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Airbus Is Busy Hatching a Nestful of Derivatives

by Thierry Dubois June 12, 2015, 6:35 AM

High on Airbusʹs pecking order is the P&W‑powered A320neo, with more than 420 test hours flown. It should be certified by year‑ end.

Airbus has no clean­sheet aircraft design under way but is busy with several “incremental” developments or derivatives–the A350­1000 XWB, the A320neo, the A330neo, new A330ceo versions and the Beluga XL. The business case for an A380neo does not appear compelling yet.

Subcomponent assembly of the first A350­1000 XWB widebody has begun. Final assembly is scheduled to begin early next year, with a first flight planned for the middle of 2016. Type certification and entry into service are seen as occurring in mid­2107.

Those subcomponents that are undergoing assembly include the center wing box, lateral junction panels, pylons, surrounds made of carbon­fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) for passenger doors and a fixed trailing edge for the wing.

The Trent XWB turbofan is to be flight­tested on an A380. “Some certification tests will thus be done in advance,” said Bruno Hernandez, senior v­p and head of A350 program developments. The plan calls for 120 flight hours, starting in October.

The A350­1000 is a significant evolution, in systems and structures, from the in­service A350­900, partly due to its greater size. Eleven frames are added to the fuselage, six in the forward section and five in the aft section. The larger Trent XWB­97 provides more thrust, at 97,000 pounds.

The main landing gear features six­wheel bogies and its bay is one frame longer. It is supplied by UTC Aerospace Systems, while the ­900’s main landing gear is produced by Messier­Bugatti­Dowty.

The ­1000 also has some specific design features, such as the aforementioned CFRP door­surround structure. A greater proportion of the fuselage frames–half of them–are now CFRP. The bilge has a new arrangement. An electric opening system has been designed for landing gear doors, for maintenance purposes. A new aft galley arrangement also is available as an option.. Finally, fitting the underfloor electric network has been simplified.

“The ­1000 benefits from the ­900 experience–for example, we have improved some system installation,” Hernandez said. He has set a target of finding room for another 20 seats in the ­1000, by 2020. The program’s engineers are thus working on shrinking the footprint of the cabin­crew rest compartment, the lavatories and the galley.

Three A350­900 XWBs are in service today. As of May 28, they had logged 485 flight cycles and 2,100 flight hours.

“Qatar handles the aircraft in full autonomy,” said Didier Evrard, Airbus executive v­p and head of programs. Daily utilization is said to be greater than 11 flight hours. Fifteen deliveries will be made to three additional operators in 2015–Vietnam Airlines, Finnair and Latam.

“Twenty­one A350s are in final assembly in Toulouse and we are on the way to rate 10,” Evrard went on. He emphasized the supply chain has improved a lot, especially for A350­1000 aerostructures. “We need to reduce lead times, we have buffers and we will progressively remove them,” Evrard added.

A320neo and A330neo Progress

On the single­aisle A320neo, 130 flights and more than 420 hours had been performed by May 28 with the two Pratt & Whitney­powered aircraft. However, flight­testing was on hold due to a maturity issue on the PW1100G­JM engine, according to Evrard. “A snap ring retaining a seal has to be replaced; it is a matter of days,” he said. He expressed confidence that certification will take place by year­end. The lead­time between certification and entry into service is hoped to be shorter than it was for the A350 because the A320neo is not a brand­new product.

Already validated are high­speed and low­speed performance, approach and takeoff noise, aircraft handling in “normal” and “degraded” control laws, flutter and engine development testing. The next steps are autopilot certification, handling­qualities certification flights and functional and reliability testing. Hot­weather and high­altitude campaigns are planned, too.

The A320neo powered by the other engine option, the CFM Leap­1A, first flew on May 19 and had performed six flights as of May 28.

The A330 program is preparing for neo transition, too. The latest version of the A330ceo, at 242 metric tons mtow, was delivered on May 28 to Delta Airlines. It features shortened flap­track fairings and a reshaping of slat one. Fuel burn is reduced by one percent, according to Airbus.

Another version may be produced before the neo–the shorter­range A330 Regional. Although no order has been received yet, CEO Fabrice Brégier was adamant that it is the right product for some markets. “Growth in Asia, especially in China, cannot be accommodated with only single­aisle; so there is a good case for an A330 Regional,” he said.

The A330­900neo is planned to be certified in 2017 and enter into service the same year, about a year before the A330­800neo. They will seat, respectively, 310 and 252 passengers. Airbus is targeting the same type rating as that

of the A330ceo (but the airframer makes it clear it will be subject to regulatory approval) and common type rating with the A350 XWB. Will Airbus offer an A380neo? Emirates has been pushing for it but Airbus has made no decision yet. “Our biggest customer wants a long­term commitment; this is good news,” Brégier said. However, as COO customer John Leahy noted, “it would be a hard sale to our board to do something for one customer, even though a big one.”

While the A380neo’s business case is still under study, continuous improvement is going on with the current version.

In development is a combined crew rest space for cabin and flight crews, with separate entrances but in a single compartment. This will free up room for a handful of additional seats.

New Beluga Sometimes manufacturers develop aircraft they don’t offer to customers. For Airbus, this is the case with the aging A300­based Beluga, to be replaced with the in­the­works Beluga XL. The latter will be a derivative of the A330 and will

be 3.3 feet wider. “It will be able to transport two A350 wings,” Evrard said. Its payload will be 12 percent greater than that of the Beluga.

Flight testing is slated to start in 2017. Starting in 2019, five Beluga XLs will progressively replace today’s five Belugas. For this development, Airbus engineers are testing new methods that may one day be reused on commercial programs.

Trying to think out of the box, Airbus has created “bizlabs,” one use of which is to provide a framework for small companies to come and offer innovative products. One of these enterprises is in the process of being brought in to supply an ultra­narrowband system that remotely seals doors, inspection panels and hatches. As many as 32 doors and such can be found on an Airbus and are usually checked physically, Brégier said. Without the bizlab scheme, that small, innovative company may well have been received a polite, “No, thanks,” he acknowledged.

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Bombardier Commercial Boss Looks To Set Record Straight on CSeries

by Gregory Polek June 12, 2015, 7:23 AM

Since assuming the post of president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft in April, Fred Cromer has spent much of his early tenure assessing the strengths and weaknesses of an organization that has drawn its share of criticism over the CSeries’ slow industrial and commercial progress. But now that the program appears to have found some momentum

in terms of its certification effort, Cromer can now set his sights on ensuring the company’s readiness to support the airplane in the field, and ultimately establish a foundation on which Bombardier can cultivate confidence among potential customers and financiers.

Finally registering orders for 300 airplanes by the time the CSeries gains certification–a target set by Bombardier hierarchy well before Cromer joined the company–certainly would aid the cause, as would helping to secure financing for one of the program’s largest customers, Russia’s Ilyushin Finance Company (IFC).

In an interview with AIN in early April, IFC general director and co­owner Alexander Roubtsov said he had begun reconsidering his company’s commercial commitments to the CSeries due not only due to Canadian sanctions placed on Russia for its annexation of Crimea and alleged support of separatists in eastern Ukraine, but because of his concerns over Bombardier’s readiness for high­quantity production, the availability of delivery slots and airline acceptance of the product.

Of course, Bombardier intends to dispel skepticism over its ability to maintain the pace of industrial progress it now appears to have achieved, and Cromer told AIN in an interview just before the Paris show that the manufacturer intends to behave “proactively” to ensure that the CSeries finds a position in the Russian market.

“Rather than sit around and be hopeful that sanctions will be lifted, we’re going to be a little more proactive and figure out with our Russian customers and our potential Russian customers a way to help them secure financing,” said Cromer. “I can’t go into specifics, but I can tell you those are conversations we’re having with our Russian customers right now.”

In the meantime, Bombardier and its newly announced launch operator–Lufthansa Group subsidiary Swiss International Airlines–continues preparations for entry into service in the first half of next year. Cromer characterized the decision by Lufthansa to not only become the launch customer but to commit to making Swiss the first operator as “natural” given the long relationship Bombardier has cultivated with the European airline, starting with service entry of the first 50­seat CRJ in 1992.

“The lines of communication are open…they know us, we know them, and this sort of feedback loop as the airplane goes into service is going to be extremely important to us,” said Cromer. “I’ve been through this before, and to have that level of communication with the OEM is going to be key. They’re obviously pretty sophisticated with Lufthansa behind them, [and with] Lufthansa Technik as part of that family as well. I think that we’re well positioned to be extremely successful with entry into service.”

Cromer should know, given his experience with fleet planning and acquisition at Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines, then as CFO of Continental Express and, finally, CFO and president of International Lease Finance Company (ILFC). While working on the airline side of the business gave Cromer a broad exposure to North America, his experience at ILFC, half of whose business resides in Europe and 25 percent in Asia, lends him a global perspective that Bombardier felt it needed for the CSeries program.

“So developing the network with all the international carriers on top of what I already had in North America is something that I bring now to Bombardier in terms of customer connections,” explained Cromer, who also referred to his finance background. “So I can get a little creative when we think about how to finance airplanes into a new customer, as well as understand what an airline goes through in making a fleet decision,” he said.

On criticism from competitors and some analysts about the level of export credit agency financing on which Bombardier historically has relied, Cromer noted that although “at times” customers will certainly avail themselves of such support, no CSeries customer has yet received ECA financing.

“We’re actually seeing a lot of interest from the leasing community,” said Cromer. “Over the last year we signed on with five lessors and they are certainly helping our customers source solutions to the financing challenges facing the industry. As for ECA use, we are no different from any other OEM in that regard.”

Although Bombardier fully intends to gain certification by the end of this year, it has given itself a substantial time buffer to ensure on­time EIS. The cautious approach would seem warranted; as potential customers exhibit what Cromer called a “wait­and­see attitude” until certification authorities issue their approvals. “The general sentiment is that everyone wants us to get it right up front,” said Cromer. “We are now proving that to be the case, considering what we’re now seeing with the impressive performance–we’re building that market confidence.”

Having finished more than 60 percent of the flight­test hours required and 70 percent of the certification requirements, the program has performed as expected judging by the accounts of Bombardier executives.

“Coming from an aircraft fleet­planning background, I’ve helped bring new aircraft programs to market [before], and I can tell you that I’ve never seen an aircraft program that got it right up front–until now, that is,” said Cromer. “The CSeries is performing beautifully, [and I’m] very impressed with the data we are seeing.”

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Embraer Rides ‘Next Wave’ of E2 Development

by Gregory Polek June 13, 2015, 3:55 AM

A wing subassembly for the E190 E2 rests in its tooling at Embraer’s “center of excellence” in Evora, Portugal, before shipment to Brazil.

Now that the Embraer E2 program has entered its systems integration phase in earnest, program managers can start to turn their attention toward final assembly of the first of three family members–the Pratt & Whitney PW1900G­ powered E190 E2–at the company’s main plant in São José dos Campos, Brazil, “in a few months.”

Speaking with AIN just ahead of the start of the Paris Air Show, Embraer Commercial Aviation COO Luis Carlos Affonso reported that the 106­seat airplane’s first wing spars had just arrived in Brazil from the company’s metallics “center of excellence” in Evora, Portugal, and that the upper and lower skins would follow in a matter of days. The deliveries marked an important milestone for a program whose promise of 16­percent fuel­burn improvement depends largely on newly designed wings, notwithstanding common references to the E2 as a re­engining exercise.

“Very soon we’ll be assembling the wings here in São José dos Campos,” said Affonso, who noted that one important change in the production process will involve the location of wing assembly. Now building what it now calls the E1’s wings at its plant in Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil, Embraer has decided to move the function for all three E2 models to its main plant in São José dos Campos to help streamline the production system and reduce logistics and inventory costs. Originally a site occupied by former E­Jet wing producer Kawasaki, the Gaviao Peixoto plant has belonged to Embraer ever since it assumed responsibility for wing assembly in 2006.

Other subassemblies now in São José dos Campos include the forward fuselage and the lower center fuselage section 2. In France, Latecoere’s work on the passenger and emergency exit doors has progressed well, said Affonso, while, in Spain, Aernnova has nearly finished building the first empennage.

Responsible not only for systems integration and final assembly but also for fabrication of a high proportion of the airplane’s structural components, Embraer builds the E2’s wings, some 75­percent of the fuselage and the landing gear. Fuselage subassembly suppliers include Triumph, which builds the sections just aft of the wings and ahead of the empennage. Other suppliers and partners include Liebherr, control systems for flaps and slats; Rockwell Collins, horizontal stabilizer control system; UTC Aerospace Systems, wheels, brakes, APU, electrical system; Intertechnique, engine and APU fuel feed, pressure refueling, fuel transfer, fuel tank inerting and ventilation, and fuel gauging and control; and Crane Aerospace & Electronics, electronic control module for landing gear, brake control systems and proximity sensors.

Apart from the switch in engines from the GE CF34s used in the E1s to the Pratt geared turbofans in the E2s, what Affonso termed important supplier changes included the switch from UTAS to Liebherr for the engine bleed air system. Others involved the award for pilot seats to England’s Ipeco in place of Zodiac. Affonso also said that Embraer decided to “verticalize” its structural supply base, taking responsibility for the forward fuselage section 1 and center fuselage 3 from Latecoere, for example.

Extensive Design Changes Although Embraer (Chalet 393) promotes the principle of cockpit and systems architecture commonality between the current E­Jets and the E2s for an easy transition from an operational standpoint, the company will enjoy little production commonality due to the fairly extensive design changes. Consequently, the company has had to install all­ new rigs, and face a challenging three­ to four­year period during which production of the current E­Jet and E2 variants will overlap.

Test rig construction and operation has advanced as planned, said Affonso, both in São José dos Campos and, perhaps most notably, 12 miles away in Eugenio de Melo, where Embraer performs ground testing such as static, fatigue, iron bird and environmental control analysis. “All of those rigs are well advanced, some of them fully operational and others still, let’s say in a progressive way, they are getting more and more complete,” said Affonso.

Now programming the E2’s flight control laws, Embraer has started the process of integrating software code into fly­ by­wire hardware made by Moog, which carries responsibility for the primary controls and spoilers. Other contributors to the fly­by­wire system include Belgium’s Sonaca (flaps and slats) and Germany’s Liebherr (flight control system).

Full fly­by­wire constitutes one of the program’s most conspicuous advances over the current generation of E­Jets, which uses traditional controls for its ailerons. As a result, engineers could reduce the sizes of the family’s empennages, helping to cut drag.

Affonso stressed that although E2 development marks Embraer’s first application of full fly­by­wire in an airliner, it has gained valuable experience integrating such systems in the Legacy 500 business jet and the KC­390 tanker. “In both cases we developed the control laws,” he said. “So even though fly­by­wire systems are always are often challenging…in this case, given those other two programs, we consider this a low­risk development.”

In fact, Embraer has now passed the point in development at which any particular aspect of design represents a so­ called watch item, said Affonso. Although a few assembly drawings remain unreleased, it has virtually completed detailed design. Completion of fabrication, systems test and integration and preparation for flight test lay ahead, but Affonso expressed satisfaction with the company’s progress in all areas as it looks toward scheduled delivery of the first E190 E2 in the first half of 2018.

“There really are no areas of concern,” he said. “I would say we are past the big challenges in the physical airplane.

But the next phase we are entering right now really is the systems integration phase, so that’s the key phase now that the components are getting ready and our rigs are up and running. This is the next wave, let’s put it that way.”

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GKN Uses Material Tech To Help OEMs

by Ian Goold June 11, 2015, 2:15 PM

GKN Aerospace has ordered two Arcam Q20 EBM machines for its Bristol additive manufacturing center in the UK, where it produces space, military and commercial aircraft components.

GKN Aerospace (Chalet 73, Hall 2b/H174) has innovative technology on all new transport aircraft entering service,

according to engineering and technology senior vice­president Russ Dunn, a former Airbus head of A350 wing engineering. “It’s not just about developing technology, but getting on to aircraft,” the executive told AIN. “GKN Aerospace is a company that everyone wants to partner with.”

Here at Le Bourget, six major aircraft and equipment programs are providing the manufacturer with debut platforms for its latest technological developments. On board the Airbus A350 twin­aisle twinjet are GKN spars, automated trailing­edge assemblies and CrystalVue II passenger windows, the latter similarly adorning Bombardier’s C Series jetliner that also is fitted with the UK company’s co­cured ailerons and winglets. All are made from composites.

The Rolls­Royce Trent XWB engine, which powers the A350, has engine case structures that include GKN additive­ manufactured features, while Pratt & Whitney’s PW1000 geared turbofan (GTF) sports intermediate engine and turbine­exit cases.

For the Lockheed Martin F­35 joint strike fighter, GKN provides the cockpit canopy, plus various composites and metallic assemblies, and the F135 engine case and ice protection. Finally, the supplier has produced the composite airframe and cockpit windows for the Japanese HondaJet executive aircraft.

Such myriad products represent the wide range of GKN Aerospace’s expertise in aerospace technology; indeed, chief executive Kevin Cummings argues that the company offers “the widest range of capabilities” of any Tier 1 supplier of airframe and engine­support structures (a claimed Number 3 in the world), engine static and rotating structures, including maintenance (Number 2), and cockpit and cabin transparencies and ice­protection systems (respectively, Numbers 1 and 2). It employs 12,300 people at nearly 40 locations in nine countries on three continents.

“Five years ago, there was a lot of pressure on original equipment manufacturers [OEMs] to improve performance for new platforms–programs that are now entering service,” said Dunn. “Today, much more emphasis is being put on cost reductions, with OEMs having become very interested if we can see opportunities to save.”

Collaboration permits GKN to exploit “differentiating” technologies and to influence industry strategies. Its partners include government and academic research agencies and centers, along with world­famous airframe, engine, and system manufacturers with which the company has established “active technology programs.”

Working with research centers has provided GKN with access to funding for both parties through government agencies, said Dunn. Such partnerships have permitted the company to harness knowledge during early research, while de­risking new technical developments through so­called “catapult” centers (organizations set up by the UK Technology Strategy Board to promote research and development collaboration among businesses, engineers, and scientists).

Pointing out that increased competition demands world­class technology development, Dunn claims that GKN Aerospace leads the world with the widest range of strategic technologies to offer unique products. “The whole industry is innovating at a greater level than seen before,” he said.

He says that real opportunities arise “when you combine technologies to [introduce] your own expertise that is not available to competitors.” Dunn cites a wide range of GKN Aerospace technologies, each with several elements: Chemistry and materials – erosion, anti­ice, and damage­detection coatings, and Haynes 282 high­temperature material development; Processes – near net­shape joining, additive manufacture, forming and welding, composites automation, and automated polishing; Major components – co­cured wing covers (skin panels), cockpit canopies, composite fan cases, and laser­welded and Space­propulsion structures; and Major assemblies – composite fuselages, trailing­edge assemblies, and engine certification.

GKN sees “real value” in five strategic technologies that are being developed, each aimed variously at reducing cost,

drag, fuel burn, noise or weight, while increasing efficiency, according to Dunn:

Integrated composites structures – GKN’s microwave curing technology is claimed to offer 90­percent reduction in build power consumption, enabling it to offer 15 percent cost reduction on “something as simple as a panel;” Advanced metallic structures – the company’s advanced welding, analysis, and material capability, including “a lot of work in how to integrate different metals, such as welding to obtain complicated structures,” is said to have enabled a 10 percent weight reduction on Pratt & Whitney GTF engine cases and permitted the program to deliver a “step change” in specific fuel consumption; Transparencies and coatings – GKN’s CrystalVue II coating “doubles the life” of aircraft cabin windows, offering “three to seven years” of extra operation; Ice protection and detection – a patented closed­loop system offers “up to 50­percent reduction” in de­icing power consumption providing “[up to] $50,000” saving per single­aisle aircraft per year; and Additive manufacture – the company is moving into production this year with an electron­beam melting (EBM) powder­bed process, enabling “a 25 percent” cost reduction on titanium components.

LEADING IN ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY GKN Aerospace (Chalet 73, Hall 2b/H174) has established a “strong strategy and plan” to lead in the exploitation of

additive manufacturing (AM) in aerospace, according to the UK company’s engineering and technology senior vice­ president, Russ Dunn.

Additive processes have huge potential for application in aerospace, where there is “a growing demand for more, and more efficient, aircraft,” said Dunn. “In coming years the industry will need to manufacture at greater speeds and with total consistency, producing lighter and more cost­effective [components] that generate less waste during manufacture and lower emissions in operation.”

With Swedish AM specialist Arcam, GKN Aerospace has set up a joint technology development (JTD) partnership to develop and industrialize electron beam melting (EBM), a “most promising” process in which three­dimensional metal components are built up layer­by­layer. A conductive metal powder–titanium for example–is melted by a powerful electron beam to produce “very precise, small­ to medium­sized components” that require very little finishing.

Under the JTD agreement, GKN Aerospace has ordered two Arcam Q20 EBM machines for its Bristol, UK AM center, where it produces military and commercial aircraft components. Arcam says the Q20 system permits “industrial volume” production, including increased productivity, higher resolution, and a camera monitoring system for part quality verification.

The partners will collaborate to develop EBM equipment to manufacture complex titanium structures at the high volumes required to meet future demand. Alongside the Arcam partnership, GKN Aerospace is working with its parent group’s powder metallurgy division.

“Our aim has been to fully understand how EBM can be applied to our future aerostructures and aero engines portfolio,” said Dunn. “We believe [additive] processes will revolutionize manufacturing, particularly in aerospace, where cost, weight, and performance are critical. [This will] unlock innovations in low­drag, high­performance wing designs and lighter, even more­efficient engine systems that will dramatically improve airframe performance and reduce noxious emissions and noise.”

In April, GKN Aerospace revealed it was to lead a three­year, $4.8 million collaborative research program to develop titanium powder specifically for aerospace­component AM. Dubbed “titanium powder for net­shape component manufacture” (or TiPOW), it aims also to develop techniques and equipment to produce the powder consistently, in quantity, and less expensively.

TiPOW will investigate development of titanium alloys and powders more specifically suited to AM than initial materials that were not optimized for such processes. Backed by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and Technology Strategy Board “innovation agency,” this research will be followed by definition of production methods aimed at minimizing AM material costs while meeting aerospace quality, quantity, and consistency standards.

Previous AM research focused largely on evolving processes required to enter full scale production, but Dunn said that to make a significant breakthrough, the “quality, repeatability, and cost of material will be critical.” The program also will explore effective re­use and recycling of titanium material and study potential applications for recycled material.

The TiPOW research work will run alongside Horizon (AM), another GKN Aerospace­led, ATI­supported, program that aims to “take promising AM techniques through to viable production processes,” according to the company. GKN has set up five development centers in North America and Europe to focus on AM processes and technology.

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IFC Ready to Compromise on CSeries Cancellation Threat

by Vladimir Karnozov June 14, 2015, 1:45 PM

Russian leasing group Ilyushin Finance Company (IFC) appears willing to lift its threat to cancel orders for Bombardier’s delayed CSeries airliner. Following a trip to visit Bombardier in Canada early this month, IFC general manager Alexander Roubtsov told AIN that he hopes to salvage the deal for 39 CS300s with further meetings to be held this week at the Paris Air Show.

Roubtsov indicated that newly appointed Bombardier Commercial Aircraft CEO Fred Cromer could be the right person to get CSeries on track after a string of technical problems that has shaken the market’s confidence in the program. He said Cromer’s background with leasing group ILFC and Continental Airlines means he is more in tune with the customer’s perspective. “Our hope is that his team will manage to get Bombardier’s passenger aircraft business through current difficulties to success,” he commented.

But the question of financing IFC’s CSeries purchase continues to be a thorny issue, with the leasing company now barred from export credit support through Export Development Canada after the Canadian government imposed sanctions in retaliation for Russia’s annexation of Crimea and alleged military support for separatists who have seized parts of eastern Ukraine.

As a result, IFC, which is also having to contend with a devalued ruble, has turned to Chinese banks as an alternative source of funding, albeit at higher rates of interest than have been available to it in the West. “I cannot say their offers delighted us,” said Roubtsov. “But at least we have the chance to use Chinese funding for this and other procurements.”

Meanwhile, despite the mounting hostility between their respective countries, IFC and Ukrainian airframer Antonov are cooperating over plans to support deliveries of the An­158 regional jet to Cubana, which at the 2011 Paris Air Show placed a $300 million contract for 10 of the 99­seaters, the sixth of which is to be delivered later this month.

The two companies have worked together to maintain production of the An­148 and An­158, despite severe difficulties such as landing gear supplier YuzhMash, based in Dnepropetrovsk close to the ongoing conflict, being unable to complete deliveries. Arrangements were made for Russia’s Gydromash to quickly step in to supply the equipment.

IFC has also expressed an interest in investing in China’s Avic MA­700 twin turboprop. The leasing group has also

paid close attention to the joint plans by United Aircraft Corp. and Comac to develop a new generation widebody. It also has been a prominent backer of UAC’s MC­21 airliner.

Anticipating a possible lifting of international sanctions against Iran, IFC plans to resume active work with that country’s carriers. “Our contracts with Iranian colleagues never got stopped or halted,” said Roubtsov. “Unfortunately, there have been no deliveries to this country because of the sanctions. Once they are gone, we will offer the Iranians all we can give them, including the Superjet, MC­21, Tupolev and Ilyushin airplanes.”

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Rolls­Royce and Airbus Join To Boost Efficiency

by Caroline Bruneau June 12, 2015, 9:15 AM

When it comes to fuel efficiency, Rolls­Royce has proven a solid and trustworthy partner of Airbus. First, the enginemaker designed the Trent 900 for the super­jumbo A380 and now the Trent XWB for the new composite A350­ 900. New evolutions are yet to come with the Trent XWB­97 for the stretched A350­1000 and the Trent Ten 7000 for the A330neo. This latest version should double the bypass ratio, halve the noise and offer 10 percent better SFC (specific fuel consumption). Testing should start at the end of 2015 for entry into service in 2017. Despite the focus on efficiency, Caroline Day, head of marketing and strategy at Rolls­Royce, insists that safety issues are at the center of research and growth for the engine manufacturer.

But Rolls­Royce is now targeting new evolution to increase efficiency and reach the ACARE (Advisory Council for Aviation Research and innovation in Europe) goals. In 2050, according to ACARE, the CO2 emission should be reduced by 75 percent, and Rolls­Royce wants to contribute 30 percent on each aircraft to this objective. Similar reductions are anticipated for NOx emissions. Rolls­Royce’s ambition on noise reduction appears equally ambitious, expecting a 65 percent reduction in the next 35 years.

To achieve this, Rolls­Royce is focusing on research and design. The UltraFan (Geared big fan) could be ready to fly around 2025, offering 25 percent more efficiency compared to the latest Trent XWB. Increasing the bypass ratio by 15, with bigger blades and smaller core should help reduce both noise ad CO2 emissions. New materials and manufacturing will be involved in the future development. Additive layer manufacturing, know as 3­D printing, will possibly be used for these engines. Rolls­Royce is also working on CastBond, a technology combining cooling and manufacturing. The blades will be composed of a new mix called Cti (composite and titanium) and other advanced materials such as ceramic mix composites, aluminum titanium nitride (AlTiN) and nickel alloys. The UltraFan is forecast to fly before 2030, in less than 15 years.

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Superjet Touts New Financing Options To Boost SSJ Sales

by Vladimir Karnozov June 14, 2015, 8:20 AM

For the 15th anniversary of project launch, Sukhoi announced its Superjet 100 has topped 100,000 flight hours. (Photo: David McIntosh)

Visitors to Sukhoi’s Superjet SSJ100 regional airliner on display here at the Paris Air Show can get an expert guided tour using a new application that uses beacons to transmit information to their smart phones or tablets. As they move around the aircraft, the app presents them with descriptions of what they are seeing.

This innovative approach vividly illustrates the lengths to which Sukhoi and its Superjet International joint venture with Alenia are going to in their efforts to reinvigorate sales of the narrowbody. At the same time, the Superjet team is stepping up efforts to provide new sources of financing for customers.

Superjet International has put together a finance package through a multilateral export credit guaranteed by the COFACE (France), SACE (Italy) and EXIAR (Russia). This just won the Export Credit Deal of the Year Award from Air

Finance Journal.

Earlier this year, Sukhoi parent company United Aircraft Corp. agreed to set up a new leasing group to encourage Superjet sales in China. The Russian group is partnering with China’s New Century International Leasing and Xixian New Area Administrative Committee.

Another marketing initiative aimed mainly at the domestic Russian market involves an injection of around $60 million in government funds to the Russian State Transport Leasing Co., which will arrange operating leases for local airlines serving “socially important routes,” such as Crimea and Kaliningrad.

It is hoped that this will help firm up customers for around 25 to 30 “white tail” aircraft that have already been produced at UAC’s factory at Komsomolsk­upon­Amur, but which don’t yet have customers. Annual production rates were recently reduced to 36 from 45, and the plant is now working on its 100th airframe.

The 55 Superjets delivered to date have gone to the following operators: Aeroflot (19), Interjet (15), GazpromAvia (8,) Center­South (3), PT Sky Aviation (3), Red Wings (3), Yakutia (2), LAO Central (1) and the Russian interior ministry (1). LAO and PT Sky are currently not flying their aircraft and Superjet is looking into options for leasing these airframes to other carriers.

Mexico’s Interjet, which is Superjet’s Western launch customer, was set to get its 16th aircraft on the eve of this week’s Paris show, and the aircraft on display here at Le Bourget is its 17th. According to Superjet International CEO Nazario Caucegli, the manufacturer expects to have delivered all 20 of Interjet’s firm orders by the end of this year, as well as the first of 10 options that it holds. The remaining nine aircraft are set to follow next year.

Some SSJ100 operators have complained that the aircraft is still not matching promised operating costs. One airline spokesman, speaking to AIN on condition of anonymity, said that its actual costs are more than three times as expensive per hour. The SSJ100 typically seats 83 to 87 passengers in a two­class configuration, with a maximum cabin configuration of 103 seats.

Caucegli told AIN that the SSJ100’s fuel consumption is around 10­percent lower than that of its competitors, but he acknowledged that prices for spare parts have not yet stabilized. “More than 60 percent of the aircraft has been supplied by Western companies, so eventually there is no reason to think that parts will cost more than those on Western aircraft,” he said. “Some of the airline concerns come from the fact that they don’t know us very well yet.”

Another problem is a small number of maintenance, repair and overhaul centers, with the Sukhoi’s base at Zhukovsky, near Moscow, being the only one available in the whole of Russia. Compared to the network of routes flown by the SSJ100, which now comprises more than 130 destinations in 30 countries, this is somewhat lacking.

Interjet’s airplanes are maintained under an exclusive SuperCare technical support scheme from Superjet International, which has proved helpful as it ensures a high degree of fleet readiness. Figures available for 2014 indicate that SuperCare helped the Mexican airline surpass Aeroflot on daily utilization of operable airframes, with 5.77 flight hours against 4.25, and on­time performance of 98.9 percent against 95.4 percent. At the design stage, Sukhoi promised airlines that its airplane would be able to log 3,000 to 3,300 hours annually with dispatch reliability exceeding 99.2 percent.

Red Wings complained about what it views as high costs for training flight crew, which it says have been as high as $134,000 per pilot. Caucegli said that training costs will be reduced as the SSJ100 fleet and the number of available training providers increases. Currently, training is available in Moscow and in Venice, Italy, where Superjet

International is based.

“We are conscious that it will not be easy to penetrate a challenging market where competition is fair but fierce,” said Caucegli. “But we are convinced that we have many unique features and advantages, such as a huge cross­section that is comparable to a narrowbody airliner. We have a very competitive offer not only for the quality of the product, but also a very competitive price and also attractive financing conditions.”

Meanwhile, UAC and Alenia’s parent company, Finmeccanica, have acknowledged that they are holding talks to discuss a possible restructuring of the Superjet International joint venture. UAC continues to enjoy strong support from the Russian government for a program whose slow sales last year contributed to another year of financial losses–around $72.5 million on revenues of $567.8 million.

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PARIS AIR SHOW DEFENSE

Textron Seeks First Buyers for AT­6 and Scorpion Jet

by Kerry Lynch June 12, 2015, 6:00 AM

Textronʹs AirLand Scorpion ISR/strike jet appeared at last yearʹs Farnborough airshow and most recently completed a South American demonstration trip. It also completed 12 evaluation flights for U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School candidates.

Textron recently participated in U.S. Air Force student joint evaluations of its Beechcraft AT­6 light attack single turboprop and Textron AirLand Scorpion ISR/strike jet. The company has both models here at the Paris Air Show as part of a full display of its special­mission and utility aircraft.

The display marks the first appearance at the Paris Air Show of the now year­old Textron Aviation, formed out of the merger of Beechcraft and Cessna. But it is not the first appearance at a major international airshow for the company’s newly combined defense business. That occurred last year at the Farnborough International Airshow, just months after Textron completed its acquisition of Beechcraft.

The company since has been integrating the operations of what had been cross­town rivals. David Rosenberg, vice president of integration and strategy, said one of the first tasks was to assess and build on the strengths of Beechcraft turboprop and Cessna Citation jet families. This included leveraging the Beechcraft’s well­established defense and special­mission business to expand Cessna’s reach into those markets, Rosenberg said.

Textron hopes to continue that effort as it looks to secure launch customers for both the Scorpion and the AT­6.

Based on the T­6 trainer, the attack version was developed with an eye on the U.S. Air Force Light Air Support competition, only to lose out to the Sierra Nevada/Embraer team that offered the Super Tucano. The Scorpion was

developed without a specific competition, but designed to fill what Textron believes is a need for a lower­cost, commercially developed platform for battlefield and/or homeland security missions.

The company was able to showcase both during trials conducted at Textron Aviation’s Wichita, Kan., facility for U.S. Air Force Text Pilot School students. The evaluations involved both classroom and cockpit ground training, along with preparatory and evaluation flights. The trials involved 19 flights (12 involving the Scorpion, seven on the AT­6) over a four­day period.

“The demonstrations not only allowed us to showcase the capabilities of the aircraft, but it also allowed us to gather feedback, which has already proven beneficial as we continue to prepare these aircraft for entry into the market.” said Russ Bartlett, president, Beechcraft Defense Company.

Before coming to Paris, the Scorpion headed to South America for demo flights requested by a foreign air force and also participated in static display events in Florida. As for the AT­6, a spokeswoman noted the company is “actively engaged in multiple international pursuits” for a launch customer.

Aside from the AT­6, Textron Aviation also is showcasing other special­mission and utility aircraft, including the Beechcraft King Air 350ER twin­turboprop and Beechcraft Baron G58 ISR piston model.

Beechcraft unveiled the extended­range variant of the 350 at the Paris Air Show a decade ago and since has sold the model for numerous missions, ranging from traditional passenger and cargo transport to surveillance, air ambulance, airway calibration, photographic mapping and training. The aircraft has more than 12 hours of endurance for a 2,500­nautical ­mile range.

The company began testing the market in 2012 for an ISR variant of its venerable Baron piston twin. At the 2013 Paris Air Show, it would formally offer the aircraft, which is equipped with a package includes a FLIR 230­HD electro­ optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera system, an operator’s console housing a mapping/mission management computer, a recorder and a multi­band communications radio system and data link for special­mission operators.

Joining the traditional propeller­driven Beechcraft models on display is Cessna’s Grand Caravan EX turboprop utility aircraft. The big fixed­gear single received a new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A­140 engine in 2012, boosting power output to 867 shaft horsepower. Most recently, Cessna obtained approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency for a 14­place variant of the Grand Caravan.

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PARIS AIR SHOW GENERAL AVIATION

Airbus Projecting 2017 for First E­Fan Delivery

by Thierry Dubois June 11, 2015, 8:00 AM

The Airbus E‑Fan electric aircraft will be built in a new factory located in Pau, southwest France.

Participating in the flying display here at the Paris Air Show is Airbus’s E­Fan 1.0 electric aircraft, which has benefited from a number of improvements since it was on the static display here in 2013. Production of the two­seat trainer type is planned to begin in a new factory to be built in Pau, southwest France, starting in 2016. Airbus Group, through its Voltair subsidiary, is thus the first major manufacturer to join the growing number of companies that aspire to create a new, more environmentally friendly way of flying.

Since March 2014, the E­Fan 1.0 demonstrator has performed 78 test flights, logging 38 flight hours.

Leading up to this year’s show, the aircraft has been heavily modified. “We have reduced the structural weight and made the front landing gear retractable,” Detlef Müller­Wiesner, who is responsible for Airbus Group’s E­Aircraft program directorate, told AIN. He said battery capacity has been increased by 30 percent, but would not identify a percentage on resulting increase in endurance. As of mid­May, developers were evaluating possible ways to counter potential thrust asymmetries (in case of a motor failure, for instance), Müller­Wiesner explained.

The production version, the E­Fan 2.0, will offer two seats in a side­by­side configuration (the demonstrator had an aft seat but the space was filled with data transmission equipment). The E­Fan 2.0 will weigh less than 600 kg (1,323 pounds), as Airbus is planning to certify it in the light sport airplane category and that is the upper weight limit. It will be powered by two 30­40 kW motors, up from 30 kW on each of the demonstrator’s motors. The current official estimate on endurance is 75 minutes (including reserve).

Neither the demonstrator nor the E­Fan 2.0 will be able to charge batteries during descent. “It would complicate the design of the control unit and the cost­benefit ratio would be unfavorable,” Müller­Wiesner explained. Another Airbus Group source told AIN that the issue is with the heat such charging activity would generate in a confined space.

[Czech Republic­based Pipistrel has a competing program–the WattsUp–in which the propeller would act as a ram­ air turbine to recharge the battery. Thirteen percent of the battery charge would be recouped on every approach, according to Pipistrel.]

On the E­Fan 2.0, a full charge takes one hour on the ground. This is good news for flying clubs or schools, as the aircraft should be able to fly five hours per day. Another positive part of the equation is the much lower noise level (thanks to the electric motor and ducted fans), which should expand operating hours at noise­sensitive airports. “The direct operating cost will be 30 percent lower than that of existing, comparable aircraft,” Müller­Wiesner added.

Total development cost is on the order of €50 million, shared between Airbus (€20 million) and partners, including Safran, Zodiac and Siemens. Part of the cost is covered by launch aid from state and local authorities.

Daher is a subcontractor and is in charge of “operating the design office” in Tarbes, Müller­Wiesner said. The location of Daher’s design and manufacturing facility in Tarbes was a factor in choosing Pau (a 40­minute drive) for the E­ Fan’s final­assembly site. Construction on the factory is planned to begin in the middle of next year. The first delivery of an E­Fan 2.0 is scheduled for the end of 2017, according to Müller­Wiesner.

Airbus Group sees the E­Fan program as a first step toward larger electric or hybrid aircraft; the company has already run a 700 kW motor on a test rig.

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PARIS AIR SHOW AIR TRANSPORT

Airbus Sees 20­year Demand for 32,600 New Jets

by Gregory Polek June 15, 2015, 4:10 PM

Airbus’s market survey calls for a trend toward high‑capacity aircraft, such as this A350 and A380 tag team, for long‑haul operations. Over the next 20 years, the airframer sees a need for some 9,600 passenger and freighter versions of this class.

Global passenger traffic will grow at an average 4.6 percent a year, driving a need for some 32,600 new mainline aircraft worth $4.9 trillion, according to Airbus’s latest global market forecast, issued at the Paris Air Show on Monday. By 2034, passenger and freighter fleets will more than double from today’s 19,000 aircraft to 38,500. More fuel efficient types will replace some 13,100 passenger and freighter aircraft, Airbus said.

Emerging economies will account for the fastest growth, expanding at some 5.8 percent a year compared with more advanced economies, like those in Western Europe or North America, which forecasts indicate will grow collectively at 3.8 percent. Now accounting for 31 percent of worldwide private consumption, emerging economies will represent 43 percent of consumption by 2034.

According to the Airbus data, in today’s emerging economies, 25 percent of the population take one trip per year.

Airbus projects that number will increase to 74 percent by 2034. In advanced economies, such as North America, the tendency to travel will exceed two trips per year, it added.

“Asia Pacific will lead in world traffic by 2034 and China will be the world’s biggest aviation market within 10 years, and clearly Asia and emerging markets are the catalyst for strong air traffic growth,” said Airbus COO for customers John Leahy. “Today, we are ramping up production of the A350 XWB and we are studying further production rate increases beyond rate 50 for single aisle aircraft to meet the increasing demand for air transportation.”

In the widebody market, Airbus forecasts a trend towards higher­capacity aircraft on long haul, and an increasingly wide range of regional and domestic sectors. As a result, Airbus forecasts a requirement for some 9,600 widebody passenger and freighter aircraft over the next 20 years, valued at some $2.7 trillion and representing 30 percent of all new aircraft deliveries.

In the single­aisle market, the latest Airbus forecast sees a requirement for nearly 23,000 new aircraft worth $2.2 trillion over the next 20 years, an increase of nearly 1,000 aircraft compared with the estimate in the previous forecast.

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PARIS AIR SHOW AIR TRANSPORT

Antonov Steps Up Plans for An­188 Airlifter

by Caroline Bruneau and Chris Pocock June 16, 2015, 10:59 AM

Ukrainian airframer Antonov brought the new twinjet An‑178 airlifter to Le Bourget. (Photo: Mark Wagner)

Ukrainian airframer Antonov has brought the new twinjet An­178 airlifter to Le Bourget, and yesterday provided details on its proposed four­engine An­188 airlifter at a press conference here. Dmytro Kiva, president and general designer, also talked of the company’s problematic relationship with Russian partners.

“We do no work with Russian companies on military programs, but we continue to work with them on commercial support,” Kiva said. “But,” he added, “the direction given by Ukrainian President Petro Porochenko is to reduce our dependence on the Russian Federation.”

Porochenko has also challenged Antonov to increase production from the current target of 50 aircraft per year to 200.

Left unsaid was exactly how the state­owned company can fund new developments, given Ukraine’s precarious financial position.

The An­178 is in the same family as the An­148 and An­158 passenger twinjets. However, it has a redesigned fuselage with a wider cross­section with an overhead crane, and a rear­loading ramp, plus a stronger wing. The home­made Ivchenko Progress D­436 turbofans are modified to cater for higher maximum takeoff weights. The An­ 178 only flew for the first time on May 7, and is aimed squarely at the An­12 replacement market.

Presenting the An­188 for the first time outside Ukraine, Antonov officials said that this jet­powered An­70 lookalike is designed to fill the gap between the C­130J and the C­17 (neglecting to mention the A400M). Maximum takeoff weight would be 140 metric tons and the payload 40 tons.

Antonov also presented details of the An­132, a proposed replacement for the An­26/An­32 tactical airlifters. The An­ 132 would be powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada turboprops, and would also be ‘Westernized’ with content from General Electric, Honeywell, Liebherr, and Hamilton Sundstrand.

Antonov claims that the An­132 engine­out performance beats that of the competing Airbus C­295 and Alenia C­27J, and that the world market for such an aircraft exceeds 900. Antonov is working in partnership with the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KCAST) to develop the An­132.

Antonov recently held discussions with various aviation companies in neighbouring Poland about substituting Western content on the An­148/158/178 series as well.

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PARIS AIR SHOW AIR TRANSPORT

Embraer Predicts 6,350 Narrowbody Deliveries Over Next 20 Years

by Gregory Polek June 15, 2015, 2:15 PM

A new 20­year forecast released by Embraer for the 70­ to 130­seat airliner segment projects deliveries of 6,350 jets worth $300 billion. The company sees a demand for 2,250 units in the 70­ to 90­seat segment and 4,100 in the 90­ to 130­seat category.

The forecast’s regional breakdown shows North America accounting for a 32­percent share of demand, followed by Europe at 18 percent, China at 16 percent and Latin America at 11 percent. Embraer attributes the growth in the U.S. to a capacity discipline that has proven “very effective” in generating higher profits. As airlines become more attractive to investors, a shift in the main business goals from unit cost and market share to unit profit and return on investment will result, it concluded.

“Right­sized aircraft can regularly generate higher profit per seat since they have fewer available seats allocated for low­fare passengers,” explained Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Paulo Cesar Silva. “High efficiency of assets is essential to sound financial performance. Those attributes–combined with hub­and­spoke efficiency, narrowbody aircraft complement and new market development–will generate significant demand for new aircraft in the segment.”

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PARIS AIR SHOW AIR TRANSPORT

Embraer Stacks Up Paris Orders

by Ian Sheppard June 15, 2015, 3:40 PM

Representing Embraer’s regional jet family at the Paris Air Show is this ERJ135 in the static display area. The Brazilian manufacturer has announced a string of new business deals for its E‑Jet family here at Le Bourget. (Photo: David McIntosh)

Yesterday Embraer underlined why it believes there is a rosy future for its regional jets when it notched up orders from several customers for its E­Jet family.

Having earlier this week announced that it has started to assemble the first E190­E2 jet, the Brazilian manufacturer revealed orders from SkyWest Airlines (8 E175s to fly with Alaska Airlines), Colorful Guizhou Airlines (up to 17 E190s), United Airlines (E175s for United Express) and lessor Aircastle (up to 50 E2s).

The SkyWest aircraft will be flown by Alaska Airlines under a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) with Alaska Airlines. The contract is worth an estimated $355 million, said Embraer. The order follows a similar order under a CPA for seven aircraft last November, with the first of those aircraft being due to enter service with Alaska Airlines next month. Both represent the firming up of orders from an initial SkyWest order consisting of 40 firm and 60 “reconfirmable” orders placed in May 2013.

Colorful Guizhou Airlines is the first locally­owned airline in Guizhou Province, China. Its order consists of 7 firm plus options for a further 10 aircraft, with estimated potential value of $834 million. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery this year. Guizhou is Embraer’s fifth E­Jet customer in China.

The United Airlines order, a firm order for 10 aircraft worth around $444 million. Embraer said that United’s latest acquisition was on top of a 2013 order for 30 E175s.

The order from Aircastle Holding Corporation consists of 15 E190­E2s and 10 E195­E2s plus an additional 25 purchase rights, for a total potential order of 50 aircraft. Deliveries to the lessor are due to start in 2018 with it receiving “roughly seven” aircraft a year through to 2021.

Embraer said that the new orders brought the E­Jets E2 order backlog to 267 firm plus 373 options and purchase rights.

The E2 jets represent the new generation of E­Jets, being powered by Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engines, which have replaced the General Electric CF34 used on the existing line of E­Jets.

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AIR TRANSPORT

Embraer Takes Holistic Approach to Supporting Aircraft Values

by Gregory Polek June 5, 2015, 11:25 AM

Embraer E175s fly in the colors of all three U.S. legacy carriers, including United Airlines. (Photo credit: Embraer)

Embraer’s incremental approach to its product placement endeavors appears to have served it well, not only in the number of orders its E­Jet line of narrowbody jets has collected over the years, but also in the company’s ability to support the residual values of the airplanes already in service. Now as it prepares its new E2 line for entry into service starting in the first half of 2018, Embraer thinks it has positioned itself for a long production run without satiating the market’s appetite for the current line of E­Jets.

Embraer Commercial Aviation chief commercial officer John Slattery attributes the strong start to the E2 program to Embraer’s strategy of avoiding direct competition with Boeing and Airbus and its decision to adapt the E­Jet airframe rather than introduce a “clean sheet” design. In contrast, Embraer’s main competitor, Canada’s Bombardier, promotes its CSeries jet as just the kind of clean­sheet exercise it believes the market needs. While the question of which approach ultimately proves the more prudent remains open for now, the range and ready availability of financing instruments to customers could offer a clue to at least the level of confidence shown by the financial community in the products and the companies that stand behind them.

During an industry finance conference in Phoenix earlier this year, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft vice president of business acquisition Ross Mitchell insisted that “a lot of people are interested in financing the CSeries,” notwithstanding criticism from its primary competitor over the company’s historically heavy reliance on export credit agency backing. Of course, Embraer turns to its own credit agency as well for a bit less than 20 percent of its sales, but Slattery warned of overreliance on ECA financing.

“They play an important role, and I would also say that Embraer is grateful for the support that we get from the Brazilian government, specifically through BNDES in their support of our program,” Slattery told AIN. “I do believe that…there is a positive correlation…of poor residual values when you have programs that have an overreliance on ECA financing.”

The reason, said Slattery, lies in the benefits inherent in the financial community’s familiarity and commitment with the asset. If an export credit agency accounts for the asset’s primary source of financing, a crisis in confidence develops. “The investor community gets nervous if the only form of debt financing is the sovereign ECA, [and] that probably doesn’t bode well for long­term residual values, and that becomes a self­fulfilling prophecy,” noted Slattery.

BROADENING THE OPERATOR BASE Still, for Embraer, the most important driver of residual values lies with a broad operator base, and, according to Slattery, the company has set a “hard­wired plan” to expand the number of E­Jet operators from 68 today to at least 100 by the fourth quarter of 2017. Already, customer diversity does not appear to present a problem. “We have airlines operating in 48 countries, operating as LCCs, operating as network carriers or legacy carriers, operating as regional airlines…so there’s a diversity of business plans…airlines with a diversity of business plans operating in all five continents,” said Slattery.

But while E­Jets account for 80 percent of the in­service jets carrying fewer than 130 seats in China, for example, Embraer’s penetration of the Asia­Pacific market remains relatively shallow, prompting management recently to commit substantial attention and resources toward that region. “I’m confident of our ability over the next 24 months to open up new customers in Asia­Pacific outside the Chinese market,” said Slattery. “We have significantly beefed up our human resources in our Singapore office to address that market, and I’m excited about what’s in the works out there.”

Embraer recently secured its first sale in Indonesia, a market Slattery calls “custom­built” for E­Jets because of the country’s geography and demographics. The new customer, Kalstar Aviation, also launched the ATR turboprop in the Indonesian market, where airlines such as Garuda and Lion Air have given the Franco­Italian airframer some of its biggest sales to date.

Of course, ATR can trace the success of its ATR 72­600 largely to operators’ familiarity and positive experience with the not dissimilar ATR 72­500, and systems commonality between the E1s and E2s accounts for yet another important factor in ensuring residual values of Embraer’s installed base, added Slattery. In the cockpit, similar Honeywell Primus Epic avionics systems promise a relatively seamless pilot transition from one model to the other.

Pilots moving from the E1 to the E2 will not need extra simulator training, for example. “That’s actually got a positive impact on residual values of the E1s, because airlines can continue to operate the E1s with great confidence, knowing that even as they introduce the E2, airlines can [deploy] their pilots comfortably, moving between the E1 and E2, in the exact same way Airbus will experience with the Ceo and the Neo and Boeing with the NG and the Max,”

explained Slattery.

Finally, by the time the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G “geared turbofan” finds its way into service with the first E190­E2 in the first half of 2018, variants of it will already have flown many hours on the Bombardier CSeries and Airbus A320.

Although not a GTF pioneer, Embraer can reasonably claim that the experience of earlier operators will help alleviate “teething pains,” instilling still more confidence in the airplanes’ reliability within the airline market and on the part of financiers.

“By the time Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan gets to us, it will have roughly two and a half million hours on other platforms,” said Slattery. “That engine is well tested by the time we get to it.”

On the question of on­time certification of the E190E2 in the first half of 2018, Slattery compared Embraer’s prospects with those of Boeing and Airbus, both of whose re­engined narrowbodies appear firmly on or ahead of their original schedules. “We’re confident that Embraer will enjoy the same discipline with our entry into service,” he said. “And our customers are voting with their checkbooks.”

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PARIS AIR SHOW AIR TRANSPORT

Mitsubishi Plays Catch Up with MRJ Program

by Gregory Polek June 13, 2015, 10:30 AM

The fourth MRJ flight‑test airplane undergoes wing mating inside MHIʹs Komaki South Plant in Aichi Prefecture.

Despite the announcement in April that Mitsubishi would delay the first flight of its MRJ regional jet from this spring to September or October, the company continues to cite a second­quarter 2017 first delivery target. The company has assembled the first two flight­test airplanes. Plans call for the first flying prototype to perform envelope expansion and systems tests; the second to carry out performance and function tests; the third to evaluate detailed flight characteristics and avionics tests; the fourth to perform interior, community noise and icing tests; and the fifth to assess autopilot function.

Pratt & Whitney has so far built 13 PW1200G “geared turbofans” for the flight­test fleet, including spares, in Mirabel, Canada, where it plans serial production of the PW1500G for the Bombardier CSeries. For the MRJ, however, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will assume responsibility for assembling all PW1200G production examples in Japan.

Mitsubishi Aircraft vice president of sales and marketing Yugo Fukuhara expressed general satisfaction with the performance of the MRJ’s supply chain, but he noted that some second­tier suppliers will likely change. “Also, in the future, we will select second or third options,” he added. “For example, for seats or other interior systems we need multiple suppliers.”

Speaking with AIN just prior to the Paris show, Fukuhara explained that “feedback on the airplane and subsequent ground testing” prompted the latest delay to first flight. Specifically, he noted a need to review the structural strength of the ram air turbine (RAT) and address certain software bugs.

“According to the progress of the ground test, we found several areas that needed improvement,” Fukuhara told AIN. He added that Mitsubishi could have flown the airplane in March as previously planned and ground tested the software and RAT improvements afterward. However, the company decided it would rather wait to fly the airplane until after it implements the fixes, in the interest of efficiency.

The company plans to carry out much of its flight­testing at Grant County Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, in the U.S., to take advantage of its long runways and lack of regular scheduled airline service. Other testing sites in the U.S. include Gunnison­Crested Butte Regional Airport in Colorado, where the company plans to conduct high­altitude

takeoff and landing tests. Meanwhile, it has chosen Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico for special runway tests and McKinley Climatic Laboratory in Florida for extreme environment testing.

It also plans to employ 150 engineers at a new engineering center in Seattle to support all the testing activity in the U.S.

U.S. AIRLINE ORDERS Mitsubishi sees North America as the biggest and most important market for the MRJ, even though pilot union scope clauses at mainline U.S. airlines continue to restrict regional partners from flying airplanes that hold more than 76 seats and carry a maximum takeoff weight of more than 86,000 pounds. Holding firm orders for 170 airplanes from three airlines in the U.S., Mitsubishi traces well over three quarters of its order intake from the country’s regional airlines.

While one might consider such an imbalance risky, Fukuhara expressed confidence that, in fact, scope clauses would loosen to allow for the larger of the two MRJs, the MRJ90, to fly with the likes of St. George, Utah­based Skywest and St. Louis­based Trans States Airlines. If the major partners don’t manage to negotiate scope clause revisions, said Fukuhara, Mitsubishi fully expects to deliver MRJ70s instead, likely in a dual­class, 70­ seat configuration.

“We understood scope clauses at the beginning of the program,” he explained. “This is why we offered the MRJ70 and MRJ90…a maximum weight of 86,000 pounds will not limit the range of the MRJ70. So it will be a marketable airplane

under the current scope clause. Without any relaxation of scope clauses, no regional carrier in the U.S. can enjoy next generation aircraft, including the [Embraer] E­Jet E2… so we are very confident in the future [scope clause relief] will come.”

Fukuhara said SkyWest’s schedules call for first deliveries in 2018, by which time Mitsubishi expects to gain certification of the MRJ70, one year after the MRJ90. For Trans States, which plans to take its first airplanes soon after the MRJ90 gains certification in 2017, a delivery delay would seem likely if no scope clause movement happens by then. “If they need MRJ70s because the scope clause is not relaxed, we will discuss with them [the possibility of] an adjustment,” he said.

Apart from SkyWest and Trans States, U.S. startup carrier Eastern Airways, Myanmar’s Air Mandalay, Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines account for the rest of Mitsubishi’s MRJ firm order total of 223 airplanes. Launch customer ANA, which holds a firm order for 15 and options on another 10, now expects to launch service with single­ class, 88­seat MRJ90s in mid­2017. The airline plans to use the MRJs to replace at least some of the Bombardier Q400s and Boeing 737­500s now flown by subsidiary ANA Wings.

JAL, meanwhile, has decided to wait until 2021 to concentrate its resources on first introducing Airbus A350s into its

network, said Fukuhara. JAL’s plans call for replacing all the Bombardier CRJ200s flown by regional subsidiary J­Air first with Embraer E­Jets, then replacing the E­Jets with MRJs starting in 2021. The regional network will likely center on a hub at Osaka Itami Airport, from where the airline plans to connect various secondary Japanese destinations.

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PARIS AIR SHOW BUSINESS AVIATION

Piaggio Looks To Bounce Back with Evo and Hammerhead

by Charles Alcock June 15, 2015, 10:26 AM

Long recognized as one of the most versatile, efficient business aircraft, Piaggio’s Avanti Evo appears poised for a market comeback.

(Photo: Mark Wagner)

Piaggio Aerospace (Static A6) is back at the Paris Air Show with new management determined to get its new Avanti Evo business aircraft back on track and stepping up efforts for its P.1HH Hammerhead medium­altitude long­ endurance (Male) unmanned air system to enter service. CEO Carlo Logli, appointed last year when Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Aerospace took over as main shareholder of what had been a family­owned business, freely admitted in an interview with AIN last week that he has been pushing hard for a cultural change needed to make the Italian company more innovative and accountable to customers.

The airframer has invested around $153 million to consolidate its previously scattered production facilities at a new factory in Villanova d’Albenga. According to Logli, parts that previously had to move multiple times between Piaggio’s sites in Genoa and Finale Ligure are now moving through assembly much more efficiently on the consolidated assembly line.

This year, Piaggio aims to deliver six Avanti Evo twin pusherprops, and by 2017 aims to ramp up to at least two per month as it approaches an eventual production peak of between 30 and 35 units. A big sticking point, Logli explained, was that even after the Evo achieved initial European certification in December 2014, Piaggio was forced to make a late change to its landing gear supplier. It imminently expects to compete final approval for the main and nose gear, which now features new steering and anti­skid systems.

“One problem last year was that we had plenty of programs, but no production,” said Logli. “Our challenge is to achieve a cultural change in the way the company is run with more accountability and a clear sharing of mission and objectives now that we are part of a big international group,” he said. “Before, the [relationship] between the management and shareholders was quite confused. Piaggio was close to collapse a few years ago, but now we are healthy and I hope to have the new culture implemented by the end of this year.”

The upgraded Avanti also features new propeller blades that have reduced noise levels both externally and inside the cabin. “The Evo flies at more than 400 knots and at 40,000 feet, so it is comparable to a jet,” said Logli. “Our target customer is someone who wants a very comfortable cabin, not the usual cigar shape, and our cross section is definitely more comfortable [than rival aircraft in the same price range].”

A year ago at Farnborough International Air Show, Hong Kong­based Bravia Capital placed firm orders for 10 Avantis and options for up to 40 more. The first of these aircraft was due to be delivered in the first quarter of 2015.

Customer support has been another area requiring improvement at Piaggio. “We’ve put a lot of effort into this, for example by implementing a power­by­the­hour support plan and increasing our spare parts supplies and appointing new repair stations,” explained Logli. “We now have an on­call 24/7 support center and an improved online portal.”

Meanwhile, flight testing of the Hammerhead UAS is in progress with the Italian air force. The aircraft, which is based on the Avanti, can conduct missions of up to 16 hours in duration at up to 45,000 feet.

“No other aircraft in serial production can achieve this and it is the only one [in its Male category] to have two engines and be able to operate in any weather conditions,” claimed Logli. “This is a big advantage for both civil and military applications.”

Last month, Piaggio announced further changes to its management structure led by chief financial officer Giulio Di Negro, chief technical officer Giovanni Bertolone, chief operating officer Eligio Trombetta and chief commercial officer Francescomaria Tuccillo.

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PARIS AIR SHOW BUSINESS AVIATION

Pilatus Jet Gets Off to a Flying Start

by David Donald June 15, 2015, 8:03 AM

The Pilatus PC‑24 first flew from the company’s plant in Buochs, Switzerland, on May 11.

Pilatus has brought both its PC­12 turboprop single business/utility aircraft and PC­21 trainer to the Paris Air Show, but the prototype of the company’s latest product, the PC­24 business jet, is not here because it is now fully engaged in its flight­test campaign, which began last month.

Prototype P01 undertook its maiden flight from Buochs in Switzerland on May 11, taking off for a 55­minute flight, during which the landing gear was left extended. Pilot in command Paul Mulcahy and test pilot Reto Aeschlimann reported “beautifulhandling.” Registered HB­VXA, the prototype had flown six times as of this week, and had chalked up 14 hours in the air as part of what is planned as a 2,300­hour trialscampaign.

Pilatus initiated the PC­24 program in 2007. “After eight years wait it was very exciting to see it fly,” Pilatus chairman Oscar Schwenk told AIN. The company is building two further prototypes to complete the test and certification process. While P01 is undertaking initial envelope expansion tests, P02 is being prepared for a first flight around the end of October. This machine is expected to spend much of the campaign with Honeywell in the U.S., trialling the avionics and autopilotsystems.

P03 is the third test airframe, and will be completed to production­representative standards, with a full cabin. It will be

the compliance item for certification, and will also be used for customer demonstrations, which are scheduled to start at the end of 2016. Under current planning Pilatus expects to fly P03 in the middle of next year, although Schwenk

noted that its completion may be delayed to incorporate improvements that may arise from the tests with P01 and P02.

Part of the campaign involves hot­ and cold­weather trials, the former likely to be undertaken in southern Spain. Icing trials are perhaps the most difficult to plan. Tests can be performed using molded foam to simulate icing, but certification requires demonstration in real heavy icing conditions. The test crew cannot predict where and when this will occur, so it inevitably involves some waiting around and rapid deployments to find the right conditions.

Rough­field testing will start in early 2017 as one of the last elements to becleared. Certification is planned for mid­ 2017, with initial deliveries commencing a month after.

Serial production will commence at least 10 months prior to that, initially with a 10­aircraft pre­production batch.

Production will ramp up with increasing batch sizes, and Pilatus has a maximum capacity planned for producing 50 aircraft per year.

Pilatus opened the order book for its PC­24 “super versatile jet” at the 2014 EBACE show in Geneva, and in just 36 hours had notched up 84 orders. Pilatus is expecting to deliver those aircraft by the end of 2019. For now the order book is temporarily closed so that Pilatus can concentrate on the flight tests and finalizing production details to fulfil the initial batch of orders. Schwenk expects Pilatus to be in a position to begin accepting new orders in mid­2016.

The Swiss company has designed the baseline PC­24 to a high specification, but also is examining a range of options, including special missions. “We see this aircraft as being excellent for government use,” said Schwenk. One mission fit that will be available from the start is a full medevac configuration. The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia–a major operator of the Pilatus PC­12 single­engine turboprop–is one of the launch customers for the PC­ 24, having ordered six aircraft. Pilatus will work closely with the RFDS to introduce the aircraft, especially as it will be used regularly for rough­field operations. “It’s good to have customers who fly a lot under extreme conditions,” said Schwenk. “We can learn a lot about operating the aircraft fromthem.”

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PARIS AIR SHOW AEROSPACE

Russia and China Push for Next­Gen Widebody

by Vladimir Karnozov June 11, 2015, 10:40 AM

Spurred by their respective national leaders, officials from Chinaʹs Comac and Avic and Russiaʹs UAC reached and signed an agreement to pursue a common program to design a family of jetliners. The partners will split development costs and expect the first baseline model to be certified around 2024.

China and Russia are pressing ahead with plans to jointly develop a next­generation widebody jetliner. The project is led by Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC), along with Chinese airframers Comac and Avic.

The plans calls for development of a family of three models. The baseline version of the proposed twinjet would be able to transport 250 to 280 passengers up to 6,476 nm. This would be followed by smaller and stretched versions of the same airframe.

Under the terms of a recently concluded agreement, first flight would be achieved around the middle of 2021, followed by certification in 2024 and initial deliveries. The basis for the agreement forged between UAC, Comac and Avic was an accord reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at their summit meeting in Shanghai last year.

The business plan for the as­yet­unnamed program was agreed to last fall. The initial design phase is supposed to be concluded in July, with tasks accomplished by working groups established by the three airframers. These include groups focusing on technical issues, supply chain, marketing and aftersales support. “Our colleagues from Comac have been enthusiastic about this project, and applying every effort to its development,” commented UAC president Yuri Slyusar, who said that China is “a powerful, reliable and resourceful partner with its own competencies, growing market and a vision of the way ahead.”

The partners will be splitting development costs estimated at around $13 billion. “This is going to be an international project with a big industrial cooperation,” said Slyusar. “Russia will contribute a substantial number of components.”

UAC’s engineering team is responsible for design of the new aircraft’s wing, empennage and aerodynamic surfaces,

which will be made of composite materials. The wingspan is expected to be some 360 feet, with the first example due to be ready sometime around 2019­2020. Overall, the airframe is expected to be composed around 50 percent of composite materials and 15 percent titanium.

An as­yet­unspecified turbofan for the airliner is expected to have thrust in the 77,000­ to 88,000­pound range. The engine supplier is yet to be selected, but Russia’s Aviadvigatel is viewed as a likely candidate that could offer a more powerful version of the PD­14 turbofan now being developed for UAC’s Irkut narrowbody MC­21.

According to Aviadvigatel general designer Alexander Inozemtsev, the PD­14’s core would be scaled up by 50 percent. The design house says it can complete the documentation package in three years, beginning after PD­14 certification in 2017.

That said, as has been the case with recent new Russian airliners, early prototypes and production examples of the proposed Russian­Chinese widebody may rely on a Western powerplant. But UAC and its partners apparently view this as a stopgap solution until they can develop their own next­generation high­bypass­ratio engines. “Our colleagues from Comac and Avic have expressed support of that vision,” insisted Slyusar.

DREAMLINER LOOK­A­LIKE In a computer­generated image AIN received from UAC, the new aircraft looks similar to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

But this may not be the final version of the design, with Russian engineers reportedly exploring other aerodynamic options.

For instance, Russian scientific institutions have been studying a configuration based on a highly blended wing­ fuselage, with an oval cross section designed for higher lift. This work is being developed by former Tupolev designers under a project called Frigate Ecojet.

Before receiving the command from the top political leaders, Comac and UAC had been working on their own visions of a next­gen widebody. Chinese designers had been working on a project called C929 that would follow on after the C919 narrowbody, using experience achieved on this and the earlier initiated ARJ­21 regional jet. For reference, they

considered the Boeing 787.

UAC’s current view of the design is based on extensive research initiated by its Tupolev subsidiary under a project

called ShFS (the Russian acronym for widebody airplane). This involves the mating of an Airbus A300­style fuselage to the wing of a Tu­214. It has been conceived to carry up to 300 passengers on flights of up to 2,700 nm.

During initial negotiations with its prospective Chinese partners, UAC offered Ilyushin’s Il­86 and Il­96 as the starting point for the new design. A small number of the four­engine Il­86s flew with Chinese airlines in the late 1980s­early 1990s and earned a reputation for being able to operate out of airports with limited infrastructure, in places such as Urumqi. But, along with other Russian aircraft of the same era, they were also noted for being inefficient in terms of fuel consumption, and this prompted Ilyushin to develop the twin­engine Il­96, powered by a pair of Kuztetsov NK­93 propfans with extremely high bypass ratio of 16:6.

Negotiations with the Chinese companies appeared to be going nowhere until Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping took a personal interest. For the Russian industry, the alliance with China provides an alternative to partnerships with Western companies that may increasingly be compromised by economic sanctions and concerns over the stability of Russia’s economy.

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CLIPPIN ESPECIAL REVISTA

HEADLINES

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Orders take-off headlines p9

al baker makes it un, deux, trois, qatar, cinq!

By MURDO MORRISON

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qatar quintet: (Clockwise from top left) A320, A350, 787, A319 and A380

delivery targeted for 2020. With the Qatar order, the 777X has accumulated 320 orders and commitments from six customers worldwide.

On the threat to leave Oneworld, Al Baker says: “If we find that we can’t find a settlement to this issue, then yes, we will exit Oneworld.”

The possibility of a withdrawal from had previously been raised by Al Baker during the IATA annual general meeting in Miami earlier this month. Oneworld member American Airlines is one of the

Mali puts arms in the air with Super Tucano Mali is to gain an expanded capability to protect its territory through an order for six Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos.

Signed on the opening day of the show, the order will boost the nation’s ability to conduct “advanced training, border surveillance and internal security missions”, says Embraer. The aircraft will be delivered in an armed configuration.

“The Super Tucano speaks for itself – the reputation of this aircraft is very good worldwide,” Mali’s defence minister Tieman Coulibaly told Flight Daily News. The acquisition will help the nation “to build a strong air arm”, he adds.

Coulibaly signed the agreement with Embraer Defense & Security chief executive Jackson Schneider.

SHAKE ON IT: Coulibaly and Schneider FLIGHT DAILY NEWS | 16 JUNE 2015

‘

Pictures: BillyPix

herever Akbar Al Baker appears, stories are sure to follow – and this year’s Paris is no exception. After ensuring perhaps the biggest-ever presence by an airline at an air show – with no fewer than five aircraft on display on the static – the outspoken Qatar Airways chief executive yesterday signed for 10 Boeing 777-8Xs and four 777 Freighters.

On a separate theme, he also yesterday reiterated his threat to leave the Oneworld alliance if the ongoing subsidies dispute between Gulf carriers and three US mainline carriers is not resolved.

The Qatar array at Paris features two more aircraft than it had on display at Farnborough last year, which was itself unprecedented.

The line up comprises: ■ The Airbus A350-900. The Doha airline was the launch customer for the widebody; ■ An Airbus A380. The 517-seat superjumbo joined the Qatar fleet last year; ■ A Boeing 787-8. Qatar’s first Dreamliner was delivered in the second half of 2012; ■ An Airbus A320; ■ An Airbus A319 in 40-seat all-business class configuration.

At Farnborough, Qatar’s display consisted of an A320 with sharklets, its 787 and a still-to-be-delivered A350 in hybrid Airbus/Qatar colours. Its first A380 was due to join the trio, but was delayed.

Qatar has eight 777Fs in service. Design of the 777X is under way and production is set to begin in 2017, with first

If we find that we can’t find a settlement to this issue, then yes, we will exit Oneworld

‘

three US carriers – alongside Delta Air Lines and United Airlines – that are calling for their national government to begin talks with the UAE and Qatari administrations. The US carriers say Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways received more than $42 billion in state subsidies and are violating open-skies agreements.

At Paris, Al Baker repeated accusations that American was “blocking inventory” on passenger booking systems and preventing gate access for Qatar at New York JFK airport.

RAMP-UP: RUAG plans produce four aircraft a year from mid-2016

the Dornier of a new era RUAG is to start serial production of the Dornier 228.

The Swiss-headquartered manufacturer says it will produce four aircraft a year from mid-2016, “with this number set to increase in line with demand”. Assembly of the fuselage has already begun, and the wing panels are currently in the forming process, adds RUAG. The final assembly line has also been set up, in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany.

RUAG argues a partnership with India’s Tata Advanced Systems, part of a supply-chain “realignment”, provides

“greater flexibility to meet the market’s rapidly changing requirements”.

While production of the aircraft involves a number of global suppliers including Tata, “everything is controlled by RUAG personnel on site in Germany where assembly, final checks, and test flights are carried out”, adds the manufacturer, which is seeing “significant growth” for special-mission versions of the Dornier 228, used in maritime policing and border control.

Volker Wallrodt – RUAG’s senior vice-president for business jets, the 228 and components – notes the type’s

“on-station time of up to eight hours, high performance, and easy installation of equipment”.

He adds: “The aircraft is also popular for connecting remote regions in countries such as Venezuela where, as a commuter aircraft, the Dornier 228 has proven its STOL [short take-off and landing] and hot-and-high capabilities as well as its ability to operate on unprepared runways.”

A trend towards operating 19-seaters in Asia and Africa is driving RUAG to focus on “ensuring a sustainable and reliable serial production line”, the manufacturer says.

Sage advice lands Selex Indonesian contract Selex has been awarded a contract to deliver its Sage 600 electronic support measure (ESM) system to Indonesia for integration on board its air force’s maritime patrol variant of the Airbus Defence & Space CN-235 transport.

The electronic warfare system passively collects emitter data from RF sources and compares them with an emitter library to identify threats and geolocate them, and will be incorporated on the CN-235 through integrator Integrated Surveillance and Defence. This marks the first sale of the Sage system for a fixed-wing type.

“We’ve been maturing Indonesia as a market for a while now,” says Pete Forrest, vice-president of marketing and sales for electronic warfare product at Selex, noting that although the CN-235 is a big aircraft, the requirement was for a compact system.

The programme has gone to contract in less than 12 months, and will be delivered in September with an anticipated in-operation date of the end of 2016.

Selex offers the electronic warfare operational support mission and training package for customers of its EW systems, and although Indonesia will receive a baseline version of this, Forrest says Selex will look to offer the whole package to the air force.

The air force has an inventory of seven CN-235s, Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows, including one maritime patrol variant.

Meanwhile, Sage is about to undergo four weeks of testing on the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter rotary-wing unmanned air vehicle, which is being offered for a Royal Australian Navy requirement that is exploring different options of UAV, including both fixedand rotary-wing types.

There are also planned ESM trials of Sage for the UK Ministry of Defence alongside its Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The system has also been provided to the Republic of Korea as part of a package of electronic warfare equipment for the country’s Maritime Operational Helicopter programme for the AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat, and is being pitched to Brazil for use on board its AgustaWestland Lynx helicopters.

“Sage is now penetrating the market, so people are taking note,” Forrest notes.

7

air transport

flightglobal.com/paris

comac blasts past 500 mark for c919 Lessor signs for 50 narrowbodies while start-up gets ARJ21s

GE cuts to thrust on MOM engine

C

Pictures: BillyPix

General Electric has confirmed a new centreline engine is required to support an emerging Boeing concept for a new aircraft sized between the 737 Max and 787-8.

“If you take a look at it, we don’t have an engine in the portfolio that fits this thrust class, as I understand,” GE Aviation chief executive David Joyce said at the Paris air show. “Will it take a new development programme? Yeah.”

Joyce’s comments suggest the architecture of the CFM International Leap engine is insufficient to propose a higher-thrust variant to power Boeing’s socalled “middle of the market”, or MOM, study.

Three versions of the Leap core now occupy a spread of power ratings between 28,000lbthrust (125kN) for the Boeing 737 Max 7 and 35,000lb-thrust for the A321neo.

But the MOM concept would require an engine with a rating between 40,000lb-thrust and 50,000lb-thrust, says Bill Fitzgerald, GE’s vice-president of commercial engines.

That thrust range falls within the class of engines managed

by GE’s joint venture with Snecma: CFM International.

An agreement between the companies gives the joint venture first right of refusal on new engine development programmes between 18,500lb-thrust and 50,000lb-thrust.

omac has won commitments for an additional 57 of its C919 narrowbodies, bringing the total for the in-development jet past the 500 mark, as the Chinese airframer works towards a roll-out this year.

Additionally, seven has been added to the number of ARJ21 regional jets for which Comac has secured commitments.

In a signing ceremony at the Paris air show yesterday, Ping An Leasing inked a letter of intent for 50 C919s, becoming one of Comac’s largest customers.

The Shanghai-based Chinese lessor, set up in 2012, was last year in the running for the purchase of AWAS’s 100-aircraft portfolio.

At the same event, Chinese investor Puren Group signed for seven C919s and seven ARJ21s.

INKED: Comac CFO Tian Min (left, holding model) with Ping An’s Wei Linfeng

By Mavis toh

The aircraft are for start-up Puren Airlines.

Puren Group acquired Lubeck airport in Germany last year and plans to start Puren Airlines in order to develop connections from the gateway. Work is under way towards securing an air operator’s certificate.

The new deals bring the total number of commitments for the C919 to 507, and those of the ARJ21 to 315.

first flight Comac tells Flight Daily News it is working towards rolling out its first C919 prototype in September, and that the first flight of the aircraft, originally scheduled for end-2015, has been pushed to next year.

Final assembly of the C919 airframe has been completed and system installations have also started.

Airbus: A380 may enjoy ‘little’ stretch Airbus has strongly hinted that it is considering a moderate stretch of the A380 as part of a modernisation package tied to a potential engine upgrade on the type.

While the notion is only preliminary, the airframer has been gauging interest from possible customers.

Airbus originally intended to stretch the A380-800 to a proposed -900, a version which would make better use of the -800’s wing. However, with the A380 experiencing slack sales and other aircraft programmes taking priority, the -900 has long been relegated only to a possible future initiative.

Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy – while unveiling the company’s global

market forecast at the Paris air show – indicated that a revised stretch proposal was being floated to customers.

He says the airframer is “discussing a little stretch” with some operators. The possible dimensions of such an aircraft have not been disclosed.

However, Leahy tells Flight Daily News

SLACK: Orders for the type of trailed off, with other programmes taking priority

that while the A380-900 would raise the capacity of the baseline A380 by some 100 seats, to around 650, the revised stretch would be “about half that”.

He says the timeframe for such a development would be around 2020, and that Airbus – if the programme became firmer – would “probably” still designate the proposed aircraft as the -900.

While Emirates has strongly backed a re-engining effort for the A380, Leahy discloses that the airframer is “talking to at least halfa-dozen” possible customers for such an initiative – although he adds that should the airframer eventually proceed to a formal programme, the number involved in a launch phase would probably be fewer.

Bombardier says signs of neglect are a thing of the past

SELLING POINTS: Q400 is a flexible option

10

Bombardier plans to reinvigorate its marketing efforts on the Q400 turboprop and CRJ regional jet after admitting that it has neglected the two aircraft in recent years.

In addition, it is evaluating future engine options and other changes for both types in a bid to drive performance improvements.

“I think we took our eye slightly off the ball,” says Colin Bole, senior vicepresident sales and aircraft management at the Canadian airframer. “We will put more emphasis on marketing both the Q400 and CRJ in future.”

Although the backlogs for both

types have improved of late – standing at 52 and 81 respectively as of 31 March – they continue to lag those of their competitors at ATR and Embraer.

On the Q400, the emphasis is on the “flexibility” of the platform, says Jean-François Tessier, director of CRJ programme strategy.

A 78-seat example is on display in Paris in the colours of Abu Dhabi’s Falcon Aviation Services – although it is understood to be eventually destined for a Senegalese carrier – but an 86-seat, high-density variant is also available.

So far, only Thailand’s Nok Air has

acquired the higher capacity model, which uses a seat pitch of 29in (74cm), plus reconfiguration of the forward baggage compartment, to achieve the increase.

However, there is potential to add another seat row if pitch is further reduced to 28in, says Ross Mitchell, vice-president, business acquisition, taking capacity to 90 seats.

Bombardier is additionally in discussions with all the major propulsion manufacturers “to evaluate the technology they can put on the market”.

Tessier stops short of committing to re-engining, noting that any

fuel saving would have to be sufficient to “justify the [cost of adding] the new engine”.

It is a similar story on the CRJ family. Bombardier has committed to delivering a “double digit” cut in fuel burn by 2020, says Tessier, through both an aerodynamic clean-up of the aircraft and engine enhancements.

The former could include a reshaped wing on the CRJ1000 and a longer, reshaped wing on the CRJ900, which would grow to match the 85ft 11in wingspan on its larger sibling, alongside the possible addition of landing gear doors.

16 JUNE 2015 | FLIGHT DAILY NEWS

‘Wolverine’ rebrand gives AT-6 its teeth

flightglobal.com/paris

FORECASTS

defence p16

embraer eyes us e-jet deals Airbus’s latest market outlook slightly raises the forecast demand for high-capacity aircraft to 1,550 over the next 20 years.

The figure is an increase of about 50 airframes on the previous outlook released last September. Airbus has revised the annual forecast in a shorter time interval to enable its release during the Paris air show.

Its previous outlook put high-capacity demand at 1,501 aircraft, with a need for some 1,228 passenger jets in the ‘very large’ category – which covers the Airbus A380.

Speaking as he detailed the update, Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy (pictured) maintained that high-capacity aircraft are “clearly required” – pointing out that even Boeing’s much more conservative forecast put de-

FLIGHT DAILY NEWS | 16 JUNE 2015

mand, including freighters, at 540 airframes. “We think we’ll sell a bit more than that,” says Leahy. He insists that increased frequencies will not suffice to accommodate growth in global traffic, particularly in the “mega-cities” which handle over 10,000 international long-haul passengers daily.

“You have to have more, larger aircraft,” Leahy says, adding that Airbus projects the number of “megacities” to rise from 47 to 91 in 20 years’ time.

Leahy claims 39 of the current 47 locations are already schedule-constrained.

The manufacturer’s forecast, covering 2015-2034, hikes the overall global demand for new aircraft to 32,600 – an increase of some 1,200 – collectively worth nearly $5 trillion. Widebody deliveries will account for $2.7 trillion.

E

mbraer continues to predict strong demand for its currentgeneration E-Jets, with a top executive saying the company may even be able to sell E-Jets to mainline carriers in the USA. John Slattery, Embraer’s chief commercial officer, describes Embraer’s 100-seat E195 and 96-seat E190 as logical replacements for ageing types like Boeing MD-80s, Airbus A319s and classic 737s.

SkyTeam carrier Delta announced earlier this month that it will acquire 20 E190s from Boeing, which received them from Air Canada, which is divesting the type.

The E190s will enter Delta’s fleet in the fourth quarter of 2016.

With the move, Delta becomes the second US major after American Airlines to operate E-Jets.

“Hopefully that might be a trend that we continuing seeing in North America,” Slattery told Flight Daily News on the first day of the show. Delta operates 180 MD-80 family aircraft,

Pictures: BillyPix

Airbus weighs up 20-year outlook

By JON HEMMERDINGER

SITTING PRETTY: Embraer chief commercial officer John Slattery and chief operating officer Luis Carlos Affonso show off a mock-up of the E-Jet E2 according to Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database.

“Airlines will increasingly look at downsizing from some of that larger equipment,” Slattery says.

He adds that Embraer continues to be “pleasantly surprised” with demand for current-generation E-Jets de-

spite, the airframer now selling the improved E2s.

“As the low cost carriers continue to want to grow outside of addressing larger trunk operations between larger cosmopolitan areas, they need to address those new markets with smaller gauge equipment,” he says.

13

PROFILE embraer

flightglobal.com/paris

Bullish Embraer maintains momentum

DOMINIC PERRY

S

ince its launch at the Paris air show two years ago, Embraer has made steady ­ progress on its re-engined, re-winged E2 E-Jet programme.

It had, heading in to Le Bourget, ­already accumulated some 242 firm orders across the three variants. This, it is worth pointing out, means that Embraer has already almost equalled Bombardier’s firm orderbook of 243 aircraft for the developmental CSeries, a figure that has been considerably longer coming.

And components for the first flighttest aircraft – an E190-E2 – are already being shipped to its São José dos Campos production line to begin final assembly ahead of a maiden sortie scheduled for next year.

market interest It is perhaps unsurprising then that Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, chief executive of Embraer Commercial ­ ­Aviation, exudes an air of confidence .

“Interest from the market has been

Embraer

HEAVYWEIGHT: The company’s KC-390 military transport made its first flight in February

The Brazilian airframer is confident in both its commercial and military programmes, ranging from the E2 E-Jet to the KC-390 tanker-transport and A-29 Super Tucano turboprop quite good, we are very satisfied in this regard,” he says.

“We have 242 orders so far, plus ­options and other commitments it is almost 550. We have some strong names there, so this is positive. We launched this programme only two years ago and we have had very good interest from airlines.”

Certification testing will be performed with four E190-E2s and a single E195-E2 – both of which are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1900G engines – and three E175-E2 prototypes, which use the smaller PW1700G powerplants.

There is no E170-E2, however, with Embraer having taken the view that there was not sufficient market interest in the smallest member of the E-Jet family – its backlog for the current-generation model totals just five aircraft at present – to warrant the complication and

expense of developing a new version.

There is a chance the E1 model could continue in production when its re-engined sister aircraft arrive from 2018, but Silva is unconvinced by the likely demand. The case is different for the E175E1, which could continue to be offered to the market if US pilot unions do not approve a scope clause change to allow bigger, heavier regional jets on which the success of the E2 model depends in North America. Service entry for the 44,650kg maximum take-off weight E175-E2 is scheduled for 2020.

“If there is no change, of course we will continue to manufacture the E1.

But it is difficult to say for how many more years – two, four, five… It depends on the scope clause,” says Silva.

The airframer continues to build up its backlog of current-generation jets to bridge to the newer model. Embraer is,

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We launched the E2 E-Jet programme only two years ago and we have had very good interest

Embraer

INTEREST: The first flighttest E190-E2 is nearing final assembly

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In all, it forecasts a total market for 6,250 regional jets over the next 20 years. If it maintains its 60% share of the 70-130-seat segment, that would see it delivering around 3,000 aircraft over the period. To put that into context, within 10 years of delivering the initial E1 EJets, it is now closing on its 1,200th delivery, a milestone that will be reached around opportunities September or October.

Aside from the new Of course, Embraer engines, the twinjets ­ may be better known gain new wings, landing globally for its comgear, avionics and fullmercial aircraft, but it fly-by-wire controls, has a thriving defence among other modificabusiness as well. Headtions. However, Silva ing up the d ­ ivision is says the intention has Jackson Schneider, been to maintain cockpit whose biggest responcommonality between sibility at present is enthe two aircraft iterasuring the successful Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva tions, to allow pilots to CEO, Embraer Commercial ­Aviation development of the transition from one to KC-390 tanker and the other in around 3h. transport.

A number of big opportunities preSince making its first – and only – sent themselves for E-Jets over the com- flight on 3 February, the KC-390 has ing years, says Silva. These include the been kept in its hangar in what Schneireplacement of 50-seat jets such as its der calls a “lay-up period”, to allow the own ERJ-145 and the Bombardier installation of all the instrumentation CRJ200 in the USA; low-cost carrier required for certification trials. The growth in Europe and Asia; regional ­International Aero Engines V2500-powaviation in Brazil, China and, to a lesser ered KC-390 should return to the skies extent, India; the replacement of turbo- in the next two months. It will be joined props in Asia-Pacific; and the use of the by a second flight-test prototype in E195 as a “compact narrowbody” by around September or October this year. mainline carriers looking to “right-size” Embraer will require around 2,000h aircraft for more efficient operation. of flight testing to attain military certifi-

says Silva, “building that good transition quite nicely”. Its delivery guidance for 2015 is 95-100 aircraft “and next year is coming along well too”. The backlog of 212 E1 jets extends into 2017, before there is any sort of production gap. The E190-E2 is scheduled to arrive from 2018, with the E195-E2 following a year later.

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16 JUNE 2015 | FLIGHT DAILY NEWS