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NEWS
New developments in the Aerospace industry
AEROSPACENEWS Paris Air Show record for ATR
During 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
BAE 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 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
Cobham awarded USAF KC-46 tanker engineering subcontracts
Cobham 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 (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 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
NEWS
New developments in the Aerospace industry
MTU Aero Engines scores big at Le Bourget
For Germany’s leading engine manufacturer, the Paris air show at Le Bourget was a huge success: MTU CEO Egon Behle reported that the company had bagged orders in the total amount of more than 600 million euros. “That’s a figure that is twice as high as at the last Paris Air Show two years ago,” explained Behle.
Deals have been concluded for the PurePower PW1000G geared-turbofan family, the GEnx engine powering the Boeing 747-8, and the popular V2500 for standard A320 jets. Said Behle: “We are pleased to note that after a first, very big wave of orders for the geared turbofan, we now see additional major contracts coming in for this propulsion system here at Le Bourget, and, importantly, not just for the A320neo, but also for the CSeries and the MRJ.” For Behle, one of the highlights this year was the international air show debut of the new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental.
“I’m very confident that our program share in the GEnx, which has been selected as the exclusive powerplant for this aircraft, will also pay dividends over the next few years,” said MTU’s chief executive. www.mtu.de
Premium AEROTEC opens plant in Romania
With completion of the second construction phase, Premium AEROTEC has opened its new plant in Ghimbav, in Romania’s Brasov County. The production facility for aircraft components, erected in just 14 months, was officially commissioned in the presence of Romanian prime minister Emil Boc and EADS CEO Louis Gallois. The new plant will now specialise in the production and assembly of metal components for all Airbus series programmes (A320 family, A330, A380). Production started in December 2010 on completion of the first construction phase. Premium AEROTEC is Europe’s most important manufacturer of large aircraft structures, and produces primarily for Airbus. Premium AEROTEC was established in 2009 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the aerospace and defence group EADS.
“We are pleased to support Romania in further developing its aeronautical sector by locating Premium AEROTEC and other EADS subsidiaries such as Eurocopter here in Brasov. EADS is thus further increasing its industrial footprint in Romania which is already significant through projects such as the border security project,” said Louis Gallois, CEO of EADS. www.premium-aerotech.com
Digital platform for Europe’s aerospace industry
Five leading European aerospace and defence companies, EADS/Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Safran and Thales, have decided to create a European digital hub for the management of collaborative programmes and their supply chains. The platform, BoostAeroSpace, provides standardised and secured collaborative services.
BoostAeroSpace will provide the following services: AirCollab (collaborative workspace, e-meetings), AirDesign (product lifecycle management collaboration, digital mock-up sharing), AirSupply (supply chain management collaboration, logistics exchanges). AirCollab service has been available since April 2011 whilst the AirDesign and AirSupply services will be fully operational before year end. The platform will then progressively be used by its Founders and their international partners and suppliers.
Eurocopter acquires 98.32 per cent of Vector Aerospace
The acquisition of Vector Aerospace will help to increase the growth of Support & Services activities for Eurocopter and EADS in both the civil and governmental markets. Vector Aerospace will also strengthen EADS’ presence in North America and the UK.
Marwan Lahoud, chief strategy & marketing Officer of EADS, said: “We are pleased that Vector Aerospace will now become part of the EADS Group having received all the necessary regulatory approvals and achieved the required shareholder acceptance level. The inclusion of Vector will help EADS achieve its long-term strategic goals of increasing its services activities and exposure to the very important North American aerospace market.”
Declan O’Shea, CEO of Vector Aerospace, added: “Becoming part of Eurocopter and EADS Group is perhaps the single most important event in our company’s history as it elevates us into a different echelon of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul providers.” www.eurocopter.com
AEROSPACENEWS
Rolls-Royce has won a $1bn order from Singapore Airlines to supply Trent 700 engines to power 15 Airbus A330 aircraft, along with TotalCare® services support.
The Trent 700 is the most fuel efficient, cleanest and quietest engine on the A330. Since it entered service in 1995, Rolls-Royce has continued to improve its performance by incorporating advanced technology from the Trent 900 and Trent 1000. These enhancements have delivered a one per cent reduction in fuel consumption, which saves 800 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft, per year.
Singapore Airlines already operates 19 Trent 700-powered A330s, the first of which was delivered in 2009.
Nick Devall, Rolls-Royce chief commercial officer, Civil Aerospace, said: “The Trent 700 has proven itself to be the most efficient engine for the Airbus A330. Our continuous investment in the improvement of our products has ensured that the Trent 700 is the clear leader in the market.” www.rolls-royce.com
American Airlines acquires 260 Airbus A320 Family aircraft
Airbus and American Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMR Corporation, have signed a firm contract for American to acquire 260 modern, fuel-efficient Airbus A320 Family aircraft. The contract calls for flexibility for the airline to take delivery of A319s, A320s and A321s, with 130 featuring Airbus’ New Engine Option (neo). All 260 aircraft will feature large, fuel-saving wingtip devices known as Sharklets.
The A320neo, launched in late 2010, is the latest product innovation at Airbus. These new A319, A320 and A321 models feature a choice of two new engines – the PurePower PW1100G from Pratt & Whitney or the LEAP-X from CFM International. Together, the Sharklets and new engine choices result in a 15% fuel burn reduction, corresponding to an annual carbon dioxide reduction of 3600 metric tons per aircraft. Compared to prior-generation narrowbody aircraft, the fuel savings could easily amount to up to 30%. Since launching the innovative product in December of last year, Airbus has received orders and commitments for almost 1200 A320neo Family aircraft. Visit: www.airbus.com
CFM logs $11 billion in LEAP engine orders
CFM International has booked firm orders for 910 LEAP-X1A engines to power 455 Airbus A320neo aircraft. The engine orders are valued at more than US$11 billion at list price. • AirAsia placed the single largest order in aviation history, selecting the advanced
LEAP engine to power 200 Airbus
A320neo aircraft; • CIT Aerospace placed an order for LEAP engines to power 15 A320neos; • GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) ordered engines to power 60 A320neos; • ILFC selected the LEAP engine to power 40 A320s; • Republic Airways Holdings, the parent company of US-based Frontier Airlines, selected the
LEAP-X1A to power 40 A319neo and 40
A320neo aircraft; • SAS chose the LEAP engine to power 30 A320neos; • Virgin America officially launched the LEAP engine on 15 June with an order for engines to power 30 A320neo aircraft.
LEAP engines are a product of CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE. The engine is on track for entry into service in 2016. www.cfm56.com
Aeroflot selects Thales in-flight entertainment system
Thales, a leader in in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) systems, has announced that Aeroflot has confirmed the selection of the Thales TopSeries system for its fleet of 16 B777-300 aircraft. The system will be configured for 402 passengers and will be line-fit into the new aircraft with first delivery scheduled for January 2013.
The new B777 aircraft will have audio and video on-demand entertainment at every seat. In business class, in-seat screen sizes are an attractive 15.4 inches. Other features include in-seat power, USB and iPort, which enable passengers to interface their portable devices (and also iPhone™, iPod™, iPad™) to the system allowing them to enjoy their own content through the in-seat screen. To complement the in-seat display, passengers will have the new, award winning Thales Touch Passenger Media Unit, a revolutionary handheld media device that brings to the passenger endless Android™ applications common to the consumer world. www.thales-ifs.com
