NEWS
AEROSPACENEWS
New developments in the Aerospace industry
Paris Air Show record for ATR
D
uring the Paris Air Show in June, ATR announced 60 new orders and 37 options. These join the 28 orders and 5 options previously revealed this year. The total value of these orders, including the options, is estimated at US$ 2.8 billion. Filippo Bagnato, chief executive officer of ATR, declared: “Our list of customers, both airlines and leasing companies, is dramatically increasing,
and ATR aircraft are today in service in almost 100 countries. This clearly underlines the ATR product as the optimal solution for regional transportation. We are pleased to welcome our new operators and customers, and we are honoured at the confidence that existing operators have placed in ATR for years.” Founded in 1981, ATR has become the world leader on the market for 50 to 74 seat turboprop
aircraft and has sold 1100 planes, which are used by 175 operators in over 90 countries. www.atraircraft.com
Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Paris Show IN
June the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, ZA001, joined the historic line-up of Boeing airplanes on display at the Paris Air Show. “We are making great progress toward finishing certification of the 787 with Rolls-Royce Package A engines,” said Scott Fancher, vice-president and general manager of the 787 program. “It’s an honour to bring the 787 to the Paris Air Show on behalf of all of the hard working men and women around the world who have designed and built this amazing airplane.”
The 787-8, the first member of the 787 family of jetliners, is a twin-aisle airplane that accommodates 210–250 passengers on routes between 7650 and 8200 miles (14,200 and 15,200km) – making it the only mid-size airplane capable of long-range routes. As a result of innovative technologies, the airplane offers unparalleled operating economics, fuel efficiency and passenger comfort. More than 800 787s are on order by more than 50 airlines. www.boeing.com
BAE Systems continues to ramp up on F-35 programme
B
AE Systems has recently delivered the 50th F-35 rear fuselage and empennage (vertical and horizontal tails) to its partner Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas. Tim Boness, production director F-35 explains: “50 down but over 3000 to go. It sounds like a drop in the ocean but we’ve come a long way since we started manufacturing back in 2004. You only need to look at the development of the Samlesbury (UK) site over the past few years and
it’s very clear that we’re making a real investment in the future. We are ready to manufacture thousands more sets at our state-of-the-art machining and assembly centre. “With production orders now moving through at a rate of three per month and the US Air Force flying the aircraft for themselves there is a real buzz in the air. The goal for the 1200 employees on the F-35 programme at Samlesbury is to be ready to meet the peak rate production of one aircraft set a day in
Cobham awarded USAF KC-46 tanker engineering subcontracts
(EMD) phase of the program, including development hardware. Earlier this year, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected Boeing to provide the next generation strategic tanker, the KC-46. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Boeing had selected Cobham to provide the hose and drogue refuelling systems. These systems will be manufactured by Cobham
C
obham has been awarded two subcontracts by Boeing related to the hose and drogue aerial refuelling system that will be used by the US Air Force’s new KC-46 tanker aircraft. The contracts, valued in excess of $73 million, relate to the Engineering and Manufacturing Development
2016. It’s a production challenge on a size and scale normally associated with commercial aircraft but we have a much more complex and advanced product.” www.baesystems.com Mission Equipment at its air to air refuelling centre of excellence in Davenport, Iowa. The USAF plans to acquire 179 KC-46 tankers from Boeing. Cobham expects to equip each aircraft with a centreline drogue system. Approximately 30 tankers will also be provided with a pair of wing-mounted aerial refuelling pods. www.cobham.com
Industry Europe 11
