKM fighter for the Malaysian RAF. Irkut has set a list price of $69 million for the 150-passenger MS-21-200 and $78 million for the 180-seat MS-21-300. The company is showing the MC-21 cockpit and passenger cabin in a separate pavilion on the static display line. o appointed Xiamen-based TAECO as its first approved cabin-outfitter in the Asia Pacific area. TAECO is a subsidiary of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co. (HAECO), and has already built an ACJ cabin mockup called Phoenix, which features a color scheme and layout designed to appeal to Asian tastes. This past year, Airbus, which has achieved 170 ACJ sales, formed a new business unit to encapsulate all ACJ activities, including sales, customer support and completions. The European airframer also renamed its various VIP models with the common ACJ demarcation. In 2011, Airbus sold 10 ACJs and also delivered the same number, with customers spread across the Middle East, Europe and Asia (including China). o
The Airbus Corporate Jet Centre has just delivered its 10th VIP cabin to an undisclosed customer.
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Sikorsky’s S-76D is shown in flight. Japan’s Coast Guard has ordered four to replace tsunami losses.
Sikorsky taps Malaysia for Southeast Asia base by Bill Carey Sikorsky Aircraft (Booth L39) is taking the first step toward expanding its presence in Southeast Asia by establishing an office in Malaysia. The announcement at the Singapore Airshow follows recent Sikorsky developments in the neighboring country, with Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS), the company’s aftermarket division, signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in December with Malaysia’s Aviation Design Center and MRO and modification center, Airod. Under this agreement the companies will “explore aircraft maintenance and support opportunities” for Sikorsky’s S-61/H-3 helicopters, including an upgraded S-61T. The signing, at Malaysia’s Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition last December, signaled a new lease on life for Royal Malaysian Air Force S-61s, which were slated for replacement by Eurocopter EC725 Super Cougars. “This MOU represents the first step in discussing potential support capabilities for the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s S-61 platform,” Samir Mehta, SAS vice president and chief operating officer, said at LIMA. “It is our strategic objective to provide customized solutions to a wide range of customers with complex fleet requirements.” “Malaysia is centrally located in [Southeast Asia], with one of the strongest aerospace markets in the region,” said Linda Scott, Sikorsky Southeast Asia office general manager. “Opening an office in Malaysia allows Sikorsky to be best located to support all of its Southeast Asia customers, and we look forward to the new opportunities to grow
our relationships in the region.” Sikorsky also announced an S-92 order from the Korea Coast Guard under that country’s MultiPurpose Helicopter Program. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery in December 2013, and Korea has expressed an interest in acquiring three additional S-92s, Sikorsky said. The company has delivered 151 S-92s since 2004. Japan’s Coast Guard has ordered four Sikorsky S-76Ds to replace helicopters that were damaged during March 2011 tsunami. Delivery of the first S-76Ds to customers begins later this year, Sikorsky said. Here at Singapore, Sikorsky subsidiary Composite Technology announced new capabilities to support S-92 and S-76 mainand tail-rotor-blade maintenance and repair through its Composite Technology International (CTIS) venture. CTIS Singapore is a joint venture of Composite Technology, Eurocopter Southeast Asia and Singapore Technologies Aerospace Engineering (Booth C01). “The addition of Sikorsky helicopter rotor-blade repair capabilities broadens the CTIS range of helicopter aftermarket services for the Asia Pacific region,” said Phua Poey Chor, CTIS general manager. “Sikorsky helicopter operators in the region can now benefit from this convenience and receive greater value from our comprehensive suite of services,” he added. o
MiGs from Malaysia in smokin’ hot debut Making a welcome first appearance in Singapore skies, the Smokey Bandits display team is showcasing “Malaysia’s MiGs”–five MiG-29N fighters that are performing an eight-minute routine here. The team name is derived from the characteristic emissions from the Russian fighter’s two Klimov RD-33-3 engines when operating in full military thrust. Leading the team is 41-year-old Lt. Col. Mior Nor Badrishah (Smokey 1), who leads a group of experienced jet jockeys with more than 9,000 flying hours among them. They are all fully operational fighter pilots with No. 17 Squadron, Royal Malaysian Air Force. (RMAF), based at Kuantan on the east coast of the peninsula. Mior was in one of the first groups of Malaysian pilots to convert to the MiG-29s when they were acquired in 1995. He told AIN that one of the biggest challenges was mastering the different instrumentation, compared to Western fighters. Another was tactics. Rather than adopting Russian operational doctrine, “we adopted Western methods,” he explained. Mior returned to Kuantan to command the squadron in July 2010, after taking a staff tour
and earning a master’s degree at the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in the US. Maj. Azri Hj Ahmad, 34, is the solo pilot. He has been flying the MiG-29 since 2006, and is now an instructor. “I’m the gap-filler for the crowd,” he explained, meaning that he must present his aircraft at show center when the other four aircraft are repositioning for a formation fly-past. This role involves some physically demanding flying, including his final maneuver, a 9-g level turn in afterburner. “We aim to show the roll rate, high speed and turning performance–that’s what the MiG-29 is all about,” Azri said. The other team pilots are Capt. Mohd Azizi (Smokey 2) on the right wing, Maj. Razali Ahmad (Smokey 3) on left wing and Maj. Nasruddin Khalid (Smokey 4) in the slot. The fliers are backed up by six other officers and a 31-strong technical crew. The team has been performing at state occasions in Malaysia since 1997, and at the country’s biannual LIMA air show at Langkawi. The RMAF originally received 18 MiG-29Ns. Two have crashed and another six are in storage. No. 17 Squadron does all the training as well as operational flying. o
Honeywell assists China modernizing its ATM by Ian Sheppard Asia’s burgeoning air-transport industry is at a turning point facing historic levels of opportunity, while also having to resolve infrastructure issues that could hold it back. This is where Honeywell comes in, according to Briand Greer, the avionics and powerplant group’s new president for aerospace in the Asia Pacific region. Greer is based in Shanghai, having started in mid-2011 as the company’s “vice president for China growth,” with a remit to focus on initiatives with Chinese airframer Avic and its parent group Comac. That Honeywell (Booth Q23) saw fit to arrange a lengthy crossover with its previous regional president was “unprecedented, but indicative of how we view
the Asia Pacific and China,” said Greer, who was widely traveled with many contacts with airlines in the region. “I knew some of the airlines fairly well but having been here a few months I found that there is a lot more to know– and I feel fortunate to be here at this time in history–it’s all happening very quickly in China.” So what’s his impression so far? “Airlines here are clearly very profitable and they probably represent around 35 percent of all global airline profits,” he said. “Airfares are relatively high and yet every aircraft you get on is full. And when GDP goes down–say from nine to eight percent–that gets a lot of attention.” “There is a huge push for more
PHOTOS: MARK WAGNER
by Chris Pocock
Lt. Col. Mior Nor Badrishah (above)
leads the Malaysian Smokey Bandits display team. Posing at right for a team photo are (l-r) Capt. Mohd Azizi and Maj. Nasruddin Khalid, kneeling, and Maj. Rasali Ahmad Jumali, Mior and Maj. Azri Hj Ahmad, standing. The Royal Malaysian Air Force MiG-29N pilots are making their first appearance at the Singapore Airshow.
aircraft and routes, but a big issue is the creaking ATC infrastructure,” Greer continued. “We’re helping with that both as a consultant and in development [work].” China wants to achieve an air traffic management stepchange along the lines of the U.S. NextGen or Europe’s Sesar systems as soon as possible. However, in Greer’s view, the country is “hamstrung with [legacy] systems and the agencies it has in place–a bit like the U.S., but they’re better at making decisions here; once it’s made, it’s made.” Single Asian Sky
The opportunity is that the air traffic control system can be much better, as the old systems are at maximum capacity. But, unlike the U.S. and Europe, in China the envisioned new ATM network is “not organized under a ‘heading’ yet,” explained Greer. However, the Chinese are working with other Asian nations on the Single Asian Sky project,
which is “moving forward quite rapidly,” he said. As for Honeywell, it took a big step forward in April 2011 when it signed a memorandum of understanding “to jointly set up an ATM lab [in Beijing] to look at the technology to combine ground and air systems–and now we’re in the process of setting up that lab.” Historically, Honeywell’s central expertise in aviation has been its aircraft systems business. “That’s really where our core strength is–TCAS, EGPWS, new radar, new flight management systems–and all this will be critical to the new ATM capabilities,” he said. In the Asia Pacific region and China, in particular, airline fleets are very modern and Honeywell has benefited from the fact that operators there have been early adopters of systems such as SmartLanding and SmartRunway. Because the ATM network in China is straining to cope with traffic growth,
incremental improvements are especially worthwhile, according to Greer. “One in every two or three flights has some kind of ATC delay–although typically less than an hour–but it’s extremely limiting,” he added. “This is why we’re talking to them about Honeywell’s SmartPath [system].” Honeywell moved its regional headquarters from Singapore to China in 2004 and now employs 11,000 people in the People’s Republic, around 750 of them on the aerospace side. It has joint ventures in place for programs such as Comac’s new C919 airliner program, and has five manufacturing centers in the country. In Singapore, Honeywell has been involved in upgrading the country’s C-130 military transport fleet. It also has a big stake in the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 jet trainer selected by Singapore’s air force, with $4.5 million in content on each aircraft from the F124 engines it provides. o
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Boeing predicts a world market for 11,450 airplanes valued at $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years, with the Asia Pacific market out front.
Aero Skyblade UAV uses fuel cell to endure
MARK WAGNER
by David Donald
Asia Pacific market growth fans optimism from Boeing by Gregg Polek The Asia Pacific region will lead strong passenger growth around the world over the next 20 years, giving Boeing and its rivals a market for 11,450 airplanes valued at $1.5 trillion. This was the latest assessment of Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of marketing Randy Tinseth during a media briefing on eve of this year’s Singapore Airshow “Asia Pacific is such a strong and dynamic market [and] in 2012 we’ll continue to see resilient passenger traffic growth levels above the forecasted world average,” he predicted. Tinseth said that airline growth would account for 80 percent of all the demand in the Asia Pacific region, in sharp contrast to conditions in North America and Europe, where fleetreplacement needs drive much more of the demand. He singled out low-cost
Honeywell wins deal for Air China 777s Honeywell Aerospace is to supply the avionics for the 19 new Boeing 777300ER aircraft Air China has on order. The Honeywell avionics suite includes IntuVue 3-D, an advanced weather system that offers pilots a more complete picture of weather systems than
carriers (LCCs) in the region as representing one of the most important segments, resulting in a reliance on single-aisle airplanes in the category of the re-engined Boeing 737, known as the 737MAX, scheduled for market introduction in 2017. “We’re making solid progress on the 737MAX,” said Tinseth. “We’ll start wind-tunnel testing next week, which is a major design milestone.” Now holding firm orders for 250 airplanes and “commitments” for more than 750, Boeing expects to convert many, if not most, of those still-unconfirmed orders this year. “2012 will be the year of the MAX,” he quipped. With LCCs now accounting for 12 percent of the market in the Asia Pacific region, they will come to achieve a 16-percent share within 10 years, said Tinseth. Ten years ago they held a negligible share traditional 2-D offerings. The agreement also includes traffic collision avoidance system with mode-S transponders, plus flight and cockpit data recorders. In the back, cabin enhancements include a deal for satcom capability using SwiftBroadband. Air China has also opted for the OEM’s wheels and steel brakes for its incoming new fleet of 30 Boeing 737NG aircraft. This augments the deal to supply avionics for the same planes that Honeywell announced last September. Honeywell also said at the time that Air China had selected its SmartRunway software for all of its future incoming aircraft.
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of the market in this region. The BCA executive talked of a “strong” 2010 and a “challenging” 2011, due largely to natural disasters and high fuel prices. Still, passenger traffic increased by between 5 and 6 percent, while cargo volumes remained largely flat. Boeing itself enjoyed a banner sales year, registering net firm orders for some 800 airplanes while delivering 477. Its backlog now stands at 3,771. Tinseth noted Boeing’s 20-year projections for global GDP growth of 3.3 percent per year, a 4.2-percent annual passenger traffic increase, 5.1 percent growth in revenue passenger miles per year and a 5.6-percent annual cargo traffic increase. As a result, according to Boeing, airlines around the world will need 33,500 new airplanes, valued at $4 trillion. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific carriers will need 11,450 new airplanes valued at $1.5 trillion, making it the biggest market in the world. Noting that 25 percent of the projected demand already resides in existing backlogs, Tinseth expressed confidence that Boeing’s forecast will not prove overly optimistic. o SmartRunway improves pilot situational awareness and helps break the chain of events that can lead to a runway incursion, by providing aural and visual information during taxi, takeoff, final approach, landing and rollout. Alerts are based on aircraft position compared to airport runway locations stored in Honeywell’s worldwide terrain and runway database. –L.M.
The latest UAV from ST Aerospace, the Skyblade 360–a mini-UAV that has been designed to use fuel cell technology to extend its endurance to an impressive six hours–is on display for the first time here at the show. ST Engineering has identified unmanned systems as one of seven competency clusters within its aerospace sector, and has been working with DSO National Laboratories to develop a number of vehicles. Skyblade 360 draws on the technology and general configuration already developed for the Skyblade III, but the new vehicle is larger, with a wingspan of 9.8 feet as opposed to 8.5 feet, and a maximum takeoff weight of 20 pounds compared with 11 pounds. Performance is also improved, with a doubling in operating altitude to 3,000 feet, and an increase in range to more than nine miles. Like the Skyblade III, the 360 system is man-packable and is designed to be employed by a two-person crew operating in the field. The vehicle launches from a portable rail assembly, and is controlled from a new ruggedized console system that is common with other ST Aerospace UAVs. The mission is accomplished autonomously, but the operator has the flexibility to change routing and tasking inflight, as necessary. Skyblade 360 has a modular payload/ power source pod and can carry a variety of sensors in the front of the pod. The main section of the pod houses the power source, which is interchangeable between a battery and a fuel cell. With battery power the UAV has an endurance of three hours (the “3 x 60-minute” configuration), but with fuel cell power that rises to six hours (the “360-minute” configuration). ST Aerospace has flown the battery-powered version and hopes to begin tests of the fuel cell version next year. Meanwhile, ST Aerospace is preparing to deliver the first Skyblade IV to a customer (presumably the Singapore armed forces) in the second half of this year. This UAV made its first flight in 2010, and ST Aerospace has now built more than 10 for trials, and in advance of deliveries. Owing to the heavy demand on airspace here in Singapore, ST Aerospace performs its larger vehicle tests at overseas locations, such as Australia and South Africa. Skyblade IV is a larger (154 pounds max takeoff weight) UAV that launches from a towed-rail catapult. The vehicle carries a 26-pound payload and has an endurance of up to 12 hours, before landing using an automatic precision parachute recovery system. The UAV has four legs to protect its sensor package on touchdown. The legs are fitted with skids, which were found to offer better protection across a range of terrains than the wheels initially fitted. o
BUSINESS AVIATION ON FULL DISPLAY IN SHANGHAI — MAKE PLANS TO BE THERE
Shanghai, China March 27, 28, 29, 2012
Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre on Hongqiao International Airport Exhibits, Dozens of Aircraft on Side-by-Side Display and Education Sessions All in One Location
WWW.ABACE.AERO
The Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition is co-hosted by The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) and The Shanghai Exhibition Center, in Partnership With Shanghai Airport Authority.
Electric taxiing could be a green and economic option by Thierry Dubois Push-back tugs and taxiing aircraft with engines powered up may well, in a few years, be seen as remnants of the past. Two exhibitors here at the Singapore Airshow are studying electric motors that would drive the aircraft’s wheels on the ground. Safran and Honeywell have formed a dedicated joint venture (Booth Q23), while German aerospace research center DLR (Booth H95) has completed trials and an in-depth evaluation of the benefits of electric motors. The new-generation electric taxiing systems could enter service as soon as 2016, they said. Turbofan engines are optimized for flying, not for powering an aircraft on the ground because in that mode they burn a disproportionate amount of fuel taxiing from the gate to the runway. It is more important on short- and mediumhaul aircraft, which spend a relatively long time taxiing compared to the duration of a flight. Thanks to recent progress in electric systems, motors located in the landing gear and powered by the auxiliary power unit (APU) could make the aircraft autonomous. It would get rid of complex push-back operations at airports. Safran and Honeywell have even predicted better punctuality from the process. They also foresee less brake wear and reduced engine maintenance because, when running on the ground, engines sometimes ingest dust, gravel and other debris. Moreover, the aircraft would burn much less fuel on the ground because
the jet-A would start flowing only during engine start and warm-up. From an environmental perspective, the reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is obvious. Additional benefits include reductions in noise and emissions pollution around airports. Safran and Honeywell estimate overall fuel savings for an A320 making a 500-nm flight to be around 3 to 4 percent compared to what they would be with standard taxiing procedures. About 550 pounds of fuel would be saved each time an aircraft taxied, they said. Taxi speed with the electric motors would be close to 20 knots and that speed could be reached in 90 seconds. These are the requirements that airframers and airlines have told Safran and Honeywell would be necessary to make the technology practical for scheduled operations. The program calls for a demonstrator to start tests in 2013 and Safran has bought an A320 as a testbed. The two partners are targeting the in-development new generation of narrowbodies– including the Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737MAX and Comac C919–as the first types to use the system, and therefore potential entry into service in 2016. Honeywell and Safran are considering retrofits as well. The partners have ruled out a hydraulic motor because it would require extensive, bulky fluid ducting. This makes an electric, air-cooled motor far more practical, with power coming from the APU.
International passenger traffic rises at Asia Pacific carriers Asia Pacific-based airlines carried 190 million international passengers last year, a 3.5-percent increase from 2010, according to preliminary data released in late January by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). International passenger traffic (measured in revenue passenger kilometers) climbed 3.7 percent, while capacity growth for the year edged up by 6.3 percent. Since capacity outstripped traffic demand, the average international passenger load factor fell two percentage points to 76.4 percent. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific international air cargo demand (expressed in freight ton kilometers) fell 4.8 percent last year to 61,426, reflecting weakened world trade conditions. Since the offered freight capacity pretty much equaled that of 2010, the average international freight load factor dropped by 3.4 percentage points to 66.6 percent. “Despite a series of natural disasters
including the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, growth in international passenger traffic for Asian airlines held up relatively well in 2011,” said AAPA director general Andrew Herdman. “By contrast, the year saw air cargo demand weaken significantly compared to the restocking surge experienced in 2010, reflecting cautious management of supply chain inventories in the expectation of relatively weaker growth prospects for the major developed economies.” For 2012, economic “uncertainty… has somewhat overshadowed the immediate outlook, and airlines worldwide are bracing themselves for another challenging year ahead,” he said. “However, Asian airlines still remain optimistic about longer-term growth prospects, as evidenced by ambitious fleet plans, ongoing service enhancements and the launch of innovative new business ventures.” –C.T.
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Unlike other organizations that have studied electric taxiing, Safran and Honeywell have chosen to fit the motors on to the main landing gear, in spite of the fact that installation would be easier on the nosewheel because it does not have a brake, has very few bits of ancillary equipment and is hollow, explained Jean-Pierre Garcia, Messier-BugattiDowty’s technical director for what the
in learning how feasible and beneficial the system could be for them, including Easyjet, Delta, U.S. Airways, Air France, American Airlines and Alitalia. DLR Teast Electric Nosewheel
Separately, as part of the European Union’s Clean Sky initiative, the DLR has conducted an evaluation of the impact of electrically powered taxiing on airport traffic. It ran simulations based on Frankfurt and Berlin airports in Germany, and found that although the electric motors have slower acceleration and taxi speeds, “they hardly
Safran and Honeywell are planning to test a fuel-saving electric taxiing system, the motors of which will be located on the main landing gear.
partners are calling the “electric green taxiing system.” However, he pointed out that the nosewheel bears only 5 to 8 percent of the aircraft’s weight, which is deemed insufficient to ensure traction on a wet taxiway since there could be a risk of the wheel spinning. This prompted Safran and Honeywell to locate the actuator for the system on the main landing gear, which bears 95 percent of the weight. “Our choice is more complicated for installation but much more effective,” Garcia said. But why a joint venture? Couldn’t one of the two diversified equipment makers design its own system? “Safran and Honeywell each were working on these technologies but neither was covering the entire chain,” said Olivier Savin, Safran’s program director. Brian Wenig, Honeywell’s vice president for business development, said his company is bringing “credibility to an innovative project that could be seen with skepticism.” The 50-50 joint venture, however, has not yet been legally established, a Safran spokesperson told AIN. The required fields of competence to develop the electric taxiing system include APUs, brakes, power electronics, landing gear and wheel steering. Honeywell will probably supply expertise in APUs and avionics. Safran will use its subsidiaries for their relevant skills, namely HispanoSuiza for power electronics, Labinal for wiring, Sagem for control electronics, Technofan for actuator cooling and Messier-Bugatti-Dowty for the system’s design and integration. According to Honeywell and Safran, several carriers have shown an interest
seem to constrain faster traffic.” Paradoxically, despite the slower speeds, average taxi times are expected to be reduced slightly for departures. This is “due to the autonomous push-back, since no time is required for disconnecting the towing vehicle and for starting up the engines.” The DLR study predicted up to 17 to 19 percent in emissions reductions at airports. The potential saving at Frankfurt airport from the use of such equipment for all A320-class aircraft is about 44 metric tons of kerosene per day. On short-haul services, an aircraft’s engines could run two hours less per day. In autonomous electric taxiing, the DLR has a head start. In June last year, it teamed with Lufthansa Technik and Airbus to test an electric nosewheel on an A320. The aircraft (a research testbed owned by the DLR) taxied around Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport. A fuel cell located in the aircraft’s wheel rims powered the two electric motors. One challenge was that “a very high torque had to be transmitted without making the wheel spin,” said project leader Josef Kallo. He seemed to concur with Safran and Honeywell on the drawback of a nosewheel installation. Overall, DLR prefers the fuel cell to an APU because of its higher efficiency when it comes to producing electricity. o
A H OT E L B Y TA G Located directly alongside TAG Farnborough Airport, Aviator presents the style alternative for guests of Farnborough Airshow and London Olympics 2012. w w w. av i a t o r f a r n b o r o u g h . c o . u k
Viking starts to hit stride with Twin Otter 400s by Curt Epstein When the Singapore Airshow was last held two years ago, Canadian airframer Viking Air had yet to receive certification for its Twin Otter 400, the twinengine turboprop formerly built by de Havilland Canada (DHC) and a continuation of the series that ceased production in 1988. Today the British Columbia-based manufacturer will hand over its ninth production model to Papua New Guinea-based OK Tedi Mining at a ceremony at its chalet. While Viking attended the two previous Singapore Airshows, this year marks the first time it is exhibiting an aircraft in the static display and occupying its own chalet. The company’s increased presence is not surprising considering that the Asia Pacific region is currently responsible for generating 34 percent of its sales and inquiries, followed by Europe (24 percent) and the U.S. (20 percent). Viking had nearly 40 years of experience producing parts and providing support for the more than 1,000 DHC aircraft
still flying, when, in 2006, it purchased from Bombardier the type certificates for several outof-production models, including the rugged DHC-6 Twin Otter. A company study at the time showed a worldwide market for up to 480 Otters over the following 10 years leading to the decision to put the iconic aircraft back into production. Ramping Up
With the aircraft modified and brought up to 21st century standards, the manufacturer reports more than 60 aircraft on its order book valued at approximately $380 million. Here in Singapore this week, the company is expected to announce more orders, from operators in Turkey, Nigeria, Chile and Peru. The modernization work includes adding upgraded Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 (or optional -35) engines and a Honeywell Primus Apex avionics suite. In total, more than 400 changes have been made from the legacy Twin Otter.
Over the past two years, Viking has more than doubled its staff (currently more than 600 employees) as it seeks to ramp up deliveries, and while the company admits it has encountered some difficulties meeting its initial expectations, Rob Mauracher, Viking’s vice president of business development, told AIN they have been sorted out. “We had to get through our own design issues and then we had a little certification delay,” he said. “We changed a few things like wiring harnesses and since that was addressed things are starting to accelerate nicely.” Plans call for deliveries this year of 15 of the versatile aircraft, which can operate off wheels, floats or skis, followed by 18 in 2013. Viking is debating whether it should raise that goal to 21 in 2014. According to the manufacturer, the eight turboprops delivered since July 2010 have proved reliable with a better than 99-percent dispatch rate, including three that operate as seaplanes in the Maldives. The company has pursued its certifications of the aircraft based on its delivery schedule, and recently achieved Australian approval. Viking now is working toward Russian certification ahead of the planned delivery of two aircraft there in June. It is also in the midst of its U.S.
Abu Dhabi maintenance provider ADAT, which is part of the Mubadala group, is looking for more work in the Asian Pacific region.
Mubadala extends reach in Asia Pacific by Peter Shaw-Smith Mubadala Aerospace and several of its subsidiaries are at the Singapore Airshow (Booth No. D11). Much of the emphasis for the fast-growing Middle East group is on opportunities for it to develop its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business in the Middle East. Mubadala entities Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) and SR Technics are at the forefront of these efforts, and they are joined here this week by sister companies Sanad Aero Solutions and Piaggio Aero Industries. The Abu Dhabi-based group
is a subsidiary of the $45 billion sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Development Co., which was formed in 2002 to diversify the oil-rich emirate’s economy. It is here at the Singapore show to promote the burgeoning status of the United Arab Emirate’s capital as a global aviation hub and to build on major business wins in Asia over the last 12 months. For instance, last year, Swissbased SR Technics announced MRO deals with Asia Pacificbased carriers Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Virgin Australia. It also set up offices
for operations in Australia and sales in Singapore. “The Asia Pacific region is an important market for the Mubadala Aerospace MRO network as we work toward our goal of becoming a global market force with unique capabilities, geographic reach and scale,” said James Stewart, group CEO of the Mubadala Aerospace MRO network. Since its formation in 2010, Sanad has built up a $250 million portfolio of aircraft spares and engines under management. It seeks to complement the MRO
60 Singapore Airshow News • February 14, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
The Twin Otter 400 is an extensively modernized version of the original de Havilland Canada twin turboprop offered by Viking Air, which is making a delivery here in Singapore.
certification, with flying for U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approval to begin next month. While the aircraft is on display at the show, the manufacturer is demonstrating its “quick-change” interior seating, which will allow operators to swiftly alter it from a 19-seat commuter configuration to a VIP arrangement. After the show concludes, Viking will take the aircraft on tour to Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and, finally, to Manila, before it officially enters service. Another variant of the 400, intended for government and military use and known as the Guardian, has also been
gaining traction. The modified version, which operates at an all-up gross weight of 14,000 pounds, includes additional fuel tanks for extended-range operations and can be equipped with search radar and infrared sensor systems. Intended for long-range maritime patrol or search-and-rescue operations, the first example of the type, destined for Vietnam, is under construction. According to Mauracher, at least one third of the company’s backlog now consists of Guardian 400s, and some existing customers with late delivery dates for standard 400s have converted their orders into the Guardians. o
offerings of ADAT and SR Tech- (RCM) and engine maintenics by providing inventory-reduc- nance with flagcarrier Philippine tion and sale-leaseback deals, Airlines. The RCM agreement allowing airlines to plow savings on includes the airline’s entire Airspares financing into fleet growth. bus fleet of 33 wide- and narHere at the show, the group is pro- rowbody aircraft, and a total moting a range of services of par- of 2,000 spare parts. The engine ticular interest to Asian carriers, maintenance contract covers 21 including integrated component CFM56-5C engines for the carsolutions for the Boeing 787. rier’s Airbus A340-330s. Speaking at an international Last August, the company won inventory and engine asset man- a contract from Virgin Australia agement forum in May, Stewart for MRO services. Some of this said he expected emerging mar- work will be handled by ADAT in ket airlines to fare better in 2012. Abu Dhabi for completion, with component finance proA regional gap between vided by Sanad. A first regions like Asia Pacific contract covered Virgin’s and the Middle East and first two Airbus A330s the weaker European and and is to be extended North American marto include at least three kets, still buffeted by the more by 2013. Last May, economic crisis, is all too SR Technics announced evident, he said. a 10-year maintenance Mubadala, which set contract for Asia’s thirdup its aerospace arm in James Stewart largest low-cost car2006, increased an earlier 40-percent stake in SR Tech- rier, Cebu Pacific, servicing 18 nics to 70 percent in 2009. Until CFM International CCFM56-5B 1997, SR Technics had been the engines in its A320 fleet. Also part of the Mubadala engineering arm of Swissair. It has recently branched out into Aerospace group are composites VIP cabin interiors for widebody manufacturer Strata, which has just been awarded work on the Airprivate aircraft. Just in December, SR Technics bus A350XWB program, and the announced contracts for exclu- Horizon Flight Academy. Both sive repair cycle management operations are based in Al Ain. o
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that the report is credible. Negotiations on the contract should be completed by October, the source added. Although Eurofighter Typhoon bid leader EADS Cassidian issued a dignified statement expressing disappointment but respecting the decision, there has been much consternation from British government ministers over the Indian verdict. Prime Minister David Cameron encouraged India to reconsider, and international security minister Gerald Howarth even suggested that Cassidian and BAE Systems would be submitting a revised price offer. Former defense secretary Liam Fox said that BAE should have led the Typhoon bid, rather than EADS. British newspapers talked darkly of undue influence by French lobbyists, and of French government promises to transfer nuclear reprocessing technology to India. But The Times of India source in the Indian defense ministry said that “we went by the book… without any external factors coming into play.” But some British officials involved in the Typhoon bid have distanced themselves from the ministerial comments, which some might interpret as sour grapes or even disrespectful to India’s right to make its own defense acquisition choices. They believe that Indian officials handling the MMRCA contest have been transparent throughout the process. They are hoping that the Indian defense ministry will debrief the Typhoon team on why the Rafale bid was preferred, although there is no legal obligation for it to do so. The Typhoon camp is aware that in a number of previous Indian
defense acquisitions, the preferred bidder has failed to secure the final contract–raising the prospect of another twist in the MMRCA saga. According to the rules established in the original MMRCA solicitation, no trade-off of performance against cost was allowed in the final stage of the evaluation, when the commercial bids were unsealed. No information has leaked on which of the two finalists scored more in the technical evaluation. In a similar technical evaluation done by the Swiss air force in 2008-09, and recently leaked to the Swiss media, the Rafale was the clear winner (see box). In any case, neither finalist in the Indian contest was able to demonstrate the required active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. However, Team Rafale will have shown French commitment and tangible progress toward the introduction of an AESA, which is still not a requirement of the four Eurofighter partners. Cost Unrealistic?
The cost of the MMRCA could still influence the project’s conclusion. The $10.4 billion that was originally earmarked for the acquisition always seemed unrealistic, especially after four other contenders were eliminated after the technical evaluation. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-16IN, MiG-35 and Saab Gripen NG should all have been less expensive to acquire (and in some cases to operate) than the Rafale or Typhoon. Moreover, a 20-percent decrease in the value of rupee against the U.S. dollar last year alone will affect the eventual cost, which could be $7- to $8 billion greater than first stated. Before the contract is signed the following points need to be nailed down: the level of
Rafale Blowing Hot Again In Switzerland, U.A.E.? Dassault has offered to adjust the Rafale package for Switzerland to reduce cost and prevent the confirmation of the Saab Gripen as that country’s new fighter. The move follows the leaking of the Swiss air force evaluation report on the competing fighters, which also included the Eurofighter. The Rafale was the clear winner of the SAF evaluation, with the Eurofighter second, but the Swiss government opted for the cheaper Gripen package. This was worth $3.4 billion and included 22 jets. The potential new French offer is $3 billion for 18 aircraft, according to reports in the Swiss media. Meanwhile, French media outlet La Tribune reported that the long-awaited sale of 60 Rafales to the UAE may soon be concluded, despite last November’s dramatic declaration by the Emiratis at the Dubai Air Show that the price was not right. According to La Tribune, Dassault chief executive Charles Edelstenne returned to Abu Dhabi some days after the show to repair relations. There was a positive outcome, and now French President Sarkozy is standing by to visit the UAE at the end of March to seal the deal, La Tribune continued. –C.P.
MARK WAGNER
Britain demands second chance
fAlcon meets dreAmliner A Dassault Falcon 7X appears in the foreground, with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the distance, as aircraft take their places on the static display of the 2012 Singapore Airshow, expected to be larger than preceeding shows.
technology transfer for the 108 aircraft to be built in India; the coproduction plan; whether and how any government-furnished equipment is to be integrated; the guaranteed mean time between failure rates; and whether to choose an engineering support package or a performance-based logistics package. The life-cycle cost data supplied by the MMRCA contenders covered 6,000 hours of flying over 40 years. The 18 aircraft to be supplied in flyaway condition comprise 12 single- and six twin-seaters. They should be delivered within 48 months of the contract taking effect, with the complete weapons package. Of note, the MMRCA weapons and stores specification includes anti-radiation and antiship missiles, a reconnaissance pod and a buddy refueling pod. Neither the Rafale nor the Eurofighter has an anti-radiation missile, nor is one planned for either type. The Exocet antiship missile has already been integrated on the Rafale. The Typhoon bid included the Saab Rbs15 or the MBDA Marte ER anti-ship missile, neither of which are required by any of the Eurofighter partner nations. No reconnaissance or buddy refueling pod has yet been integrated on the Typhoon. The Thales Areos recce pod has already been fitted to the Rafale, which also already does buddy refueling. The Indian production will comprise 74 single- and 34 twinseaters. Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has been designated as the lead production agency for the airframe and engine, and
as system integrator. The first deliveries are due four years after contract signing, in a three-phase transfer of production. HAL is expected to produce six aircraft in that first year, 10 in the second and the total of 108 by the seventh year of local production. The Indian government expects licensed production of engine accessories, avionics, radars, systems, role equipment and tooling. Some or all of this could be undertaken by privately owned Indian defense companies that have been chosen by the successful bidder. The MMRCA package also includes simulators and other training aids, and ground handling and support equipment. Offset Concerns
There are significant concerns about how the offset requirement–50 percent of the value of the foreign exchange component of the commercial proposal–will be honored. The new Indian defense procurement policy outlined in 2006 was vague, and subsequent alterations have not provided much clarity. The bidders could only buy defense products from India, or invest in the Indian defense industry. This rule will have prevented EADS from offering some attractive offsets related to the production of Airbus commercial airliners. Moreover, foreign direct investment in Indian companies is currently limited to 26 percent of equity. An increase in this limit to 49 percent has been mooted specifically to help the MMRCA process, but any such change could delay the contract process. In any event, the industrial
benefits for Indian industry should multiply after the MMRCA enters service. Following the 24-month warranty period, the lifetime support and depot level maintenance must be provided by an Indian partner. “To ensure high aircraft availability, each operating base will have second-line facilities, including servicing of radar and avionics LRUs, electronic warfare equipment and hydraulics. An engine repair section and test bed will need to be set up,” said an Indian air force engineer. There will be three operating bases, each with two squadrons. Depot-level maintenance will benefit from technology transfer including metallic and composite structures, canopy, radome, castings and forgings, landing gear, engine including Fadec, turbine and compressor blades, wheels and brakes, hydraulics and fuel system. Thales and its Indian partner, Samtel Display Systems (SDS), will be a major beneficiary of the Rafale’s selection. “The MMRCA has provided the opportunity for Thales to grow this into a bigger company. We can build a center of excellence for airborne technologies that can be sold for different platforms,” Puneet Kaura, executive director of SDS, told AIN. This could include infrared searchand-track systems for India’s Sukhoi Su-30 fighters and the fifth-generation fighter aircraft being jointly developed by India and Russia. SDS is already slated to make a significant contribution to the $2 billion-plus Mirage 2000 upgrade that was awarded to Thales last July. o
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Asia tells Europe it will not accept ETS uContinued from page 1
punitive fines against operators who fail to account for their carbon emissions and pay for them with credits. China and the U.S., which have been leading the charge against ETS, have both threatened Europe with serious consequences if it doesn’t back down–raising the specter of an aerospace trade war. “This issue must be solved and tackled by ICAO…we would prefer multilateral solutions,” Kallas admitted. “We are not trying to dominate the world…transport is a dynamic part of our economy and is the only sector in Europe that has increased emissions of carbon dioxide. [Therefore], it is quite natural for certain measures to be implemented.” Europe “Ready To Negotiate”
Prime Minister gives blessing to new Rolls-Royce factory by Thierry Dubois Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially opened Rolls-Royce’s latest factory on Monday. The S$700 million ($555 million) Rolls-Royce Seletar Campus, situated at the Seletar Aerospace Park in the north of Singapore, is designed to double the engine manufacturer’s Trent engine output to more than 500 a year. In addition to engine assembly and test, the campus also houses fan blade manufacturing, research and training activities. Rolls-Royce COO Mike Terrett explained that the new 650,000-sq-ft complex and the one in Derby, UK, are “sister facilities.” At full capacity, the Singapore factory will produce 250 Trent turbofans per year. In Derby, the rate is currently at 200 per year and increasing. In Seletar, the company will begin with Trent 900s and Trent 1000s–which power the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787, respectively. The first examples will be Trent 900s, with the first due to be shipped to Toulouse in the third quarter of this year. In fact, depending on their destination, engines will travel by air (to Airbus in Toulouse) or by sea (to Boeing in Seattle). Eventually, the new factory may produce other models such as the Trent XWB, which will power the in-development Airbus A350 XWB. This will happen depending on production volumes, said Terrett. A “moving mixed-flow line” will enable simultaneous assembly of
different Trent engines. Meanwhile, the test unit can accommodate up to 150,000 pounds of thrust, far higher than that of today’s most powerful Trent turbofan. Another feature is the wide-chord fan blade manufacturing facility. It is the first outside the UK to manufacture the hollow titanium blades, a technology that partly explains the success of the Trent family architecture, RollsRoyce said. It will start to produce Trent 900 blades in the middle of this year, and full capacity at Seletar will be 6,000 blades per year (there are 24 and 20 fan blades on the Trent 900 and the Trent 1000, respectively). Local authorities have helped the company a lot, according to RollsRoyce officials. They would not disclose, however, how much funding in subsidies, loans or tax exemptions the company has received. They insisted on the “business-friendly” attitude of the government and agencies in solving problems. Terrett said 500 new jobs would ultimately be created. A total of 1,000 people will be employed at Seletar, as some will be relocated from other Rolls-Royce sites in Singapore. Eventually, the firm will have a workforce of 2,000 in the country. Its value-added contribution in Singapore will reach a predicted 0.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2015, including suppliers, according to Rolls-Royce. o
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Airline Bottom Lines
Meanwhile, aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, whose business is currently driven by the growth in the Asia Pacific, voiced concerns over ETS, fearing the issue could hurt airline bottom lines. Airbus CEO Tom Enders stated: “[We] hope it is avoidable. What started as a solution for the environment has become a potential trade conflict.” As Europe’s top airframer it clearly has the most to lose from any trade war over ETS. A major issue remains over legalities, an influential delegate told AIN. “In the EU court of law [European Court of Justice], ETS cannot be challenged on grounds of the Chicago Convention, as the EU is not a signatory [to the Convention], but individual states are. Therefore, in effect, talks [on ETS] should be held with each country, as many countries have not as yet ratified EU horizontal [cooperation] agreements. The world needs to challenge the legality of this issue.” IATA director general Tony Tyler questioned the very logic of the ETS. “Departure taxes in the UK, Germany and Austria–introduced as environmental measures–amount to well over €4 billion. At current market prices for UN-issued Certified Emissions Reduction [credits], that would offset the world’s CO2 emissions about one-and-a-half times. And ETS is being added on top of that!” o
right At home in the rAin This Russian Beriev Be-200 water-bomber wasn’t remotely bothered by the eve-of-show downpour. It is designed to scoop up water to dump on fires.
MARK WAGNER
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong did the honors by opening Rolls-Royce’s new facility at the Seletar Aerospace Park yesterday and he congratulated local employees of the UK-based engine maker.
Kallas indicated that the EU is “ready to negotiate within our own framework… I don’t think this is economically a big problem. It is mostly a matter of principle. That is why it has been raised to a political level.” He suggested that steps should be taken to avoid a trade conflict in future. “We are serious in negotiating a solution.” However, he added: “If [nonEU members] say nothing will happen until you suspend the ETS and [only] then start negotiations, that is unacceptable.” Voices against the EU ETS were loud and clear here in Singapore. “This tax is morally unacceptable even though it is economically tedious. It has no sense of balance,” said Martin Craig, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), speaking on behalf of his Asian counterparts. However, Kallas seems to be in no hurry: “The conditions are not right yet for EU ETS to be suspended because we have time until 2013,” he asserted. During the 2012-2013 trading period, 85 percent of the total available allowances will be
allocated to airlines free of charge while the remaining 15 percent will be auctioned by the EU. But the potential costs are troubling airlines, not to mention the extraterritorial nature of the scheme. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is one airline that has taken a clear stand on ETS, preferring to coordinate through the International Air Transport Association, said Goh Choon Phong, SIA’s CEO. But as an industry association with clear vested interests, the EU is highly unlikely to accept it as an honest broker in settling the increasingly bitter dispute.
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