Singapore Airshow News 2 11 14 by Aviation International News

Singapore

Airshow News

FEB. 11, 2014

TUESDAY

AINONLINE.COM

Airlines and military set to begin spending by Charles Alcock and Chris Pocock

Military Spending

Military budgets are also high on the agenda at the Singapore Airshow. Among the major defense topics being discussed are whether Singapore will soon commit to buying the Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Stealth Fighter, and whether it will entertain competition for an upgrade to its

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The newest Airbus makes its international debut here with appearances in the flying displays and in the static aircraft park. The A350 has already notched up orders for 812 copies. MARK WAGNER

Airlines from Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Vietnam are expected to announce at least $18 billion worth of new aircraft orders at this week’s Singapore Airshow. On the eve of the 2014 event, the Boeing sales force was working to nail down what is expected to be a contract for up to 50 of its new 737 Max models. The customer is expected to be an Indian operator, with Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Air India seen as the most likely buyers. Meanwhile, Myanmar Airlines is set to order a dozen 737-800s. Airbus could strike back in the narrowbody battleground with a possible order for 90 A320s. Sources close to the European airframer indicated that Garuda Indonesia officials are in the late stages of negotiating a deal for 10 A330s. The flagcarrier is also understood to be evaluating new widebody requirements and during the Singapore show will be able to get a close look at both the Airbus A350XWB and the rival Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Early this morning leasing group GECAS is to announce a deal with an as yet unnamed Asian carrier. No further details of the aircraft involved were available at press time.

A350XWB steals Singapore show limelight by Gregory Polek The full international debut of Airbus’s A350XWB airliner will dominate both the static and flying displays on the first two days of the Singapore Airshow. The European airframer’s second flight

test airplane–MSN3–arrived here over the weekend and flew a display rehearsal on Sunday afternoon over the Singapore Strait. It is due to depart at the end of Wednesday.

Carriers from the Asia Pacific region that have already ordered the aircraft include AirAsia X, Air China, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific

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Industry Restructuring

Airlines Growing

Infrastructure

Defense Sector

Flying Display

Will EADS Shine Under Airbus Brand?

Southeast Asian Carriers Expanding Fast

ATM Upgrades At Last For Asia

Chinese Defense Sector

Black Knights Set to Thrill

The defense and space divisions of Europe’s EADS group have been restructured and rebranded under the name Airbus. But will rebranding alone be enough to revitalize these under-performing businesses? Page 8

Operators from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore are restructuring and expanding fleets in response to strong growth in demand for air transport in their home markets and throughout the region. Page 22

Progress is now being made to resolve the Asia Pacific region’s long standing need to modernize its air traffic management network to cope with strong traffic growth. Page 38

The Chinese are increasingly keen to succeed in the development of whollyindigenous aircraft and engines, lessening reliance on others (Russia in particular). Reliability remains an issue, however. Page 54

The Royal Singapore Air Force’s display team, the Black Knights, will be thrilling the crowds daily here. AIN outlines their complicated routine and meets the team. Page 58

Go to AINonline.com/Singapore14 for the latest airshow news.

It’s here! The A350 XWB. The world’s newest and most modern widebody airliner has arrived in Singapore and will be on display at this week’s air show. The A350 XWB will bring a new dimension of efficiency with 25% lower operating costs than previous generation competitors. The aircraft features an all-new composite fuselage, innovative systems for highest operational reliability and outstanding aerodynamics with new high efficiency engines providing an environmental performance that is far ahead of today’s regulations. While airlines will enjoy the efficiency of the A350 XWB, passengers will love the exceptional level of comfort in the Xtra Wide Body that Airbus aircraft are famous for. It offers more personal space with wider seats, including in Economy, wider panoramic windows and the latest inflight entertainment systems with high definition video and full connectivity.

With already more than 800 orders from nearly 40 customers – including Singapore Airlines – the A350 XWB family is the most successful widebody aircraft in recent years. See it at the Singapore Airshow 11th –12th February.

@Airbus #A350

Singapore

Airshow News

FOUNDED IN 1972 JAMES HoLAHAN, FoUNDINg EDITor WILSoN S. LEACH, MANAgINg DIrECTor r. rANDALL PADFIELD, CHIEF oPErATINg oFFICEr EDITor-IN-CHIEF – Charles Alcock INTErNATIoNAL EDITor – Ian Sheppard PrESS rooM MANAgINg EDITor – Matt Thurber ProDUCTIoN DIrECTor – Mary E. Mahoney THE EDITorIAL TEAM Rick Adams Bill Carey David Donald Thierry Dubois Ian Goold Reuben Johnson

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they mean business DAVID McINTOSH

Burgeoning private wealth and international commerce in Asia are driving up demand for executive jets like these.

Boeing predicts continued growth

market share by 2032. In Southeast Asia specifically, the ASKs low-cost carriers provide will, it predicts, grow from 22 percent to more than 40 percent. “As we look at demand on a regional basis, the largest market moving forward will be the demand here in the Asia Pacific region,” said Randy Tinseth, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of marketing. “When it comes to single-aisle airplanes, this will be the biggest market. When you think of widebody

by Bill Carey Boeing delivered a bullish market forecast for airplane sales in the Asia Pacific region on Monday, citing strong anticipated economic and passenger growth over the next 20 years. The manufacturer expects that the region’s gross domestic product will grow at 4.5 percent annually over the next two decades, fueling annual passenger

traffic growth of 6.3 percent and cargo growth of 5.8 percent. The size of the Asia Pacific airline fleet will nearly triple from 5,090 airplanes in 2012 to 14,750 in 2032 to support the increased demand. Over the forecast period, Asia Pacific airlines will require 12,820 new airplanes, valued at $1.9 trillion, which will represent 36 percent of the

Singapore calls on region to liberalize air transport by Neelam Mathews Singapore’s transport minister Lui Tuck Yew has called for Asian nations to liberalize air transport policies, and build connectivity and infrastructure in the region. He was speaking at the Aviation Leadership Summit, held in Singapore yesterday. Southeast Asia’s aviation landscape has undergone a substantial change and transformation with the rise of budget carriers that now comprise 50 percent of the market. “Lowcost airlines have brought air travel to secondary airports, [with] a focus on short-haul travel, and are code sharing with legacy carriers. In Asia they have set up affiliates to form interconnecting networks… Governments need to embrace the LCC sector,” said Lui. Restriction over air traffic rights in Asia has been a major issue that is gaining momentum as the Association

of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) edges towards Open Skies in 2015. The ASEANChina pact that permits free access between the two blocks has proved beneficial as it has brought greater connectivity. “I’m concerned about the negative impact of growing regulatory divergence and the proliferation of ‘unique approaches’ to regulating the industry…ensure regulations do not conflict with global standards,” said Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association. “Governments will need political will to liberalize… I don’t really see that now,” added Tyler. Another area of concern is the region’s congested skies. Last year ICAO signed an air traffic management collaboration pact with Beijing that will be very helpful, said Lui. o

world’s new-airplane deliveries, said Boeing. At the leading edge will be low-cost carriers acquiring single-aisle airplanes like the Boeing 737NG and re-engined 737 Max. Today, the region’s low-cost carriers provide about 10 percent of available seat kilometers (ASKs), a measure of passenger-carrying capacity. Boeing expects them to double their

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AIN Seeks Reporters in Asia AIN is looking for reporters to expand its coverage of the aviation industry in Asia. To discuss opportunities contact AIN editor-in-chief Charles Alcock, who is in Singapore for the show. Mobile: 65 965 01228 Email: calcock@ainonline.com. At the Singapore Airshow you can find AIN at Chalet CS68.

isheppard@ainonline.com

STATIC AIRCRAFT DISPLAY AREA (SADA)

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Can the Airbus brand work magic on EADS? Newly merged divisions aiming to increase profitability and growth by Chris Pocock Goodbye, EADS; Hello, Airbus Group (Stand J23/Chalet CD19). Specifically, hello to Airbus Defence & Space, one of the group’s three divisions. Singapore is the first major air show for the new organization that merged Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian on January 1. At the same time, Eurocopter was also rebranded as the Airbus Helicopters division, but it remains intact, like the Airbus commercial aircraft division, whereas Airbus DS is a substantial revamp of the former EADS military aircraft, space and defense electronics businesses, starting at the top.

divisions. Why? Because we are often too expensive.” Indeed, while the Airbus commercial aircraft division has soared to new heights, the defense businesses of EADS have struggled to achieve profitability and growth. They account for only 20 percent of group turnover and the order backlog is only €48 billion ($66 billion), compared to a whopping €594 billion ($812 billion) at Airbus. The return on sales is just half of the group target of 10 percent. No wonder Enders wanted to merge with defenseheavy BAE Systems. That plan was aborted in October 2012,

and payloads. Military Aircraft combines the former Airbus Military A400M, A330MRTT and CN235/C295 platforms with Cassidian’s Eurofighter, UAS and MRO activities. Space Systems is the former “core” Astrium activity of space launcher and satellite production. According to Gerwert, the new division will be No. 1 in Europe for military transport, tanker and maritime patrol aircraft; No. 2 for combat aircraft (behind BAE Systems); No. 2 for border security systems (behind Thales); and the world leader in commercial space launchers and secure satellite communications. Cross-selling Opportunities

Gerwert told investors last December that the Airbus DS merger would provide “a strong joint offering [with] opportunities for cross-selling.” In a meeting with journalists later that month, he declared that the future market will be outsideEurope. Given the significant decline in European defense budgets in recent

statements by British defense ministers that the Eurofighter (industry) and NETMA (customer) structures are unwieldy, Urena-Raso agreed. “They can be more efficient,” he said. On UAVs, Cassidian tried and failed to launch the Barracuda UCAV and Talarion MALE with European government money, and was a partner in the Euro Hawk HALE that was spectacularly rejected by the German customer last year. To offer smaller UAVs, Cassidian bought French and German companies that had successfully developed them. Meanwhile, EADS in Spain developed its own small UAS, and contributed to the pan-European Neuron UCAV. Spain cannot share its Neuron technology with the rest of the company. “We must redefine UAV strategy within the company,” Urena-Raso offered. Thomas Müeller heads the electronics business line, which includes radars and IFF systems, electronic warfare devices, avionics and optronics. Some of these are supplied to platforms built by the

...while the Airbus commercial aircraft division has soared to new heights, the defense businesses of EADS have struggled to achieve profitability and growth. outside Europe, in military communications and Earth observation satellites,” he said. The new CIS business line is “a new one-stop shop” for satellite and terrestrial services in these markets. The company owns 14 communications and Earth observation satellites, and provides no fewer than 280 professionalmobile radio networks to 74 nations. Having sold border security systems to Qatar, Romania and Saudi Arabia,

Taking the reins at the new Airbus divisions

Bernhard Gerwert CEO

Why bother, especially since it is only three years since the image-makers were paid good money to create the Cassidian “brand”? Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders offered only this: “For many years, Airbus has been a globally renowned synonym for technology breakthrough as well as aeronautic passion and pride. Joining forces under the strong Airbus brand gives all our operations the thrust and lift to capture global markets.” But Bernhard Gerwert, the Cassidian head who has now become CEO of Airbus DS, gave a much starker justification. He told employees, “We have no choice if we want to survive: there are no major new defense programs in sight... we have lost important prospects to the competition in all

Domingo Ureña-Raso Military Aircraft

Thomas Müeller Electronics Business

and the latest reorganization has followed. It is being accompanied by job cuts: 5,800 at the combined division over the next three years, bringing the total head count to 37,000. A number of sites are being closed, the largest of these being Unterschleissheim in Germany. Four Business Lines

Airbus DS will have four “business lines”–Communication, Intelligence and Security (CIS); Electronics; Military Aircraft; and Space Systems. CIS includes former Astrium Services and Cassidian activities in border security, C4ISR, secure mobile radio, and satellite imagery and communications. Electronics includes avionics, electronic warfare, optronics, radars and IFF systems, and space electronics

François Auque Space Systems

years, this is hardly surprising. “The future of this business line is not in Europe,” added Domingo Ureña-Raso at the journalists’ meeting. He is now responsible for all military aircraft, not just the airlifters of Airbus Military. The Spaniard is immediately confronted with some problems: how to negotiate with the A400M partner countries–Germany and Spain– that want to reduce their orders; how to boost export sales of the Eurofighter; and what strategy to adopt regarding UAVs. On the A400M, there is no guidance yet from the procurement agency OCCAR. “My interest is to deliver 174 aircraft, and to export,” said UrenaRaso. On the Eurofighter, “You need a clear government lead, and the Brits know how to do this,” he told AIN. As for recent

8 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Evert Dudok–Communication, Intelligence and Security

company, but also to the world– including for platformsthat may compete with Airbus DS. Mueller said that more than 50 percent of this line’s turnover is already from export outside Europe. New prospects include a big bid of air defense radars to India. François Auque described the Space Systems business that he now leads as “Astrium minus space services and satellite equipment.” But, he added ruefully, “those were my two engines of growth at Astrium!” He described the communications satellite market as “very challenging,” although the company has new Ka-band technology to market, plus the reliability of the Eurostar series. As for boosters, the Ariane 5A is to launch in 2018, and the company aims to compete for commercial as well as government business thereafter. “We must capture growth

Christian Scherer Commercial

“We now have a standup architecture that we can sell elsewhere,” said CIS head Evert Dudok. As head of commercial, Christian Scherer has been tasked with devising a sales strategy across the new Airbus DS division. “We’ll have a strong regional focus. Our products are world-class, and we’re addressing price,” he told the journalists. Although the U.S. industry is powerfully supported by the country’s government-to-government defense export business model, Airbus is very international, he said. In some cases, the group’s independent strength was an advantage. In others, government support was a key factor “and we have the support of several,” he said. o

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Asia good to ATR, but Chinese orders elusive by Thierry Dubois For Franco-Italian regional turboprop manufacturer ATR (Booth E01), the Asia Pacific region now takes top spot in its geographic sales rankings, but orders from China still seem to be eluding the company. Last year ATR saw orders and deliveries grow again, reaching

A second training facility, using an ATR 42/72-600 simulator, will be established in Southeast Asia this year. ATR will thus establish a partnership with a local company, Desbarats said. The Toulouse-based airframer already offers training on an ATR72-600 full flight

regional turboprops, he said, notably the MA600, the interest rate can be as low as 1 percent with the loan spread over very long durations–up to 20 years. In addition, a three- to four-year grace period can be allowed, according to Bagnato. “This is not a financing,” he said, before suggesting the European Commission should tackle the issue. “The day when the Chinese really want to enter the international market, they will be forced to comply with international rules,” he stated. The next region of growth, in ATR’s analysis, is Africa, given the growth of GDP on the continent. The company already has a customer base there, including Royal Air Maroc. In 2013, a record 74 aircraft (seven ATR 42s and 67 ATR 72s) were delivered by ATR worldwide and it recorded firm orders for 10 ATR 42-600s and 79 ATR 72-600s, for a total of 89. Lessors accounted for 70 percent of firm orders, which has been a particular source of contentment for Bagnato. “Years ago, we were not even considered by the lessors; now they see ATRs as a good investment,” he said. For 2013, ATR claims the top spot in regional aircraft deliveries between 50 and 90 seats (comprising both turboprops and jets), with a 48-percent global market share. Thanks to the brisk sales, the backlog

remains stable, at 221 aircraft, as of Dec. 31, 2013. The financial performance is also showing a positive trend as revenues totaled $1.63 billion in the last financial year. The profit margin (EBIT) is said to be steady, at close to 9 percent, and Bagnato predicted that revenues would eventually reach $2 billion. Despite the record, deliveries did not meet the planned number of 80. Bagnato cited supplier issues in aerostructure manufacturing. He said the company planned to have these solved swiftly, as he sees production increasing to “a minimum 80” this year and “beyond 90” in 2015. 90-Seater Poised

The 90-seater project is still in the cards–the design driver would be cutting operating costs per seat, according to Bagnato. This would translate into a lightweight, efficient and, above all, simple aircraft, he said. “Such a simple concept, with simple systems, is difficult to design,” he told AIN. While the 90-seater remains in the “feasibility-definition” phase, it has yet to gain the full support of the shareholders. A formal proposal, including a business case study, was issued to Airbus Group and Finmeccanica in 2012; Airbus is understood to be reluctant to launch a 90-seater, and CEO Fabrice

ATR CEO Filippo Bagnato expects company revenues to reach $2 billion, with profit margins close to 9 percent.

Brégier was recently quoted in the French press expressing disagreement with “the eagerness of some people.” Bagnato hinted that the shareholders want ATR’s priority to be solving current production issues. Bagnato suggested that the current consortium structure should be changed to a fullfledged company. “We would be working as a normal industrial entity,” he said. This would not necessarily free the executive team to submit a new product launch for approval but, at least, would make everyday life easier. “Under the current structure, we need approval for everything,” an ATR spokesperson said. o

record levels and steady profitability, but it has yet to convince shareholders Airbus Group and Finmeccanica to launch a new larger turboprop in the 90-seat category. In ATR’s backlog, 39 percent of the customers are based in the Asia Pacific region, where the airframer claims an 85-percent market share (based on all aircraft with fewer than 90 seats ordered since 2007). The most dynamic countries, both in terms of sales and prospects, are Indonesia and Malaysia. This has been the case for more than five years, according to senior v-p commercial Jacques Desbarats. “Indonesia, with a multitude of islands with short runways, is well suited to regional aviation,” he explained.

simulator at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park. Sales in China, however, remain nonexistent for ATR, a situation that stems from local market conditions and high tariffs, according to ATR’s CEO Filippo Bagnato. “The Chinese are giving priority to investing in large aircraft; despite an emerging need for regional connections, the regional market does not exist yet,” he said. Tariffs is a serious issue, he complained, “[as] the 24-percent import tax for aircraft below 90 seats is not in line with commercial practice.” He expressed his dissatisfaction at the behavior of Chinese manufacturer Avic, perceived to involve unfair competitive practices. When Avic exports its own

MARK WAGNER

ATR 72s are common among Asian airlines. In fact, ATR claims an 85 percent market share in Asia but has not sold any of its regional turboprops in China.

lady in gray Lockheed Martin’s massive C-17 transport sits in wait on the static display line here at the Singapore Airshow. The dull gray paint of the USAF’s four-engine heavy-hauler blends poetically with the gun-metal-blue cloud mass of an approaching tropical storm.

10 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Antonov testing aims to erase hot-high limits As series production of Antonov’s new-generation An-148 and An-158 regional jets gains momentum, the manufacturer and its close ally lessor Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC) are trying to lift the type’s temporary operational limitations. The An-158 launch operator, Cubana de Aviación, has already taken three airplanes in a highdensity layout with 97 seats at 30-inch pitch and expects to acquire three more this year. The An-158s are powered by D-436 three-shaft turbofans developed by Ivchenko-Progress and manufactured by Motor-Sich. The airline has already flown domestic services and international flights to the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, and now wants to add more connections– to Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the destination airports in Latin America are located in the mountains, prompting the carrier to ask the aircraft supplier for hot-andhigh capabilities. Hot-and-high performance is also important for North Korea– already an An-148 operator–and Iran, which signed for 20 aircraft. India, China, Australia and some Latin American and Arab countries, which IFC considers “natural markets” for the Antonov jetliner family, may show more interest in the type should it prove capable of taking passengers into and out of airports located high above sea level.

Ecuador’s Cotopaxi Airport in Latacunga, with an elevation above sea level of 2,806 meters (9,260 feet) was selected for testing, which took place last November 8 to 14. It involved the third deliverable An-158, which was handed over to Cubana two months ago. For the duration of flight tests this airframe was outfitted with special test equipment for accurate measurements and data recording. Ambient air temperature at Latacunga fluctuated between +11 and +21-degrees C, so the deviation from the international standard atmosphere (ISA) varied between +8 and +18 degrees. After 28 successful engine starts and thorough checking of all on-board systems, the decision was made to proceed to another airport set in a more demanding environment. IFC technical director Yuri Ostrovsky explained: “At this point we decided not to continue with our trials at Latacunga further than ground tests. Instead, we would rather go to La Paz. This way of conducting trials had been prior-agreed with the Cubans.” Consequently, the An-158 flew over to El Alto International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional El Alto) servicing the capital city of Bolivia. It has elevation above mean sea level of 4,058 meters (13,393 feet). Further complicating the matter, the ambient air temperature at El Alto in the period November 15 to 22 varied between +10

DAVID McINTOSH

by Vladimir Karnozov

passing fancy Like horseback knights of old, these two members of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Black Knights jet demonstration team appear to be jousting in this heart-stopping head-on pass. The Black Knights’ colorful F-16 mounts also bring to mind the armor and plumage of their historic namesakes from medieval times.

and +18-degrees C. Adjusted to the ISA, the readings rise to almost the maximum temperatures in which the aircraft can operate according to specification (ISA+30). Starting D-436 engines proved an easy job in all 52 cases, with poor and rich settings of the fuel mixture and use of various starter models. With the cycles done at Latacunga, the grand total came to 80. Hot and cold engines were started. According to Ostrovsky, in all cases the actual readings of gas temperature peaks and time period (to start the engine) appeared a bit below the respective “red-line” figures in the aircraft flight manual. Having assessed the data obtained from

these trials, the manufacturer issued a notification to type operators that in the conditions similar to those observed at La Paz, the D-436 engines, after being switched off, need to cool down to 110 to 120 degrees-C in order to get sufficiently cool for reliable starting. Out of La Paz, Antonov test pilots Sergei Troshin and Andrei Gorin, accompanied by Igor Chernov from Russia’s State Scientific-Research Institute of Civil Aviation (GosNII GA) performed five test flights with several passes over the runway on each mission. Field performance was assessed in various aircraft configurations (clean, flaps down, flaps fully down). Real-life assessment was given

PHOTOS: VLADIMIR KARNOZOV

Exterior: In an effort to allow its An-148s and 158s (seen here) to service hot-andhigh airports, especially in Asia, Antonov has been conducting tests at highaltitude airports, trying to raise the type’s temporary operational limitations.

to various possible cases, including partial loss of thrust in a simulated engine failure. Takeoff performance of the aircraft was thoroughly assessed, including rejected (aborted) and continued takeoffs after a simulated failure of the critical engine. In plain words, the pilots evaluated behavior of the aircraft in a number of situations that might be observed in everyday airline practice. “We have tried a number of probable scenarios, both normal operations and failures. The inspectors were able to make sure that the airplane’s behavior is fairly close to the predicted one as foretold with help of some calculations done before the flights,” Ostrovsky said. The data gathered during the test campaign provided sufficient grounds to assert that the actual field performance of the An-148/158 family aircraft comes fairly close to the figures given in the airplane’s flight manual. The data collected is also applicable to the An-148100, the baseline model in the family of aircraft. Degradation of An-158 payload-range performance to higher runway elevation corresponds to rates observed on Boeing and Airbus jetliners, said Antonov. o

www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 11

tiltrotor tango

MARK WAGNER

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is here performing in the flying displays. The demonstration includes both high-speed passes in “airplane” mode; and hovering in “helicopter” configuration. For the latter, the demo pilots descend close to the surface of the Singapore Strait, where the massive tiltrotor churns up the water below.

BBA’s Asian growth strategy includes new FBO acquisitions

UTC’s Duracarb carbon brake system for the Lockheed Martin C-130 transport yields up to eight times the life of steel brakes.

by Neelam Mathews Looking at organic growth in 2014, BBA Aviation (Booth D63), a global provider for support and aftermarket services, is viewing opportunities for acquisitions this year, according to the UK-based group’s Asia Pacific president David Best. He did not elaborate on possible targets but the group has acknowledged that it would like to add to its already-extensive chain of FBOs, which includes a new base at Singapore’s Changi Airport. “We will carry on extending scope and scale from our Singapore base,” he told AIN, adding “We welcome [economic] recovery in Asia Pacific.” During 2013, the company’s Signature Flight Support FBO network and its Ontic manufacturing and aftermarket support division both started operations in Singapore alongside its turbine engine repair facility operated by subsidiary Dallas Airmotive, which is exhibiting at the Singapore Airshow for the first time. The two-year old Dallas Airmotive facility at Seletar Aerospace Park is the only Honeywell-approved major periodic inspection center for TFE731 engines in the region. Last year, Ontic opened a new maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for fuel measurement systems in Singapore and this already supports 27 Asia Pacific airline customers. The company specializes in “extended life solutions” for OEM legacy products and systems for commercial, military and business aircraft. Here at the Singapore Airshow, Ontic has announced a new license agreement covering production and support for Curtiss-Wright military and commercial electronics units, such as logic modules, smoke detector sensors, power supplies and converters. The company’s UK division has also just signed a separate agreement with

Rolls-Royce covering manufacturing and worldwide distribution rights for Dart aircraft engines. Describing Singapore as “an important hub,” Best said Southeast Asia’s growing business and general aviation market holds great potential. Unlike North America, where the typical evolution of the market has been for customers to start with smaller aircraft, a noticeable trend in Asia is a preference for larger jets. But the region’s still-young business aviation sector faces significant regulatory challenges, and Best is seeking to improve this situation through his work as a vice chairman of the Asian Business Aviation Association. Earlier this month BBA completed the sale of the share capital of its full-service landing gear and hydraulic sub-systems supplier, APPH, a part of its aftermarket sales division, to Héroux-Devtek Inc. for $128 million. o

BBA Aviation’s Asia Pacific president David Best is looking for possible acquisition targets to further expand its presence in the region.

12 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

RAAF is first export customer for UTC’s C-130 brake systems by Thierry Dubois UTC Aerospace Systems (Chalet CD07) has been awarded a contract to provide the Royal Australian Air Force with upgraded wheels and brakes for its Lockheed Martin C-130 transport aircraft. Delivery of the new equipment is scheduled for May at Richmond Air Base in New South Wales. Carbon brakes using Duracarb carbon sink material (inherited from Goodrich following the 2012 merger) will provide eight-times longer life than current steel brakes, according to UTC. The use of Duracarb also means reduced cooling times and this can be critical when military aircraft crews need to quickly takeoff from a combat zone after dropping off cargo. UTC is also providing boltless lockring wheels, which significantly reduce maintenance costs and the time taken to change wheels. Jeff Atkinson, director of military programs for UTC Aerospace Systems Wheels and Brakes, told AIN that with the new wheels the average time

taken to change tires had been reduced from more than four hours to 50 minutes. “One guy told me he had changed all four [main] wheels on a C-130 in just under an hour,” he said. The UTC division, which has just been rebranded as Landing Systems (to incorporate its landing gear unit in Cleveland, Ohio), developed the combination of Duracarb brakes and lock ring wheels in 2009 for the U.S. Air Force’s C-130 fleet. The redesign reduced the wheel to just three core parts: a wheel base, a side rim and a lock ring to hold the two wheel halves together when the tire is inflated. The Australian contract represents UTC’s first export sale of the new wheel and brake combination. According to Atkinson, many C-130 operators in the Asia Pacific region are looking for ways to improve the lifecycle costs associated with their aircraft and he believes the investment should be recouped through reduced operating costs within three or four years. o

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Russian Helicopters showcases range of twins by Thierry Dubois Russian Helicopters is here at the Singapore Airshow (Booth U87) exhibiting three models:

the Ka-32A11BC medium twin in rescue and firefighting configuration; the Ka-226T light twin

with a medical module; and the Mi-38 heavy twin, which is primarily designed for passenger and cargo transportation. According to a company spokesman, Asian markets are one of the top priorities for Russian Helicopters. Last November the airframer delivered a second Mi-171 medium twin to Airfast Indonesia, a Russian Helicopters delivered a second Mi-171 to Indonesia’s Airfast in November.

provider of aviation services to the oil, mining and construction industries. In the same country, last summer, Avialift Vladivostok operated Ka-32A11BCs to fight forest fires on the island of Sumatra. For such missions, Russian Helicopters touts the type’s controllability, thanks to its coaxial main rotors and absence of a tailrotor. “The helicopter can be turned sideways or with its tail to the wind; these maneuvers come easily and it is very forgiving of minor mistakes in piloting,” said Avialift pilot Alexander Tikhonov. The helicopter can take on board up to five metric tons (11,000 pounds) of water. The Ka-226T twin, which also features coaxial rotors, is powered by Turbomeca Arrius 2G1s. After several delays it is still waiting for its Russian certification–now scheduled for later this year. Some production examples are ready for delivery, according to the manufacturer. The 34,400-pound mtow Mi-38, which is capable of carrying 30 passengers, is another protracted program. Certification, under Russian AP-29 standards, is now planned for 2015. Production is also expected to begin that year in Kazan, where the fourth and final prototype of the helicopter is currently being assembled. The third prototype Mi-38 was the first fitted with Klimov TV7-117V engines. It made its maiden flight on November 29 at the Mil Moscow helicopter plant. The new Fadec-controlled turboshaft is rated at 2,800 shp on takeoff, comparing favorably with the 2,500shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127/TSs that powered previous prototypes. Production Mi38s are planned to be fitted with Klimov engines. o

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16 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

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knights of the sky

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The Black Knights jet demonstration team of the Royal Singapore Air Force are performing precision formation aerobatics over the Singapore Strait during every day’s flying display. The team flies Lockheed Martin F-16s painted in the distinctive redand-white scheme of the elite flying unit. The Black Knights represent the pride of Singapore’s military forces.

Bali FBO is next page in ExecuJet Asian plan by Thierry Dubois Switzerland-based business aviation services group ExecuJet Aviation, which is exhibiting at the Singapore Airshow for the first time (Booth D87), is set to significantly boost its presence in the Asian market during the course of 2014. The most prominent example of this expansion is the company’s new FBO at Bali International Airport in Indonesia, but it is also growing its fleet of managed aircraft in this part of the world and increasing its maintenance capability. P.T. ExecuJet Indonesia, which is a joint venture between ExecuJet and local partner P.T. Dimitri Utama Abadi, is gearing up to move to a new general aviation terminal in Bali during the next two months. This will give the FBO about 10 times as much space as it occupies in the existing building, with a surface area of 34,000 sq ft and three separate lounges. The Bali airport company is to build a pair of new 27,000-sq-ft hangars adjacent to the business aviation enclave’s 690,000 sq ft of apron. ExecuJet has relocated Gary Forster from its FBO in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to run the new operation. ExecuJet Asia managing director Graeme Duckworth explained that its Indonesian joint venture is running the new terminal on behalf of the government-owned airport company. The group also

has bases in China, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Duckworth is now seeking to recruit a director to lead ExecuJet’s aircraft management activities in Asia and his plan is to centralize these activities in Singapore. Next month, a new Bombardier Global 6000–for the exclusive use of its owner–is to join the managed fleet in Singapore. Meanwhile, ExecuJet Australasia is offering a new managed aircraft for charter from Wellington, New Zealand–the first Gulfstream G650 available in the region. The Sydney-based division’s managing director Darren McGoldrick told AIN that his team is increasingly cooperating with colleagues across the Asia Pacific region to generate more aircraft management and charter business. It has three managed aircraft based in Perth and three more in Sydney.

In Malaysia, ExecuJet has received European EASA Part 145 certification for its maintenance facility at Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. “There are quite a number of EASA-registered aircraft in the region,” Duckworth explained. The facility is a Bombardier authorized service center and also provides limited Gulfstream warranty service. ExecuJet Australasia operates authorized service centers for Bombardier, Gulfstream and Beechcraft in both Sydney and Melbourne. There is also an FBO in Sydney run for the group by Universal Aviation. The group has line maintenance facilities in both Perth and Wellington, where there is also an FBO run in partnership with Capital Jet Services. “Over the past four years we have probably doubled our level of activity just in the Australasia market,” said McGoldrick. “A lot of it is driven by rising charter demand and the maintenance work that goes with this.” A significant part of the increased demand for private flights has come from wealthy Chinese travelers. o

ExecuJet’s new FBO at Bali International Airport is set to move into a new general aviation terminal now being built alongside its existing facility.

18 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Crane SmartStem system chosen for Boeing 737NG by David Donald Crane Aerospace and Electronics has announced that its SmartStem wireless tire pressure system has been certified for use with Boeing 737NG aircraft. It is already approved for use with the Boeing 747-400, 777 and 787, and with numerous business jet types. The system comprises high-accuracy sensors that replace standard wheel fill stems, and a handheld reader that takes quick and accurate tire pressure readouts without gas loss. The ease and speed of use of the system promotes daily checks, with improved safety as a result, and an increase in tire life. The reader also stores data for longer-term tire health monitoring. Crane (Booth R91) supplies many systems and components into critical aerospace and defense programs, and many of them are employed in harsh environments such as might be found in engines and landing gear. The company was selected last year to provide the brake and landing gear control systems for the Embraer E2 second-generation E-Jets; lube and scavenge pumps for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower engines for the Airbus A320neo and Irkut MS-21; and proximity sensors for the A320neo’s engine nacelles. The latter are supplied to Airbus Defence and Space, which in turn supplies fan cowls for CFM’s LEAP-1A engines through Aircelle. Another important product

line for Crane Aerospace and Electronics is the enhanced landing gear control interface unit (LGCIU) for the Airbus A320 family. This senses and reports

Crane’s landing gear control interface unit is being retrofitted to the A320s of United Airlines and British Airways.

on the position of landing gear, gear doors, flap disconnect status and cargo door position, feeding data into the central fault display system. The enhanced Crane LGCIU has been standard on new A320s since 2010, but several operators are retrofitting the system to older aircraft. Crane said this week that it is nearing completion of the upgrade of United Airlines’ fleet, while the upgrade of British Airways aircraft is expected to be completed by mid-year. o

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SIA subsidiary SilkAir took delivery of its first Boeing 737 on February 4.

by Gregory Polek Delivery of SilkAir’s first Boeing 737 a little over a week ago in Washington state marked the fulfillment of what Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of sales Dinesh Keskar characterized as a “major win” for the company in the Asian market. In fact, while Boeing would no doubt relish the chance to convert any Airbus operator, the contract with

Dinesh Keskar Boeing Commerical Airplanes v-p of sales

the Singapore Airlines subsidiary came as particularly satisfying given the impressive market share its rival from Europe has established in the region over the past decade or so. Keskar wouldn’t concede any leadership position to Airbus, however, noting that the high quality of the orders Boeing has collected in places such as Singapore and Australia more than offsets the raw numbers. Even in India, where currency devaluation and increasing operating costs due largely to

mounting taxation have curbed air traffic growth rates to about 4 percent, Boeing boasts what it considers a highly secure backlog anchored by solid customers such as Jet Airways and SpiceJet. Each has expressed serious interest in the 737 Max, the re-engined version of the current NG family that promises to burn 14-percent less fuel per seat by the time it enters service in 2017. Although Keskar wouldn’t comment on reports ahead of this week’s Singapore Airshow that Jet Airways plans to order as many as fifty 737 Max narrowbodies at the show, he did acknowledge that talks have advanced with both airlines. “They’re now both looking at Maxs; they think they have enough NGs because they both have something like thirty-plus on order,” said Keskar. “We all know that [India is] going through [its] difficulties,” he added. “Certainly the Indian market is not for the faint-hearted ones. It’s hard to make money there…Nevertheless, everybody realizes that it’s a great market and that’s why more and more people are trying to get into that market.” Of course, Boeing also enjoys an entrenched position in the Indian widebody market, where it has placed 777s with Air India and ten 777s with Jet Airways. Unfortunately for the U.S. airframer, Air India’s now 12-strong 787 fleet has earned– fairly or unfairly–a certain level of infamy due to a string of technical problems. The latest

happened last Wednesday when a flight from Melbourne, Australia, to New Dehli was forced to make an emergency landing in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. According to the airline, the Dreamliner’s flight management system encountered unspecified software problems. On January 21, a transponder failure forced an earlier flight from London to New Delhi to return to the UK. But Keskar insisted that the airline has already seen dramatic improvements. “Obviously we’re not pleased with the reliability of the airplane; improving the reliability of the eight-seven is our top priority,” said Keskar. “But we are making good progress.” Now the third busiest 787 operator in the world, Air India expects its fleet to match the better-than-99-percent dispatch reliability the world’s 777 fleet averages by the end of the year. Boeing, in fact, expects at least as much from the world fleet with the help of system software upgrades and parts replacements, all of which, said Keskar, already appear on the 787s Boeing now delivers. As for Air India’s airplanes already in the field, by January 28 Boeing had completed the improvements on two of seven Air India 787s in need of upgrades. Delivery schedules call for Air India to take all 27 of the Dreamliners it has ordered by 2016. Meanwhile, Boeing expects the larger 787-9 to enter service with launch customer Air New Zealand in the third quarter of this year. Later, another major Boeing customer in the region, Singapore Airlines, plans to accept the first 787-10 in 2018. “If you look at widebodies, we think we are ahead in the game,” said Keskar. “Everybody is doing studies and to the extent I can tell you…777X

20 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

will be focused on in this region because…it will have the range these people need.” Although Singapore Airlines has in the past flew business-class-only services to the New York area and Los Angeles direct from Singapore, those routes failed largely due the economic inadequacy of the Airbus A340-500s SIA used, suggested Keskar. “That’s well and good,” said Keskar, referring to the attempts to fly such long, direct routes. “But you’ve got to make money and you’ve got to have the number of seats and everything to make that work.” At more than 400 passengers, the capacity of

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the 777X changes the proverbial cost equation, he concluded. Not surprisingly, Keskar ranks Singapore as perhaps the top market for Boeing in Southeast Asia, and one particularly suited to the 777X. But he also emphasized the potential embodied in the likes of Garuda Indonesia, which has expressed interest in the 747-8I, more 777-300ERs and, perhaps most notably, the 737 Max. In Australia, meanwhile, a need for more widebodies appears likely to result in new orders by as early as the end of this year, he reported, while, in Malaysia, the Max represents what he called the big candidate. Although requirements vary from country to country, prospects abound for both Boeing and Airbus in the Asia-Pacific region. As Keskar suggested, the big challenge for the manufacturers will center on building enough airplanes fast enough to satisfy demand. As much as pricing or performance, buying decisions could hinge on aircraft availability, particularly of narrowbodies. “You have to understand, with almost 1,800 orders to date for the Max, we are going to have a situation where if these guys want airplanes when they want them, unless they want to go through the leasing channel, they need to step up and make their decision,” said Keskar. o

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Southeast Asian carriers poised for solid growth by Jennifer Meszaros Southeast Asia benefits from having one of the fastest growing economies in the world, driven by the expansion of the trade and tourism sectors. While a rising middle class and higher discretionary incomes have led to an increase in demand for air travel in the region, deregulation and liberalization of the airline industry has allowed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) carriers to restructure both operationally and financially to increase growth and competitiveness. Many network carriers are aggressively expanding into new markets, launching subsidiaries and developing partnerships while governments and airport authorities are enlarging their infrastructure to meet demand. From April 2012 to October 2013, Southeast Asia’s international aviation market increased by about 20 percent, fueled primarily by the expansion of the low-cost carrier (LCC) sector. Myanmar posted the highest growth rate on the international market–77 percent–since it opened nearly two years ago. Government regulatory changes in 2012 have made the country a burgeoning frontier market poised for further expansion in 2014 as foreign carriers move in and local LCCs are launched. Indonesia has emerged as the fifth-largest domestic aviation market globally and ranks first in Southeast Asia. The archipelago is made up of 17,508 islands and is home to half of ASEAN’s population, accounting for over one third of the region’s GDP. Indonesia’s international market grew by 29 percent in 2013, posting the second highest growth rate after Myanmar. Both Laos and Cambodia posted 28-percent growth on the international market, followed by Malaysia at 25 percent and Thailand at 21 percent. Full-service carriers account for 44 percent of the region’s fleet and have about 35 percent of the total market share. While their shares have been reduced with the emergence and expansion of LCCs, many flag carriers remain profitable and have been able to retain shares in their home markets. Cambodia, Laos and Brunei have all seen surges in capacity, driven primarily by their flag carriers.

Two full-service carriers, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Indonesia’s Garuda, have posted the fastest growth in 2013 due to regional expansion. In five months MAS’s total seat capacity grew by 6 percent, while Garuda’s capacity increased by 7 percent. MAS expanded its fleet from 121 aircraft to 127. Garuda added 14 aircraft to an existing fleet of 88. Flag Carriers Expand with LCCs

Relaxation of market restrictions has allowed flag carriers, including Singapore Airways, Garuda, Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines, to expand to include new LCC affiliates and

AirAsia is the largest LCC group operating in Southeast Asia, with a current in-service fleet of 172 aircraft.

Changi’s Budget Terminal. Three carriers operate under the Tigerair brand, including Tigerair Mandala (Indonesia), Tigerair Philippines and Tigerair Australia. A fourth affiliate, Tigerair Taiwan, is expected to be launched this year. Garuda Indonesia’s budget subsidiary, Citlink, is one of the fastest growing LCCs

Full-service carrier Malaysia Airlines’ total seat capacity grew by 6 percent last year due to regional expansion.

subsidiaries; regional subsidiaries of flag carriers–including Thai Airways’ unit Thai Smile and Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary SilkAir–were among the fastest growing carriers in Southeast Asia in 2013. The recently established NokScoot is a joint venture between Thai Airways’ shorthaul LCC affiliate Nok Air and the Singapore Airlines Group (SIA) long-haul, low-cost subsidiary Scoot. SIA will provide up to three Boeing 777-200ERs for the Thai LCC start up, which will operate medium- and longhaul services from Bangkok Don Mueang. SIA also recently acquired an additional 7.3-percent stake in Tigerair, increasing its total share to 40 percent. The LCC accounts for 6 percent of LCC capacity within Southeast Asia and operates international routes throughout Asia and to Australia from Singapore

in the ASEAN region. Passenger traffic grew by 171 percent in eight months during 2012 and 2013. Citilink has phased out seven 737-300/400s and will add four ATR 72 turboprops and 35 A320neos to its existing fleet of A320 Airbuses. Also under consideration is a mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft, including the new-generation Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. The carrier is expected to increase its fleet to 80 aircraft by the end of 2015 and will expand to include regional routes. The LCC sector in the region has made air travel more affordable and attractive through the expansion of new routes and lower fares. There are currently 23 ASEAN LCCs accounting for 31 percent of the commercial aircraft operating in Southeast Asia. The

Regional subsidiaries of flag carriers were among the fastest growing operators in Southeast Asia for 2013, including Singapore Airlines’ SilkAir.

22 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

sector will continue to stimulate growth this year with the emergence of at least three new LCC startups. ASEAN LCC groups now account for some of the largest aircraft orders in recent history due to a surge in demand and a desire to expand into new, direct, long-range markets. By early this year, LCCs will make up about one third of Southeast Asia’s total fleet. Batik Air is a full-service Indonesian carrier operating as a unit of LCC Lion Air. The carrier is expected to launch international routes this year, while Asia’s newest LCC, Thai Lion, commenced operations in early December 2013. With almost 600 aircraft on order, the Lion group has aggressive plans to expand into Malaysia’s domestic and international market, while increasing competition in Thailand. AirAsia, the largest LCC group operating in Southeast

Asia, currently has an in-service fleet of 172 aircraft. Unlike the Lion group, Air Asia has a greater domestic and regional network and a foothold into the international market, connecting to both North Asia and Australia. Six carriers operate under AirAsia: Ma laysia AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Philippines AirAsia, Philippines based Zest Air and Malaysia-based AirAsia X. Between them, Lion and AirAsia carry two out of three LCC passengers in the region. Vietnam LCC Jetstar Pa cific accounts for 4 percent of Southeast Asia’s domestic market. The carrier plans to expand this year to include international services. Vietjet leads

closely behind, at 3 percent, and already serves the international market, flying to Bangkok. The privately owned group currently has a 25-percent share of Vietnam’s domestic market and has ambitious plans to double this amount by 2015. The carrier is pursuing rapid growth by adding nine domestic destinations to the 11 it currently serves, and will be expanding to include seven international routes. Vietjet also plans to add 10 more Airbus A320s this year, doubling its fleet. The carrier will launch a new affiliate in Thailand and possibly in Myanmar this year. The Lion, AirAsia, Tigerair, Jetstar and Vietjet groups collectively account for 77 percent of ASEAN’s LCC fleet. Large Route Share

Southeast Asia now accounts for nine of the largest LCC international routes in the world, with Singapore leading: Singapore Changi to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, Kuala Lumpur International and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi are three of the largest LCC international routes globally. Four intra-Southeast Asian routes–Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, Bangkok Don Mueang, Surabaya and Medan’s Kuala Namu International Airport–are among the top 15. The Philippine domestic market has the highest LCC penetration rate, at 67 percent,

Vietnam LCC Jetstar Pacific accounts for 4 percent of Southeast Asia’s domestic market. The carrier plans to expand this year to include international services.

followed by Indonesia with a domestic LCC penetration rate of 60 percent. The two second-largest domestic markets, Malaysia and Thailand, have surpassed 50 percent. Malaysia and Indonesia post the highest international LCC penetration rates at 48 percent and 46 percent, followed by Singapore at 31 percent; the latter does not have a domestic market. The Philippine international LCC Continued on page 24 u

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Industry and regulators confront engine icing by Thierry Dubois Researchers are gradually coming to understand the physics of in-flight engine icing due to ice crystals. As a conseequence, civil aviation authorities, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are considering more stringent certification requirements. Meanwhile, manufacturers are factoring in icing protection in their designs but are wary of what they would view as excessively strict rules. Ice crystals (50 to 200 microns in size) can cause icing in the low-pressure compressor, intermediate casing and even the first stages of the high-pressure compressor. It is not the only icing phenomenon that can affect an engine but is the one that has the deepest impact on the turbomachinery of an engine. It can cause various damages and malfunctions, up to flameout. More than 100 ice crystal and mixed-phase engine events were recorded between 1988 and 2003. During a conference that EASA organized last October, Rolls-Royce (Booth N23) and Snecma (Booth G16) shared data on in-service icing events. It appeared ice crystal encounters happen usually at high altitude and very low ambient temperature. Ice crystals can be found

near a convective storm, particularly a mesoscale convective system, which is a storm complex measuring up to hundreds of miles horizontally. According to records kept by Rolls-Royce and Snecma, events seem to concentrate in the Pacific Rim. Morgan Balland and Geoff Jones, icing specialists at Snecma and Rolls-Royce, respectively, said the issue could become more serious in the near future. “Traffic is increasing in Asia and tropical climate is a good place for ice crystal formation,” they warned. How It Happens

The process by which ice crystals can create in-engine icing in flight is now understood. Ice crystals bounce off freezing surfaces near the front of the engine and enter the core, explained Richard Lewis, Airbus certification manager for icing, speaking on behalf of the international coordinating council of aerospace industries associations (ICCAIA). Then, in the compressor, ice crystals melt on vane surfaces, creating a film of water. Particles keep impinging on the wet vane. This cools down the vane, which becomes cold enough for ice to form, which is the start of an ice accretion process. Eventually, the ice breaks off and can damage

Ice crystals can penetrate far into an engine and cause serious icing issues.

New Ice-Detection System Coming Current in-flight icing detection systems (FIDS) cannot detect ice crystals. But equipment manufacturer Zodiac Aerospace (Booth E07) is developing a new FIDS, using optical techniques. It will detect any form of icing and will be able to tell which form of ice–small or large supercooled droplets, crystal and so forth–is impacting the aircraft. It will give the crew specific warnings when large-droplet icing conditions or ice crystals are encountered, François Larue, head of research and technology of Zodiac’s Aircraft Systems division, told AIN. Flight tests should take place in 2016 and entry into service is foreseen in 2017. Zodiac is also chairing a joint European/U.S. working group on ice detection systems, launched early this year. It comprises 39 members, including officials from EASA and FAA and 16 aircraft manufacturers. The group, Eurocae WG95, has been tasked to revise the FIDS minimum performance specification, taking into account the impact of the new icing atmosphere (where some phenomena are probably linked to climate change) and the new icing rules. –T.D.

airfoils and quench combustion. But the phenomenon is not completely understood yet, warned EASA initial airworthiness rulemaking officer Xavier Vergez. For better physics understanding, an international research project is gathering EASA and FAA teams in Darwin, Australia, early this year. They will study high ice-water content clouds in oceanic and continental convection. A specially equipped Dassault Falcon 20 will sample three different altitudes corresponding to three different temperatures: -10-deg C, -30-deg C and -50-deg C, said Fabien Dezitter, coordinator of Airbus’ icing research and technology. “This will help us validate or update our new appendix P of CS-25 aircraft certification,” Vergez said. The appendix P requirements address ice crystals and the mixed phase, where supercooled liquid droplets and ice particles coexist in a cloud. It requires the aircraft to be able to safely exit or fly in such conditions without restriction. EASA’s appendix P is at the notice of proposed amendment stage, mirrored by an FAA notice of proposed rulemaking. Other proposed changes may toughen icing requirements under EASA’s CS-E engine certification requirements. However, these proposed rules worry some industry executives. As Balland and Jones explained, engine design takes into account ice crystals, and the geometry of a powerplant is a big factor. For instance, optimizing the gas path’s curvature can minimize ice accumulation. Crystals, along with droplets, can be directed away from critical accretion sites. The engine’s design should also promote ice shedding. In turn, components should have impact resistance wherever ice will hit them so that the ice sheds from the engine as soon as possible. Ice and water should be directed away from the engine– for example, through variable and bleed valve doors. Certification is based on analysis of any given system or operational issue compared to known in-service events, but, according to manufacturers, there is no representative ice crystal environment that can be used for testing and so computer models need to be devised. Work to resolve this need is already under way. For instance, the Engine Harmonization Working Group’s highaltitude ice crystals project is creating a numerical model for ice particle trajectory, impingement and accretion. o

24 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

SE Asia carriers poised for growth uContinued from page 22

penetration rate of 29 percent is expected to grow this year as a result of a new air service agreement with Japan removing previous flight restrictions. Cambodia, Laos and Brunei, which all have small home markets, continue to post penetration rates below 20 percent as

they lack local LCCs. A decade ago, the LCC penetration rate within Southeast Asia was less than 5 percent, since then it has steadily risen to above 50 percent. Within the intra-Southeast Asia international market, the LCC penetration rate is 50 percent of total seat capacity. Although some key markets are approaching saturation, the LCC sector is expected to continue expanding in 2014 and beyond. o

Open Skies Policy The Single Aviation Market (SAM) of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is not coming about as fast as some had hoped–the aim had been by 2015. This is despite the advantages they see through liberalization of air services under a single and unified air transport market. Air travel is part of a larger discussion among member states, where they are aiming to increase economic integration through the conciliation of trade and investment policies. However, only third, fourth and fifth freedoms are currently being considered, while seventh-freedom relaxations and the right to cabotage have yet to be addressed. Accordingly, a true SAM is unlikely to come into fruition by 2015. The third-, fourth- and fifth-freedom restrictions are addressed in two multilateral agreements: the multilateral agreement on air services (MAAS) and the multilateral agreement for the full liberalization of passenger air services (MAFLPAS). Both contain protocols that liberalize market restrictions among ASEAN capital cities, secondary cities and sub regions. The MAAS and MAFLPAS have already come into effect with the acceptance of the minimum number of three member states. However, some carriers are reluctant to grant states greater access. Indonesia has yet to accept MAAS protocols 5 and 6, which provide for third, fourth and fifth freedoms between capital cities. Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos PDR remain opposed to MAFLPAS protocols 1 and 2, which offer fourth and fifth freedoms between secondary cities.

Some Opposition Indonesia’s decision to refrain from joining a true SAM is due largely to it wanting to protect against competitors, primarily Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Indonesia has the ability to offer foreign carriers hundreds of unlimited access points, while many countries can offer only one point of access. This systematic imbalance for exchange of traffic rights has led Indonesian carriers, such as Garuda and Lion Air, to lobby their government to refrain from entering into ASEAN multilateral agreements. Only five airports are up for consideration: Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Makassar and Bali. As such, ASEAN carriers are restricted to bilateral agreements with Indonesia. The Philippines is also opposed to MAAS protocols 5 and 6, which exclude Manila from the agreement. However, the country has agreed to open access to its secondary cities under MAFLPAS. The government cites runway congestion and a shortage of airport slots at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, preferring to liberalize access to Clark, which is already open to ASEAN carriers. The inability of ASEAN states to fully accept third-, fourth- and fifthfreedom relaxations has implications for future acceptance of seventh-, eighth- and ninth-freedom operations. In addition, a network imbalance exists under the 2010 ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement that allows Chinese carriers to connect to any point in ASEAN from any point in China. Seventh-freedom relaxations would not only allow ASEAN carriers to expand greatly, but also increase connection to China outside their home country. In an attempt to circumvent market restrictions, carriers are establishing overseas subsidiaries with local owners while settling for a minority stake. Regardless of whether a partial or true SAM is realized by 2015, ASEAN carriers will continue to push the boundaries in an attempt to expand and diversify. –J.M.

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F-35 test pilots slated to begin flying ‘Gen 3’ helmet display by Bill Carey F-35 test pilots are to begin flying this year with a third-generation helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) that incorporates modifications to the earliergeneration display system, which pilots deemed insufficient for missions the Joint Strike Fighter will perform. Last October, after testing the fixes over the course of two years, the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) gained enough confidence in the new “Gen 3” system to stop the development of an alternate helmet-mounted display. “I definitely have confidence that we are on the right track, that we have the right plan for these fixes in place and that it’s going to be a great system for the fleet,” said U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Matthew Kelly, government flight test director at the F-35 integrated training center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. In 2011, the Department of Defense (DOD) identified the HMDS as one of several F-35 program risks. According to a “quicklook review” of the jet’s flight-test progress, test pilots found that the “Gen 2” helmet system being developed by the joint venture of Rockwell Collins (Booth Q79) and Elbit Systems (Booth N65) of America–then called Vision System International (VSI)–had inadequate night-vision acuity and experienced display jitter during aircraft buffeting. It was also not timely enough at importing imagery from the F-35’s Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ37 distributed aperture system (DAS), a set of six infrared sensors, flush-mounted around the aircraft to provide the F-35 pilot with 360-degree, spherical coverage for situational awareness, missile warning and target detection functions. Sole Focus

Getting the HMDS right is a serious issue because the F-35, the DOD’s costliest weapons program, was designed without a pilot’s heads-up display, a feature that is common to fourth-generation fighters. In September 2011, F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin (Booth CS02) awarded a contract to BAE Systems (Booth U67) to develop an alternate HMDS with detachable nightvision goggles (NVGs) as a fallback system in the event VSI

failed to resolve issues with the chosen helmet-mounted display. As recently as last September, Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the outspoken, reformist F-35 program executive officer, said the development of an alternate HMDS continued. However, in October, the JPO announced that it had stopped the development of the BAE Systems helmet in order to focus solely on bringing the Gen 2 HMDS to a “fully compliant” Gen 3 standard.

for the development of the BAE Systems alternate helmet, the program office said. The Test Regime

In a recent interview with AIN, Kelly, an F-35 test pilot, described some of the testing that took place during the intervening period between the start and termination of the alternate HMDS development. Flight tests in a surrogate aircraft using a Gen 2 “shell” helmet with a new nightvision camera, as well as tests

A new sensor in the ‘Gen 3’ helmet display will improve night vision acuity, a major defect of the ‘Gen 2.’

“During the past two years, the JPO and Lockheed Martin used a disciplined systems engineering approach and conducted dedicated helmet flight tests to develop solutions to address the helmet’s technical challenges,” the program office said. The Gen 3 HMDS “will include an improved night-vision camera, new liquid-crystal displays, automated alignment and software improvements,” according to the JPO. Further, a “cost guarantee” that Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems offered the government resulted in a 12-percent reduction from the previous cost of the HMDS–while the program will also recoup $45 million in funds it had originally allocated

involving prototype Gen 2 helmets with newly integrated inertial measurement units (IMUs) and software algorithms, gave test pilots enough knowledge to inform Bogdan’s decision to stop the alternate HMDS effort, he said. The night-vision acuity of the Gen 2 HMDS, which contains an ISIE 10 sensor for low-lightlevel detection, was the system’s major deficiency, according to Kelly (ISIE stands for Intevac silicon imaging engine). An ISIE 11 sensor based on Intevac Photonics’ patented electronbombarded activated pixel sensor (EBAPS) technology brings the system’s night-vision acuity closer to the 20/20 vision NVGs can provide. The alternate helmet

26 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

with NVGs would not have been a perfect replacement, though. In order to switch between night vision and DAS displays, Kelly said, pilots had to remove the entire NVG assembly and then attach another visor, which was “very clumsy and not very pilot friendly,” he added. Last summer, the F-35 program tested a production-representative night-vision camera with ISIE 11 sensor in a modified Gen 2 helmet, using a twin-engine King Air surrogate aircraft. Flying from St. Mary’s County Regional Airport in Maryland, close to NAS Patuxent River, pilots tested the system in high- and low-light conditions and compared it to using ANVIS 9 NVGs. Testers also used a ground-based laser

designator to determine how far away pilots could spot a laser pointer. “There were some limitations to the test,” Kelly acknowledged. “It wasn’t in an F-35, but it was close enough that we could make a confident decision about the usability and the effectiveness of the new ISIE 11 night-vision camera in the Gen 3 helmet. [We could say] we know enough now to make the decision to start saving money by not funding the alternate helmet.” F-35s will have two nightvision cameras. A canopy bow in the jet obstructs the helmet camera, which is positioned above the pilot’s eye level on the HMDS. A second, dashboard-mounted camera is used in combination with the first; the imagery from both cameras is fused for display to the pilot. In a separate interview with AIN, Intevac Photonics’ general manager Drew Brugal

said, “The plan had always been” to eventually deliver the ISIE 11 sensor, which was not mature when the company was contracted to provide integrated night imagery for the F-35 HMDS. Last fall, Intevac started delivering ISIE 11 sensors to Elbit Systems of America, which builds the sensor into the night-vision camera. “The feedback we received was that [the night-vision camera] met the pilots’ expectations and they are comfortable going forward with the ISIE 11,” Brugal said. Latency Not an Issue

The helmet system’s latency, or response time at importing DAS imagery–measured in milliseconds–was not the problem testers thought it would be, Kelly said. Pilots just hadn’t had the opportunity to use the DAS sensor array during flight testing. “Initially there was concern about the latency of the DAS,” he said. “But we were able to do some testing in the spring and summer of 2013 where we looked at a bunch of different tasks [and] some formation flying and, across-the-board, we found there was really no issue with the latency.” Test pilots experienced helmet-mounted display jitter in areas of the F-35 flight envelope that haven’t been approved for training, Kelly said. The program addressed the problem by integrating micro IMUs and filtering algorithms in the HMDS to cancel out jitter effects. Pilots flew the fixes using a modified Gen 2 helmet. “It’s still not perfect, but it’s the 95-percent solution and the major issue there is resolved,” he said. Asked if the jitter effect will be further improved, JPO spokesperson Kyra Hawn answered: “In the bigger scope of the program, we have a lot of sophisticated technology. The constant challenge is, we’ve gotten to the 95-percent solution, which is viable and usable based on the mission requirements, [but] what does it cost us to get the 5 [percent] in terms of investment and time, and what do we get as a result of getting that 100-percent solution? ” According to the JPO, the Gen 3 HMDS will be introduced to the F-35 fleet in lowrate initial production Lot 7 in 2016, and will complete test and development the next year. The Marine Corps, which plans to declare initial operational capability (IOC) of its F-35Bs in July 2015, will start operations with Gen 2 helmetmounted displays. o

DAES provides support to niche OEMs worldwide by Peter Shaw-Smith Helping niche OEMs, component makers and MRO service providers who lack global scale reach international markets has become a target for Dass Aero Engine Services (DAES). Today U.S.-based DAES is an independent global aviation aftermarket service organization providing sales and marketing services to the industry and to specialized equipment manufacturers. With 13 offices around the world, DAES, which is here at the Singapore Airshow at Booth F100, represents some well known names: GKN Aerospace, SKF Aerospace and SR Technics. It also offers global sales and service support in the fields of capital equipment, and materials and services. Stretching its reach into Asia, “DAES recognized the potential of the region when it set up the office in Amman specifically to support the capital equipment and ‘off-wing’ component repair requirements,” said Juerg Bartlome, managing director of DAES Dubai. “Today Dass operates two offices in the Middle East: one in Jordan and one in Dubai. The increased activities and opportunities in the past three years led to opening the second office in Dubai.”

by governments, such as the UAE [United Arab Emirates], who provide attractive support

not forget the opportunities with the different air forces in the region,” he said. “New equipment being delivered also means new MRO requirements.” Two companies are forerunners of the current group. Dass and Associates was set up in Dallas, Texas, in 1994 to provide engine management and component repair, as well as to

supply engine parts, and is now privately owned. In 1996, Dass entered a joint venture with Jetas KG International to provide specialized support to component repair organizations in North America and Asia Pacific. In 2000, Dass Aero Engine Services was founded following an agreement between Dass and Jetas to separate the business. o

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DAES says the Middle East and Africa are the fastest growing markets in the world for DAES principals. “For three or four years now, we have seen increased demand in the region,” said Bartlome. “The requirements are mainly centered around gaining expertise and spare parts, as well as the required equipment to start maintaining aircraft, components and engines locally. With all the aircraft orders placed, this trend will continue. “The potential volumes will also make this an attractive place for the OEMs and it can be expected that we will see more OEM facilities or joint ventures,” Bartlome added. “This will be further enhanced

not only for MRO companies but also for aviation manufacturing companies. The UAE’s Strata Manufacturing [producer of composite wing and empennage components] is one example of this.” Bartlome also sees potential on the military side, especially in the Middle East. “In addition to all the civil activities we should

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www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 27

Rolls-Royce’s big Trent XWB now entering production phase by Ian Goold Ahead of an initial engine run in the second quarter of this year, Rolls-Royce (Booth N23) has started to assemble the 97,000-pound-thrust Trent XWB-97 powerplant that will power the heavier, 308-metric-ton (680,000-pound) max takeoff weight Airbus A350-1000 stretch variant of the new twin-aisle twinjet that has been flying since last June. The first items for the powerplant were arriving in the Rolls-Royce (RR) finished parts stores during January, according to program director Chris Young. The move follows last year’s Trent XWB-97 critical design review and prototype demonstration runs. Progress since last November’s Dubai Airshow has included fabrication of early components, welding of the stator-vane assembly and completion of the intermediate-pressure compressor stage 1 blisk (bladed disc). To ensure manufacturing fluency while the new variant is introduced, RR will build initial flight-test engines in a preproduction factory, not on current Trent assembly lines. As production begins to accelerate, the manufacturer will integrate the XWB-97 into the assembly flow line. The XWB-84 and -97 are essentially very similar and have common tooling, which will allow the models to be mixed in final assembly. Asked if RR has the scope to advance the XWB-97 if Airbus brings A350-1000 development forward, Young said the company has an agreed program with the airframe manufacturer and is working to deliver engines in line with that schedule. Active preproduction engine testing is slated to begin in the first half of next year. RR expects to build at least eight flight-test Trent XWB-97s–and possibly more–during the preproduction phase. The focus of such work is to meet what RR calls “exit criteria,” which means understanding the requirements for each work station before engine assembly really begins to flow. Seven complete ground-test units will be produced, along with additional modules and cores, said Young. The predominant proportion of future Trent XWB-84 manufacturing is to be performed at RollsRoyce’s Seletar production center in Singapore, releasing capacity at the Derby factory in the UK, where existing assembly capacity will be extended to accommodate the larger -97 engine. On Target

Rolls-Royce says the Trent XWB program is on target, with only minor tuning of scheduled plans; the company is “happy [with performance, which is] on track, exactly where we expect to be.” By January, it had completed some 6,000 hours and 11,250 real and simulated flight-cycles of running with 13 Trent

XWB-84 development engines, of which four were currently on test. Two were being used for cyclic tests at Rolls-Royce North America’s outdoor jet engine testing facility at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. One “endurance” engine had another 150 hours to run as RR sought to expand the design’s temperature margins, while the fourth unit was one of a pair devoted to proving the Trent XWB’s robustness. Among remaining development examples, three are earmarked for use on the Airbus A380 flying testbed and two will be for mechanical tests. Others are being (or have been) used for performance, lowpressure system and integration trials. Of the two Trent XWBs at Stennis, engine serial number (ESN) 20002/4 has completed 1,610 simulated flight cycles, including 3,000 thrust-reverser deployments, on the center’s 59 Bed. Meanwhile, on 60 Bed ESN 20011/1 is being used to clear the design for Airbus’s targeted 350-minute ETOPS approval before entry into service by year-end. Reliability has been demonstrated during 4,250 simulated cycles, with the unit also being used for on-wing maintenance and inspection routines. Both engines are scheduled to provide Target 1 shop-visit demonstrations, said Young. Low-temperature testing also has been conducted with ESN 20003/4 on RR’s 58 Bed at Derby, where liquid oxygen is used to cool the powerplant, which must demonstrate 10 starts at -40C (-40F) to represent winter operations.

By January, Rolls-Royce had completed some 6,000 hours and 11,250 real and simulated flight-cycles of running with 13 development examples of the Trent XWB-84 that powers the new Airbus A350-900 twin-aisle twinjet, below. Two of the engines were being used for cyclic tests at Rolls-Royce North America’s Outdoor Jet Engine Test Facility at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

First Passenger Flight Planned

The second A350-900, manufacturer’s serial number (MSN) 002 and the first with an airline cabin interior, was rolled out in early January sporting a socalled “carbon” livery. In early February, it was being prepared for a first flight before month’s end and is intended to carry the initial (non-flight-test) passengers on planned “early long flights” later this year. After A350 MSNs 001 and 003, which both flew last year, the next development aircraft (MSN 004) is scheduled to fly soon after MSN 002. Rolls-Royce expected to deliver the Trent XWBs for MSN 005–the final flight-test machine, and the second with an airline interior, which should fly in May–before this week’s airshow began. Dispatch of MSN 005’s engines from Derby to Toulouse marks the transition from powerplant preproduction into the Trent XWB’s production phase. The engine manufacturer expected to begin assembly in early February of Trent XWB ESN 20019, which is destined to power the first Qatar Airways A350 (MSN 006). This will be followed by the second Qatar engine (ESN 20020), which is scheduled for delivery to Airbus

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in mid-year, and another unit earmarked to be available as a spare at the time of A350 entry into service, according to Rolls-Royce. As of mid-January, RR had not finalized this year’s production plans for the Trent XWB. Overall, Trent XWB performance aboard the first two flying A350-900s has gone extremely well, the engines demonstrating “good operability and reliability” and having undergone only routine inspection and maintenance, according to Young. By mid-January, the four Trent XWBs had accumulated around 1,750 flight-hours during about 180 A350 flights (more than 50 flights with MSN 003, including a 12-hour 48-minute transatlantic flight to Bolivia in South America for hot-and-high testing). Young said the altitude- and temperature-related engine and aircraft performance trials involved genuine tests in temperatures of up to ISA +21C (ISA +38F) at Cochabamba (about 8,300 feet above sea level). Engine starts, and aircraft takeoffs, automatic landings

and touch-and-gos flown at La Paz’s 13,300-foot-altitude airport were said to have been performed “immaculately with no flaws, no nothing.” The trials, which also featured simulated engine failures, were to collect data on operating characteristics and to validate the A350’s takeoff performance. From Bolivia, MSN 003 went on to tropical Martinique and, later, to Canada for cold-weather trials that included starts at temperatures as low as -40C/F. Overall, Airbus A350 testing will involve about 2,500 flight hours (5,000 engine hours), leading to formal European Aviation Safety Agency and U.S. FAA airworthiness approval in time for service entry before year-end. During last year, a “strong [one] for market activity,” RR received orders for more than 500 Trent XWBs to power 252 A350s. One of the largest orders (for 30 A350-900s) came from Singapore Airlines, while other Asian customers were Japan Airlines (31 A350900 and -1000s) and Sri Lankan Airlines (four A350-900s). o

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Seletar Trent factory running at full speed by Thierry Dubois Rolls-Royce’s factory near Seletar Airport is up and running, producing approximately

50 Trent 900s per year, while gearing up to add other engine types to its production line,

beginning with the Trent 1000. Inaugurated during the 2012 Singapore Airshow, the assembly and test unit is described as a sister facility to Rolls-Royce Derby (UK) operation. By the end of 2013, the Seletar campus had delivered more than 50 Trent 900s (the engine that powers the Airbus A380). “By mid2014, we will be ready to begin

production of Trent 1000s, the engine for the Boeing 787,” a Rolls-Royce Singapore spokesperson told AIN. The combined production rate is planned to reach the full capacity of 250 engines a year by early 2016. More than (U.S.)$11.5 billion of the new orders received during 2013 were from RollsRoyce’s customers in Asia and

the Middle East. “Our facility in Seletar has allowed us to increase production to cater to growing demand,” the spokesperson added. Rolls-Royce has more than 650 employees on site, 90 percent of whom are Singaporeans and permanent residents. The fan blade manufacturing facility is currently nearing 35 percent capacity. It is the first outside the UK to produce Rolls-Royce’s wide-chord, hollow titanium blades. “With the start of production of Trent XWB blades from early 2014, the facility is on track to reach full capacity of 6,000 blades per year by 2015,” the spokesperson said. Phase 2 of capacity expansion will be for around 7,600 blades in 2016. Research and Training

Research and training at the Rolls-Royce Seletar campus are also in full swing. The campus’ regional training center opened in 2011, and since then, more than 9,000 man-days of training have been completed. “We offer 400 different modules in the regional training center,” the spokesperson said. Another component of the campus is the advanced technology center. Research agreements have been signed with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore. Currently, some 35 employees from RollsRoyce and 15 from A*STAR and local universities work in the technology center, which also provides internship opportunities to local university and polytechnic students. The advanced technology center has developed manufacturing technologies that allow product cycle time to be reduced by “over 50 percent.” Another focus has been to eliminate health and safety risks resulting from automating a labor- and timeintensive polishing process the company also employs for ship propeller blades. The latter technology has been implemented at Rolls-Royce’s Kristinehamn factory in Sweden. With Boeing and Siemens, Rolls-Royce is establishing an “advanced remanufacturing and technology center,” planned to open in this year’s third quarter at CleanTech II, which is located on the NTU campus. To be managed by the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, part of A*STAR, its technology focus is on repair and restoration, surface modification and product verification. o AIN Show Daily JUNIOR 199 x 264.indd 1

30 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

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Indonesian Army and Navy Expand Fleets

Indonesian Air Force draws up shopping list by Alan Warnes Boasting one of the fastest growing economies in the world is allowing Indonesia to invest much-needed funds in its military. After years of stagnation caused by the 1997 financial crisis, leading to most of Indonesia’s military acquisition programs being cancelled, the situation deteriorated further when the U.S. imposed an arms embargo in 1999 that lasted until 2005. The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara) entered into only one major acquisition program during that period, procuring Su-27 and Su-30 Flankers from Russia to bolster its aging fighter fleet. The TNI-AU had never ordered Russian aircraft after the failed communist coup in 1965 but it was left with no option after Western companies stuck to

the arms embargo. This deal led to a pair of Su-27SKs and two Su-30MKs being delivered to SkU 11 [Skadron Udara (SkU)–air squadron] at Hasanuddin, Sulawesi, in August/September 2003, followed by three Su-30MK2s in late-2008/early-2009 and a trio of Su-27SKM variants in 2010. With military budgets set every five years, the armed forces are now drawing up a shopping list for 2015-19. Local industry, particularly PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), will play a major part in how this money is spent. The past 15 years has not been kind to the company; it was hit massively by the 1997 crisis. However, in July 2011, EADS-Airbus Military signed a strategic collaboration with PTDI to assist with revitalizing Indonesia’s national

aerospace industry, mainly by growing PTDI’s manufacturing output. The two companies enjoy a long-standing manufacturing relationship, which goes back to the days of CASA and PTDI’s predecessor: IPTN. While PTDI is an important supplier of the C212 and CN 235 light/medium transport and surveillance aircraft to Airbus Military, it also works closely with another EADS company, Eurocopter. In July 2011, Eurocopter signed a new teaming agreement with PTDI consisting of industrial cooperation as well as marketing Eurocopter products to the Indonesian government for use in the domestic market. The partnership between the two companies began 35 years ago, and has seen some 130 BO-105s, 11 SA330s and 20 AS332 Super Pumas built under license production at Bandung. An assembly line was set up for the Super Puma in 2008, integrating PTDI into Eurocopter’s global supply chain. Some believe PTDI does not provide the military value for

Continued on page 36 u

Alan Warnes

The first few of 16 KAI T-50Is were delivered to the Indonesian Air Force last September. All were scheduled to arrive at their new base at Madiun-Iswahyudi by the end of the year, but in January only 12 had arrived. The first six are in the colors of the TNI-AU’s Elang Biru aerobatic team.

After years of neglect, the Indonesian Army Aviation (TNI-AD) is now set for some radical modernization in a bid to stem the country’s increasing threats. A deal for eight AH-64E Guardian helicopters worth around $500 million was announced in August 2013, but it is not clear if a contract has been signed. The original DSCA (Defense Security Cooperation Agency) notification quoted a figure of $1.42 billion to cover all the associated weapons (including 32 Hellfire missile launchers and 140 Hellfire AGM-114R3 missiles), support and other associated equipment. According to the U.S. government, “The AH-64Es will defend borders, conduct counterterrorism and counter-piracy operations, and control the free flow of shipping through the Strait of Malacca.” They will be purchased via the U.S. Army through the Foreign Military Sales process. There was speculation in late 2012/early 2013 the TNI-AD was going to buy up to 20 UH-60Ms but nothing has materialized. However, AIN has been informed that Eurocopter has been contracted to deliver 12 AS550/355s, one AS350B3, six AS355NPs and five AS550C3 Armed Scouts to the TNI-AD, although deliveries are not expected to begin until 2015 at the earliest. Given these additional purchases and the need to train more than 100 additional rotary-wing pilots over the next few years, the TNI-AD is acquiring six Schweizer S-300C helicopters. Sikorsky Aircraft confirmed on April 16, 2012, it had sold two S-300Cs, with an option on four more. Seven Mil Mi-35Ps are now with the TNI-AL, the final pair arriving on March 20, 2013. They are operated by Skadron Udara Angkatan Darat 31, based at Achmad Yani Airport, Samerang, which also operates 12 Kazan Mi-17-V5s, though one was lost on November 9 last year, with the 13 people on board being killed. Another six Mi-17-V5s are on order. Three Mi-17s are being used by the United Nations for its UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). In December 2013, PTDI handed over six brand-new NB412EPs to the TNI-AD, as part of an order for 24 announced in early December 2010. Most of the helicopters are based at Achmad Yani or Pondok Cabe, Jakarta, where a sole DHC-5 Buffalo is used for VIP purposes. Meanwhile, three Airbus Military CN235MPAs, on order since 2009, should now have been delivered to the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) with the Thales AMASCOS 200 maritime system, housing the more powerful Oceanmaster 400 radar. According to PTDI, there are two more CN 235MPAs on order but they are likely to be fitted with the Elta EL/M2022 radar in a configuration similar to the four CN 235s delivered to the Korean Coast Guard in 2012. These aircraft will see the Nomad maritime patrol aircraft being phased out. The TNI-AL should also be on the verge of receiving one of the last CASA NC212-200s before PTDI concentrates its production on the newer NC212400 launched at the LIMA Show in March 2013. All the TNI-AL aircraft are based at Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city. –A.W.

In 2013 the Indonesian Air Force took delivery of three CASA 295s that now are operated by SkU 2 squadron at Halim-Perdanakusuma. Another six are to follow, although the last pair should be assembled by PTDI.

34 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Alan Warnes

This Mi-17-V5 was one of three operated by the TNI-AD’s (Indonesian Army Aviation) SkUAD 31 squadron at Achmad Yani, Semerang, and was sent to South Sudan for use by the United Nations.

Several CASA 212s are used by the TNI-AL (Indonesian Navy) as maritime patrol aircraft, including this example operated by SkU 800 squadron at Surabaya, seen fitted with what is believed to be a Thales Chlio FLIR.

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money, but nonetheless it will become a major benefactor from the 2015-19 budgets, even if the fighters will take much of the money as they did in the previous five years. Fighters

After the initial acquisition of nine Flankers, the Indonesian MOD signed a $470 million contract with JSC Rosoboronexport on Dec. 29, 2011, for six more Su-30MK2s, delivered in February, May and September 2013. A close source has told AIN that the Russian aircraft have been “troublesome,” with usual issues concerning spares. After the OV-10 Broncos were withdrawn from use several years ago, the TNI-AU was left with no close-air-support aircraft until eight Embraer Super Tucanos were ordered in November 2010. The first four were handed over to SKu 21 at Abdulrachmen Saleh (Mulang) during the third quarter of 2012 following a ceremony in Brazil on Aug. 6, 2012. A contract for a second batch of eight aircraft was announced on July 10, 2012, with deliveries expected in 2014. In May 2011, the TNI-AU ordered 16 Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50Is in a $400 million deal, with the first two being delivered on Sept. 11, 2013. All 16 were to have been delivered by the end of 2013, but delays meant that only 10 had been delivered by then and the rest should have arrived before the Singapore show started. The T-50Is, fitted with gun and weapons pylons, will eventually replace the Hawk Mk 53s of SkU 15. Six have been delivered in the colors of Elang Biru, the TNI-AU’s jet aerobatic team. A $750 million FMS deal to acquire 24 upgraded F-16 Block 32IDs was agreed with the U.S. government in November 2011. The contract comprises 19 single-seaters and five dual-seaters, with the first four aircraft due in mid-2014, followed by four every three months. Work on the jets is under way at Ogden Air Logistics Center, Utah, where a TNI-AU Project Office comprising six people has been set up. The aircraft will be delivered initially to SkU 16, based at Madiun-Iswahyudi, until the infrastructure at Pekanbaru is ready. Their arrival will allow the aging

Surveillance

With some 17,000 islands making up the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia needs to maintain a modern airborne maritime surveillance fleet in a bid to confront increasing

The Indonesian Air Force carries out helicopter flight training using Soloy Bell 47Gs formerly operated by the Royal Australian Army. They will continue in this role with SkU 7 at Kalijati until the EC120s used for SAR are replaced by Eurocopter EC135s.

replacement, and speculation is the TNI-AU will go for an increased number of CN 235220s with SIGINT systems on board to replace them.

threats from pirates, smugglers and terrorists. This led the TNI-AU to order another much needed CASA CN 235 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) in 2012, with a Telephonics system and Star Safire HDI FLIR turret. Delivery is expected in 2015. The order comes six years after the first and only MPA was delivered to SkU 5 at Madassar. An initial requirement for three MPAs led to a contract being signed with Thales in 1996, but a single aircraft was delivered, with an AMASCOS 200 system, and the other two remained as basic transport aircraft with SkU 5. With obsolescence now creeping in, PTDI has been contracted to replace the Thales Oceanmaster radar with Telephonics’ AN/APS 143C3 maritime radar. There is also an urgent requirement for a SIGINT platform, which could be purchased during the next five-year budget plan, in 2015-19. It is likely one of the CASA 212s serving the TNI-AU will be upgraded with new systems. The three aging Boeing 737-200 surveiller sidelooking airborne modular multimission radar (SLAMMR) aircraft are in desperate need of

Transports

The TNI-AU relies predominantly on PTDI for its mediumto-small airlift needs. Five CN 235s operate with SkU 2 at Halim, replacing five Fokker 27s grounded in 2012 after a fatal accident. They work alongside three CASA 295s of 10 on order. There is a keen interest in acquiring special-mission systems for an additional six CASA 295s, with Texas-based ATK offering their palletized gunship system. There are currently two tactical airlift squadrons in the TNI-AU: SkU 31 at HalimPerdanakusuma operates a mix of C-130H-30s, L100-30s and C-130H; while SkU 32 at Abdulrachman Saleh flies 10 C-130B/Hs, including two KC130B tankers that represent the TNI-AU’s sole air-to-air refueling capability. With close links to Airbus Military it is likely they will be replaced by two A330MRTT hose/drogue and boom aircraft. As a result of acquiring the nine ex-RAAF C-130s, a third C-130 unit, SkU 33 will stand up at Makassar. There is a real need to provide support to the Sukhois and this should be the solution, with tactical needs in the region also being covered. It is not clear whether the new C-130s will actually be SkU 32 assets, or if they will be split among all the units. Helicopters

Indonesian Air Force instructor pilot training is carried out at Yogyakarta-Adisucipto Airport on 15 KAI KT-1Ts flown by SkU 102 squadron. Meanwhile, the Air Force Academy will soon see up to 24 Grob G120TPs replacing the AS 202 Bravos used for student pilots. The TNI-AU is slowly upgrading its training platforms.

36 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

Helicopter training takes place at Kalijati with SkU 7 on 50-year-old Bell 47G Soloys. These stalwarts are used by newly qualified pilots fresh from Yogyakarta for basic helicopter training. Their short-term

future is secure because the unit’s EC120 Colibris are also being used to cover SAR detachments. Longer term, 12 EC135s on order will replace the operational role of the EC120, allowing it to revert to the training role for which it was acquired, and easing the Soloys into retirement. SkU 6 at Atang Senjaya near Bogor flies four of 18 Super Pumas ordered in 2000. Another three NAS332L1s with SkU 45 at Halim are being used in the VIP role alongside two Eurocopter-built AS332L2s. Also based at Atang Senjaya is SkU 8, which flies a handful of NSA330 Pumas. Six EC725s have been ordered for the Special Forces role and should be delivered in 2014-15 to a new unit, SkU 9 at Kalijati. It is not clear if they are taking up the slack that the Super Pumas failed to deliver. Pilot Training

Pilot training is carried out at Yogyakarta with SkU 101, instructing students on the AS202 Bravos, flying 120 hours on elementary training. However, the Bravo’s days are expected to end within the next few years, as the TNI-AU ordered 18 Grob G120TPs in 2012. The first batch of 10 aircraft was delivered in 2013, and a further batch of eight are to arrive in 2014. Modernization of the flying training academy got under way in 2003 when SkU 102 took delivery of 16 KT-1T Woongbees for instructor training. Longer term there is also a need for a basic trainer replacement. The next five-year budget, for 2015-2019, will be set in mid2014 and projects such as airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), tankers, new fighters, SIGINT aircraft as well as new weaponry are all under review. It is unlikely the Russians will figure highly in any future acquisition. o

Alan Warnes

uContinued from page 34

fleet of six F-16As and three F16B Block 15s to go through a Falcon Up upgrade. The F-16s have suffered spares shortages in recent years, but these issues have not been limited to F-16s. The fleet of 33 multi-role Hawk 109/209s delivered to SkU 1 at Pontiniak and SkU 12 at Pekanbaru in the mid-’90s has been hit particularly hard, especially with issues stemming from the Adour Mk 871 engines. The fleet of 11 F-5s, upgraded by SABCA (now Belgian Aerospace) in the late-’90s, were grounded twice during 2013. Even if spares problems are resolved, the veteran fighter will soldier on only until 2018, so funds are likely to be earmarked for a replacement in the 201519 budget. One solution was the new K-FX (Korean fighter) program the Indonesians were jointly developing with Korea. However, in late 2012 the South Korean government put an 18-month hold on this $8 billion project that should have led to 50 K-FXs being delivered to the TNI-AU and 200 to the ROKAF. A first batch of five was scheduled for delivery to Indonesia in 2020, but the project is more likely to be cancelled. As a result, the money is being spent overhauling nine C-130Hs acquired free of charge from the Royal Australian Air Force and buying six CASA 295s for a special-mission fit. There is speculation the TNIAU could now acquire former USAF F-15s to replace the F-5s, while RFIs have also been sent to Saab (Gripen), Dassault (Rafale) and Eurofighter.

Alan Warnes

Indonesian AF shopping list

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Airservices Australia, the nation’s air navigation service provider, is planning its new OneSky ATM system to coincide with the Single European Sky and the U.S. NextGen system.

ATM modernization gathering pace in Asia Pacific by Aimée Turner After 12 long years of nothing promising for harmonizing Southeast Asian trade relations, there was a surprise development in the closing days of 2013 when a trade agreement was finally struck in Bali. Not glamorous, and focused largely on streamlining mundane processes that can impede cargo as it travels across borders, the agreement nevertheless holds considerable promise in terms of the growth of air travel and cargo. The December pact and further progress between Southeast Asian ASEAN trading partners expected in 2015 should both deliver a positive boost to Asian airlines and supplement the growth effects of an emerging urban middle class. Following the Bali deal, International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief economist Brian Pearce said the outlook over the next 10 years for both airlines and cargo is good if obstacles facing world trade that impact both premium travel growth and air cargo demand can be overcome. Efforts to break through the remaining barriers to growth are only going to accelerate the issues faced by those charged with managing air traffic across the region: its air navigation service providers (ANSPs). Near Full Capacity

Many key airports in the Asia Pacific region are already operating at near full capacity with airlines having to manage long-term NOTAMs on arrival delay, a lack of timely information for long-haul flights and interacting with an air traffic control community where capabilities vary widely. Yet the Asia Pacific region is forecast to be the world’s fastest area of growth for air transport over the

next 20 years, with connectivity becoming an ever more critical link to markets and a generator of wealth. The Civil Air Navigation Service Organisation (CANSO) is not overstating the case when it points out that the Asia Pacific region is probably the world’s most diverse in terms of types of ANSP, technical challenges, traffic management and capacity issues, in addition to cultural and political differences within the region. “It is facing a fascinating challenge as traffic growth and economic pressure bring calls for greater ATM reform and cooperation,” said CANSO. The organization, which counts 15 Asia Pacific ANSPs as members, insists activity should be centered on what is most important and impactful. Its regional operations workgroup is therefore focusing on three key areas to create air traffic capacity and manage demand using performance-based navigation (PBN) technologies, ADS-B satellite aircraft tracking and a combination of air traffic flow management and collaborative decision-making (ATFM/CDM). Hai Eng Chiang, CANSO director of Asia Pacific affairs, reports that progress in ADS-B data sharing is well under way with effective information exchange across the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea. In terms of efforts to achieve en-route PBN harmonization, several city pairs–such as Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur-Singapore and Singapore-Jakarta, as well as Male-Colombo and KolkataDhaka–have been identified for further work. On the ATFM/CDM front,

the group is also discussing how the up-and-running Bangkok-Singapore CDM city pair project could evolve into a subregional initiative involving the ANSPs of Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. Not an Overnight Fix

However, there is still much to do. A 2011 meeting of the Southeast Asia route review task force in Bangkok spelled out the challenge: although regional aviation partners are fully aware of the urgent need for seamless ATM, it would not occur overnight. Even so, the task force glimpsed a chink of light when it noted that between neighboring city pairs in a flight information region (FIR) or across FIRs, seamless ATM could be entirely achievable in the short term. Many city pairs in the region were already operating in seamless or close to seamless fashion where even ground handling was included in the decisionmaking chain. It added that traffic between more popular city pairs could easily be handled with greater

uniformity and efficiency from one FIR to another and that even without the latest advanced technology, a great deal could be done using available tools. This might simply be a case of improving route infrastructure, harmonizing procedures and separation standards along an entire route, or simply agreements spelling out regulations that would improve how neighboring air traffic controllers collaborate with each other. The CANSO Bangkok-Singapore CDM team was formed in 2011 shortly after that meeting with the goal of applying CDM principles to all phases of operations of air traffic between Bangkok and Singapore. It acted to bring the aviation partners within Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand together. The team, co-chaired by the Aerothai air traffic control agency and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), includes civil aviation officials from Malaysia, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, airport operators in Thailand and Singapore, supported by CANSO experts from Airservices Australia and Airbusowned Metron Aviation. Together they conducted an operational trial to share crucial traffic information involving 112 revenue flights between Bangkok and Singapore throughout the summer of 2012 and succeeded in enhancing both operational predictability and how each of the partners used their respective resources. The trial also helped to garner further support for the project from IATA and Airports Council International, and saw the Hong Kong civil aviation authority agreeing to join the project. The

CDM as Linchpin in ATM VHHH A-CDM OTHER ACC/ATFM

HONG KONG ACC

OTHER ACC/ATFM

Virtual ATFM node

CDM SINGAPORE ACC

WSSS A-CDM

Virtual ATFM node

BANGKOK ACC VTBS A-CDM

CDM (collaborative decision-making) combined with air traffic flow management, performance-based navigation technologies and ADS-B satellite aircraft tracking is envisioned as providing a solution to create air traffic capacity and manage demand.

38 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

now-extended Hong Kong-Singapore-Thailand CDM/ATFM team is continuing the work to develop a scalable collaborative concept. That envisions airports and airspace fitting into virtual ATFM nodes where catchment partners work together and exchange information. Singapore and Airbus Team

Singapore’s CAAS and Airbus’ ATM subsidiary ProSky have since embarked on a collaborative research project to improve the regional ATM framework. “One such collaboration focuses on the proof of an ATFM concept,” explained Aerothai’s Piyawut Tantimekabut, who co-chairs the CDM initiative. “This runs concurrently with the tripartite initiative to assist in the completion of the proof-of-concept research, thus providing a viable ATFM/CDM concept that might be considered for adoption by willing ANSPs in the region.” Running alongside these initiatives is the APEC air traffic management emissions reduction project, which aims to study the economic and environmental benefits of CDM/ATFM implementation on the Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur city pair and neighboring airports. The APEC project, which involves the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and aviation authorities from Malaysia and Thailand, has been awarded to Airbus ProSky and will complement the development of the collaborative regional concept. Tantimekabut said the CDM/ATFM team and the APEC project came together at a crucial moment when the ICAO Asia Pacific Seamless ATM plan had just been approved by the ICAO AsiaPacific Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group in June 2013. This was accompanied by a decision to reconvene the ICAO Asia-Pacific ATFM steering group, which was tasked with developing a common harmonized framework to manage air traffic flow in the region. “Overall, 2013 has been a year of solid achievements,” said Chiang, “from the successful completion of the Bangkok-Singapore CDM city pair trial to the commencement of ADS-B operations over the South China Sea, and the expansion of ADS-B collaboration over the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. At the implementation level, all these are concrete outcomes that have significant impact on ATM in the region.” o

Asia Pacific countries taking ATM initiatives by Aimée Turner Facing the demands of increasing air traffic capacity and operational efficiency, the countries of the Asia Pacific region have launched various programs to adopt recent advances in air traffic management and advances in avionics technology over the past couple of decades. Some countries (notably Australia) have forged ahead, while others are further behind, but it is hoped that recent developments could see closer cooperation for an eventual move to a whole-area solution.

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

JAPAN The number of flights in the Japan FIR is predicted to increase by 50 percent in the next 15 years. Perhaps more alarmingly, traffic at Tokyo’s already severely constrained airports is expected

Japan’s solution to airspace congestion is CARATS (collaborative action for renovation of air traffic systems), which shifts from sectorized airspace to trajectory-based operations, managing flights on an end-toend basis. Tests were recently completed using CARATS for 4-D trajectory approaches at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (above).

to increase by 20 percent over the next five years alone. Collaborative action for renovation of air traffic systems (CARATS) is Japan’s solution to the airspace challenge. The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) has predicted that when the expected 50-percent growth hits high-volume airspace around Tokyo by 2027, sector workload in 10 zones will have reached saturation. A principal technical component of CARATS is the shift from sectorized airspace to trajectorybased operations within Japan’s airspace, dynamically managing flights on an end-to-end time basis, promoting user-preferred flexible routes. This will also fulfill

Source: GE

The People’s Republic of China has been working toward an overall increase of airspace capacity and efficiency in airspace use in several areas. The number of air routes in China is increasing rapidly with the number of area and approach control sectors likely to hit 380 by 2015. Terminal airspace in congested areas is being optimized with departure routes separated at airports with more than 200 daily landings. Efforts here are focused on routes between Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou, Beijing-Kunming as well as between China and the Republic of Korea. In January 2013, there was a total of 219 area and approach control sectors in China, among which 83 busy control sectors were being studied to determine the capacity of each sector. Much of 2013 was spent conducting evaluations of another 109 control sectors. China is also busy undertaking a major study on the capacity evaluation of busy routes in complex operational

environments and is using modeling techniques to juggle airspace consolidation with fast growing traffic and much needed increases in route capacity. Performance-based navigation (PBN) trials have also been carried out on six routes and have improved overall operational efficiency and safety. A total of 82 airports were subject to PBN flight procedure design by April 2013 and notices of implementation were issued for dozens of airports. Future work will focus on further airspace optimization in the most congested areas, especially on trunk routes such as BeijingShanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Kunming. China is also working on broadening and perfecting flexible use of airspace in its efforts to achieve seamless air traffic control in the Asia Pacific region.

Pilots flying in to China’s Xichan Qingshan Airport are using RNP, but once that mileage-saving track (because it can use GPS rather than routing over ground-based beacons) is complete, they can conduct a conventional ILS approach, thus getting the advantages of lower decision heights.

40 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

a second objective of CARATS, namely the improvement of predictability, which will be enhanced by performance-based operations and the use of satellite-based navigation for all flights within a consolidated FIR. Collaboration between the JCAB, airlines, airports and the meteorology office is crucial. Recognition that no one party can alone deliver such complex solutions has been the first step in securing a whole-industry approach to improve the efficiency and capacity of Japan’s crowded skies, explains Kenichi Saito, CARATS director. That is one reason why collaborative decision-making is becoming an increasingly important tool for Japan’s air traffic control and its partners as they wrestle with extracting optimum capacity out of finite airspace, he told AIN.

SINGAPORE Covering an area of more than 800,000 sq km, Singapore manages one of the busiest and most complex areas of airspace in the

Asia Pacific region. That growth has driven the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to embark on building Singapore as a center of excellence in ATM. CAAS director-general Yap Ong Heng has said that the vision is for Singapore to host a vibrant and self-sustaining ecosystem, comprising research institutes and think-tanks, academia and industry players, as well as international and foreign ATM entities all working together on ATM concepts, technologies and solutions that meet the unique requirements of Singapore and the Asia Pacific. Singapore is serious about its role, with plans to invest (S)$200 million in research and development over the next 10 years. In a joint undertaking with the Nanyang Technological University, the CAAS is diverting (S)$50 million of its overall R&D budget to establish the region’s first research institute specifically to look at increasing air traffic capacity and operational efficiency.

In November 2012, CAAS also sealed deals with major participants in ATM modernization programs–the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking (SESAR). Equally important will be close cooperation between the CAAS and aviation stakeholders, including airlines, airport operators and technology suppliers.

ATM system called OneSKY to coincide with the Single European Sky and its U.S. counterpart NextGen. Today, Airservices Australia, the nation’s air navigation service provider, is in a position to implement OneSKY well before both those programs. “We’ve had to start developing the roadmap ourselves because

this isn’t about replacing a system, this is about changing the way we do business in the industry,” said Airservices’ spokesman Jason Harfield. Discussions between Australia’s military and Airservices have been ongoing for several years with the goal of exploring the concept of integration and of overcoming

historic differences. It is a project that is bold not only for its local ambitions, but for its lineup in the global ATM development program. “We’re implementing something that’s going to manage more than 11 percent of the earth’s surface, [and] we’re doing it combined with defense, so really this is something on a scale that isn’t

being done anywhere else right now,” said Harfield. “We’re procuring a system that we are implementing in 2018 that will last us until at least 2035, so a lot of what will be contained in the tender submissions will represent a technology roadmap toward the end date not necessarily as technology stands today.” o

INDIA According to the Airports Authority of India, international traffic will see annual increases of 7 percent over the next decade with domestic movements topping that at 8-percent increases. That will demand an integrated and collaborative approach that will place flow management at the heart of future operations, enough to cope with increased traffic, monsoons and the odd cyclonic storm, plus the extensive airspace needs of the Indian air force. Today, excessive airborne holding is the norm due to little strategic, pre-tactical or tactical automation/processes to efficiently smooth the demand on precious airspace resources, improve system efficiency and shrink the carbon footprint. Until now, the primary method for long-term balancing of demand with system capacity has been to restrict demand by allocating a fixed number of arrival/departure slots to scheduled aircraft. That has proved insufficient, so India is now working toward eliminating bottlenecks largely through a collaborative approach between those managing Indian airspace and the nation’s airports. The anticipated benefits of the collaborative approach in six of India’s most congested airports would achieve substantial annual reductions in air/ground delays with savings on the order of 142,845 minutes, six million kilograms of fuel–equating to 18 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions–and (U.S.)$9 million in airline costs.

AUSTRALIA Until budget sequestration in the U.S. and schedule delays in Europe caused their respective ATM projects to stall, Australia had been planning its new

www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 41

Malaysian civilian enforcement agencies in addition to the traditional military missions of such platforms. However, there still seems to be little government interest in providing funding for such a platform.

Malaysia’s air force C-130 transports will be upgraded with avionics and navigation systems to ensure they meet international civil aviation standards.

Dzirhan Mahadzir

C-130 Upgrade

Malaysia struggles to update military by Dzirhan Mahadzir The current political climate and government austerity measures in Malaysia mean that a number of programs for the Malaysian armed forces look likely to be postponed until the time frame of the 11th Malaysia Plan, which covers government spending for the period of 2016-2020. A combination of public dissatisfaction over the cutting of government subsidies and the government’s need to balance an increasing deficit has made spending on military procurement politically unviable at the moment. One of the key programs already on hold indefinitely is the Royal Malaysian Air Force MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft) requirement to replace its MiG-29s, though all four

contenders for the program– Boeing, Dassault, BAE Systems and Saab–have, in the light of the current situation, made proposals such as long-term repayments and lease options to Malaysia in an attempt to persuade the country to make a decision soon to go ahead with the program. However, it appears that even this will not be enough for Malaysia to proceed in the near future, even though the timetable has already fallen behind the RMAF’s projected target date of 2015 for phasing out the MiG-29s. The RMAF currently has restricted the MiG-29 fleet (which number around eight aircraft) to operational duties and missions only in an effort to preserve their operational lifespan.

Previously, the MiG-29 also carried out public event duties such as fly-pasts and airshow displays. Delay for Lead-in Fighters

The delay on the MRCA program has also impacted the RMAF’s plans for additional lead-in fighter trainers to add to the eight MB-339CMs it currently operates, as the RMAF has held off ordering additional MB-339CMs due to a combination of budget constraints and wanting to see which type of aircraft would be chosen for the MRCA program. It could then decide whether additional MB339CMs or a more compatible lead-in fighter trainer for the new MRCAs would be required. At the moment, the RMAF faces a shortfall in lead-in fighter trainer aircraft for its current training requirements, though the planned deactivation in 2015 of No. 12 Squadron, which currently operates two RF-5Es and four F-5E/Fs, would free up fighter pilots for duties in other squadrons. For basic pilot

training the RMAF is expected to sign a contract in April this year for additional PC-7 Mk IIs to add to its current fleet during the Defense Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. Another program on hold indefinitely is the airborne early warning and control (AEWC) requirement; the RMAF has had a long-term requirement for at least four aircraft but the government has balked at the potential cost of purchasing and operating such aircraft. RMAF chief general Tan Sri Rodzali Daud has tried to persuade the government to purchase AEWC aircraft on the basis that such an aircraft would also be of use in other roles, such as surveillance and monitoring of Malaysian waters and airspace, and also provide surveillance support for

Two RMAF programs are expected to commence soon, namely the upgrade of the RMAF’s Lockheed C-130 fleet and the service life extension of 15 of the RMAF’s 28 operational Sikorsky S-61 Nuri helicopters. The RMAF C-130 fleet, numbering around 14 aircraft, are to be upgraded with avionics and navigation systems that would bring them up to compliance to international aviation requirements along with a glass cockpit. The upgrade for the C-130s would be done in batches–an initial number of four to eight aircraft is currently funded, with Malaysian company Airod to do the work along with an assigned foreign partner selected by the RMAF. Esterline CMC, Astronautics, Marshall Aerospace and Rockwell Collins are said to be on the RMAF’s down-select list for this program and an announcement is expected to be made at DSA in April. The S-61 upgrades will also be done by Airod. The lack of funding to purchase additional EC725s to add to the 12 in service has forced the RMAF to prolong the life of 15 S-61s as the Malaysian Armed Forces has

Dzirhan Mahadzir

The RMAF’s MiG-29 fleet is expected to continue service beyond its planned 2015 retirement, with the replacement MRCA program being put on hold.

Some 15 of the RMAF’s existing 28 S-61 “Nuri” (meaning “Parrot”t) helicopters will undergo a service-life extension program in 2014.

42 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

The Jernas SHORAD is currently Malaysia’s primary SAM system with 15 launchers in service. Pictured here is one being fired in a live exercise in 2013.

Antisubmarine Helos

Since 2011 the Royal Malaysian Navy has been proposing the acquisition of at least six antisubmarine warfare helicopters to add to its current fleet of six Super Lynx and six Eurocopter AS555 Fennecs. However, the chief of the RMN, Adm. Tan Sri Aziz Jaafar, told AIN that the likelihood of funding for the ASW helicopters also may come about only in the time frame of the 11th Malaysia Plan. The U.S. has already been heavily promoting the MH-60R Seahawk for this requirement, with exercises and port calls by U.S. Navy ships to Malaysia, emphasizing the helicopter’s role and capabilities along with familiarization flights for Malaysian navy personnel and defense ministry officials. However, there has also been talk of a navalized Eurocopter (Airbus Helicopters) EC725, which would ensure some compatibility of logistics and maintenance with the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s EC725 fleet. However, the RMN is said to be leaning toward the MH-60R. Currently, ground-based air defense capabilities for Malaysia is limited to some 15 Jernas SAM systems, 28 Oerlikon Skyguard Systems (operated by the Army Air Defence Artillery Group–known as GAPU in the local acronym), along with an assortment of MANPADS, including the IGLA (operated by GAPU and RMAF), Anza Mk 2 (used by the Army’s parachute battalions) and the FN-6

(operated by GAPU). The Starburst MANPADs have all been phased out of service. GAPU has been tasked with formulating the ground-based SAM system requirement for all three services and a report was tabled by them late last year, although funding for any procurement in the near term appears to be unlikely. o

Dzirhan Mahadzir

laid down the requirement that the RMAF must have a minimum of 27 medium-lift helicopters in service. While last year’s incursion by Sulu militants into eastern Malaysia initially provided impetus for the acquisition of an attack helicopter capability for the Army Air Corps, again the financial crunch has placed the program in a hiatus. Boeing and Airbus Helicopters have been marketing the AH-64 and Tiger, respectively, for this requirement, though recently the Bell AH-1Z Cobra has been promoted as a cheaper alternative to both. The army is also seeking to arm its 11 A109 helicopters, which are currently operating in the light-observation helicopter role for the Army Air Corps. As a stop-gap contingency measure, three of the RMAF’s S-61 Nuri helicopters in eastern Malaysia have been outfitted with .50 caliber door guns to provide gunship support.

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www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 43

Bell’s Osprey tiltrotor takes the lead in Asia Pacific sales drive by Mark Huber in recent years, even as defense sales prepare to wane. The trend continued last year as the company’s deliveries of commercial helicopters increased by 13 percent during 2012 and 2013, from 188 to 213. Overall, Bell posted increased revenues to $4.51 billion and profits of $573 million, a 10-percent decline over the previous year. That profit decline is not surprising given Bell’s continuing investment in modernized infrastructure and new commercial products, including the ambitious super-medium twin 525 “Relentless,” aimed straight at the burgeoning offshore oil and gas market and scheduled to make its first flight later this year, and the new SLS “short light single” –the long awaited replacement for the B206– announced last summer. Bell (Booth Q01) already has an extensive embedded customer base throughout the Asia Pacific region, with 1,136 of its aircraft based here; 202 of them military models and another 140 flying parapublic missions. The remainder consists of helicopters flying a variety of civil missions The majority of these are B206

Singapore Airshow visitors can see the Bell/Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor firsthand.

variants (537), followed by B412s (195) and B212s (153). Since 2010, the company has delivered 87 aircraft into the region. In 2012, Bell opened a new joint service center in the Singapore Seletar Aerospace Park with sister company Cessna Aircraft. Bell CEO John Garrison said the 160,500-sq-ft building and 77,000-sqft ramp are part of the OEM’s efforts to provide “exceptional support to our current and future customers in this important growth region.” Late last year the company announced that it had expanded the Singapore center’s capabilities to include Bell 412 field maintenance training and electrical and automatic flight control systems as well as Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore-approved maintenance and customization on the 206, 407 and 429 light twin–aircraft that were or are made at Bell Canada. “The CAAS approval offers enhanced service offerings

MARIANO ROSALES

Bell is looking to ramp up sales of both military and civilian helicopter models here in the Asia Pacific region. For the first time, the U.S. Marine Corps has brought a Bell/Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor to the Singapore show. The Corps is holding briefings on the MV-22 as well as two newer Bell models that are quickly becoming fleet mainstays: the AH-1Z Viper gunship and the UH-1Y Venom utility/attack helicopter, the latest iteration of the venerable “Twin Huey.” Bell also is debuting an AH-1Z cockpit demonstrator as well as examples of its 407GX and 429 EMS. The U.S. rotorcraft manufacturer’s emphasis to find fresh export markets for all three models is driven by recently released forecasts from analysts, including Frost & Sullivan, that U.S. military helicopter acquisitions will be halved between now and 2018, with Pentagon orders for all three models to end on or before that date and significant questions regarding the long-term prospects of new programs, such as the Joint Multi-Role/Future Vertical Lift. Worldwide, Bell has made significant gains on the civil side of its business

In the civil market, Bell is committing significant resources to the development of the new 525 Relentless helicopter, which is planned to replace the ubiquitous 206 family.

to our customers and strengthens our presence in the region,” said Michael Reagan, Bell director of global services. “With this qualification we can now perform customization work on all in-production Bell Helicopter aircraft using this bilateral agreement with Transport Canada.” o

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44 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

U.S. exhibits honored with featured status by David Donald

MARK WAGNER

This F-16 is proudly flying the flag for the U.S. aerospace industry here at the Singapore Airshow; America has been assigned “Feature Country” status at the event.

Recognizing the long history of U.S. participation at the Singapore Airshow, this year’s event has chosen the United States to be the inaugural “Feature Country.” This new facet of the show focuses on a single nation with the aim of providing a forum for elevating bilateral trade relations, broadening commercial avenues between Singapore and the featured country, and as a platform for bringing new products and services to Singapore and the Far East region. Branded “Iconically American,” the U.S. participation at the show is centered on the U.S. Pavilion, which brings together more than 110 exhibitors into a display area that covers nearly an acre of space. The pavilion is the largest yet at the event, and includes companies representing 22 states, and the District of Columbia. Organizing U.S. pavilions at trade shows around the world is global business development specialist Kallman Worldwide. “We are extremely

proud to present the Singapore Airshow to U.S. companies,” said president and CEO Tom Kallman. “Singapore is the crossroads to Asia, with a highly developed economy, high reliance on foreign trade, and consistent growth in the aerospace industry. And the Singapore Airshow is known as one of the top three airshows in the world.” Exhibitors in the U.S. Pavilion cover a wide range of the latest technologies. Nearly three-quarters of them are small/medium-sized enterprises exhibiting at Singapore for the first time. The pavilion provides an ideal platform for them to showcase their technologies to the Far East marketplace. They are backed by full support from various U.S. trade and export agencies, including the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service. The latter agency, in conjunction with the Singapore Airshow, has organized

a dedicated Aerospace Executive Service Trade Mission. The pavilion also has the support of the local embassy, including U.S. ambassador, the Honorable Kirk Wagar. Among the 100-plus pavilion exhibitors are a mix of household and less wellknown names. BAE Systems Inc. is part of the group, showcasing its cyber security capabilities and also its F-16 avionics upgrade offer that has recently been selected by the Republic of Korea. Agricultural/ISR aircraft manufacturer Air Tractor is highlighting new float capability for its AT-802U for overwater operations, while Dillon Aero is advertising its proven M134D-H Minigun. Among the newcomers to the Singapore airshow is Discovery Aviation, which is promoting its Discovery 201 and 205 twin-engined light utility aircraft. To aid visitors to find what they are looking for, the U.S. Pavilion has its own app that indexes the array of companies, technologies, products and services that are on offer. As well as trade visitors, a sizeable number of VIP, trade and defense delegations will be visiting the pavilion throughout the show. o

Falcons have the range Asian biz travelers need by Thierry Dubois support team in the Asia Pacific region and now has field representatives located in Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The Falcon 7X, which is equipped with business aviation’s first digital flight control system, can fly nonstop from Singapore to Istanbul, or from Singapore to New York with one stop. The trijet can cruise at up to Mach 0.90 and features the EASy II flight deck, which gained certification approval last year. The new 2000LXS combines the long range of the 2000LX model with the short-field performance of the 2000S. The LXS model is equipped with full inboard slats and can land and takeoff at lower speeds, even at high altitudes and in hot temperatures, allowing operators to access smaller airfields. It also features the EASy II cockpit and the latest FalconCabin HD+ cabin entertainment system. o

Dassault’s Falcon 7X offers range of up to 5,950 nm carrying eight passengers and three crew at Mach 0.80.

DAVID McINTOSH

Dassault Falcon Jet is seeing a surge of interest in its Falcon business jets in Southeast Asia, according to president and CEO John Rosanvallon, who highlighted Indonesia as the latest market hotspot on the eve of this year’s Singapore Airshow. Dassault (Chalet CD37) is exhibiting its Falcon 7X and 2000LX aircraft here this week. The company anticipates the delivery of the first Falcon in Indonesia this year, a 2000LXS model. There are already 14 Falcons in operation in Southeast Asia and Dassault is betting on the family’s short airfield and high temperature performance to increase that number. In Singapore, Dassault operates a regional spares distribution center, in partnership with express package specialist UPS. Some $15 million worth of spare parts is now stocked at the hub. The OEM has also boosted its customer

www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 45

Three devices save fuel with engine-off taxiing by Thierry Dubois Three companies are competing to offer airlines a fuelsaving way to have their aircraft taxi with engines shut down. WheelTug, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI, Booth P39) and EGTS International–a joint venture between Safran (Booth G16) and Honeywell (Booth Q23)–are developing systems that are either on-board or external and that aim to make the aircraft autonomous on the ground, without using its turbofans. Entry into service should take place between this year and 2016. The three companies have chosen different solutions: Gibraltar-based WheelTug is installing its system on the nosewheel; while EGTS International is installing its electric green taxiing system (EGTS) on the main landing gear; and IAI, partnering with global ground-support equipment manufacturer TLD (headquartered in Rungis, France), has chosen an autonomous vehicle that can tow the aircraft from the gate to the runway threshold and back. “The benefit of our EGTS is permanent for the operator, as it is an on-board system. In addition, placing it on the main landing gear provides optimal traction,” Frédéric Crancée, Safran’s v-p sales and marketing for the EGTS, told AIN. He added that it involves no modification of the landing gear itself.

The WheelTug system does involve some modification, albeit limited, according to its promoters. CEO Isaiah Cox emphasized that this technology is not aimed at high performance or maximal capability but rather a cheaper, lighter alternative devised to maximize the airline’s revenues. WheelTug will allow only slow ground speeds: 7 to 10 knots. On relatively rare occasions, such as on a slippery taxiway when the aircraft has an aft center of gravity, it will be useless, he said. “But our leaseonly business model means that it will cost airlines nothing to install, with the airline keeping 50 percent of all proven savings,” Cox contends.

to 20 to 30 minutes per flight, he estimated. The new maneuvers are enabled by the location of the electric drive–on the nosewheel. “The turnaround timesaving is worth 20 times the value of the fuel saving,” Cox said. At a conservative 15 minutes and $150 per minute, the turnaround time saving can be valued at $2,250. Average fuel savings are $100 to $150, Cox said. For his part, Taxibot program director Ran Braier said his product requires no modification or adaptation on the aircraft–except for one cable on the Airbus A320. “We draw no

Shorter Turnarounds

The Taxibot and the EGTS claim maximum speeds of the order of 20 knots but the runway is only a few minutes away, Cox pointed out. Therefore, he said, he sees high speeds–such as those claimed by his competitors–as a distraction from better ways to save time. In contrast, using WheelTug can significantly shorten the turnaround time, Cox claimed. The elimination of the time to connect and disconnect the tug, and new possibilities like a “twist” maneuver allowing the aircraft to park sideways and thus use two jetways for passenger boarding/deplaning, add up

Taxibot plans to have its almost-autonomous tug in service this year.

Safran and Honeywell have placed their EGTS on the main landing gear for more effective traction. Top image shows pilotinterface unit for this on-board system.

power from the aircraft and we add no weight,” he said. Both the EGTS and WheelTug are targeting short- to medium-haul aircraft, for which the time spent on the ground represents a non-negligible portion of the flight cycle. Therefore, adding a system to improve taxiing may be worth the extra weight that the aircraft has to carry in flight. In contrast, the Taxibot, as it is an external ground system, can be seen as suitable for short-, medium- and long-haul operations. However, it is not as autonomous as it could be, as a safety driver has to stay inside; first, to have rear vision during the pushback and, second, “because the authorities

Environmentally Friendly Taxi Systems System WheelTug

Principle APU feeding electric motors on nosewheel

EGTS (Safran-Honeywell) APU feeding electric motors on main landing gear Taxibot (IAI-TLD)

Hybrid diesel tug

are still conservative and don’t allow autonomous return without a driver,” Braier said. After the pushback, the driver nevertheless hands over control to the pilot inside the cockpit (the Taxibot can be remotely controlled from the flight deck), as the pilot holds responsibility. Indeed, braking by the tug would cause too much fatigue on the nosewheel, whereas the pilot uses the main landing gear to brake. IAI is planning an entry into service for the Taxibot this year. Before that, EASA and then FAA certification should be received. “We are in the final certification test phase for the 737,” Braier said. A record speed of 23 knots was attained during trials on both a fully loaded Airbus A320 and an Boeing 737. “The envelope is entirely open,” said Shuki Eldar, IAI’s v-p for business development. In addition, Lufthansa is to perform an operational test using Taxibot on a

Expected fuel saving in taxi

Scheduled entry into service

80 percent (A320/737)

2015

62 percent (A320/737)

2016

97 percent (Boeing 747)

2014

46 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

revenue flight with passengers on a 737 at Frankfurt Airport in the second half of 2014. The German carrier was to receive three Taxibots by this month. In total, IAI is expected to deliver five to eight units this year. IAI and TLD are marketing their product to airlines, airports and ground handlers. The second system to enter into service might be WheelTug. Cox foresees an STC in 2015. The version to be certified is the second, lighter one (300 pounds for the entire installed system), he explained, after the first version underwent “hundreds of hours” of testing. Neither Airbus nor Boeing is supporting

WheelTug mounts its electric motors on the nosewheel, thus giving the aircraft more maneuverability on the ground, the company claims.

the project but WheelTug can proceed without airframer data, according to Cox. Thirteen airlines, including Icelandair and KLM, have signed up, he said. The system will be installed post-production–as a retrofit in a maintenance facility, for example. Finally, the EGTS is scheduled to be available in 2016 (the company would not clarify whether this was a target date for certification or delivery). It is still in the “concept optimization” phase, Crancée said. EGTS International signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus in December “to further develop and evaluate” the system for the A320 family. Airbus now refers to the potential option as eTaxi. For all three systems, secondary benefits abound. For example, engine wear may be reduced, ground operations are prone to foreign object damage and the hazard caused by engine blast near the gate is suppressed. However, the challenges are numerous. The extra weight on the nose landing gear may create difficulties to solve when it comes to retraction, while electric motors and hot brakes on the main landing gear may not be good neighbors. And what about, for ground traffic controllers, having aircraft taxiing at different speeds on the same airport, plus tugs driving back to the terminals? Last year, Crane and L3 indicated that they had terminated development of a system they had begun testing in cooperation with Lufthansa Technik. o

Rafael reorganizes to optimize portfolio by Charles Alcock Rafael’s exhibit here at the Singapore Airshow (Booth N51) reflects the outcome of the Israeli defense group’s recently completed reorganization that, according to chairman Brig. General (Retd.) Itzchak Gat, will better enable it to meet its goals for further developing its product portfolio. One top priority is development of the David’s Sling air defense system with Raytheon. In December, Rafael and its U.S. partner conducted a joint full system test of the system’s interception capability to provide active defense against mediumrange aerial threats, including air-breathing targets and other threats inside the atmosphere. System development is due to be completed next year, forming the third tier of Israel’s multi-layered air defense concept, which also consists of the proven Iron Dome missile defense package and the Arrow-2 and -3 systems. The reorganization implemented during 2013 saw the creation of the following three new divisions: land & naval, which also is responsible for systems integrated security solutions for critical asset and infrastructure on land and at sea; air and C4ISR, which covers air-toground systems (such as Spice); electro-optical systems (including the Litening airborne navigation and attack pod and Reccelite); and communication, intelligence and cyber technologies. Last year, Rafael also established a new combined division to encompass all its efforts in research and development, as well as engineering. “We pride ourselves on our superb scientists and engineers, who since Rafael’s establishment have developed some of the world’s most ground-breaking systems, such as Iron Dome, Trophy, Protector and many others,” Gat told AIN in a preshow interview. “These changes will serve us in achieving our plans and goals and in meeting our future challenges. Looking ahead, we plan to capitalize on this experience and knowledge and to expand our existing families of advanced systems,

Rafael chairman Itzchak Gat says that the Israeli group’s recent reorganization will allow it to further its strengths in air-to-air missiles– such as these Python weapons on Israel Defence Force fighters, and the Iron Dome missile defense system.

such as Spike missiles, electrooptics, RWS [remote weapons systems] and others, all of which have been combat-proven and in service with the Israel Defense Forces, as well as dozens of militaries around the world, providing the users with an added value in the battlefield.” Iron Dome entered combat service almost three years ago in 2010, cementing Rafael’s reputation as a leader in the provision of missile defense capability. Since then it has intercepted more than 600 rockets fired at Israel with a reported operational success rate of more than 85 percent. In 2012, Rafael generated sales of more than $1.78 billion, setting up an orders backlog

Rafael chairman Itzchak Gat

spanning over two years. This represented a 10 percent drop on the $1.98 billion sales total for 2011, but net profits after taxes increased by around one third to $148 million. The Haifa-based group’s export client base spans the U.S., NATO powers and other militaries across Europe, Asia and Australia. To date, in excess

of 21,000 Spike missiles have been delivered to more than 20 countries, with 3,000 of them fired in tests and in combat. The Litening system, developed with Northrop Grumman, has seen service in missions over territory such as Afghanistan and Libya. The Python-5 and Derby air-to-air missiles are now also employed through the Spyder air defense application, with full commonality between both roles. Other research and development priorities at Rafael include laser applications and counter-improvised explosive device capabilities for future combat scenarios. According to Gat, the global defense market is continuing to shift from a situation in which customers buy complete systems from foreign suppliers to one in which they expect to be able to produce the systems for themselves locally. For instance, Spike missiles are now produced in several countries, including the Netherlands, Spain and Poland. “[This is] a trend requiring efficient capability to transfer manufacturing technologies, know-how and [to] monitor quality assurance, all that under complex offset rules that require significant flexibility and resilience to maintain a profitable operation,” he explained. Here in Singapore, Rafael is continuing its pursuit of further opportunities for cooperation with international partners that already number more than 100. “We continue to develop our foreign operations and expand our presence in strategic markets, such as India,” said Gat. “This can be done either through acquisitions or through joint ventures, or other

forms of partnerships.” Rafael’s installed base of products in the Asia Pacific region already includes Spike missiles, airborne pods and air defense systems. The company is currently responding to several declared requirements for systems such as air defense, communications, air-to-ground weapons and precise tactical missiles. Gat indicated that he expects to see further joint ventures and

partnerships established in this part of the world. Last year Rafael also established a new division to combine all its efforts in research and development, as well as engineering. Annually, Rafael invests approximately 8 percent of its revenues in these areas and Gat said that the new organization will more effectively bring together capabilities and innovations from across the group. o

Expert RSAF historian publishes his fifth volume Goh Yong Kiat is a rare individual: a senior manager in the aerospace industry who is also an avid aviation enthusiast and historian. This home-grown talent has just published his fifth book, a pictorial history of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) entitled Full Spectrum Force. Goh’s backlist includes histories of air logistics in the RSAF, and the history of Tengah airbase. But his major work was Where Lions Fly, a comprehensive history of aviation in Singapore, which was published in 2012 and is still available from Straits Times Press. Having grown up with a passion for things that fly, Yong Kiat joined the RSAF in 1979 as a technician. He soon became an air engineering officer (AEO) and served in various staff and command positions. In 2002 he joined ST Aerospace where he was involved in the company’s MRO business, as well as air charter services and aviation training. He is currently

an executive vice president for ST Aerospace for aviation and training services, and also for the company’s defense business. Full Spectrum Force is available here at the Singapore airshow, from the RSAF Pavilion in the static park, price S$45. –C.P.

Goh Yong Kiat with his latest book, a pictorial history of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 47

news clips z AgustaWestland Opens Korean Sales Office

rsaf’s Black knights: pride of the lion city

z Elbit Counters GPS Jamming Technology As concern over the jamming of GPS signals grows, Elbit Systems (Booth N65) announced that it had sold its iSNS immunity system to an unspecified Asia Pacific country for installation on maritime surveillance aircraft. The Israeli company claims that the system provides full jamming immunity for multiple satellite channels and handles multiple interfering signals and/or jammers operating on concurrent frequencies. ISNS is very flexible and can work with all types of GPS, without prior knowledge of satellite locations, Elbit says. It requires minimal integration with the GPS receiver, the company adds.

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, SINGAPORE

AgustaWestland has opened an office in the Seoul to capitalize on recent sales success in South Korea. The subsidiary of Italian group Finmeccanica has about 50 helicopters of various types in service or on order there in military, parapublic or commercial roles. These include eight AW159 Wildcat maritime helicopters for the Republic of Korea Navy–the first export sale of this type. The manufacturer hopes that this order may be expanded. The AW139 is selling well for commercial applications. AgustaWestland (Booth H39) says that it is ready to meet Korea’s new light-armed helicopter requirement by helping local industry to develop a state-of-the-art platform.

z Elta Adds Elint Capability to ELM-2060

z South Korea Eyes S-3As for Maritime Patrol In an unexpected move, the Republic of Korea Navy is pursuing a U.S. offer to supply 20 Lockheed Martin S-3A Viking twinjets for maritime surveillance. The service told legislators in Seoul that this is a lower-cost option for expanding this capability compared to acquiring refurbished P-3C Orions from the same manufacturer to add to the current fleet of 16, or new aircraft such as the Airbus Military C295, Boeing P-8 Poseidon, or Lockheed Martin SC-130J Hercules. The U.S. Navy withdrew its entire fleet of S-3As in 2009. Some of them are 40 years old, but Korea would likely have the pick of the stored fleet if the deal goes ahead. In March 2009, a North Korean submarine sank one of the South Korea’s Navy corvettes.

DAVID McINTOSH

The Elta subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (Booth P39) has added an electronic intelligence (Elint) capability to its ELM-2060 synthetic-aperture radar reconnaissance pod. The pod fits on the centerline of fighters from almost any origin, and has already been sold to a number of customers worldwide. The integration of the Elint capability in the pod was achieved through advances in hardware miniaturization. Based on Elta’s ELK-8385 proven Interferometric electronic support measures/Elint system, the integrated dual-use pod, designated ELI-2060E, can currently deliver radar imagery with Elint target overlay. This capability allows the operator to collect enhanced multi-intelligence data during a single reconnaissance flight leg, increasing both the probability of detection of ground targets and providing enhanced identification capabilities, the company claims. Real-time exploitation and uplinked mission updates improve intelligence collection efficiency by focusing the imaging at the real-time areas of interest.

Singapore’s Black Knights aerobatic team has been reformed for the seventh time to wow the crowd at this year’s show. The six Lockheed Martin F-16Cs have been painted in a snazzy new redand-white design. Led by Lt Col Joseph Leong, 44, a 26-year veteran of the Republic of Singapore Air Force, the team’s pilots are all experienced instructors with a minimum of 1,000 hours in the Fighting Falcon. And it shows. It takes particular skill to present six high-energy jets within the confines of Changi’s restricted airshow airspace. The Black Knights pilots have each flown over 130 hours in the past six months, as they worked up their 21-minute routine. Often, the team would fly twice a day. “Jet aerobatics is an extension of fighter maneuvers, adding grace and precision,” said Leong. “But we’re closer together, and lower, than in normal operational flying,” he added. The team flies no fewer than 15 four or six-ship formations, interspersed with nine passes by numbers five and six. Watch out in particular for a noisy and dynamic criss-cross maneuver, the tricky-looking double inverted wrap, and the final upward bombburst where the trailing aircraft dispenses defensive flares. The six pilots are backed up by a team of 28 men and women on the ground. “The Black Knights’ precision, tight formations, skillful and spectacular maneuvers are a source of great pride for Singapore,” said Singapore’s Ministry of Defence. –C.P.

PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Booth E35), also known as Indonesia Aerospace (IAe), delivered its first complete main fuselage assembly for the EC225/725 helicopter series to Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter) last December. The company had previously supplied five upper fuselage sections, as well as 23 tail booms, in a $43 million long-term deal struck in 2008 that called for a total of 125 component sets. Now IAe has been entrusted to supply integrated fuselages. This year, it will supply one every 10 weeks, and one tail boom every three weeks. “IAe is a key supplier in Eurocopter’s global supply chain,” noted Ludovic Boistot, CEO of the Eurocopter Indonesia subsidiary. The Indonesian company has assembled AS332 Super Pumas at its Bandung facility for nearly 30 years.

DAVID McINTOSH

z Indonesia Aerospace Delivers First EC225/725

Pictured above, the Republic of Singapore Air Force Black Knights team: Standing left to right, Capt. Augustine Wan, Capt. Devdutt Sasidharan, Lt. Col. Joseph Leong (team leader), Capt. Jeremy Tan. Kneeling: Capt. Chang Haw Ning and Maj. Eugene Lim.

48 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

CFM steps up testing as Leap prepares for A320neo by Thierry Dubois Engine manufacturer CFM Interna- with titanium alloy,” Goubet said. On tional (Stand G23) plans to test 15 Leap production engines, the fuel nozzles will engines this year as part of a develop- be partly made from a nickel alloy via ment program leading to certification 3-D printing. of the Leap-1A for the Airbus A320neo This year will also see the Leap’s next year. Also part of the program, the first flights: GE’s flying testbed, a modLeap 1B and -1C versions are to power ified Boeing 747-100 equipped with one the upgraded Boeing 737 Max and the Leap-1C, is to take off from Victornew Comac C919 narrowbodies, respec- ville, California, in late March or early tively. The engine’s designers promise a April, Goubet said. Such flight tests are 15-percent fuel burn advantage over the required for certification. Flight-testing current CFM56. the Leap-1C will also help “de-risking” The Snecma-GE joint venture began all Leap programs, he added. Leap-1A early icing tests at GE’s facilities in Winnipeg, Canada, in January. The same version is to undergo “block tests” measuring operability in extreme conditions, in September and October, CFM executive v-p Cédric Goubet told AIN. Early endurance tests also will be performed on the -1A this year. A Leap-1B is to fire for the first time in June, nine months after the first Leap-1A (which shares a common turbomachinery with the -1C, making the two turbofans virtually identical). Although the -1B and the -1A are different engines, the experience gathered on the -1A is very useful, as it has validated some technologies, Goubet said. He referred to components such as the fan blades, which are made of carbon fibers woven in three dimensions, titanium aluminide alloy low-pres- Leap-1A, destined to power the Airbus A320neo, began running on sure turbine blades and GE’s Peebles, Ohio testbed last September. Next in line is the Leap-1B, ceramic matrix composite which will power the Boeing 737. (CMC) engine shrouds. The CMC is “a first in civil applicaThe differences between the -1A and the tions…the challenge is to flawlessly pro- -1C, which are found in the interface with duce such sophisticated material in large the nacelle and the pylon, will not be negvolumes,” Goubet emphasized. Its main ligible, however. (The pylon was recently benefits are its reduced density, as it reduces delivered by China’s Comac.) the weight of the part by two thirds, and Testing continues with the 747 taking its ability to withstand high temperatures. a Leap-1A to the skies in September. The Therefore, Snecma and GE engineers hope -1B’s turn will come early in 2015. Planned to use it in the future (sometime after entry certification dates for the Leap-1A and into service) for high-pressure turbine -1B are, respectively, June 2015 and Febblades. The latter components would then ruary 2016. Certification of the -1C is pennot require their current complex cooling ciled in for June 2015, simultaneously with air channels. They also are considering the -1A, but Goubet added this is “pendswitching to CMC on the low-pressure tur- ing a pragmatic approach of potential bine’s larger blades, as it may save weight, adjustments in the C919’s schedule.” o Goubet added. Separately, 3D-printed components are being used in the Leap program. “On development engines, some vanes of the low-pressure turbine are made using an additive layer manufacturing process www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 49

Regional aircraft selling well in Southeast Asia

Indonesia’s Sky Aviation took delivery of its third Sukhoi SSJ100 in December.

With its diverse geography and increasingly prosperous and mobile populations, Southeast Asia has become a target of opportunity the world’s regional aircraft OEMs can no longer afford to overlook. One of the earliest to tap the region’s potential, FrancoItalian turboprop maker ATR (Chalet E01) has for the past 15 years developed a visibility in the region unmatched by its competitors. While others concentrated on the U.S. and Europe, ATR, perhaps out of necessity but also because of its aircraft being well-suited to remote airfields, took to exploiting less obvious opportunities in developing markets within Vietnam and Thailand, for example. More recently, it has placed significant fleets with Malaysia Airlines and its largest customer in the region–Lion Air, whose subsidiaries Wings Air and Malindo Air together fly 45 ATRs and hold firm delivery slots on another 15. Virtual Monopoly

ATR claims that since 2005 it has enjoyed a virtual monopoly in the 50- to 90-seat regional aircraft category among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ATR has now collected firm orders for at least 170 aircraft in Southeast Asia, and it counts 260 of its aircraft flying with 30 airlines in

23 countries in the Asia Pacific region as a whole. That figure amounts to double the number of ATR airplanes the region’s airlines flew in 2005. ATR’s backlogs suggest that by 2016 the total will triple, bringing it close to 370. ATR attributes its success not only to the cost efficiency of turboprops, but to the nature of the region’s route structures; most, it notes, do not require the speed or range of jets, meaning the low-cost ATR enjoys a considerable constituency in several of the developing countries of Southeast Asia. Where operators must cope with short, unprepared airfields, speed and range become less of a concern than an airplane’s field performance. In Indonesia, where the world’s fourth largest population has become increasingly dependent on air links among the country’s 17,000 islands, ATR has collected firm orders for more than 85 airplanes since 2008. Delivery schedules show some 100 ATRs operating in Indonesia within the next two years. On longer routes, mainly between more developed population centers, regional jets have shown their value as well. Garuda Indonesia, for example, flies both ATR turboprops and Bombardier CRJ1000 regional jets under the name “Explore.” By last month Garuda had taken delivery of its 12th of 18

Alexey Petrov

by Gregory Polek

Garuda Indonesia now flies ATR 72-600s under its new “Explore” banner.

CRJ1000s on firm order. Holding options on another 18 of the 100-seat jets, the airline remains in the throes of its “Quantum Leap 2011-2015” transformation and expansion program, aimed especially at broadening the airline’s domestic flight network. The wider project reflects Garuda’s efforts to improve its network and service quality ahead of its planned introduction into the SkyTeam global alliance next month and the introduction of the ASEAN Open Sky policy in 2015. Introduced on December 3, the new Explore brand marked the entry into service of the

airline’s first ATR 72-600. The airline plans to fly up to 35 of the 70-seat turboprops between hubs at Bali, Makassar and Ambon to destinations that include Labuan Bajo, Ende and Bima. Superjets and More

Another Indonesian airline that flies a mix of turboprops and regional jets, Sky Aviation, ranks as Sukhoi’s largest Superjet customer in Southeast Asia. Holding firm orders for 12 SSJ100s, it now operates three of the jets in a two-class, 97-seat configuration. As of last month it had also taken three of 10 ATR 72-600s on firm

NetJets set to start China bizav operations

NETJETS

NetJets this month expects to import its first two aircraft into China in pilots, maintenance, hangar space, flight dispatch and scheduling. anticipation of securing a Chinese air operator certificate (AOC) around Like other Western business aviation companies, NetJets is finding it the end of the first quarter of 2014. The U.S. fractional ownership pro- challenging to recruit Chinese pilots for its operation. Foreign pilots can vider will base a pair of its Hawker 800 midsized jets in China in order to fly in China but having Chinese nationals in the cockpit gives significantly be able to offer private charter services to local clients. greater operational flexibility because they are required in order to land The main business model for Zhuhai-based NetJets-China at some airports. In some instances, using a Chinese navigaBusiness Aviation Ltd. will be to provide aircraft managetor can get around this problem. “This is proving to be more ment services. NetJets CEO Jordan Hansell told AIN that cumbersome than we had anticipated,” said Hansell. the first managed aircraft could follow soon after the AOC is Some business aviation operators have found that they issued. “One of the things that has made the Chinese govhave a hard time attracting pilots who find an airline career ernment interested in us is that they can see that we’ve done in China to be more appealing. But Hansell said NetJets has it [aircraft management] elsewhere and that we’ll operate at been able to lure some airline pilots in the opposite direction. a high standard,” he said. “It’s part of their five-year plan to Similarly, NetJets has also had to accept that the regudevelop this industry in the country and they seem to see latory process for establishing an operation in China takes that we can help to raise the standards there.” longer than it does in other regions. “We started a manNetJets’ local subsidiary, which is supported by a new agement business in Europe after the Chinese one and it sales office in Beijing, is a joint venture with a consortium of is already up and running,” explained Hansell. “We already Chinese investors led by Hony Jinsi Investment Management have more than nine aircraft under management in Europe, (Beijing) Ltd. This is a subsidiary of Chinese private equity firm NetJets CEO Jordan Hansell where the regulators already knew us and what we do [from acknowledged that it has Hony Capital, and Fung Investments, which is owned by Dr. taken longer than anticipated the NetJets Europe fractional operation]. But people tell us Victor Fung and Dr. William Fung. The new company will han- to get its aircraft management that, by most standards, we are moving at lightning pace in dle all aspects of aircraft management, including providing services started in China. China. They [the authorities] have been very helpful.” –C.A.

50 Singapore Airshow News • February 11, 2014 • www.ainonline.com

order, as it pursues an operating model not unlike that of its much larger and better-known Garuda compatriot. Outside Russia and the former Soviet states, Southeast Asia might well represent Sukhoi’s most promising market for its SSJ100. Other customers in the region include Orient Thai Airlines, which holds a firm order for 12 SSJ100s as well as an option for another dozen, and Lao Central Airlines, which placed a firm order for three and holds an option for six more. Of all the established regional aircraft manufacturers, Brazil’s Embraer perhaps projects the weakest profile in Southeast Asia, at least in terms of numbers of airplanes in operation among the ASEAN countries. As of last November it counted only a pair of E190 jets flying with Myanmar’s Myanma Airways. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, a single Embraer EMB110 flew with Papua New Guinea’s Southwest Air. In Asia as a whole, the highest concentration of Embraer airplanes appears in China, where, as of the end of last year, 102 E190s and ERJ145s flew with five separate airlines. In Australia, 18 E190s operate with Virgin Australia, four E170s fly with Airnorth and three ERJ135s provide charter lift for JetGo Australia, while another 17 EMB-110 and EMB120 turboprops fly with six different operators. o

Superjet seeks to build on Laos and Indonesia sales by Vladimir Karnozov For more than a year now the Sukhoi Superjet 100 has been carrying passengers with Indonesia’s PT Sky Aviation and Laos’s Lao Central Airlines. In December the Indonesians accepted their third aircraft and seem happy with the Russian 100-seat twinjet. The second airplane for Lao was ready by mid-summer and even made a public appearance at the MAKS 2013 airshow in Moscow, but the aircraft has not yet been delivered to the customer. The third Superjet destined for Laos appeared at a December press event, bearing a Laotian registration but a Russian flag, with tail and fuselage painted all white.

Komsomolsk-on-Amur now seem to be firmly on their way to attaining the planned output of 60 airframes in 2016. This would render Superjet production profitable and help the manufacturer pay off large debts amassed during aircraft development and production setup. According to Sukhoi’s own figures, in 2012 Sukhoi was selling airplanes at $20.5 million whereas manufacturing costs amounted to $28 million per airframe. Early issues with the PowerJet SaM146 engines, such as surges, inflight shutdowns and false alarms, have been resolved and the flow of airline complaints has dried up. Manufacturing at France’s Snecma

foreign airlines, from which Sky Aviation and Lao have been benefiting. Superjets have been in revenue service for three years: Armavia took one and Aeroflot took four aircraft in 2011. The following year Aeroflot took six; Yakutia and Sky Aviation, one each. In 2013 Yakutia acquired its second Superjet, Sky Aviation added two and Gazpromavia accepted the first deliverable Superjet 100-95 in longrange version with a 50-metric-ton gross weight and 4,200-km range. Interjet received four Superjets, which differ from the rest in having the Pininfarina-designed interior installed by the Superjet International (SJI) completions facility near Venice, Italy. The second Superjet, built in 2012 for Armavia but rejected by the intended customer, went to Moscowia. In the two-and-a-half years since EIS, Aeroflot has performed more than 16,000 revenue flights with the type. During 2013 the Russian flag carrier withdrew six out of 10 Superjets taken in 2011-2012 (with flight time ranging between 2,047 and 3,855 flight hours) on the pretext that their cabins were made to “light” interior standard, while the

Sukhoi Superjet 100s have been in service for nearly three years with Aeroflot and currently they are joining Asia Pacific fleets such as Laos’s Lao Central Airlines.

Industry insiders told AIN that the Russians are not happy with Lao for not paying rentals on time. Another customer–of Russian origin–is rumored to have been found for the two undelivered Laotian airframes. Although this issue is not the first between Sukhoi and its airline customers, other deliveries have gone better for the manufacturer. Initial Superjet operations with Mexico’s Interjet demonstrate very high (“out of the box”) utilization rates averaging 300 hours a month per airframe, an excellent figure for a brand-new regional jet flying relatively short routes. The monthly record is still with Aeroflot, though, at 328 hours for RA98010 in October 2012. During 2013 there were three instances in which an individual Aeroflot airframe recorded 300-plus hours flying in a month. At the same time, the Russian flag carrier’s fleet average is a mere 146 hours (2011-2013) due to a mix of teething problems and the continuing dispute on the roles to be played by the airline, aircraft manufacturer and service providers in relation to Aeroflot Superjets. Sukhoi’s biggest achievement has been the production boost from 12 in 2012 to 24 in 2013. The machinists at the manufacturing site in

and Russia’s NPO Saturn in the 50/50 PowerJet partnership is now beyond the point when a shortage of engines restricted aircraft output. PowerJet chairman and CEO Claude Poulain assured AIN that design targets for fuel burn, in-service reliability and performance deterioration have been met. The only way in which the SaM146 still needs improvement is weight reduction. Government Support

The Kremlin has put faith in the Superjet as the project able to restore Russia’s presence in the market for commercial airplanes. It has been providing all sorts of support to Sukhoi. Governmental grants on the aircraft development and design rectification are now supplemented by attractive financial packages from Kremlin-controlled VEB bank to foreign airlines willing to operate Superjets on lease terms (see sidebar). A year ago VEB approved two major financial programs for the Superjet–the first, worth (U.S.)$1 billion–is to help the manufacturer clear outstanding debts. The second is a (U.S.)$2.5 billion credit line for newly built Superjets going to

customer wanted the “full” standard. Sukhoi promised to provide seven “full” aircraft for replacement in 2013 but managed only four. Today, Aeroflot operates four “light” and four “full” Superjets. They are demonstrating an average monthly utilization rate of about 200 flight hours per operable airframe–and only four aircraft were typically available for revenue services at a time due to technical and managerial reasons. According to the airlines’ safety report for 2012, 10 Superjets–making up 8 percent of its fleet–were responsible for 40 percent of all technical snags. Despite these teething problems, the Superjet is steadily making its way. In early 2014 the number of Superjets assembled and flown approached 50, of which 20 were with airlines. The rest is made up by experimental flight vehicles for test purposes, deactivated examples, “green” airframes (interior to be installed) and ex-Aeroflot examples being reworked before placing with some other customers. Thus, Sukhoi has some Superjets available for Asia Pacific customers with attractive customer-finance packages. o

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Superjet Competitive Finance Offer “Our ultimate goal is to make Russian aerospace and financial products competitive in the global market,” Alexander Ivanov, deputy chairman at Vnesheconombank (VEB), told AIN. Ivanov called Sukhoi a “long-standing partner” for his Kremlincontrolled bank, with whom the latter “has spent two years structuring the workable aircraft sales system support.” The first airline to benefit from the new system has been PT Sky Aviation. The Indonesian airline signed for 12 Superjet 100-95Bs at MAKS 2011. Starting up in 2010, the carrier accepted its first Superjet in December 2012, the second in the middle of 2013 and the third at the end of the year. Deliveries to PT Sky Aviation may resume in 2015, provided the airline continues to demonstrate a steady, profitable growth, Sukhoi said. Ivanov described the mechanism under which these three aircraft were provided as “a complex credit and lease scheme.” The bank granted the airline a credit worth $80 million with a 12-year term to cover the lion’s share of the purchase. Export insurance comes from EXAR, the Russian agency for insurance of export credit and investment. Not giving an exact interest rate charged by VEB, Ivanov insisted it was “quite competitive,” and argued that it could not have been otherwise due to the “competing environment of the fast-growing Indonesian market.” Russian bankers were able to come up with good terms “because we have a good insurance for the political and economical risks from EXAR.” The airplanes are delivered through a special branch of VEB Leasing that was specially established “in the region” as a tool of convenience. “Should the airline not pay rentals on time and default happens, we can take airplanes back rather quickly and efficiently for subsequent placement with another carrier,” Ivanov insisted. “The credit and lease scheme we worked out is the one that minimizes risks for the leading funding institution. Aircraft are registered locally in a way that creates the best conditions in terms of country-to-country relations.” The scheme uses elements of both finance and operating lease. “In the past we used financial lease only, but now the operating lease is trendy. In my view, modern operating lease schemes can promote placement of new Russian airplanes with airline customers.” VEB is also a participant in the deal between Superjet International (SJI) and Interjet (ABC Aerolineas, S.A. de C.V.) in which France’s Natixis acts as the lead financier. Insurance is provided by SACE of Italy and Coface of France, both in agreement with VEB on the Superjet. European banks and insurers are happy to fund the deal since the French, Italian and other EU manufacturers are on the project as vendors and suppliers (according to SJI, the Western content in the SJI-supplied Superjet is more than 60 percent). The syndicate provided its first credit to the airline on Dec. 19, 2013. It covers one airplane only, and will be used as a basis for funding the remaining aircraft later this year. Interjet accepted two Superjets last summer and added two more by year-end. It marked the first time a Russian bank had taken part in an international syndicate on similar terms with such big players as Deutsche Bank and Natixis, albeit with a rather small share: VEB had provided about $6 million. But VEB’s involvement will grow as more airplanes are delivered–the contract covers 20 firm orders and 10 options. “Our participation means that Russia is taking the project seriously. For the Western banks this is important and comforting. In the end, we have a workable solution where every participant is happy.” The grand total of funding that VEB has so far invested into the Superjet project has exceeded $1 billion, said Ivanov. The export sales generate cash flow with which the earlier investments pay off. “From our viewpoint as the main financier, the more Superjets [delivered], the more services its manufacturer renders to airlines, and the sooner our earlier-made investments pay off. In that case, the whole project gets clearer to us.” –V.K.

DAVID McINTOSH

continue leading the UAV world for decades to come.” Another important growth area for IAI is its Elta radar business, which is well represented in the company’s displays here in Singapore. “Radar-based systems are and will remain key in addressing basic operational needs for highaccuracy, long-range, day/night and all-weather ISR,” explained Weiss. “Radar technology is also at the core of our integrated soluIAI has launched the Super Heron UAV, a reworking of the popular and combat-proven Heron 1, operated by more than 20 countries. The vehicle is powered by a heavy-fuel engine, and has aerodynamic enhancements such as winglets. tions for air, ground, naval and space Imint, surveillance and globe. Here in Singapore this reconnaissance, target acquisiweek the company is unveil- tion, early warning and fire coning its latest vehicle, the Super trol systems. The technology also Heron, an enhanced version of allows us to offer sophisticated the combat-proven Heron 1. special-mission aircraft.” IAI continues to Other important by David Donald focus primarily on sectors for IAI are misthe larger end of the siles, in which the company develops anti-air Israel Aerospace Industries the market, while the weakening UAV marketplace. and precision attack (IAI) has once again come to dollar/shekel exchange rate has “While the use of small UAVs is growweapons, and space. the Singapore Airshow to dis- bitten into profits. IAI is justifiably proud However, as president and ing rapidly, most of play a diverse selection of its of its achievements in products. Despite the economic CEO Joseph Weiss explained to our UAV business this arena, which have turndown, the group has main- AIN, “IAI is active both in the volume will continue positioned it as a leadtained a strong financial position defense market and the commer- to be in larger sysing provider of space through the focused application cial aviation market. Due to this tems,” stated Weiss. capabilities. A recent of its technological capabilities, duality, IAI’s sensitivity to such “We will continue to Joseph Weiss achievement was the and a healthy research and devel- economic crises in defense is evolve our systems, IAI president and CEO launch in August last opment effort across its portfolio. lessened.” The company is also offering the highest The IAI management team looking for mergers and acqui- performance of airframes, sensors year of the Amos4 communications satellite, with Amos6 now has outlined a number of engines sitions to help it grow, in both and systems.” In terms of operational under construction for deployto continue its growth. One of commercial and defense sectors. A key engine for growth is employment, Weiss noted, “We ment next year. A new generation them is to continue to expand in the commercial aviation sector to the unmanned aerial vehicle sec- are witnessing a trend of increas- of reconnaissance satellites, based offset the cuts in defense budgets tor, for which IAI is a true pio- ing interest for UAV use in civil on the Opsat 3000 platform, around the world. For IAI (Booth neer. The company’s products and emergency missions and is under development for both P39), those cuts have increased have now notched up more than expect UAV integration to spread domestic and foreign customers. IAI also remains in the milthe amount and aggressiveness 1.2 million flight hours and serve more and more in the future. of the competitors they face in with many nations around the Looking ahead, IAI plans to itary aircraft market, and has

IAI’s roster of products includes a healthy mix

become a specialist in upgrades. One aircraft that has been brought back to the marketplace is the company’s Kfir, an adaptation of the Mirage III design. Known as Kfir Block 60, a zero-lifed version of the proven fighter with advanced avionics including AESA radar has been developed, with the aim of sales to air arms in Latin America, the Far East, Africa and eastern Europe. IAI is promoting the aircraft to customers who wish to acquire the kind of precision offered by fourth-generation jets, but cannot afford them. “The Kfir that we’re supplying today has state-of-the-art computers developed just in the past two years, which enable better performance,” reported Weiss. “Thanks to our innovative, up-todate avionics, an Israeli pilot who flew the Kfir in the 1980s wouldn’t be able to do much with it today. It’s simply a different aircraft.” IAI remains fully engaged with the Israel Defense Force as its primary domestic customer. Weiss noted, “Despite the fact that Israel accounts for only 20 percent of our business and will diminish even more in the coming years, it remains by far the most important market. To increase exports we are working on a number of strategies, but it definitely helps that our customers and partners know that our capabilities and operational concepts are combat-proven by the IDF or are being developed for our forces. It gives us a clear advantage.” o

Jet Aviation expansion to enter service in April Business aviation services group Jet Aviation (Booth E83) is set to significantly boost its maintenance capability in Asia when it completes construction of 79-foot high second hangar at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park in April. The new $25 million facility will triple the size of its present facility adding almost 54,000 sq ft of hangar space. Jet Aviation president Robert Smith told AIN that his company’s ability to grow its presence here is in part thanks to the “proactive policies of the Singapore government.” The decision to expand was driven by the growing demand for large, long-range business jets in the Asia Pacific region. “Asia is by far the fastest growing region and Europe is flat,” said

Smith. “We expect to fill capacity [in the new hangar] and have a second shift soon.” The Switzerland-based group, which is wholly owned by General Dynamics, itself manages 27 aircraft in Asia. The new hangar will be able to accommodate up to five Gulfstream G650 or five Bombardier Global Express 7000 aircraft. Jet Aviation plans to tap business from neighboring countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand and Australia. While there are just 10 to 15 business aircraft registered in Singapore itself, Jet Aviation selected the country as its Asian hub because it is businessfriendly and offers good access to a large prospective customer base. “The nice thing about Singapore is they decided to give

PHOTOS: DAVID McINTOSH

by Neelam Mathews

Jet Aviation’s expanded Seletar hangar triples the size of the original structure at right. Executives overseeing the project include, left to right: Stefan Benz, v-p MRO and FBO EMEA and Asia; Robert Smith, president; Gary Dolski, v-p/general manager; Heinz Aebi, senior v-p, group marketing and communications; and Dona Halden, director, facility and real estate EMEA and Asia.

Seletar a business aircraft focus, moving away from Changi. At Hong Kong, business aviation is an ugly stepchild. “Singapore incentivizes people to come here. What you see is what you get. And English is the spoken language,” said Gary Dolski, Jet Aviation’s Asia Pacific vice president and general manager. He is also responsible

for the company’s operations in Malaysia and Hong Kong. Jet Aviation is the first maintenance, repair and overhaul provider to collaborate with Singapore’s Air Transport Training College, also in Seletar Aerospace Park, to jointly offer a licensed aircraft engineer training program for business aviation. The company

recently transferred ownership of a Dassault Falcon 20 aircraft to the ATTC. “With our new hangar facility nearing completion, we have a vested interest in developing a highly skilled pool of local talent to support our customers in the region,” said Dolski. o

www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 53

Chinese Defense

seCTOR

PRC defense industry pushes to expand export markets by Reuben F. Johnson The past two years have seen a number of developments with the military aircraft programs of the People’s Republic of China’s aerospace industry. The twofold focus of these efforts has been to expand the export portfolio for PRC-made weapon systems, while at the same time pushing the development of indigenous programs that would reduce Chinese dependence on foreign (mostly Russian) critical technologies and subsystems– although this could be a rocky road if it ends up competing directly with Russian industry in export markets. The results on both scores have been mixed. The message coming from the central government in Beijing continues to be that the PRC’s industry has to evolve from the previous ratio in which 80 percent or more of all defense industrial production was purchased by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to one in which that percentage drops in favor of an increase in foreign orders. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic), the mammoth state-owned conglomerate that controls almost all of the PRC’s aerospace enterprises, is the largest amalgamation of its kind in the world and has– at any one time–more military aircraft programs in development than the rest of the world’s industries combined. However, Avic and the other branches of China’s defense industrial sector suffer from the fact that they have no commercial products being sold around the world that can generate income to support the number of facilities and the cadre of engineering talent that is needed to maintain a military aircraft industry. “Boeing in the U.S. can

afford to build fighters because it has a much larger airline aircraft business that forms the basis for the company’s financial bottom line,” explained a U.S.based defense analyst. “Dassault

Continued on facing page u

AVIC’s display at the Aviation Expo China show included this scale model of the company’s J-31/Project 310. It’s designed to be marketed as China’s stealthy export competitor to Lockheed’s F-35.

Growth strategy could have a downside The defense industries of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are looking to expand their export market share beyond their traditional customer base–and for the first time are challenging some of the world-leading U.S., European and Russian firms. The most visible example was the somewhat surprise selection by Turkey in September 2013 to procure the FT-2000 air and missile defense system from China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC). The PRC firm won out over bids from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin for the Patriot PAC-3 MSE, the Russian Almaz-Antei air defense consortium’s S-400 and the MBDA Italia and MBDA France Eurosam SAMP/T and Aster 30 system. Whether or not Turkey will go through with purchasing a PRC-made system remains to be seen, as several problems with a NATO nation taking on this kind of procurement remain. For one, CPMIEC remains on US and international embargo lists for having transferred ballistic missile technology to Pakistan. A U.S. State Department spokesman also told news outlets that there were additional concerns about how a PRC-made system would adversely affect traditional commonality of equipment operated by NATO nations. “We have conveyed our serious concerns about the Turkish government’s contract discussions with a U.S.-sanctioned

company for a missile defense system that will not be interoperable with NATO systems or collective defense capabilities,” said the spokesman. For decades defense industries in PRC have traditionally been known for turning out capable, near-facsimiles of Russian weapon systems that they have reverse-engineered and then produced as illegal copies. PRC defense products were not considered as competitive with US or European systems–or even as capable as the original Russian systems that many of their offerings were copied from. Effect of U.S. Policy

This has made defense exports a traditionally small portion of the overall output of the PRC’s defense industrial base, usually no more than 15 per cent. In addition, the sales have been a short list of nations that either were looking for weapons to be delivered on favorable terms (i.e. the DPRK) or client states of the PRC defense sector like Pakistan. But today’s rising prices of new-generation weapon systems and with a technology export control regime in Washington that “becomes more restrictive by the day,” according to more than one U.S. defense industry representative, a number of nations have been looking to the PRC as a previously-not considered option. That Turkey, a long-time U.S. ally, is considering a Chinese solution may not be surprising given how U.S.

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export policy is tightening. An example comes from one of the U.S.’s most reliable allies in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which previously purchased the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60. This is an advanced version of the longserving single-engine fighter that included an active electronicallyscanning array (AESA). The sale was one of the only times that the U.S. government permitted the export sale of a version of a weapons platform that was a more technologically advanced model than what the U.S. armed forces themselves were operating. But at last November’s Dubai air show, representatives of the UAE Air Force commented unofficially that they have been having trouble sometimes buying spare parts for this version of the F-16, creating a peculiar situation in which “the fighter was not on an export restriction list when it was originally sold but now the bits needed to keep it running are,” said one UAE Air Force officer. “We are a reliable ally and we pay money for what we buy–we are not a charity case receiving foreign military aid– so this is not really an acceptable situation.” With the increase in the sophistication of PRC weaponry, their much lower cost and the “no strings attached” export policy, nations that would not have considered such an option before are now looking to Beijing for technologies and systems that they need in order to modernize their air forces and

air defense capabilities. These include nations in Latin America as well as in Africa and parts of Asia. Despite all of the above factors, however, the decision by Turkey to purchase the HQ-9 (sold as the FT-2000 in its export configuration) was a surprise on purely technological grounds. The HQ-9 was largely developed from reverse-engineering the Almaz-Antei S-300s sold to China in previous years. “If Turkey had wanted this kind of system why did they not just buy the original from Russia,” was what many people asked. An additional issue is “even after the Chinese had completed their reverse engineering of the S-300 and had the HQ-9 in production, they still continued to purchase S-300s from Russia,” said a U.S. analyst of the PRC’s defense industry. “Which tells you–for whatever reasons–the Chinese considered their copy to still not be as good as the original [Russian design].” What is inevitable is that the combined factors mentioned above create some significant motivations for nations normally outside of the PRC’s list of long-time customers to add Beijing’s products to their list of potential options. Ultimately, say Russian analysts, the lower cost of Chinese weapons and their advancing technological capability could displace Russian products in their traditional markets, “a process that is already underway,” said one Moscowbased specialist. “Then it is just a matter of time before the same fate befalls U.S. and European firms.” –R.J.

in France can have a fighter program like the Rafale because they have a highly successful business jet division. The Eurofighter partner companies all have a stake in Airbus and other commercial ventures, and so on, but China has no such ‘financial relief valve’ for its industry.” In addition to the PRC’s aerospace sector suffering from paying a huge bill every year to maintain a large number of military aerospace programs, the PRC’s onerous security regime allows for very little interaction between the civil and military industrial sectors. This has not permitted Avic and the other PRC defense industrial groupings to benefit from innovations developed in the commercial world. One of the leading PLA theoretical journals, the General Armament Department’s Journal of the Academy of Equipment, published an article earlier this year that highlighted faults in the procurement system in the PRC, saying it has very “weak integration” and inadequate “information sharing between military and civilian enterprises,” and that China’s defense innovation system is less developed than in other nations because of the “absence of incentives for communication and cooperation between the civil and defense industries.” Export-Only Programs

Avic’s answer to try to address the issue of the imbalance between PLA orders and export orders is to continue to develop a new generation of export-only weapon systems that can compete with U.S. and European firms in foreign markets. Foremost among these is the new J-31/Project 310 fighter, which has been developed at the Shenyang Aerospace Corp. (SAC) in Liaoning province.

Designed for China’s single-engine J-10 fighter, the AL-31FN engine relocates the accessory pack underneath.

Now being labeled as the “advanced fighter concept,” Avic representatives at September’s Aviation Expo China held in Beijing stated that the J-31 is a stealthy platform that is “intended to compete with the [Lockheed Martin] F-35 program,” and that Chinese industry ideally would like to “develop the aircraft together with a foreign partner.” These statements were a near carbon-copy of those delivered that same week by a senior PLA commentator, Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong. The admiral told the state-run People’s Daily newspaper that the J-31 was never built with an application for the PLA in mind and also that the aircraft would not be offered in a carrier-capable variant for the PLA Navy’s aviation arm (PLAN AF). The PRC’s other major fighter producer, Chengdu Aerospace Corp. (CAC) in Sichuan Province, is continuing to improve on Avic’s one successful export fighter program, the JF-17/FC-1, which is being built in cooperation with the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, Pakistan. CAC is in the

Cobham SatCom appointS FirSt SaleS DireCtor For China Cobham Satcom (Booth M87) recently appointed Jianmin Cui to the new role of regional sales director for China with its aeronautical sales team. The Denmark-based satellite communications specialist sees strong prospects for growth in China’s general aviation market and the Shanghai-based sales executive will also focus on the air transport sector too. The group’s main product is the Aviator SwiftBroadband series of communications systems. Cui is joining Cobham Satcom from Honeywell, where he was a technical sales manager for avionics systems and had a lot of contact with airlines in China. He graduated from the China Civil Aviation University in Tianjin in 1985 and worked as a process engineer for maintenance provider Ameco before serving in various roles with Hainan Airlines. He completed his MBA in 2004 before joining Rockwell Collins as a regional sales manager. –C.A.

process of working on a Block 3 variant of the aircraft that will address issues of strengthening certain elements of the aircraft structure and improvements in the avionics suite. During the Dubai Airshow in November 2013 officials from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the JF-17 program office in Islamabad stated that the Block 3 airplane was, at this point, a design concept with a set of mission requirements but that “no decisions have been made about the choice for changing out any of on-board systems for the aircraft.” The JF-17 will also now be produced in a two-seat version, but the PAF officials at Dubai stated that the two-seat aircraft is being developed as a result of interest from potential export customers in having a trainer variant and not to address any requirements for Pakistan. The PAF is addressing almost all of the training needs by using simulators and will continue to build singleseat aircraft. Another program that Avic has been promoting for export is the Hongdu L-15 jet trainer, similar in design to the Russian Yakovlev Yak-130 but powered by the Ukrainian-made Ivchenko/Progress AI-222-25 jet engine. The PLAAF has placed a small order for the aircraft but for now the main focus of the program’s marketing executives (from Avic’s sales arm, the China Aero Technology Import-Export Corp.–Catic) has been on export sales. An unconfirmed sale has reportedly been made “to an African nation” and Catic has also been offering the aircraft to prospective customers in South America. There have also been consistent statements by both

At last autumn’s Aviation Expo China, Avic displayed this placard identifying the “Advanced Fighter Concept” along with single- and two-seat variants of the FC-1.

Pakistani and Catic officials of a planned sale for 36 of the other leading Chengdu program, the J-10, but there has been a series of delays due to economic conditions in Pakistan. In the past, Avic officials have also questioned whether Pakistan’s interest in the J-10 is sincere or if Islamabad is “simply trying to play the ‘China card’–frightening the U.S. with the [the] specter of a J-10 export sale in an effort to get Washington to offer up more free F-16s.” The J-10 has also been briefed to Peru and other South American nations, as well as to potential customers in the Middle East. Technology Barriers

Despite the success that Avic may be having with these aircraft sales abroad, the PRC’s aerospace sector remains dependent upon Russia and Ukraine to supply engines for all of these programs. The J-31 is powered by two of the same RD-93 engine that is fitted in the JF-17 in a single-engine installation. The J-10 uses a special variant of the Sukhoi Su-27 engine designed to fit this aircraft, designated the AL-31FN and designed and produced by the Salyut plant in Moscow. For the past several years Avic’s jet engine division has been telling its Russian and Ukrainian suppliers of plans to replace their engines with indigenous Chinese designs but still today there is little progress in this area. Unofficial reports in the PRC state that Chinese designs have suffered from blades in the engine hot sections warping during high-g maneuvers conducted during flight test, and other failures. “These are signs of Avic still not having the ability to create and machine alloys that can endure the sustained

high temperatures produced by a jet engine’s combustion cycle,” said one Russian engineer. In November 2012 during Air Show China, Avic did finally display its Minshan engine–the announced replacement for the Ivchenko/Progress AI-222-25– but Ukrainian representatives stated that it has inferior performance and higher fuel consumption than their model. They also commented that the full-authority digital engine control (Fadec) unit on the Minshan “looks several times larger than it needs to be for an engine of this size and demonstrates a lack of expertise in this area.” Not surprisingly, Chinese industry also continues to shop abroad for this and other technologies to try to compensate for the lack of progress in several disciplines. For these and other reasons, Chinese representatives state that there is no fixed calendar date for their industry to stop using foreign-made engines. Estimates range to five years or more into the future and some Russian specialists state that they believe it could be as long as another decade. This is perhaps where the interests of Chinese and Russian industry will collide in the future. If Avic continues to seek more export markets it will inevitably collide with the Russians in foreign competitions–at which time Russian industry will have to decide if it wants to keep supplying engines to a nation that can now displace it in foreign markets. o

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L-3 Mission Integration has selected Rockwell Collins’ Flight2 avionics for the Republic of Korea Navy P-3C upgrade. L-3 is a subcontractor to Korean Air, which is performing the upgrade. The Flight2 avionics will be installed on eight ROKN P-3Cs as part of the first lot upgrade contract L-3 awarded. On completion of the upgrade, the four-engine turboprop will have a common configuration with eight other P-3CK aircraft upgraded under the Korea Lot II Maritime Patrol Aircraft program. Included in the Flight2 avionics upgrade are new primary flight displays, flight management system, communications radios, navigation sensors and surveillance systems. “Republic of Korea Navy pilots will experience greater situational awareness and communications capabilities with the highly advanced avionics onboard these aircraft,” said Troy Brunk, Rockwell Collins (Booth Q79) vice president and general manager of airborne solutions. “We look forward to continuing our long legacy of helping ROKN P-3 pilots achieve their missions with these important upgrades.”

z Irkut Readies MC-21 for Serial Production Representatives of Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade met with executives of the Irkut Corporation at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAP) on February 5 to talk over “issues” concerning the preparations for serial production of the new MC-21 airliner. Deputy minister of industry and trade Yuri Slyusar, director of the aviation industry department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Andrey Boginsky, Irkut president Oleg Demchenko and Irkutsk Aviation Plant general director Alexander Veprev attended the meeting. Last year IAP received design project documentation, and mechanics have begun mounting the first eight stations of the automated final assembly line. The company expects the assembly line to begin operations during the first half of this year, and plans call for Irkut Corporation president Oleg Demchenko (center) briefs Russia’s all 60 stations–developed by deputy minister of industry and trade Germany’s Durr Systems–to Yuri Slyusar (left) and the ministry’s operate in 2015. The first aviation industry director Andrey MC-21 flight test vehicle– Boginsky (right) on preparations for starting serial production of the MC-21 an MC-21-300 basic model airliner at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. designed to carry 180 passengers–is due to roll off the assembly line by the end of next year, with first flight some time in 2015 before first deliveries in 2017. Irkut hopes to produce seven MC-21s per month by the time it reaches peak production rates. So far the Russian government has committed almost $500 million to subsidize the program, which Irkut says is backed by 175 firm orders.

z L-3 Link Wins Contract for A350 Training Devices L-3 Link Simulation & Training (Booth U75) has announced that its operation in Crawley, U.K., has been awarded a contract by Cathay Pacific to deliver two Airbus A350 fullflight simulators, two pilot transition trainers and multiple flight management system (FMS) trainers. Cathay Pacific will install the equipment in its flight-training center at Hong Kong International Airport. It plans full operation of all systems during the third quarter of 2015 to support A350 fleet introduction the following year. The Airbus A350 training equipment is based on L-3 Link’s “RealitySeven” simulation architecture. The full-flight simulator will also be equipped with L-3 Link U.K.’s eM2K motion system. Prior to training on A350 simulators and PT trainers, pilots will undergo classroom instruction on the FMS trainers to become familiar with FMS operation and flight-plan generation. L-3 Link will also deliver two brief/debrief stations.

Cash shortages are crippling India’s military procurement programs by Neelam Mathews The Indian government last stages of being signed include week stalled completion of sev- 126 Medium Multi Role Comeral major military equipment bat Aircraft (MMRCA), the deals until at least the end of the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tankcurrent financial year on March er Transport Aircraft and a repeat order for six 31. “We have no Lockheed Martin money,” said defense C130J transports. minister A. K. Ant“The MMRCA will ony at the Defexpo not be cancelled…it’s show in New Dehli [only] a money issue,” on Thursday. insisted Antony. Antony said 92 In response to percent of the dequestions from AIN fense budget had alabout the state of ready been used up Indian defense minister A. K. Antony says the the next fiscal defense this year. With around weak rupee has not budget (April 2014 to $1.2 billion diverted helped procurements. March-2015), Antony from the defense capital expenditure budget back could not confirm what reducto the central government cof- tions might be made. “At this fers, nothing is left for the ad- stage, we cannot say how much vance payments that will need we will get in the budget. Since to be made when the contracts a large number of proposals are signed–and to make matters are in the pipeline, it will not be worse the Indian rupee has taken humanly possible [to clear them a beating in the past year, mak- all],” he said. “We have asked the armed forces to prioritize ing imports expensive. Some major deals in the final their requirements.”

Following India’s impending general election, a new government is expected to be in place in May. Many industry observers say this change will delay already stalled defense projects further. In response to last year’s cancellation of India’s order for AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters over allegations of corruption, the government banned parent company Finmeccanica from participating in Defexpo. “We have to take strong actions to end corruption and malpractices in the defense procurement process,” said Antony. “Sometimes this may lead to delays and setbacks but this helps us to streamline the system,” he said. “The guilty will be punished.” o

Hawker Pacific turns two at seletar Aircraft sales and support company Hawker Pacific (Booth H65, Chalet CD31/32) is celebrating the two-year anniversary of the opening of its new facility at Seletar Aerospace Park here this week. It is showcasing its portfolio of services and presenting several aircraft on static display. “We have a busy program of events, a fantastic line-up of aircraft and participation of our key partners and principals,” promised Tony Jones, COO Hawker Pacific Asia. “We will also be making a number of exciting announcements,” he added. At 101,000 sq ft, Hawker Pacific’s new maintenance facility, completed in 2012, is three times the size of its previous one. The Seletar site’s MRO capabilities cover the complete range of Hawker Beechcraft and Dassault Falcon Jet business jets, plus Embraer business aircraft models. This year, Hawker Pacific will feature on static display a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, a Beechcraft King Air 250 and a special mission King Air 350ER. The King Air 250 and the GA8 Airvan are both currently on regional demonstration tours, with the King Air 250 making its Asia Pacific debut. n

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King Air 250

GippsAero GA8 Airvan

PHOTOS: DAVID McINTOSH

z Rockwell Collins Picked for Korean P-3C Upgrade

NEELAM MATHEWS

news clips

What next for A350-800?

Airbus’s A350 XWB MSN 003 completed cold weather testing in Iqaluit, Canada, on January 28, just ahead of the Singapore Airshow. At the show, the OEM is presenting its twin-aisle A350-900, which is making its first full international airshow display. Here in Singapore this week, industry observers will be keen to understand the manufacturer’s plans for the smaller A350-800, which has seen a steady erosion of orders as customers have upgraded to the baseline model.

by Ian Goold As the Airbus A350-900 twin-aisle twinjet makes its first full international airshow display here in Singapore this week, industry observers will be keen to understand the manufacturer’s plans for the smaller A350800, which has seen a steady erosion of orders as customers have upgraded to the baseline model. With average aircraft seat capacity moving inexorably to the right, Airbus executives are also mulling a possible double-stretched variant beyond the longer A350-1000. Currently, the A350 family comprises three variants flying up to 8,500 nm. Typical two-class cabin layouts see the

A350-800 offering 276 seats, with the A350-900 and the A350-1000 accommodating 315 and 369 passengers, respectively. Airbus recently has launched a complementary 6,800-nm range “regional” model. In January, the A350 backlog covered 812 aircraft, including about 550 A350-900s and 180 -1000s, from 37 customers. Airbus (Booth J23, Chalet CD19) hopes the A350 display here will demonstrate “maneuverability, sleek design and exceptionally low noise levels.” The aircraft scheduled to fly on the show’s opening two days is MSN 003; this aircraft, together with initial example

Thales develops ‘new-gen’ laser designation pod by Bill Carey France’s DGA defense procurement agency has awarded Thales a €119 million ($162 million) contract to develop a new laser designation pod for French air force Dassault Rafale and Mirage 2000D fighters, Thales announced in January. The development contract follows a risk reduction phase

the government awarded Thales (Booth F23) in late 2012. The New-Generation Laser Designation Pod, known by its French acronym PDL-NG (Pod de Désignation Laser de Nouvelle Génération), equipped with a television megapixel camera and infrared megapixel sensor, will provide the fighters with new day/night imaging and target engagement capabilities. “Image quality and laser designation performances will allow the detection, the identification, the designation and the engagement of small moving targets at long range,” said Thales. The development contract award “confirms the importance of optronics in future air combat systems,” added the company.

The PDL-NG program now moves to prototype design, which will be followed by flight trials and qualification of the first serial pod. Thales expects that the French air force will begin service with the pod in 2018. The current military program law calls for 20 pods, with 16 for delivery in 2018-2019.

MSN 001, had logged more than 890 hours in 185 flights by January 22. Two more aircraft–MSNs 002 and 004–are scheduled to fly this month, ahead of MSN 005, the final flight-test example, which should fly before June, according to Airbus. MSNs 002 and 005 sport airline cabin interiors, while MSN 006 (the first for launch customer Qatar

Airways) is expected, following certification, to be handed over by year-end. Pragmatic Approach

With a shrinking A350-800 order book, Airbus has adopted a pragmatic “take it as it is or wait for a bigger one, we’ve other things to do” approach to the marketplace. It is increasingly moving engineering capacity on to the A350-1000, which is running two to three years after Dassault Aviation of a develop- the baseline model. A350-1000 ment contract to integrate the backlog is three times that for the MBDA Meteor air-to-air mis- A350-800, which in December sile, the laser homing version of had dwindled to about 60 after the Sagem AASM air-to-ground American Airlines upgraded 18 modular weapon, and the Thales orders (placed by merger partner PDL-NG pod on the Rafale– US Airways) to the -900. bringing the fourth-generation This decline, stimulated somefighter to the F3R standard. what by the manufacturer’s own marketing initiatives, illustrates an Meteor Plus AESA established trend that since about The Meteor missile will be 2007 has seen industry backlogs used in conjunction with the for 300-passenger machines inThales RBE2 active electron- crease by a half from around ically scanned array (AESA) 400 to 600 or more, while those radar, which has been fitted to for 250-seat jetliners have fallen all production Rafales delivered by about 40 percent from nearly 1,000 to little more than 600. Among principal remaining Thales provided this image of the new-generation laser designation pod A350-800 buyers are Irish lesunder development for French air force sor Aircraft Purchase Fleet (12), Rafale and Mirage 2000D fighters. Russia’s Aeroflot (8), Asiana (8), Hawaiian Airlines (6) and Yemenia (10). Of those, Asia Pacific operator Hawaiian has said it does not require greater capacity, but last month was reportedly “in discussions” with the manufacturer. Customers’ Choice

Fighters will be equipped with one each of the centerline pods. “The PDL-NG is the result of close and constructive collaboration between specifiers, users and Thales,” said Gil Michielin, Thales vice president for optronics. “It will provide air forces an effective and competitive system. The award of the development contract confirms the government’s support for France’s airborne optronics sector and its engineering and industrial capabilities.” The new laser designation pod is one of several improvements France is making to the “omnirole” Rafale. On December 30, the DGA notified

since mid-2013, according to Dassault. In the air defense and superiority roles, the radar will allow Rafale pilots to fire the Meteor “at extreme ranges.” French Rafales employed the Sagem AASM during operations in Libya in 2011 “to destroy targets at ranges of several tens of kilometers with metric precision. The laser homing version is particularly adapted to moving targets,” Dassault said. The Rafale entered service with the French navy in 2004 and with the air force in 2006. In January, Dassault said it had delivered 126 of the 180 fighters ordered by the French military. o

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Airbus chief operating officer (customers) John Leahy has said that A350-800 customers face a choice: accept aircraft at the current 276-seat specification or wait “a couple of years” for a possibly larger version. If airlines do stay with their present bookings, the manufacturer could face its own dilemma, since the model has always been slated for a 2016 service entry, a year ahead of the Series 1000 on which it now is concentrating engineering effort. Leahy wants to keep the A350-1000 on schedule, since this will generate higher sales income from the larger machine, while production capacity

considerations are thought likely to push a revamped A350-800 back to at least 2020. Also, any further extension in A350 cabin length to accommodate larger loads and to address the 300-passenger Boeing 787-9 more directly is expected to precede any A350-800 development. Late last year program officials acknowledged industry interest in such an “A350-1100,” which appears among potential A320, A330 and A380 developments and which has been “generating a lot of reaction from the competition.” Potential -800 Changes

In response to customer reaction, Airbus officials revealed last month that it had been considering a larger version of the A350800, which originally was to have been an optimized 275-seater but subsequently has become a less-efficient “A350-900 shrink.” Leahy said it is “a distinct possibility” that a bigger -800 might appear. A new variant offering perhaps 290-plus seats (assuming two extra seat rows) would have a reduced range, but would probably still have longer legs than the A350-900. While mulling potential A350800 changes, the manufacturer acknowledged genuine industry interest in an “A330neo,” stimulated by popularity of the A320neo project. “Re-engining is always an option,” said Leahy. Such a development could also see Airbus replace the A330’s aluminum alloy skin panels with sheets of lighter aluminummagnesium-scandium alloy, for which it is developing a demonstration model. The company said the alternative material, which is also more corrosion and fatigue-resistant than previous alloys, can be adopted using current manufacturing and production tooling. An A330-inspired development already going ahead is the A350 Regional–a lighter, 250-metric-ton model powered by derated 70,000-pound-thrust Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and flying up to 6,800 nm. It is expected to offer about 355 seats in a single-class layout. o

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China’s Canton police force currently operates an Airbus Helicopters EC225LP Super Puma Mk2+.

Airbus Helicopters sees China sales taking off by Thierry Dubois Airbus Helicopters (Booth J23), formerly Eurocopter, is seeing the Chinese market taking off at last, thus beginning to keep its promises. Norbert Ducrot, CEO of Airbus Helicopters China (who is also responsible for Japan and South Korea), said the company plans to increase its presence with more sales, as well as the addition of maintenance, training and assembly facilities. Annual revenues for Airbus Helicopters in North Asia are approximately €500 million ($650 million), with services accounting for 30 percent of this total.

China is still an emerging market but already the first civil market in Asia for Airbus Helicopters, Ducrot said. In 2013, the airframer delivered 25 helicopters to the country, up from a couple per year in the early 2000s. “China is well suited for helicopter development, notably due to the distances to cover around large cities and industrial areas; and the country is not too hilly,” Ducrot said. He estimated that, by 2020, it will be the world’s biggest market for civil rotorcraft. A favorable factor is gradual deregulation of lower airspace,

which began in earnest on De- sightseeing flights, accounts for cember 1 last year. Since then, 50 percent of Airbus’s civil sales most general aviation flights in China, measured in airframes. have enjoyed a significantly sim- By value, the proportion is closer pler planning process, with mili- to 30 percent. The remaining 70 percent (50 percent tary approval for such of the airframes) is civil flights no longer composed of sales required. The longawaited alleviation of for parapublic uses, the “regulations on the such as oil and gas, approval and managesearch and rescue, ment of general avialaw enforcement and tion flight mission” is emergency prepareddevised to cut the waitness, said Ducrot. ing time for permis“The use of helicopsion to fly from severters for EMS is going al days to a few hours. to grow,” he added. Norbert Ducrot Under the new proAirbus Helicoppresident and CEO cedures, operators of ters has a mainteAirbus Helicopters China general aviation flights nance joint venture will still have to file flight plans. in Shenzen with offshore operSo far, the combination of ator COHC. In Hong Kong, it helicopters used in general avia- has a distribution hub for spare tion, including powerline inspec- parts and a call center. The comtions, VIP transportation and pany plans to expand its Chinese

New Rotortech 2014 show lands in Australia by Matt Thurber The Australia Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) has announced that the new Rotortech 2014 show will be held May 24-25 at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort in Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Space is available for 20 small helicopters or 15 medium helicopters at the show site, according to the organizers, and there are 25 display booths for exhibitors in the main conference area, many of which have already been booked. The Rotortech 2014 show is AHIA’s first big show since the organization was founded in November 2012. (More information is available at www.bladeslapper.com; see the AHIA thread.) Australia currently has about 2,077 helicopters on its register, the sixth largest fleet in the world, according to the AHIA. Since 2008, the fleet has grown an average of 6 percent per year. The current numbers include 1,301 piston singles, 544 single-engine turbines and 228 multi-engine helicopters, for a total of 13.7 percent of the Australian aircraft fleet.

Growth in the helicopter industry is strongest in the northern territories, according to the AHIA, which boast about two thirds of the 2,077 helicopters in the country. These regions also have more than half of the air operator’s certificates (AOCs) issued by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Growth of the ranks of helicopter pilots has been strong over the past five years, with helicopter ATPs up 22 percent to 750, commercial pilots up 11 percent to 1,678 and private helicopter pilots up significantly, by 46 percent to 822. “The latter reflects the rapid growth of private helicopter owners; many conduct mustering operations on their properties or use them in business activities,” the AHIA noted in the January edition of Helicopters Australia, AHIA’s e-newsletter. “Unfortunately, we provide 25 percent of all accidents. This is the result from half our flying involves low-level aerial work, coupled with the high accident rate of the

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private owners–a problem noted in both aeroplane and helicopter operations.” EASA Rules

Some of the issues that the AHIA is addressing this year include CASA’s transition to EASA rules. One key area of this effort is CASR Part 61 (flight-crew licensing). While that was supposed to take effect last December, CASA has moved the date to Sept. 1, 2014. AHIA is working closely with CASA on the transition. “It has a transition process of three years,” according to the AHIA, “requiring a restructure of the training industry. The AHIA is working with CASA to help the Manual of Standards line up with CASR Part 61. It is a large project that will not be completed until well into 2014.” Notices of proposed rulemaking are due this year for two key areas: CASR Part 133 (Australian air operations–rotorcraft) and CASR Part 138 (Aerial work operations–rotorcraft). The AHIA is concerned about carriage of aero-medical patients

customer support network in the short term. Annual EC225 sales in China generally amount to four or five aircraft. For pilot training, an EC225 full-flight simulator is available in Beijing, and an EC135 light twin simulator is planned to be available in the near future in central China. “In two or three years, we are planning to establish an assembly line for the AS350 B3 and/or the EC135 in China,” said Ducrot. Such a factory has been in Airbus’s plans for three years at least. Separately, a creation of a completion center was announced in 2012 and AIN understands the project, although delayed, is still proceeding. Meanwhile, the Japanese market is seen as mature, at about 15 helicopters sold every year. This represents 50 percent of the market, Airbus Helicopters claims. Numbers look relatively low because it is a replacement market and the country is very hilly, Ducrot explained. Some 600 civil helicopters are in service in Japan, including around 100 used by the media, he said. Finally, South Korea is a small market, Ducrot noted. “Despite the economic growth, general aviation has not developed because the military still controls the airspace; in addition, aviation is not really deeprooted in the Korean culture and the area around Seoul is hilly,” he noted. o

being moved from aerial work, which is the current regulatory structure, to charter. “This triggers a lot of additional compliance requirements. Aerial work operations will also be reclassified in some areas, with a new system of operation certificates replacing current AOCs…most requiring CASA’s approval.” Of more pressing concern, the AHIA added, “are the proposed performance standards and their impact on flying operations and various categories of helicopters. CASA’s need to seek ‘harmonization’ with EASA’s rules is not understood and the need to have forced landing areas during some flight regimes, especially during takeoff and landing, is now subject to an AHIA working group to educate operators on the intent of the proposed legislation.” Rotortech 2014 promises to be a significant event on the worldwide airshow circuit and a kickoff for growing opportunities in the Australia helicopter market, which is expected to continue growing as energy and mineral resource development firms expand. [Rotortech 2014] “reflects the determination of the executive and growing membership to provide a strong and capable representative service on behalf of the helicopter industry during a period of strong growth,” the AHIA said. o

Airlines, military spend

st engineering shows off global presence Singapore Technologies’ vast exhibition area here at the air show (Booth G01) illustrates its wide range of capabilities. Over the years it has developed a global presence in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of commercial aircraft, while also growing its military aircraft n MRO capabilities and even starting a flight training division.

A350XWB debuts uContinued from page 1

Airways, China Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai Airways International and Vietnam Airlines. In all, Airbus has collected firm orders for 812 A350s from 39 customers. The stop in Singapore actually marks the second time an A350 has appeared in the air at an international show. The first A350, MSN1, flew past President Francois Hollande on the final business day of the 2013 Paris Air Show, on June 17. But it was not available for ground inspection and so for the vast majority of industry visitors here this week, the Singapore appearance will be their first chance to take a close look at the new widebody. The A350 on display here in Singapore– the second of five flying prototypes to fly– first took to the air on October 14. The first A350 (MSN1) took off last June 14. Together, they’ve undergone a test regime that has included identification and freeze of all flap and slat configurations, loads and aeroelastic testing and evaluation of handling characteristics and systems operation throughout the operational envelope. Early last month MSN3 arrived in Bolivia to perform a series of tests at the high-altitude airfields of Cochabamba and La Paz. Cochabamba lies around 8,300 feet above sea level, and La Paz ranks as one of the world’s highest airports at 13,300 feet. There, flight test crews demonstrated and validated the full functionality of engines, systems and materials as well as assessing overall aircraft behavior under extreme conditions. From Bolivia, MSN3 flew to Fort de France, Martinique for engine hot tests

at sea level, then made its way to Iqaluit, Canada, where it spent several days performing extreme cold weather tests before flying to Doha, Qatar, for service readiness checks en route to Singapore. Plans call for the five A350 test aircraft to fly 2,500 hours before expected type certification in the third quarter of 2014. It is due to enter service before year-end. Crews have now logged 1,000 flight test hours during more than 200 flights by both MSN1 and MSN3. Fitted with heavy test instrumentation to carry out performance and systems evaluations in extreme conditions, MSN3 carries more than 400 kilometers of wiring and tons of test equipment. Plans call for MSN2 and MSN4 to fly “in the coming weeks.” Airbus plans to fit MSN2 and MSN5 with cabins and use the airplanes to carry out the early long flights and route proving flights later this year. The company plans to fit MSN4 with light flight test instrumentation calibrated to perform external noise and lightning tests, avionics development and certification testing. It also expects to use MSN4 to start training for first customer pilots and maintenance teams. Separately, Airbus last month performed the ultimate load test of the A350’s wing, applying loads up to 1.5 times higher than those the aircraft would ever encounter in its entire in-service life. At ultimate load, the A350 XWB wingtip deflection exceeds five meters (16.4 ft). Airbus performed the test on an A350 static test airframe built specifically to demonstrate structural integrity. o

F-16s. Meanwhile, Israel Aircraft Industries is unveiling a new version of the bestselling Heron UAV. The Super Heron has a heavy fuel engine and a multi-sensor suite. On the F-35, the island state’s defense minister has been sending mixed signals. Last March, Dr. Ng Eng Hen told the Singapore parliament that “we are in the final stages of evaluation.” Last December he viewed the F-35B at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. But on the same trip to the U.S., he told journalists at a press conference in the Pentagon that “we are in no hurry” to conclude a buy. It could be that even Singapore is balking at the cost to acquire and operate the Lightning II, especially the F-35B. Conscious of its vulnerable airbase infrastructure, Singapore’s evaluation has focused on the STOVL version. But opting for the F-35B implies that Singapore is also looking to acquire or build an LHD-class warship from which to operate them. No such plan has been announced But this is a country where–according to the government–“by their very nature, defense procurement and spending are not normally the subjects of public discussion.” On the F-16 upgrade, AIN understands that the Republic of Singapore Air Force has only been considering the combat avionics programmed extension

DAVID McINTOSH

uContinued from page 1

suite (CAPES) offered by Lockheed Martin. This includes the Northrop Grumman scalable agile beam radar, an AESA unit offering some commonality with the F-35 radar. One attraction of the CAPES was commonality with the US Air Force F-16 fleet. But the Pentagon now seems unlikely to fund the CAPES for the USAF, leaving export customers to foot the entire bill for the non-recurring development costs. BAE Systems has returned to the Singapore Airshow for the first time in eight years, hoping to focus Singapore’s attention on a lower-cost F-16 upgrade that the company’s U.S.-based subsidiary has already sold to the Koreans. This offers an alternative AESA radar option from Raytheon. The Raytheon advanced combat radar has some commonality with the AESA that is already on the RSAF’s F-15SG fleet. Singapore likes to be known as a ‘smart procurer,’ so it would be strange if it opted for the CAPES without evaluating alternatives. Maritime surveillance is another live topic at the show, with plenty of requirements including Singapore’s own need to replace aging Fokker 50MPAs. The U.S. Navy and Boeing has brought a P-8 Poseidon and is briefing details of this smaller maritime surveillance aircraft based on the Bombardier Global Express jet. Airbus Military has brought a Portuguese air force CN-235-based maritime patrol aircraft to the show. o

Singapore’s evaluation of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter is one of the key military topics at this year’s show.

Boeing outlook uContinued from page 4

aircraft, this will be the biggest market. When you think of large airplanes, this will be the biggest market. When you think of freighters–guess what, this will be the biggest market.” Speaking at a media briefing before the opening of the Singapore Airshow, Tinseth said Boeing (Chalet CS32) received 1,355 net orders and made 648 deliveries last year. The deliveries included 65 787 Dreamliners, despite “some real challenges” resulting from lithium-ion battery incidents that led

worldwide aviation authorities to ground the airplane for nearly four months. There are now 121 787-8 Dreamliners in service, 88 of them flown by Asia Pacific airlines, reported Tinseth. He said 787 dispatch reliability is “around 98 percent.” The manufacturer expects to deliver the first 787-9 version to Air New Zealand by the middle of the year. Boeing projects that it will deliver between 715 and 725 airplanes this year, including 110 787s. It will ramp up production of 737 narrowbodies from 38 copies a month to 42 by the middle of the year. “We’re increasing our production rates to meet demand in the marketplace,” Tinseth said. o

www.ainonline.com • February 11, 2014 • Singapore Airshow News 61

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