Paris Airshow News 6-21-11 by AIN Publications

Paris

PUBLICATIONS

TUESDAY 6•21•2011

Vol. 43 No. 14

Airshow News

Into Africa

Training

Just for Fun

The Russians Are Coming

Hypersonic Hyperbole

Aerosud Building Light Recon Airplane

Aeroflot Pilots Qualify on Superjet 100

Big Frog Plans Hop to Reno

United Aircraft Corporation makes a plan to become one of the Big Three aerospace companies by 2025. Rostvertol revamps its Mi-26T2 as it goes head-to-head against the Boeing CH-47F Chinook in India and elsewhere. Page 66

Hyper Mach Aerospace Says Its SSBJ Will Fly in 2021

P&WC’s PT-6A turboprop will power the first civil airplane certified on the African continent. Page 30

Six Aeroflot instructor pilots find the new Russian jet handles much like the A319s and A320s they have been flying. Page 50

French carbon-fiber racer runs its diesel engine purely on jet-A and has big hopes of winning at the Reno races in September. Page 56

“Le Petit Prince” Helps Dassault Rafale Celebrate 30,000-hour Milestone

We don’t like to rain on anyone’s parade, but does this proposed Mach 3.5 business jet pass the smell test? Page 67

It’s raining dollars… Hallelujah! by Charles Alcock At least for those in the civil aerospace sector, champagne is back on the menu at the Paris Air Show thanks to several billion dollars’ worth of new orders announced here at Le Bourget yesterday. According to an analysis by AIN, the value of new business announced on the show’s first day alone could have reached $35 billion. Big spender of the day was Air Lease Corporation. Counting both provisional and firm orders, it signed deals here yesterday with a combined value

Continued on page 69 u

SEBASTIEN OGNIER

Boeing must act now on narrowbodies, says ILFC by Julian Moxon Happy Design Studio, a French design house, has created a unique livery for a Dassault Rafale appearing at the Paris Air Show. The artwork on the tail shows the character “Le Petit Prince,” created by French author Antoine de Saint Exupéry, who served in the French army at Base 113 at Saint Dizier, home to the largest number of Dassault Rafales in France. The paintwork celebrates 30,000 cumulative hours of Rafale flying from Saint Dizier.

“It was a great honor to be asked to create a design for the Rafale, especially as it is for such a prestigious occasion,” said designer Didier Wolff. The studio has created livery for high-profile military aircraft in the past and earlier this year inked the artwork for the 1/12 Cambresis Squadron’s Mirage 2000C for the 50th Anniversary of the NATO Tiger Association. –L.M.

Boeing needs to “get on with it,” if it is to compete with the Airbus A320neo, according to International Lease Finance Corporation CEO Henri Courpron. The leasing group argued yesterday that the answer may lie in an early Boeing 737800 upgrade. The 737-800 is a formidable aircraft,” he told AIN. “We get excellent feedback

Need defense news? Sign up for AIN Defense Perspective.

Continued on page 69 u

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Embraer leaves rivals guessing over narrowbodies by Kirby J. Harrison an enlarged version of its popular E-Jet, César seemed to discard that notion. “To enlarge the E-Jet would compromise the aircraft,” he stated emphatically. Discussing production, César said Embraer continues to build its E-Jet at its São José dos Campos location and has no plans to locate production elsewhere. The new orders announced here at include two E190s and options for two more from Air Astana, valued at $85.6 million; 20 E190s from Sriwijaya Air, valued at $856 million; and two E190s from GECAS with a value of about $43 million. An order for 10 E190s and 10 options from Kenya Airways is a letter of intent, but, with a smile, César nonetheless described it as a “firm” letter of intent. Embraer has also released a revised market outlook for aircraft in the 30- to 120-seat segment that assumes a continued global economic recovery, which it says is proving stronger than expected.

CAE forges training alliance for Mitsubishi Regional Jet by Liz Moscrop CAE (Hall 3 C60) and Mitsui (Hall 4 F169) announced that they plan to establish a joint-venture training center in Japan for the new Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ). The Montreal-headquartered training provider announced last year that it would cooperate as an equal partner with the Japanese company to develop training for the MRJ under a 10-year exclusive program. The center will open in 2013. That same year CAE will add an MRJ simulator to one of its locations in Central America, which Mitsui may support.

The MRJ is set to enter service in 2014 with launch customer Al Nippon. CAE will build two 7000-series MRJ level-D, full-flight simulators (FFS), as well as integrated procedures trainers. The company will also develop courses for pilots, technicians, cabin crew, dispatchers and ground support staff. Joint Venture

Ichizo Kobayashi, Mitsui’s COO Marine & Aerospace business unit, said, “The strong relationship between Mitsui and

The company’s forecast reflects that recovery “measured by revenue passenger kilometers [RPK], increasing at an average annual rate of 5.2 percent and reaching 13 trillion RPKs in 2030.” The forecast also defines China as the fastest growing market over the next two decades with an average annual RPK rate of 7.5 percent, followed by Latin America with 7.2 percent, the Middle East with 6.9 percent, Asia/Pacific with 6.1 percent, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) with 5.9 percent and Africa with 5.4 percent. The more developed economies of North America and Europe will see lower demand “due to market maturity and slower economic recovery,” at 3.5 percent and 4.4 percent respectively. Embraer foresees world demand for 7,225 new jet deliveries in the 30- to 120seat category over the next 20 years, with a market value in the $320 billion range. Of

KIRBY J. HARRISON

Embraer yesterday bypassed an opportunity to firm up its intentions in the widening campaign to challenge the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in the single-aisle airliner sector. But the Brazilian airframer also passed a major milestone here in Paris with announcements of 37 orders and options that will take total orders for the E-Jet family over the 1,000-aircraft mark. “We need more time to understand the [market] landscape,” said Embraer commercial aviation president Paulo César, who added that launching a new singleaisle aircraft in the 130- to 150-seat market is a tough decision, and that Embraer still might decide not to enter that market at all. And even if a decision to launch is made by the end of this year or in early 2012, an entry into service could not be expected before 2018. As for the question of whether Embraer might enter the market with

Paulo César

this total, 3,125 aircraft are projected for delivery between 2011 and 2020, and the remaining units between 2021 and 2030. While the 50-seat market has been affected by high fuel prices and a low-yield environment, the forecast said these aircraft are still essential to feed hubs in the U.S. and will progressively help develop regional aviation in other regions such as Africa, the CIS and Latin America. In the 61- to 120-seat segment, muchneeded flexibility and efficiency improvements have benefited the airlines by right-sizing larger jets, replacing aging aircraft, developing new markets and expanding from smaller regional jets. o

CAE spans four decades. This joint venture broadens our relationship and expands the services we offer together to promote the growth and safety of civil aviation.” Elsewhere in Asia, CAE is to expand its partnership with Asia’s largest low-cost carrier, AirAsia, and open a new training center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Asian Aviation Center of Excellence will provide instruction for airline personnel of all types throughout Southeast Asia. The company also offers a multicrew pilot license (MPL) program in conjunction with AirAsia. The initial class of 12 cadets completed its training this May in Toronto and were presented their MPL licenses by Transport Canada, a first under the new Transport Canada performance-based regulatory framework. CAE is forging inroads into the Asian

market. This March it announced a partnership with China Southern Airlines to expand its Zhuhai training joint venture by adding a 3000 Series S76C++ helicopter simulator. Several airlines in the region took simulators, and CAE Bangalore Training Centre became the first independent type-rating training organization approved by India’s Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA). CAE also signed a five-year contract with IndiGo to train ab initio pilots. Sim Sales Up

GECAS signs contract for up to 30 ATR 72-600s ATR announced its first order from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) yesterday at the Paris Air Show, giving another boost to the Franco-Italian manufacturer’s newly certificated ATR 72-600 turboprop. GECAS president and CEO Norman Liu confirmed that the agreement is a firm order for 15 aircraft together with 15 options, but that no leasing customers for the aircraft were being announced at the show (although GECAS claimed to have secured one customer already). “This is our first ever ATR order and we hope to place the aircraft globally,” he said, adding that U.S.-based GECAS already has about 30 other turboprop aircraft in its leasing portfolio that were not bought directly

from a manufacturer. A source from the independent Ascend industry consultancy told AIN that the aircraft could be to replace aging Bombardier Dash 8s that GECAS has in its portfolio. “This is an important Norman Liu of GECAS and ATR’s Filippo Bagnato seal the deal. achievement for us, as every year now we have an entry in the ATR after that.” Bagnato said that the order is family of a lessor,” said ATR CEO Filippo worth around $680 million at current list Bagnato. “Last year we had Air Lease prices for the aircraft. and this year we have GECAS.” He added The first ATR 72-600 for launch custhat four of the aircraft would be deliv- tomer Royal Air Maroc is in the static park ered next year, with 11 to follow in 2013, here at the Paris show and will shortly be and the options are “planned for the year delivered to the North African airline. o

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DAVID McINTOSH

by Ian Sheppard

CAE ended fiscal year 2011 with 29 civil FFS sales, nine up on 2010. The order book included world’s firsts with several manufacturers: two Airbus A350 XWB sims, a Bombardier Learjet 85 FFS and an ATR 42/72-600 FFS. The company also built India’s first advanced, full-fidelity helicopter simulator certified to level D by the DGCA and EASA. The Montreal provider is set to double its business aviation-training footprint with new locations in Europe, Latin America and Asia, as well as additional training in Dubai and Dallas. “Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and others have consistently been predicting a need for more than 23,000 new pilots annually over the next 20 years, and a similar number of new maintenance personnel. This represents increasing opportunities for CAE,” said CAE president for civil simulation products Jeff Roberts. Finally, CAE also completed its acquisition of CHC Helicopter’s training operations to become the latter’s training provider in March. “We acquired CHC Helicopter’s flight-training operations and announced the execution of an agreement by which CAE is CHC’s long-term training partner, responsible for training more than 2,000 helicopter pilots and maintenance engineers,” said Roberts. o

EIGHT TIMES MORE COVERAGE. HALF THE COST.

MEADS covers new ground in air and missile defense. Eight times more ground to be exact. After spending billions of U.S. tax dollars to upgrade Patriot, more upgrades are needed. It will still cost twice as much to man and maintain. The solution is MEADS, with advanced capabilities and reliability the 40-year-old Patriot system canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide. MEADS 360-degree coverage defends more area with fewer assets, with the lethality to defeat advanced threats. All at a lower cost than upgrading Patriot.

Defending more. Costing less. Only MEADS covers it all.

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by David Donald EADS Cassidian has selected Goodrich’s Terprom terrain-referenced navigation (TRN) system for the Airbus Military A400M airlifter. Terprom, an acronym for terrain-profile matching, is a product of Goodrich’s Sensors and Integrated Sensors division at Plymouth, UK, and is onboard several fast-jet platforms, as well as on the C-130AMP Hercules upgrade and Boeing C-17. Goodrich is presenting and demonstrating Terprom functions here at Paris as part of its integrated cockpit display in the company’s pavilion. “Goodrich’s Terprom system will provide the A400M with a battle-proven TRN capability that has been specifically designed for tactical transport operations,” said Daniela Dudek, head of the A400M M-MMS program at Cassidian Electronics (Hall Concorde). “It will greatly enhance the situational awareness of the A400M crew, allowing them to operate with increased safety at

low level, in poor conditions or when GPS is denied.” Selection of Terprom for the A400M was made more than a year ago and was followed by a concept phase during which the ability of the software to work within the proposed A400M hardware was fully evaluated. With that phase successfully completed, work now continues on adapting, fully integrating and qualifying Terprom within the A400M’s military mission management system (M-MMS). The airlifter has two of these systems, overall responsibility of which is entrusted to Cassidian. For the A400M, Goodrich (Static L98) is supplying the core TRN element of the wider Terprom suite. TRN references the actual terrain over which the aircraft is flying against a digital terrain database, drawing information from the radar altimeter and inertial navigation system. The TRN function updates the aircraft’s INS to provide highly accurate positional

GE powers into aerosystems market by Ian Sheppard GE Aviation Systems has Bolsinger said that “instead of been quietly making the most of shying away” in the downturn, the downturn to plan an assault the company got the green light on aerospace markets domi- from GE’s central leadership to nated by other companies. The build for a far larger future presU.S.-based group has therefore ence in systems. The company has set up an bucked the trend in the recession to build its presence, invest heav- Electrical Power Integration ily in research and technology Centre (EPIC) at Cheltenham in (R&T) and ready itself for pos- the UK and “just broke ground sible systems integrator roles on on one in Dayton, Ohio,” Bolsinger said. “We want to put the major aircraft programs. integrator on aircraft Lorraine Bolsinger, and although we are a president and CEO of smaller player on the GE Aviation Systems, civil side, the customtold AIN that more than ers have said that they five years ago GE idenwant an alternative. But tified a desire to “grow it’s hard if you’re not on beyond engines so as a civil platform already to lever the brand recwith an entire integrated ognition and the scale system...and no manuwe have.” After she facturer wants to be the joined the company near the end of 2008, Lorraine Bolsinger first to try you.” Effectively, GE is GE’s strategy has moved toward integrating disparate busi- looking to emulate rival Pratt ness units, and growth. It identi- & Whitney, which has its engine fied “anchor tech nologies” and division, and also Hamilton organized systems into mechani- Sundstrand (its UTC sister comcal, avionics, electrical power and pany) by taking a large intethose covered by Unison Indus- grator role in partnership with tries (for example, starters, wiring primes such as Boeing. But it needed to establish a way to harnesses and ducting). The battle to win future major prove itself and reduce risk for roles on commercial and military the prime. “So we decided that we had to platforms has seen a trebling of R&T spend in four years and build a lab–in fact, we built two– aggressive bidding in the market. so that we can build a virtual

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airplane,” she said, to simulate the entire electrical power system on an aircraft. The new $51 million center is based on the University of Dayton Campus (close to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) and will “focus on advanced power starter/generation, conversion and distribution technologies for civil and military applications,” she said. It will open in the third quarter of 2012. The electrical power unit includes specializations in electromagnetic interference to manage electrical “noise” and silicon carbide, which promises to allow faster switching and lower temperatures. Comac 919 Contract “a Huge Step”

Winning a contract from China’s Avic group to form a joint venture to develop the integrated, open-architecture avionics system for the new Comac 919 airliner was “a huge step,” said Bolsinger. It followed the selection of the CFM Leap-X engine for the aircraft, CFM being a GE/Snecma joint venture. “This is very exciting for us as it will be the first airplane on which we deliver,” said Bolsinger. “The open-architecture systems will also be available to other

DAVID McINTOSH

Goodrich nav system selected for Airbus A400M airlifter

data, most importantly when GPS data is unavailable. The system can also calibrate errors in the digital database. Terprom can be used for other functions, such as predictive ground collision avoidance, obstacle warning and passive target ranging. In the A400M application, the development of any additional features is Cassidian’s responsibility. With Terprom flying on more than 5,000 aircraft in service with 14 countries, Goodrich’s Plymouth facility continues to work on expanding its application. “Integration of the Terprom TRN Terrain-referenced navigation system onto the A400M consystem from Goodrich has firms the real benefits this sysbeen chosen for the Airbus tem offers to military aircraft A400M airlifter. crews in today’s intense operational scenarios,” said Martin Couch, avionics business director. “The is adapting the system to suit avionics sysTerprom system is highly accurate, pas- tems with less sophistication than is found sive and can be implemented in a wide in fast-jets or high-end trainers such as the variety of ways to suit different opera- Hawk. In the rotary-wing world, the challenge is convincing users that terrain-reftional requirements and aircraft types.” Among the avenues the company is erenced navigation has an important part exploring are trainers and helicopters. In to play in greatly reducing controlledo the trainer market, the principal challenge flight-into-terrain accidents. manufacturers, such as Airbus and Embraer,” she continued, admitting that GE is taking on the other avionics manufacturers head-on, but also accepts it may sometimes play a smaller role, in “hosted functions, which will make us stronger anyway.” Also with avionics is what Bolsinger describes as “two interesting digital service plays”: the first is ATM and the second is IVHM (integrated vehicle health monitoring). With ATM, GE purchased Naverus in 2009 and is now aggressively pushing the need for RNP approaches. “These can be implemented fairly quickly,” Bolsinger told AIN. “We made a study for the FAA, looking mainly at second-tier airports across the U.S. If you put RNP approaches in, for example, Seattle or New Orleans, the results would be phenomenal, saving 13 million gallons of fuel a year ($65.6 million a year in fuel burn costs), which equated to 275 million pounds of CO2, or 350 days of flight time.” GE has deployed some 350 RNP approaches around the world, mostly outside the U.S. The latest contract win, announced here yesterday, was in China for Jiuzhai airport, in Sichuan Province. o

United Continental orders winglets United Continental Holdings has ordered blended winglets for its Boeing 767-300ERs from Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) of Seattle, Washington. With the order, the U.S. airline group becomes the largest single customer of APB, having ordered 375 Blended Winglet systems to date. Together, United Airlines and Continental Airlines have ordered blended winglets for every Boeing commercial aircraft type for which APB has certified the product. Initial installations on fourteen 767300ERs will begin early next year. Blended-winglet technology installed on the 767-300ER reduces fuel burn by up to 500,000 gallons per aircraft per year, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 5,000 tons, APB said. In addition, blended winglets can extend the range of the aircraft by as much as 320 nm, or increase payload by up to 16,000 pounds, the company claims. Since certification in 2009, APB has taken firm and optional offers for 340 Boeing 767-300ER blended winglet systems. The company estimates that United Continental’s investment in blended winglets is saving the airline approximately $200 million per year in jet fuel costs. APB is a joint venture of Aviation Partners and Boeing (Chalets A328, B321). –B.C.

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Pratt & Whitney is eager to meet A320neo challenge by Gregory Polek More than a dozen so-called working teams from Pratt & Whitney, Airbus and various suppliers continue their evaluation of the integration challenge the companies face as orders mount for geared turbofan-powered versions of the Airbus A320neo airliner, with the airframer looking to advance entry into service by six months, to October 2015. Scheduled to enter detailed design by the end of the year, Pratt & Whitney has not had to change its engine test schedules as a result of the Airbus decision. However, according to Pratt & Whitney new generation product family vice president Bob Saia, “It puts a little challenge on us because we’ve got to work faster, but in terms of the overall integration and definition the pre-work supports it.” Schedules call for the first PW1100G– the variant designed to power the Neo–to start testing late next year. Saia told AIN that the biggest integration chore centers on the changes associated with mounting the new engine’s nacelles to the A320’s wings. In fact, new pylons and a nacelle system will account for perhaps the A320neo’s only major new hardware. “The aircraft is really not changing much,” said Saia. “The aircraft systems, the air conditioning, the electrical system, the cockpit…because it’s a known airplane, those elements are pretty well defined. And because we had our V2500 [on the A320], even though it was done under the IAE collaboration, we have a lot of knowledge of that airplane,” he said, also citing Pratt & Whitney’s experience installing the PW6000 on the A318. “The big change now is the mounting and the integration of the engine on the wing,” said Saia. “Even though the engine has all this efficiency, we want to optimize that efficiency as we install it on

the wing. So when we do that, there can be elements like exactly how you want to position the engine. It’s not that it’s difficult, but it’s unique to every engine and every airplane.” Straightforward Retrofit

Unlike the Boeing 737, whose shorter landing gear does not afford Pratt & Whitney enough ground clearance to design an engine with an optimally sized fan, the A320 presented far fewer hurdles in terms of sizing. Nevertheless, as comparatively straightforward as Pratt & Whitney claims the job of retrofitting the PurePower PW1100s to the Airbus narrowbody should prove, Saia wouldn’t deny the difficulties inherent in fitting a new engine to any existing design. “It’s like remodeling your home,” said Saia. “If you want to bring in new appliances or change things, because the walls are already pinned you’re constrained in what you can do and how you do it. And…in our case, we want to make the engine as big as we can make it.” Happily for Airbus and Pratt & Whitney, the A320 afforded the engine’s designers enough ground clearance to make the PW1100’s fan 81 inches in diameter–an ideal size for the thrust class required for the A320 family and the roughly 3:1 ratio between the speed the low-pressure compressor and turbine turns and the fan’s rpm. In fact, according to Saia, the proportion between the size of the fan and the rest of the engine for the Neo virtually mirrors that of the C Series, which uses a 73-inch fan. “From our engine perspective, we’re basically building off the C Series architecture, scaling up for size and thrust, and then working some of the aerodynamics to get a little bit more e fficiency

When Airbus announced the A320neo in December 2010, it planned to deliver the first copies in the spring of 2016. The airframer is now looking to shorten the timeline and make deliveries in late 2015.

Pratt & Whitney plans to begin testing of its PurePower PW1100G engine early next year.

because of how we drive temperature and pressure,” he said. Fine-tuning Systems Integration

Of course, designers must account for the effects of the GTF’s higher pressures, in particular–required to aid in the e fficiency of the engine–as they perform air-conditioning integration, for e xample, Saia said. “The question is how do we now balance where you take the bleed air from the engine so you can service the air-conditioning system in the airplane and do they need to do any minor changes to the air-conditioning system?” In this case, changes to the air-conditioning system, for example, must remain minor because most of the integration work necessarily centers on the engine when working with an existing airplane, he explained. With a clean-sheet design, engineers enjoy the freedom to effect more significant changes to the various systems so that they work with the engine in the most efficient way possible. Another group works on the engine’s electronic control, which, in essence, “talks” to the airplane’s cockpit. That team concentrates on “optimizing” the communications of an existing cockpit with a new engine, said Saia. “We have a team that focuses on how the element is designed–even though the aircraft is already designed, the engine-level side is going to be new–and as it’s new, ‘How do you make sure that the input coming into the engine and the output feeding back into the cockpit are properly designed so all the communication channels connect?’” Still other teams concentrate on items such as maintainability, environmental factors and program scheduling. Increase in Efficiency

In fact, Saia insists the PW1000G series could do almost as much for the efficiency of a 737 as it can for an A320,

12 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

despite the fact that the design of any Boeing retrofit would require a fan whose diameter measures some 10 to 12 inches smaller than that of the Neo’s 81-inch PW1100. The P&W executive virtually ruled out lengthening the 737’s landing gear to accommodate a larger fan because, as he put it, “The problem you have with raising the landing gear is when it comes in and tucks back into the cargo bay, the hole is already defined. “If you move the landing gear out and make [it] longer, and you can still fit it in the same hole, the problem that you still have is now the wing structure has that load of the engine and the landing gear in a different location,” he added. “So that’s the rippling effect that you have.” Instead, any engine built for the existing 737 would likely use a 69-inch to 71-inch fan, along with a 2.8:1 or 2.9:1 speed ratio between the low-pressure side of the engine and the fan. Still, as Saia emphasized, much will depend on Boeing’s ultimate specifications. Airbus advertises “up to” a 15-percent efficiency improvement for the Neo over the existing design. On several occasions, Boeing executives expressed doubts that a re-engined 737 could deliver even a double-digit improvement over the existing U.S.-made narrowbody. Whatever Boeing’s decision, Pratt & Whitney appears eager to accommodate. “What I will say is, if they decided to reengine, we can give them–on a relative basis–close to about the same amount [of efficiency as we gave Airbus] because of some things we can do with the gear,” said Saia. “If we do a new airplane, then that will allow us to open up the envelope a little bit.” o

www.newairplane.com/welcome

Inspiring views Everywhere you look A dream come true See the new 787 Dreamliner on static display Wed.-Thurs.

Missiles merge roles for mission flexibility by David Donald probability of hitting a target, rather than detonating close to it, then the warhead can be much smaller to achieve the desired effect with much-reduced blast. Multi-role Air-to-ground Weapons

Smaller and smarter are the watchwords for air-to-surface weapon development. This was the rationale behind the GBU53 Small Diameter Bomb II program, for which Raytheon was selected last August. At 250 pounds, the SDB-II is half the size of the current principal U.S. precision-guided munition–the GBU-12 laser-guided bomb–and it features a tri-mode seeker that offers semi-active laser (SAL), uncooled imaging infrared (IIR) and millimeter-wave radar (MMW) guidance options. That seeker has been adapted for Raytheon/Boeing’s proposal for the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, arguably the most important air-to-surface weapon development program currently under way. JAGM arose from the earlier Joint Common Missile project and is aimed at replacing the AGM114 Hellfire, AGM-65 Maverick and BGM-71 TOW missiles for the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps. In April, request for proposals for engineering, manufacture and development were issued to the Raytheon/Boeing team and to Lockheed Martin.

DAVID DONALD

Missile developers in the U.S. are working on new weapons that combine the effects and capabilities of several previous munitions into single weapons, with the aim of significantly reducing the number of types held in the inventory and dramatically increasing the in-flight flexibility of aircraft and helicopters compared with current armament options. The drive toward greater flexibility is already well under way. The dual-mode bomb such as the Enhanced Paveway, which combines GPS/INS guidance and infrared or laser terminal guidance, is already an accepted asset in combat operations. Companies have also been examining ways of using existing weapons in more roles. Raytheon, for instance, has highlighted the capability of the AGM88 HARM anti-radar weapon to be used against coordinatebased non-emitting targets, and has demonstrated the use of the AIM-9X infrared-guided air-toair missile as a weapon against moving surface targets. More flexibility is also accompanied by a need for increasingly low collateral damage effect (CDE). Low CDE has been made possible by the increasing precision with which weapons can be delivered, not only against fixed targets but those on the move as well. If a weapon has a high

Seen on an Air Tractor AT-802U, the Moog FTS Mini-Talon is a GPS-guided glide bomb offering a stand-off precision capability at low cost, ideal for nontraditional attack platforms.

A key driver for future multi-role air dominance missiles such as NGM is the need to carry weapons internally in stealthy fighters such as the F-35.

16 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) proposal builds on the company’s successes with the Hellfire. Here JAGM test vehicles are carried by an F/A-18F on a three-round launcher. Raytheon/Boeing have teamed on a similar project.

No weapon program illustrates the drive for multi-role versatility better than the JAGM. The Hellfire, for example, comes in a wide range of variants with SAL or MMW guidance and several warhead options. The JAGM will replace all of them with a single weapon. The tri-mode seeker is one answer, but also, new warheads are being developed that combine the effects of shaped charge and two-phase blast frag into a single unit. Perhaps the greatest challenge is adapting the missile to both the low-speed world of the attack helicopter and the highspeed environment of fast jets with a single motor design, not forgetting the need for insensitive munition (IM) technology to allow safe shipboard operation. A weapon such as the JAGM greatly smoothes the logistics chain by replacing a wide array of weapon variants with a single missile, but the greatest advantage comes in the air. A multipurpose effects warhead, three guidance options and other choices such as fuzing and trajectory allow aircrew to match the missile’s mode to the nature of the target and its environment while in flight, rather than having to make most of their choices before they take off. Traditionally, air-to-ground weapons have been launched from fast jets or attack helicopters, but in recent years that has been challenged by the rise of UAVs and the growing appearance of nontraditional aircraft types such as utility transports and trainers in the irregular warfare role. Initially, existing weapons such as

A GBU-53 SDB-II is prepared for a test flight on an F-15E. The 250-pound weapon is relatively lightweight and provides flexibility in targeting options.

the Hellfire and Paveway have been adapted to these new vehicles, but developers are working on new weapons that are better suited to these platforms. Given the payload restrictions of many UAVs and light aircraft, “smaller” is a major concern here, as is low CDE. This has led to the development of precision-guided weapons such as Northrop Grumman’s Viper Strike, Raytheon’s Griffin and STM, and Moog FTS’s Talon/ Mini-Talon series. Cost is an issue, answered to a large degree by the development of common guidance packages that can be applied to various weapon systems in a modular fashion. Air Dominance

In the air-to-air world, the U.S. relies on the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X to answer its current needs, while AGM-88 handles the ground radar threat. In the short term, they are being developed with improved performance to maintain their edge in air combat and to exploit advances in radar/sensor technology. However, projects are now under way to look at replacements. Next Generation Missile (NGM) is the most important of them. Formerly known as Joint Dual-Role Air Dominance Missile (JDRADM), the NGM is being developed

as the replacement for both the AIM-120 and AGM-88, again showing the drive for multi-role flexibility by replacing a longrange air-to-air missile and an anti-radar weapon with a single type that can tackle air threats, ground radars and cruise missiles. A key driver behind the NGM program is to develop multi-role weapons that can be carried internally by stealthy fighters. Development contracts were awarded late last year to both Boeing and Raytheon under the Triple Target Terminator (T3) program, with an eye on fielding a missile around 2025. Already, the U.S. Air Force is talking about an AIM-9X replacement in the form of the Small Advanced Capabilities Missile. This would take on the short-range air threat duties of the AIM-9X, but may also offer other capabilities such as air-to-surface attack and anti-missile defense. Beyond these programs lies the promising technology of high-energy lasers, which are being eyed for fielding on fighters to undertake some of the roles currently undertaken by missiles at much-reduced cost. o

Airborne surveillance improves with age by Paolo Valpolini Grifo 15, one of the four ATR 42MP aircraft operated by the Maritime Exploration Squadron of Italy’s Guardia di Finanza (GdF) customs police takes off from its home base at Pratica di Mare, east of Rome. As soon as the takeoff procedures are completed, the two crewmembers responsible for the radar and optronic sensors turn their seats toward the consoles and switch on the airborne tactical surveillance system (ATOS). This is not a standard mission: most of the “crew” is made of international media, invited to mark the 10th anniversary of service by ATOS. Since the GdF became the launch customer back in December 1995, its developer–Selex Galileo–has produced more than 45 ATOS packages in different versions for nine customers, who between them use it on 10 different aircraft platforms. The flexibility required by the GdF as one of the design priorities has been a key feature of ATOS, allowing it to be operated on both the ATR 42 and the much smaller Piaggio P.166 DP-1, respectively, with two- and one-console configurations. ATOS has been continuously updated to incorporate new technology, the latest version being that developed for Australia Cobham Aviation Services for civil maritime surveillance through its subsidiary Surveillance Australia. The package developed for Australia–where it bears the acronym SIM (Selex Galileo surveillance information management system) is installed on the Bombardier Dash 8 twin turboprop as well as on two different types of

helicopter: the Eurocopter SA 350 and the Bell 412. SIM features two major addons. The first is the availability of modern satellite communications systems that allow it to maintain near-real-time data communications with the aircraft and to have live voice and video capabilities. The second is the ability to store surveillance information of sufficient quality that it can be presented in a court of law during a prosecution. This requires a high-integrity mission record that protects data from unauthorized alteration. There is also a third new feature: the ability to measure the performance of operations. With Surveillance Australia being a private company, its government client wanted to be able to monitor the performance being delivered in a contract that allowed for penalties in the event that agreed parameters are not achieved. Between mid-2009 and mid2010, the 10 systems, installed on the mix of fixed- and rotary-wing platforms, flew 2,600 missions totalling 17,000 flight hours with a mission reliability of about 98.5 percent (95 percent was the minimum benchmark under the contract). “In over one-and-a-half years, only four missions were aborted due to a problem with the ATOS, with the remaining [difficulties] being caused by aircraft problems,” a Cobham representative told AIN. Back in Italy, the utilization rate of the Italian GdF ATR 42MPs reached a peak in 2008 with more than 1,750 hours for the four ATR 42 MPs. The 2010 rate of some 1,520 hours will probably be equalled in 2011, since as of

After its launch operation with Italian customs police, Selex Galileo continues to adapt its ATOS surveillance package for new applications, including maritime surveillance work on behalf of the Australian government.

18 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

The Selex Galileo airborne tactical surveillance system has just marked its 10th year in service with Italy’s Guardia di Finanza customs police.

mid-May the service had already flown more than 700 hours. Unmanned Platform

After 10 years in service, Selex Galileo is now looking to introduce further enhancements to the system. For a new operational requirement to flying surveillance missions over land, new COMINT and ELINT intelligence-gathering capabilities are being developed. Also in the works is a version of ATOS that could fly on an unmanned platform in the medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) class. “We aim to provide a platform-agnostic integrated mission

system for MALE and above UAS, bringing together our experience from the ATOS and that in the sensor management field,” Selex Galileo CEO Fabrizio Giulianini told AIN. The Italian company intends to exploit its British subsidiary to propose the system for the UK/F Scavenger requirement. “The basic elements for the system are available, and we plan to have a first prototype system in 2012 and a fully capable system two years later,” Giulianini added, explaining that the technological evolution will allow more of the preprocessing functions to be moved onto the aircraft, lowering

the requirement for data links. Selex Galileo currently is working on an Italian navy ATR 72 MP that will feature sensors for functions such as an AESA radar, an electro-optical high definition video system, ESM with ELINT, Link 11 and Link 16 datalinks, satellite communications for network-centric operations, improvements in information automatic processing and a dual GB LAN architecture that will allow the integration of additional sensor and capabilities for antisubmarine warfare. The company has tapped the work done for the Italian

Continued on page 20 u

Selex sets itself apart in Europe’s electronic warfare stakes with age Selex Galileo is the largest supplier of airborne elec- Royal Air Force Typhoons. tronic warfare (EW) equipment in Europe, and third only But the helicopter integrated defensive aids system in the world behind BAE Systems North America and (HIDAS) that Selex Galileo developed for the UK AH-64 Northrop Grumman. This part of the Italian group’s busi- Apache attack helicopter fleet possibly has greater ness is in the hands of its UK-based operation, which potential for wide-ranging export sales. It comprises now boasts annual revenues of nearly £600 million ($980 the company’s Sky Guardian radar warning receiver and million) and an order book of well over £1 billion ($1.64 bil- Series 1223 laser warner, plus a BAE Systems missile lion). It produces radar and laser warning receivers, missile warner and a Thales countermeasures dispensing syswarning systems, radio frequency jammers and (through tem. Boeing now offers HIDAS on Apaches that are sold a partnership with Northrop internationally. Greece and Grumman) directed infrared Kuwait have chosen it. counter measures (DIRCM). Selex Galileo claims world According to Steve Roberts, leadership in the informachief technology officer, today’s tion management aspects of surface-to-air threats are EW. The self-protection sysdiverse, mobile and proliferattem control software that the ing. “Small countries are buying company has developed can the SA-15, and the Chinese be applied to various sensors have Crotale and S-300-like sysand platforms. The company tems,” he said. And the EW now offers the aircraft gateequipment to counter them way processor (AGP), a black must have wideband frequency box that Roberts described The Aircraft Gateway Processor (AGP) that Selex coverage, which means all the as “a defensive aids PC with Galileo has developed uses a PowerPC processor way from 5Ghz to 40GHz. multiple interfaces onto which and card in a commercially available box that has The company was the been modified with multiple interfaces. you can hang your hardware.” first to provide an integrated Boeing has adopted the AGP defensive/offensive EW system–the Zeus for British for the Block II Apache program for the U.S. Army. Harriers. Today, the Praetorian system that protects Mindful of the need to protect an increasing range the Eurofighter Typhoon is the key line of business. of larger aircraft such as those providing border surWorking as part of the EuroDASS consortium, Selex veillance, plus the strong growth in UAVs, Selex Galileo produces the 20 major line replaceable units, Galileo has developed an ESM system named SAGE the 16 antenna assemblies, the 10 radomes and the and a lightweight RWR named SEER. They are modvarious smaller parts that make up this sophisticated ular, compact and lower cost. Flight trials have been ESM-ECM and missile warning system. Selex Galileo successfully conducted on a variety of platforms, the additionally provides a laser warning system for UK company said. –C.P.

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Next-gen BAE Hawk vies for export sales

The cockpit of the RAF’s Hawk T.Mk 2 trainer is arranged to resemble that of the Typhoon and the system software works in similar fashion. It can be reconfigured to match other modern fighters, including the F-35.

by David Donald BAE Systems brings its Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) to the Paris Air Show seeking to extend the life of its hugely successful trainer, which has already trained around 20,000 pilots. There are plenty of opportunities for the Hawk AJT, including the potentially massive T-X requirement for a T-38 replacement for the U.S. Air Force. T-X envisions the acquisition of around 350 aircraft with initial operating capability to be achieved in 2017. A formal request is expected in the third quarter of this year, and BAE Systems considers its Hawk AJT to be well placed to succeed. The lack of supersonic capability is not likely to be a disadvantage as the U.S. Air Force has already undertaken some preliminary evaluation and, according to BAE, sees “no reason for the Hawk not to be in the competition.” Winning T-X would be a major coup, and would almost certainly lead to other sales as other U.S. agencies such as NASA may follow suit, as would many FMS customers. The U.S. Navy, too, is looking for a new advanced trainer to replace its current T-45 Goshawks in a later timescale. In an environment of declining defense budgets training is a growth business, and there are many other global opportunities, including Poland, which is expected to issue a request for proposal covering around 18 aircraft imminently, and the European AEJPT program. BAE Systems sees the operating cost of the Hawk as one of its key benefits, especially

when compared with its twinengine and supersonic rivals. The company also has long experience in a business that is changing to a more service/ effects-based model. “Increasingly it’s not about the number of simulators or aircraft,” said Paul Dawkins of Training Solutions and Services. “It’s about working with customers to meet their requirements based on input and desired output standards, and how to deliver the best effect for every flying hour.” Customized Cockpit Options

Hawk AJT has been developed to download much of the frontline type operational conversion unit (OCU) training to the final phase of advanced training. The RAF’s T.Mk 2 aircraft have a cockpit designed to look and operate like that of the Typhoon, and to be ready for the F-35. The aircraft has reconfigurable software that can be changed by the customer to suit their particular requirements and match their own front-line equipment. The key to operating fourthand fifth-generation fighters is systems management, and that can effectively be learned in the Hawk AJT rather than in the expensive-to-operate front-line type. “We don’t see this as hours-stealing [from the OCU],” said Squadron Leader Rob Caine from the RAF’s No. 19 Squadron. “We see it instead as moving the learning of skills to an earlier point in the syllabus, so that front-line type instruction can concentrate on more advanced combat training.”

The RAF has taken delivery of 28 Hawk T.Mk 2 AJT aircraft, and is currently in the process of training instructors and establishing the syllabus in preparation for training courses to begin on the new type in November. The latest OC2 software has just been released, allowing

the embedding of virtual targets in the cockpit environment. The Hawk AJT works on a split-cockpit principle, giving the instructor the ability to set up the aircraft and manage training scenarios from the rear cockpit. BAE Systems envisions no

problems in maintaining the Hawk’s production status for many years, with the production line in India now driving and sustaining the all-important supply chain. If the Hawk is successful in the T-X competition then it would almost certainly be assembled in the U.S. o

ATOS marks a decade of service

with a contract for an undisclosed South American client being the latest success. For the U.S. Navy’s planned upgrade of its Northrop Grumman F-5 Aggressor aircraft, the Italian company is offering a package consisting of the Grifo-200 radar plus its HUD 100 head-up display, mission computer symbol generator, a radar altimeter, the SEER digital radar warning receiver and a smart multifunction display. A prototype system was delivered to Northrop Grumman in November 2010 for a demo, and is awaiting it first flight. Other possible customers for the F-5 upgrade include Thailand and Mexico. The Grifo already features on Alenia Aermacchi’s M-346 Master light combat aircraft. New capabilities for the Grifo that are in various stages of development include capabilities such as raid assessment, air-to-air inverted synthetic aperture radar, submetric resolution SAR, moving target indication via SAR and different modes to cover surveillance over either calm or rough seas. For its Gabbiano radar, Selex Galileo is working on a new avionics computer that will be smaller and lighter (approximately 13 pounds), as well as consuming

less power (around 50 W). The Gabbiano is being proposed for Embraer’s planned KC-390 military transport aircraft. Leveraging on its work for Eurofighter’s passive infrared airborne tracking equipment (Pirate), Selex Galileo has developed a range of passive IR sensors. A system working in the three- to five-μm band to be integrated into the Neuron unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator’s smart integrated weapon bay has recently been delivered. Another new IR sensor is the Skyward G search and tracking system that also can operate in FLIR mode and that has been selected by Saab for the next generation of the Gripen fighter. Finally, in the avionics field, Selex Galileo is working on a new aircraft management and mission computer that will have its first applications on AgustaWestland’s AW149 and AW169 helicopters. The smaller, lighter, open-architecture equipment is intended to make customization more straightforward; also, it has no need of ventilation for cooling. o

uContinued from page 18 navy in its bid for a naval version of the system in Australia, for which the selection is due to be made in a few months. ATOS has already been provisionally selected in India for the upgrade of its Kamov-28 helicopter fleet. The prime contractor for this program is Russian defense sales agency Rosoboronexport and final negotiations for this deal should start very soon. Grifo Radar

The Royal Air Force is due to begin pilot training in the Hawk T.Mk 2 in November, with the T.Mk 1 scheduled to retire from its training role sometime next year.

00 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com 20

The ATOS is certainly not the only airborne system in the Selex Galileo portfolio. The Grifo radar has been a story of success that has certainly not yet come to an end, although this firecontrol radar has overcome the 180,000-flight hours target. Proposed with three different transmitters–80 W, 200 W and 500 W–more than 450 such X-band radar have been sold and new versions as well as new customers are part of the radar future. Meanwhile, Selex Galileo is continuing to modernize and adapt its long-standing Grifo family of fire-control radars,

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Raytheon offers mobile version of UAV ground control system by Bill Carey Raytheon’s common ground control system (CGCS) is being cast as an economical solution for controlling unmanned aircraft systems from different manufacturers. This is after it started life several years ago as a tactical control system (TCS) for the U.S. Navy. In fact, the original intention of the program was to develop a governmentowned, joint services ground control system, essentially a set of software tools, capable of operating multiple, different types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). That would offer an alternative to the existing situation: UAVs supplied by different manufacturers, built around proprietary ground systems with separate training requirements and operating criteria, none of them interoperable. The Raytheon CGCS offers military operators the possibility of significant cost savings, coming with open control interfaces and applications written for multiple, dissimilar UAVs, according to Mark Bigham, Raytheon vice president for Defense and Civil Mission Solutions. The system supports current development of a universal common control system by the U.S. Department of Defense and provides a solution for the present and future proliferation of UAVs. “Where you have opportunities like that to consolidate around a common, open system versus a proprietary, closed system…that saves a lot of money for the government,” Bigham said, adding, “the government is being held in handcuffs by the current [UAV] platform primes.” Raytheon claims the CGCS is the only ground control system in which the U.S. government has full administration purpose rights to the UAV commandand-control source code and interfaces. These can be made available for vendors to develop applications. The CGCS architecture allows flexibility to size the ground station from full-scale cockpit workstations down to handheld controllers, depending on the application. In 2008, the system, then called TCS, was certified as the first NATO-standard ground control system, conforming to NATO standardization agreement (STANAG) 4586. Under STANAG 4586, vehicle specific modules developed by UAV manufacturers interface with the core control system. Bigham said the modules represent the message layer between the ground station and the aircraft; all other system components are common. Data and information processed by member nation UAVs can be shared in real time through a common ground interface, supporting interoperability of NATO assets. “If you consolidate the ground [system] and if you provide open interfaces that are separate from the air segment, you can…significantly reduce cost and

enhance capability,” said Bigham. “Now that we’re entering this era of extreme economic pressure, different [military] buying organizations will have to consider that as a cost-saving measure.” Naval Use

The Raytheon ground system has controlled several different UAV classes, including the Navy’s MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, as well as unmanned surface and underwater vessels. In 2006, the system performed the first autonomous shipboard landings and takeoffs of a developmental Northrop Grumman Fire Scout from a moving ship off the U.S. Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Last year, Raytheon built a mobile transit case version of the CGCS it is promoting at the Paris Air Show. This version is “about the size of a small office refrigerator” contained in two transit cases that can be deployed in theater to launch and recover different UAS classes and variants, Bigham said. The two cases set up with a triple-head

display and operator’s keyboard. The transit case option was built to fly Raytheon’s KillerBee UAS, which competed for the Navy’s small tactical unmanned aircraft system (STUAS) requirement. The STUAS contract was awarded last July to Boeing subsidiary Insitu for its Integrator UAS. “Our initial target was STUAS,” Bigham said of the transit case option. “That system fits very well with a couple of different applications in common ground control where you need to have a lightweight, mobile, rapidly deployable capability.” There are other UAV programs and platforms Raytheon is eyeing for the CGCS. Bigham mentioned the Navy’s unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike (Uclass) requirement; the UK Scavenger ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) requirement; and resupply of the RQ-7 Shadow UAV ordered by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps as significant, near-term programs. He also noted a push by the Navy with Uclass and the Air Force with the Global Hawk to separate ground station and air components of the systems as a way to control costs. “We see reasonable opportunities, good opportunities, that would warrant continued investment in this area,” he said. With the war in Iraq winding down, there will be a spurt in returning air

Raytheon has built a mobile transit case version of its common ground control system contained in two cases. The mobile version is capable of operating different classes of UAVs.

vehicles and a growing need to fly UAVs domestically for training purposes. Further expansion in their use is anticipated once UAVs are cleared by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to operate in civilian airspace. UAV flights in the U.S. currently are limited either to restricted airspace, or by obtaining a certificate of authorization from FAA. “When UAVs are no longer restricted, what an explosion in the use of UAVs,” Bigham remarked. “I absolutely see a significant increase in demand [for the CGCS] at that point.” o

Canada’s R&D hothouse germinates programs by Ian Goold flight-testing of the prototype Seawind 300C single-engine amphibious aircraft. Preliminary systems-function tests and flying-quality assessments–such as pitot-static calibrations and flight-control rigging–have been completed and the program is moving on to certification flights. High-angle-of-attack tests currently under way will complete the integration of a stall-protection system ahead of “core” certification tests. The Seawind program is scheduled to require Canada’s NRC Aerospace Flight Research Laboratory is helping AeroNautic Development Corp. with certification flight-testing of the 500 hours airborne, prototype Seawind 300C single-engine amphibious aircraft. and the prototype has already logged 60+ hours. Completion is expected “within six months, with the collaboration of Transport Canada [TC].” Following national approval, ADC will apply for reciprocal U.S. Part 23 authorization from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. A key element of Last year, the NRC Aerospace Flight the program has been designation of Research Laboratory (AFRL), which NRC chief test pilot Rob Erdos as a TC conducts research ranging from basic design approval representative. Other aerodynamics to product development areas of NRC capability include instaland certification, launched a program to lation of certification instruments, strucoffer flight-test capacity to smaller Cana- tural analysis and flight-test expertise. dian and foreign companies. For example, “We developed this capability because working with Quebec-based manufacturer we wanted to support smaller Canadian AeroNautic Development Corp. (ADC), and [foreign] aerospace companies,” said the AFRL is helping with certification AFRL director Stewart Baillie. “We find Keen to promote its expertise and capacity to help technological developments, Canada’s National Research Council (NRC) is here at Le Bourget (Canadian pavilion, Hall 3 E69) to offer its services to the international aerospace community. “We offer one-stop shopping to meet research and technology development needs,” said NRC Institute for Aerospace Research (IAR) director-general Jerzy Komorowski.

24 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

this is a good use of our experience as a research organization.” The ARFL research fleet includes Dassault Falcon 20, Convair 580, North American T-6 Harvard, Lockheed T-33, de Havilland Canada Twin Otter and Extra 300 aircraft, as well as Bell 412, 205A and 206 helicopters. Researchers use these aircraft to support projects in the main ARFL program areas: airborne research, aircraft-recorder technology, avionics and flight mechanics. The NRC is seeking aerospace partners to develop cabin environment technologies to enhance passenger and crew experience, and possibly to reduce the construction and operating costs of pressurized fixed-wing aircraft. Key areas for development include acoustics, health, indoor air quality, lighting, thermal comfort and ventilation. Dubbed aircraft cabin environment technologies and managed through the IAR, the initiative applies human factors expertise to set design goals and to stimulate progress in development of environmental-control and ventilation systems, cabin assemblies, lighting designs and acoustical treatments. NRC indoor environment and fire research programs can contribute to health and safety developments. They also enable it to undertake research on airborne systems, airworthiness engineering, avionics, flight mechanics and operations and gas-turbine aerodynamics and combustion. o

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Hampson lands orders for composite tooling by Matt Thurber Hampson Industries is enjoying a string of new contracts and ongoing programs that will

help the U.S. company continue growing as a supplier of tooling used to manufacture structural

aircraft components and as manufacturer of the components themselves. Honda has awarded Hampson (Hall 2b F155) a life-ofprogram contract for its new HondaJet to supply the business aircraft’s aluminum empennage. So far, the company has shipped the first five empennages for the production-conforming

HondaJets being used in the flight test and certification program. And later this year, it will begin making empennages for production HondaJets, well in time for certification, which is scheduled for the third quarter of next year. Piper Aircraft awarded Hamp son a contract for design, fabrication, installation, testing and

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With composites becoming more prevalent in major aircraft structure, Hampson is researching new materials for tooling that retain its critical dimensions during autoclave cycles. Metal remains the current best material. “We’re already making tooling at the high end of life expectancy,” said CEO Norman Jordan. “We’re always looking at [new materials], and I think that’s the low end of where we could reap fruit from technology development today.” Research is also under way to use more composite materials to make tooling. Hampson already makes composite tooling for its contract with Boeing and now is developing a tooling concept for large-area composite repairs. “There’s an opportunity there, and we are working on some proprietary technologies and capabilities,” he said. “There are a number of opportunities,” Jordan said, includ ing some that the company isn’t yet able to announce. “The market looks pretty good on the composites side as well as on the tooling and fixtures side. We have at least one contract to work on development of a tooling concept for other new airplanes. We have a number of programs that we believe we are well positioned for rate tooling as those programs ramp up and require duplicate tooling.” o

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certification of assembly and bond tooling that will be used to manufacture the PiperJet Altaire’s fuselage, empennage and wing. The PiperJet is made of metal, but uses bonding techniques for some airframe components. A significant award from Bombardier has Hampson’s Coast Composites subsidiary building outer mold-line tooling for the new C Series regional jet’s wing. Bombardier’s Belfast facility is building the C Series composite wings, and the outer mold-line tooling is critical to ensure dimensional stability and precision on such long components. In addition to the C Series work, the company also is participating on Boeing’s 787 and the Airbus A350. About 70 percent of Hampson’s business is commercial aviation and 30 percent military. Military programs include a major contribution of tooling for companies that make structural components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, as well as for its Texstars subsidiary, which makes composite and thermoplastic parts.

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Poseidon pitched to replace gas-guzzling JSTARS The P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft represents both a present and future market opportunity for Boeing. As the last of six P-8 test aircraft, a production representative model, advanced through mission systems installation earlier this month at Boeing Field in Seattle, the company outlined potential new applications for the 737-based platform. One is the P-8 airborne ground surveillance (AGS) variant, proposed as a replacement for the aging U.S. Air Force fleet of E-8C joint surveillance target attack radar system (JSTARS) aircraft. Boeing contends the P-8 AGS offers a more capable, cost-effective alternative to modernizing the 17 modified, 40-yearold 707-300 JSTARS aircraft operated by the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. The four-engine E-8C burns roughly twice as much fuel per hour as the twin-engine P-8, which is based on the 737-800 airframe. With fuel delivery savings and estimated 60 percent lower operating and sustainment costs, Boeing forecasts the P-8 AGS would save $500 million a year, making a “tremendous and compelling case” for the aircraft, said Bob Feldman, Boeing vice president and general manager, Surveillance and Engagement. “The P-8, we think, is uniquely positioned when you look at those 707s and

where they need to go from both a basic airframe and avionics upgrade point of view,” Feldman said during a press briefing in Seattle before the Paris Air Show. “For the cost of doing the mods to keep those 707-based systems current, you can buy a new fleet of P-8s in the configuration that they need to be to handle that mission.” Feldman said the P-8 is the cornerstone of Boeing’s strategy to replace the world’s P-3 Orion turboprop and 707based intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and antisubmarine warfare aircraft. The strategy is supported by a Multi-Intelligence Operational Laboratory, known as the MOLE, operated as a technical prototyping and risk mitigation facility. New sensors are plugged into the P-8 open architecture in a lab environment and subsystems tested in form factors that would fit light and medium as well as large aircraft. In the last decade, Feldman noted, Boeing leveraged its experience in developing the 707-based E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) to pursue comparable international requirements, winning 14 aircraft orders from Australia, Korea and Turkey for its 737based AWACS platform. Developmental problems associated with integrating the Northrop Grumman Multi-Mode Electronically Scanned Array radar for

Bill Carey

by Bill Carey

the Australian Wedgetail program are “largely behind us now,” he said, with first delivery of a Korean Peace Eye aircraft planned in July. In January this year, Boeing received a $1.6 billion contract from the Navy for low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the P-8A Poseidon. The LRIP 1 contract is for six P-8As; the Navy’s overall requirement is for 117 aircraft. The T1, T2 and T3 test aircraft have been delivered to the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland. The T4 aircraft was expected to fly at this writing, and then be handed over to the Navy. The T5 and T6 aircraft were undergoing missions systems installation and checkout at Boeing Field. The T4, T5 and T6 aircraft will be used for initial operational test and evaluation. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.

P-8 Poseidon T5 and T6 test aircraft undergo missions systems installation and checkout in Building 1401 at Boeing Field in Seattle.

The first and thus far only international customer for the Poseidon is India, which in 2009 contracted for eight P-8Is in a $2.1 billion transaction. Final assembly of the first aircraft has begun. Boeing calculates an international market for the Poseidon of 75 or more aircraft, naming Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Norway and Italy as potential customers. With the P-8 and newly awarded KC-46A tanker program, “We have two new franchises that we believe in time will help us create market space in the international market,” said Chris Chadwick, Boeing Military Aircraft president, during a briefing in St. Louis, Missouri. o

Pratt’s PT6A chosen to power Parker Aerospace helps keep Africa’s first civilian aircraft engines from losing their cool Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6As will power the first civil aircraft certified on the African continent, the company announced here in Paris. Developed by South Africa’s Aerosud, the two-seat airplane will serve in reconnaissance and surveillance roles. Although assembly of the first prototype has already begun, Paul Potgieter, Aerosud Holdings group managing director, told AIN he expects to officially launch the project in September. “We are extremely proud to be Pratt & Whitney Canada’s first OEM customer on the African continent,” said Potgieter, speaking from his offices outside Pretoria. Known as AHRLAC (advanced highperformance reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft), the airplane’s design emerged out of a study launched into the viability of developing a low-cost, yet high-performance, manned alternative to UAVs, according to Aerosud. Design characteristics include self-deployment to and from semi-prepared strips coupled with high cruise speed and “much extended” range and loiter capability.

The company designed the aircraft for multiple missions via the carriage of payload combinations, including forward-looking infrared, synthetic-aperture radars, communications-intelligence and electronic-intelligence sensors, all integrated with an advanced avionics suite optimized for both onboard display as well as data relay. Payload capability totals around 1,750 pounds. Developed in close partnership with the South African Paramount Group, the AHRLAC will perform “homeland security” roles covering applications such as border security, coastal and maritime/ EEZ (exclusive economic zone) patrol, anti-piracy and drug traffic control. Crew and mission protection plays a major role in the design, according to Aerosud. The company said construction of a first prototype has already reached an advanced stage, with wind-tunnel testing completed and fully instrumented testing of a one-quarter scale radiocontrolled model having flown some 80 tests to date. Aerosud plans a first flight of the prototype AHRLAC some time next year. –G.P.

30 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Parker Aerospace (Hall 5 Stand D264) is featuring its recently developed thermal management and lubrication packages for aircraft engines here at Paris 2011. The customizable packages offer improved thermal management efficiency by optimizing each component interface, while maximizing the thermal transfer properties and reducing the oil system volume. In addition, according to Parker, the package offers the additional benefits of increased reliability, reduced weight, component integration and optimized fluid distribution due to a reduction of part-count and fewer connections and linkages. The system packages combine engineering expertise from across the company to integrate multiple systems components, from the main engine oil and scavenge pumps and oil reservoirs to heat exchanges and bypass valves. A display of the engine thermal management package can be seen at the Parker Aerospace stand. Other aviation innovations on display include Parker’s ethanol fuel pump,

which is designed to improve overall performance while reducing operating and maintenance costs on ethanol-operated aircraft. The company claims that ethanol power is “at least 50-percent cheaper than aviation fuel and cleaner burning.” Parker is also developing composite fans and shrouds made of high-end thermoplastic compounds to cool electric motors on several of its hydraulic systems. The benefits include reduced weight and elimination of expensive coatings and finishes. Also on show at the stand is a special engine subsystems and technologies display, emphasizing pneumatic, fuel actuation and fluid conveyance devices and systems for gas turbine engines. The company also is featuring its “stick-to-surface,” adaptable flyby-wire control system, as well as its aft strut fairing module. –K.J.H.

news clips z Gulfstream Selects Lithium-ion Batteries Gulfstream Aerospace has chosen Securaplane’s lithium-ion battery as standard equipment on its new G650 business jet. The multi-million-dollar deal marks the first time a Gulfstream aircraft will feature the technology, proven some 50 percent lighter than conventional NiCad or lead-acid batteries and carrying a higher energy density. The subsidiary of UK-based Meggitt (Hall 2B G125) has calculated that the weight reduction per shipset equates to nearly one passenger. The Securaplane system includes the main ship, emergency and flight control backup batteries with integral charging and control electronics. Because the system comes with built-in monitoring, operators will benefit from the chance to schedule timely maintenance. Along with lower fuel burn resulting from the system’s lighter weight, such capability reduces the cost of ownership “significantly,” according to Securaplane parent company Meggitt Plc. Securaplane already claims a pioneering position in lithium battery technology on commercial aircraft, developing the charger for the lithium main ship batteries on the Boeing 787 through Thales and, direct to Boeing, the aircraft’s rechargeable batteries for the wireless emergency lighting system.

z Beagle Technology Rebrands Business Group UK-based Beagle Technology Group (Hall 2B G149) has restructured and changed its name from Beagle Aerospace. The new organization now comprises six new Beagle companies: maintenance, repair and overhaul; aerospace; defense, composites; treatments and precision. Here at the Paris Air Show, Beagle (UK Pavilion) is showcasing its thrust-reverser overhaul capability and several other components for the first time this week. Beagle serves as a subcontractor to BAE Systems, RollsRoyce, GKN Aerospace and Airbus, producing sheet metal fabrications, machined components and a variety of bonded structures. It also operates an EASA 145/FAA 145 civil repair station and specializes in the manufacture of out-of-service parts for both civil and military aircraft.

z Aerovision Puts Europe in the Picture French company Aerovision and its sister firm maintenance provider UniAir (both Chalet B371) have collaborated to create a specially modified Dassault Falcon 50 designed for aerial photography. The aircraft is equipped with a gyro-stabilized pod camera mounted beneath the fuselage and linked to a workstation in the cabin, from which a photographer can control the action. The system comprises a pod fairing and a pod, which contains digital video and frame cameras. The cameras can be angled up 20 degrees and down 120 degrees, and rotated 350 degrees in all directions. UniAir is responsible for all modifications. The companies expect European Aviation Safety Agency certification of the camera system in the near future. Aerovision said it is the only European operator of the type and can offer air-to-air or air-to-ground photography at high altitude and high speed. The images can be broadcast live or retransmitted. It also said the Falcon 50 can be quickly reconfigured to become a VIP aircraft.

z Aeroconseil Provides Connections Aeroconseil (Hall B2 C126), a provider of aeronautical engineering and air transport services, is making its second appearance at Le Bourget. This year it is demonstrating a system for the rapid prototyping of avionics suites, another for optimizing aircraft fuel consumption and its solution for integrating onboard mobile telephones and the Internet. The French company’s activities cover the entire life cycle of an aircraft, from initial design to operational life. In association with Swiss connectivity company OnAir, Aeroconseil is about to begin fitting out 19 Singapore Airlines Boeing 777s with onboard GSM and Wi-Fi technology. It also is working with Zodiac Aerospace to provide cabin upgrades to Corsairfly’s Boeing 747-400s and Airbus 330-200s.

32 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Thales sighting helmets are custom fit to pilots by Bernard Fitzsimons The TopOwl helmet-mounted sight and display on show here in the Thales pavilion is in service already on five helicopter models in 16 countries. The company has delivered more than 700 copies and says more than 1,600 will be in service over the next 10 years. Yves Joannic, Thales v-p helicopter avionics, said the helmet was designed by pilots for pilots, combining comfort with performance and versatility. Each helmet is customized for the individual user, Joannic said, explaining that a robot scans the pilot’s head, then designs the headshell so that the center of gravity of the full helmet corresponds to that head. The design reduces neck fatigue, he claimed. Total weight is just 4.4 pounds, including optics. The customization process also ensures that the visor is in the right place for the user’s eyes and does not need to be

adjusted when the pilot dons the helmet. The display module is binocular, rather than monocular, and provides 100-percent overlap between the both eyes over its 40-degree field of view. “It’s the best binocular performance on the market,” according to Joannic.

The TopOwl helmet-mounted sight and display by Thales was designed by pilots. Each helmet is customized so it fits the the individual user’s head.

P&WC launches PW300 interactive diagnostic tool by Gregory Polek Pratt & Whitney Canada (Hall 4 F218) recently launched an online diagnostic tool for its PW300 engine, the company announced here at the Paris show. It describes the diagnostic tool, powered by CaseBank’s SpotLight, as an interactive system designed to help operators and service providers solve “engine issues” in a fast and thorough manner. With the tool, the technician gets asked a series of questions about the problem and gains access to the best information available for fast and effective diagnosis. The knowledge base behind the tool represents both P&WC’s fault-isolation charts data and the collective wisdom and experience gained through years of in-field service. The development of the diagnostic tool encompassed eight engine models and created 1,100 fully validated fault-isolation charts. It also harmonized faultisolation data across seven maintenance manuals. The diagnostic tool is available

An electromagnetic head tracker measures the wearer’s line of sight, so the navigation and weapon aiming symbology can be overlaid with infrared imagery from an external sensor and an augmented reality view of terrain generated by a digital database. The helmet also comes with its own image intensifier tubes powered by a single battery in the interface box, which add about seven ounces to the total weight. Both infrared and image intensifier views can be integrated readily with the synthetic-terrain imagery. o

on the company’s customer portal, eportal.pwc.ca, around the clock, seven days a week from wherever a customer has computer access. P&WC also calls the tool collaborative because it gives customers the ability to connect with their other locations as required and to its Customer First Centre, which is always open to provide advice and service solutions. Subscription fees for engine technical publications cover the cost of the diagnostic tool. The introduction of the new tool comes less than three weeks after Pratt & Whitney Canada delivered its 500th PW307A engine to Dassault Aviation, on June 1. The company plans to present Dassault with a commemorative plaque at a ceremony marking the milestone here. P&WC developed the PW307A engine and nacelle in conjunction with Dassault’s Falcon 7X, resulting in an integrated powerplant system with new levels of performance,

reliability and maintainability. The PW307A engine has accumulated more than 225,000 flight hours in service on the Falcon 7X. Generating 6,400 pounds of thrust, the PW307A engine comes from a family of engines that has accumulated close to 10 million flight hours in the field over 20 years. On hand for this year’s Paris exhibition, P&WC president John Saabas spoke with AIN about a coming upswing in the business jet market after the company endured a few lean years along with the rest of the industry. Of course, the lull in the business jet segment between 2008 and 2010 resulted in a “big drop” in Pratt’s business. “The medium and the small [business jets] are where we had a lot of our business, but the good news is that we’re back. We’re starting to see flying time pick up a little again, which is a precursor of maybe some things happening,” said Saabas. “So I think we’re going in the right direction. “Business aviation is probably 40 percent of our overall portfolio, between aftermarket and new engines,” he said. “the new engine market part came down quite a bit, but the aftermarket didn’t drop as much.” o

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Bellemare. Being on numerous in-prodivisionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Space and Industrial. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very well set for future growth duction aircraft such as Airbus and over the next five years,â&#x20AC;? said Bellemare. Boeing airframes, the company has â&#x20AC;&#x153;And we are truly focused on the execu- ended up with equipment on â&#x20AC;&#x153;over 80 tion phase for these programs. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t percent of aircraft flying today,â&#x20AC;? he think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s any program weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not onâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That equates to 7,000 aircraft, and roughly four million thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not one out there components.â&#x20AC;? where we have less than $1 So supporting users of million of content [per airits equipment is another craft],â&#x20AC;? he said. priority. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We opened a new But sales growth is one customer response centhing, profit growth is ter last year in Windsor another and cost reduction Locks,â&#x20AC;? said Bellemare. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will be a key part of getting is manned by professional that equation right. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We engineers who can provide have a solid roadmap to a solution in a timely mantake costs out over the next ner. Since the center opened three years,â&#x20AC;? said Bellemare. last November we have had Part of this has been shiftAlain Bellemare, president about 1,500 cases and have ing some production to Hamilton Sundstrand closed 95 percent within emerging markets, such as Russia, Malaysia, Morocco and China, five days.â&#x20AC;? This does not include AOG where Hamilton Sundstrand can tap situations, said Bellemare, as these are lower labor rates. Another part is apply- dealt with immediately. Another change at Hamilton ing UTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;ACEâ&#x20AC;? conceptâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;standing for Sundstrand has been the establishment â&#x20AC;&#x153;Achieving Competitive Excellence.â&#x20AC;? of a new aerospace customer orgaCustomer Service Changes nization under the direction of Dave Hamilton Sundstrand claims to Gitlin. Its purpose is to more directly have a â&#x20AC;&#x153;huge installed base,â&#x20AC;? said connect with some 40 OEM clients

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s less than two years since Alain Bellemare became president of Hamilton Sundstrand at the end of 2009 at the height of the aerospace industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most recent downturn. So this is his first Paris Air Show at the helm of the U.S.-based group and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a hurry to make his mark with a plan to grow its annual revenues from around $6 billion now to $10 billion by 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For us the recovery started in 2010, although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a bit soft at times,â&#x20AC;? Bellemare told AIN ahead of this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[However] weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very well positioned and have content on all the new aircraft out thereâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;the most being on the Boeing 787, with over $3 million per platform. We are also on the [Airbus] A350, JSF [Joint Strike Fighter], Comac 919.â&#x20AC;? Windsor Locks, Connecticut-based Hamilton Sundstrand, subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (UTC), was formed through a merger, finalized in June 1999, of Hamilton Standard, best known for its propellers, and Sundstrand Corporation, best known for producing auxiliary power units (APUs). The new entity now has eight aerospace business units (each with annual revenues of between $250 and $750 million, and all growing) and two other

by Ian Sheppard

Hamilton Sundstrand ready to grow fast

in the industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have someone accountable for each customer and all the metrics that they measure us on,â&#x20AC;? Gitlin told AIN. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In 18 months weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gone from the bronze to the silver level, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re now trying to get to the gold level.â&#x20AC;? These levels are internal measures based on overall feedback from the OEMs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been able to add $8 billion to our backlog, too,â&#x20AC;? Gitlin added. Recent successes for the company include being selected to provide APUs for Bombardierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Global 7000 and 8000 business jets. The company also now has a larger stake in Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Comac 919 narrowbody airliner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up to $1 million per shipsetâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;electrics, pilot controls and fire suppression systems from our Kidde division,â&#x20AC;? said Gitlin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have also been negotiating the contract for the Airbus A320Neo, so we should be on that as well.â&#x20AC;? Hamilton Sundstrand aims to add even more value to its business by taking on integrator roles for the primesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; fitting together systems supplied by its own divisions and by other companies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve brought the biggest value is on the 787,â&#x20AC;? said Bellemare. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have brought a lot of system integration value but how much that will be seen on future aircraft remains to be seen.â&#x20AC;? In his view, the 787 is at the cutting edge

of aerospace technology, with its more electric architecture giving his company a chance to shine. A prime example of this is Bombardier’s new CSeries airliner. “On the CSeries we have the entire electrical system and emergency power and lighting, and fire suppression,” explained Bellemare. “We can also bring real hard value to the customer in technology innovation in improving specific fuel consumption, reducing weight and so on. We are investing $1 billion a year in research to help with new innovation. Each business unit drives its own technology agenda and

we also have a central technology organization looking at higher level technical challenges.” Bellemare, who was previously president of fellow United Technology company Pratt & Whitney Canada, said that running such a large and complex organization is not that difficult. “The simple way to look at it is you have to make it a stimulating and challenging environment for your people. When working on these exciting projects, attracting and retaining talent is not a problem,” he said. Hamilton Sundstrand’s space division is a prime example. “It’s a good

$400 million business, and we have good content on Orion, ISS [the International Space Station] and producing space suits. The programs we are on are doing well; they are not capital intensive and it’s good technology,” he said. So is the goal of growing revenues fully 40 percent in the next four years attainable? “We’re very well positioned right now with over $50 billion backlog and [with production positions] on all the new aircraft,” said Bellemare. “It’s really about executing, performing and improving productivity so we are positioned to capture the next wave over the next 25 years.” o

Hamilton Sundstrand Content In New Aircraft Platforms Airbus

Electrical Systems

Airbus A380

Ram Air Turbine

Actuation

Boeing B787

Bombardier C Series

Comac C919

Mitsubishi MRJ

Superjet 100

Pilot Controls

Lighting

APU

Fans

Air Mgmt. Systems

Fire Protection

Engine Controls

TRENT900 GP7200

TRENT1000

X X

PW1217

Sunaero takes on fuel leaks Sunaero (Hall 4 Stand B133), a French company specializing in the detection and prevention of fuel leaks in aircraft, has come to the Paris Air Show convinced that its niche activity will carry it on a wave of business growth over the next decade. The Lyon-based firm claims that the process it has developed since 1992 provides the most reliable way of protecting against leaks while minimizing aircraft downtime. Working initially with France’s DGA defense agency, Sunaero spent its first seven years developing a technique using rapid polymerization to ensure that all safetycritical joints are sealed to prevent leaks. This has now won widespread approval by foreign militaries, but the company is also making breakthroughs into the civil sector. Since the last Paris show in 2009, it has won more than 30 contracts from manufacturers, including Airbus, and airline maintenance departments including those of Air France, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Finnair and EgyptAir. Here at Le Bourget, Sunaero is part of the EDEN cluster of French small- and mediumsized aerospace enterprises. According to vice president Thierry Regond, over the next two years the civil market will rise from 25 percent of its overall business to 45 percent. –C.A.

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Bombardier, CSeries and CS100 are Trademark(s) of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. * 20% fuel burn benefit and 15% cash operating costs advantage vs. in-production aircraft of 110-seat and 130-seat categories @ 500 nm. The CSeries aircraft program is currently in development phase and as such is subject to changes in family strategy, branding, capacity, performance, design and / or systems. All specifications and data are approximate, may change without notice and are subject to certain operating rules, assumptions and other conditions. The actual aircraft and configuration may differ from the image shown.

Aero Sekur airbag system could soften helicopter crashes

Aero Sekur’s airbag crash-landing system for helicopters promises to reduce G-forces on impact as well help keep the aircraft upright. The company is in discussions with several potential customers here in Paris.

by R. Randall Padfield Aero Sekur is continuing discussions with helicopter manufacturers here at the Paris Air Show in its search for a launch customer for its in-development, crashlanding protection system for helicopters, which it introduced last year at the Farnborough airshow. The Italy-based company is exhibiting at two locations here at the air show, with one (Hall 1 Stand G293 in the Italian Pavilion) highlighting the work of its major research and manufacturing facility in Aprilia, south of Rome, and the other (Hall 2B Stand F156 in the UK Pavilion) focusing on the group’s developments outside aerospace and its global expansion, which includes offices in the UK, the U.S. and soon India (see box). In fact, just before the Paris event, Mark Butler, Aero Sekur CEO, was marketing the company’s space-related products for the Indian manned spaceflight program. He told AIN from Bangalore that Aero Sekur also plans to set up two offices in India. “We are the classic ‘M’ in ‘SME.’ You know: the small- and medium-size

Aero Sekur Growing Globally Aero Sekur’s new office in Parsippany, New Jersey, announced in late May, has two planned phases, explained CEO Mark Butler. In the initial phase, the “essentially engineering office” will support the existing activities of its sister companies–Aero Sekur SpA in Italy and Aero Sekur Ltd. in Farnborough, England–with their programs for customers Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and others. Ursella Slusher, formerly head of sales at General Pneumatics in the U.S., is the new vice president of Aero Sekur Inc.; she’s looking to hire engineers and a quality manager. The second phase will involve a relocation in about two years to facilities for manufacturing, production and MRO, specifically an FAA Part 145-approved repair station. Butler also wants the U.S. operation to improve Aero Sekur’s relationship with its major customers, AgustaWestland and Eurocopter, as they ramp up their own U.S. footprints, as well as cultivate possibilities with U.S. helicopter OEMs Sikorsky Aircraft and Bell Helicopters. Aero Sekur’s products also include life rafts, fuel tanks, parachutes for personnel, cargo, aircraft braking, UAV recovery, m unitions and spacecraft (planetary descent); spacecraft landing systems, habitats (planetary and orbital), and inflatable greenhouse structures (one supplied to the European Space Agency for the International Space Station); and personal equipment for soldiers, including respirators/ masks, CBRN suits, combat suits, ballistic jackets, ponchos proving reduced infrared signature and undergarments that monitor the wearer’s physiology. –R.R.P.

enterprise,” Butler said. “We have about 200 people and we’ll turn over this year slightly under than $50 million. We’re not huge, but we’re very diverse and we try to punch above our weight.” Space Travel Technology

The crash-landing protection system for helicopters, he explained, is the combination of two of Aero Sekur’s products. The first is emergency flotation equipment for helicopters, for which the company claims it is a world leader in technology and deliveries, and the second is a system for landing spacecraft on planets. The former, one of the company’s core products, is approved and in use on AgustaWestland A109 and A139 series helicopters. The latter, “an intelligent airbag system,” as Butler described it, is under development for the European Space Agency’s ExoMars program, and is set for a mission to the Red Planet in 2018. The crash-landing system for helicopters uses airbags, an array of sensors and non-pyrotechnic values to control and cushion landings on water and land. With the aircraft in descent and right before contact, the airbags inflate in about two seconds and the sensors (accelerometers and attitude gages) determine the vertical and side velocities. The sensors can tell when the aircraft makes contact with water and keeps the valves closed to provide

floatation for the stricken helicopter. If the airbags touch down on a hard surface, the sensors (now also using pressure gauges) determine its shape and slope. The sensors then adjust the sequence of the opening of the valves to deflate the airbags so that they absorb impact loads and bring the aircraft down to rest as level as possible. “It’s like a big whoopee cushion divided into segments and with valves that open and vent very quickly,” Butler said. The non-pyrotechnic valves are themselves an elegant Aero Sekur innovation in that they require fewer overhauls than conventional pyrotechnic values, can be quickly inspected and reset by an aircraft mechanic and have no definitive life limit. They also need only a small amount of electrical power for activation, Butler said. The crash-landing system is designed to deploy during the last few seconds before impact. “We can make it as automatic as the customer wants. But we’ve found that with our floatation systems pilots usually can’t wait for the automatic system to kick in and use the manual override before the automatic system operates,” he said. Although the crash-landing system will

GECI’s delayed Skylander on track for 2012 first flight by Jeff Apter Final assembly of GECI Aviation’s multi-purpose twin-turboprop SK-105 Skylander is to begin in the second half of this year, with a first flight scheduled for the second half of 2012 leading to type certification expected during the first half of 2013. This is six to nine months later than the original plan outlined by the French company. Four prototypes of the 19-passenger or 2.7-metric-ton freight capacity Skylander will be built, with first deliveries going to ACT Airlines of Turkey. ACT currently holds agreements to buy 17 SK-105s. According to GECI chairman Serge Bitboul, the new timetable for the SK-105 is based on revised commitments from suppliers and partners for parts and equipment deliveries. He claimed that major design changes, based on customer requirements, have considerably improved the SK-105’s performance to increase speed, improve takeoff and landing performance and provide more range with maximum payload. The high-wing,

38 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

unpressurized SK-105 is powered by two 1,100-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B turboprops driving fiveblade Hartzell propellers. It is designed for operations on basic runways, at up to 50-degrees C and as cold as minus 40-degrees C, and at altitudes as high as 10,000 feet. GECI has chosen around a dozen equipment manufacturers and half a dozen small aerostructures suppliers that among them provide about 80 percent of the aircraft, with GECI itself performing final assembly at its eastern France facility. The supply chain includes companies such as Cobham (avionics), Heggemann (landing gear), Béringer (wheels and brakes), PPG and SGS (windows and windshields), Meggitt (environmental control system), Secondo Mona and Intertechnique (fuel distribution and indication) and Leach (primary electrical circuit). The company expects to produce and market 1,500 Skylanders between 2013 and 2030. Eight aircraft are expected to

not be certified to be deployed during normal flight, Aero Sekur will have to prove to authorities that the system could be inadvertently inflated at cruise speed without the helicopter becoming uncontrollable. Aero Sekur has extensively simulated, modeled and tested the two elements of the crash-landing system, but testing of an actual on-aircraft combined system will be done as part of the development and qualification process with the not-yet-found lead customer. “In theory,” Butler said, “the system is scalable for any helicopter. In practice, the relative weight of the system could be a concern with smaller helicopters; with the really large ones, like a Chinook, it could be a matter of finding a way to mount the system in the right place.” Regarding price, he roughly estimated that a crash-landing system on a medium helicopter, such as an AW139, could cost the customer about $120,000 to $150,000. He said there are no current plans for an aftermarket modification of the system and that the cost for development and STC approval would be determined on a case-by-case basis. o be produced during the 2013-14 financial year, 50 in 2015-16 and 110 by 2019-20. GECI confirmed that a study for a Skylander equipped with floats and intended for operators involved in surveillance roles mainly in the Asia-Pacific region and North America was started in March. Both a VIP Skylander and a version equipped with skis are under consideration with anticipated entry into service around 2014 and 2015, respectively. Meanwhile, in April, fellow GECI subsidiary Reims Aviation delivered its 97th twin-turboprop F406 to the Office of Tourism and Cartography of Tunisia. The F406–an updated version of Cessna’s Caravan II–is suited to surveillance, mapping, pollution control, passenger and freight transport, air drops, medical evacuation and humanitarian missions. Production has started on the 100th F406–the first aircraft entirely produced since the restructuring of GECI International’s aviation division in 2010. The company’s backlog includes 17 orders for the F406–not all of them firm–and, among other potential deals, a memorandum of understanding with an unnamed Chinese charter operator for three aircraft. The aircraft’s production rate increased from two last year to six this year, and is set to rise to 10 in 2012 and reach 14 by 2015-16 onward. o

For an ultra quiet aircraft, it’s making a lot of noise The noise and emission levels of the new Sukhoi Superjet 100 are substantially better than the ICAO rules require. The noise and excitement comes from regional operators around the world who recognise that the Sukhoi Superjet 100 family has the combination of state of the art technology, reliability – plus lower fuel consumption and operating costs – they need to build networks and proﬁtability. Sound good? Find out more at www.superjetinternational.com

We know where the world’s going

Visit us at our Chalet in row A296 at the Paris Air Show

Airlines’ irrational exuberance could spell trouble for OEMs by Gregory Polek Sanguine projections for equipment if I go to a restaurant and order a chocodemand by the air transport industry late dessert, the waiter shouldn’t say, ‘Hey, suggest good times ahead for the likes of chubby, you don’t really need it.’” The problem remains, however, that Boeing and Airbus, and increasing production levels by both of the world’s major although demand appears robust for now, and airlines, particularly those in airframe OEMs would seem to the Middle Eastern oil-producreflect a level of optimism not ing countries, control significant seen in quite some time. But for capital to spend, the current rate Adam Pilarksi, senior vice presiof aircraft selling can’t continue dent with U.S. aircraft value speindefinitely, said Pilarski. Indeed, cialist Avitas, the industry faces he added, at some point in the not so far-fetched dangers that not too distant future cancellacould derail its impressive recovtions might decimate the backery from the most recent recession Adam Pilarksi, logs Boeing and Airbus have and prove the airframers’ zeal to senior v-p Avitas speed production misguided. accumulated. “Boeing and AirSpeaking with AIN in the weeks leading bus are sold out until, I don’t know, 2019 up to the Paris Air Show, Pilarksi wouldn’t or something like this,” he said. “And fault the airframers for their decisions, they’re saying, ‘If somebody comes today however. Indeed, he said, they acted in and wants to buy planes, I don’t want to their own best interests by raising produc- tell them to come back in ten years.’ “I, Adam, believe that many of the tion, particularly of widebodies. “Different parties have different interests in mind, and airplanes that were bought will eventuthey follow their self-interests, and within ally disappear,” he added. “So right now each party there are also different players,” Airbus and Boeing are acting in a ratiosaid Pilarski. “You cannot blame the man- nal way if you believe that everybody ufacturers for selling aircraft, the same way who bought planes will actually take

Airbus has been making plans to boost production of its single-aisle airliners to meet growing demand, but that strategy could backfire if customers such as Middle East airlines are forced to cancel orders, says one analyst.

them. I do not believe that.” Pilarski wouldn’t venture a guess about when any rush toward cancelations will occur, calling it an unpredictable event. Several events could burst what he believes has created a new “bubble.” He cited the possibility of a terrorist attack in the Middle East, in which case airlines such as Emirates, Qatar and Etihad suddenly might find they don’t need all the airplanes they bought; the prospect of oil prices spiking to $400 a barrel if unrest in the region spreads to Saudi Arabia; or the specter of inflation, in reaction to which monetary authorities might increase interest rates too fast, resulting in a global recession. However, he said that buyers have undoubtedly expressed irrational exuberance in their spending habits lately, particularly in the narrowbody market. Now, as

China’s Comac, Russia’s Irkut, Canada’s Bombardier and perhaps Brazil’s Embraer enter into a market dominated by two players for years, Pilarksi argued that a proliferation of narrowbody types will only serve to weaken residual values still further. “An important point…new aircraft prices have not been rising at the level of inflation for quite some time and with more competitors they will not in the future,” said Pilarski at the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) conference in March. “The most interesting point to me was the last decade, because at that time we went from three to two producers. We had a duopoly and if a duopoly could not increase prices, at least to inflation levels, what do you think will happen when there are more competitors?” o

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www.vikingair.com International Toll Free: 1-800-6727-6727 twin.otter@vikingair.com 40 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Visit Us On Site at Hall 3, Stand E79

New Goodrich retrofit hikes life of C-130’s landing gear by Liz Moscrop Goodrich has completed development and qualification for new carbon brake and boltless wheels to be retrofitted to the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of C-130 transport aircraft. The Air Force is conducting flight tests with the new equipment, while Goodrich starts production to support deliveries of 1,600 carbon brakes and 1,400 boltless wheels in the fourth quarter of 2011. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based group’s new C-130 boltless wheel and carbon brake system is designed to provide eight times longer brake life and six times longer wheel life. Goodrich said its proprietary carbon-based material provides lower cost of ownership when compared to steel braking systems and that the boltless aircraft wheels lower maintenance costs because of reduced parts count. The USAF is not the only customer for Goodrich’s carbon brakes. Saudi Arabian Airlines has opted for the brakes for its fleet of 12 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The carrier already installed the brakes on its 777-200s and 747-400s. Here at the Paris Air Show, Goodrich (Hall Concorde) is displaying a model

Goodrich Technology Helped Sikorsky X2 Win Collier Trophy Goodrich has been recognized for its role on the 2010 Robert J. Collier Trophy-winning Sikorsky X2 Technology demonstrator team. The company provided the SmartProbe air data systems and engine controls on the record-breaking aircraft. The X2 team received the prize after the aircraft successfully achieved a speed of 250 knots true air speed in level flight, setting an unofficial record for a helicopter and accomplishing the program’s ultimate speed milestone. –L.M.

of the ORS-1 satellite bus at its pavilion to highlight that the company has successfully completed all major program milestones for the system. ORS-1 has now been delivered to NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia for launch aboard a Minotaur 1 rocket. Goodrich is the prime contractor on the program, which is the first satellite developed to support combat command operations and will provide battlespace awareness supporting the U.S. Central Command’s mission needs. The company is also the lead systems integrator for the spacecraft and is providing the satellite’s sensor payload, which leverages the company’s SYERS-2 multispectral sensor, the primary imaging sensor on the U-2 reconnaissance plane. Rigorous environmental testing began in December 2010 to ensure that the satellite would function and perform in extreme conditions. The tests included duplicating the extreme hot and cold temperatures the satellite will experience during launch and when in space. Closer to earth, Goodrich has also added enhanced imagery stability and tracking for its TASE gimbal family and similar gimbaled camera systems developed by other manufacturers. VPS II, the second-generation video processing software, harnesses video processing, image stabilization and target tracking in a small low-power system. Goodrich said its new product will “greatly increase” the stability and image range of its cameras. The TASE system consists of a lightweight stabilized camera gimbal, software and a FAA-approved mount for an aircraft and collects video during flight that can be displayed in real-time in the cockpit, reducing pilot workload. o

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DAVID McINTOSH

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sales demonstrator Displaying typically sleek Italian lines, the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 is tailored to train pilots to fly new-generation combat aircraft.

www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 41

Thales RBE2 active array radar on a flight test Dassault Rafale. The company says it is five years ahead of other Western nations.

Thales claims consistency lights up Rafale’s radar arrays by Bernard Fitzsimons Thales is “five years ahead of anybody in Europe or the U.S.” in active arrays for airborne radars, according to Jean-Nöel Stock, Thales vice president UAVs and intelligence, and a former program director for Dassault Rafale airborne systems.

Speaking earlier this month at Thales Airborne Systems’ radar and mission systems facility in Pessac, Bordeaux, where he is also site director, Stock said one of the strengths of the Rafale program is that most of the electronics come from a single

company. “The consistency we bring to the electronics means the pilot has a system that is fully integrated,” he said. Thales’s contribution to the Rafale amounts to more than a quarter of the airplane’s dollar value, Stock said. It includes the RBE2 radar, frontal sector optronics, missile seekers (with MBDA), Damocles targeting pod and Spectra electronic warfare system. And all the data from the sensors is fuzed in a modular, data-processing unit before being displayed to the pilot or datalinked to friendly units. Two weeks ago an RBE2 was in the final integration room at Pessac, awaiting delivery to France’s armaments agency, the DGA, for installation in the next Rafale to be produced by Dassault Aviation. It retained the passive array that will continue to be delivered through 2012. But sharing the room was an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar already undergoing integration ahead of installation on one of the 60 tranche 4 Rafales ordered by the DGA in 2009 for delivery from 2013. Active Arrays

The advantage of electronic scanning is that the radar beam is directed electronically, rather than by mechanically swiveling the antenna back and forth to scan the sky. That means the beam can be switched in microseconds from one area of the sky to another, or used for ground mapping and air surveillance at the same time by flipping between the two modes. The current RBE2’s passive antenna uses electronic lenses consisting of arrays of diodes to direct the beam horizontally and vertically. The active array eliminates the grids; instead, the front end of the antenna is populated by hundreds of transmit/receive modules, each combining a high-power transmit amplifier, lownoise, receive amplifier and beam control. Eliminating the grids also eliminates the power lost by the signal going back and forth, improving the radar’s detection capability. “With the active array, Rafale will have a radar with twice the performance of today’s radar,” said Stock.

42 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Such a high level of integration is made possible by the gallium-arsenide, integrated-circuit technology on which Stock bases his claim of a five-year lead in active array radar. “It was not feasible in the ’80s or ’90s and is still not feasible for many European countries,” he said. “It is not possible to integrate at this density in a combat aircraft radar without gallium arsenide. It would produce more heat and we couldn’t accommodate it.” As it is, Thales had to develop a new liquid-cooling system for the modules. The gallium-arsenide chips, which carry out digital processing and frequency management at the same time, are produced by United Monolithic Semiconductor, a Thales/EADS joint venture based at Orsay, south of Paris, then integrated into subassemblies by Thales Micro Electronics in Brittany before being integrated into the antenna itself at Pessac. “When Rafale is exported we will find local partners for components,” Stock said. “But we will ensure we have full control of the supply chain, right down to the printed circuit boards.” Replacing a passive with an active array is “totally plug and play” and can be achieved in two hours, he added. Future enhancements to the radar, such as a finer aperture for ground mapping in synthetic aperture radar mode and simultaneous mode operation will be achieved through new software with no change to the hardware. In fact, Thales said, the large number of T/R modules means some of them can fail without noticeably affecting the system’s overall reliability and performance. Their reliability is such that the active front end should not require maintenance at intervals of less than 10 years. The same gallium-arsenide technology that is transforming the RBE2 is likely to find other applications, such as a future version of the Ocean Master 4000 maritime-surveillance radar that would retain mechanical rotation but use electronic-beam tilting. Current risk assessments are also looking at applications on the Franco-British Telemos medium altitude long endurance UAV. o

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Aussie win spurs Seahawk international sales efforts by Chris Pocock Lockheed Martin has launched a new marketing drive to sell MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters internationally. Last week it won a $3.2 billion deal to supply 24 MH-60R versions to the Royal Australian Navy. As the mission systems integrator, Lockheed Martin takes basic airframes from co-prime contractor Sikorsky and adds sophisticated hardware and software. It has already completed 200 MH60S utility versions for the U.S. Navy at the Sikorsky factory, and will soon deliver the 100th MH-60R version equipped for antiship and anti-submarine warfare from its own facility at Owego in upstate New York. Two MH-60S versions that stand ready at Owego for delivery to the Thai Navy are the first Seahawks to be exported for some years. The MH-60R won in Australia against the Eurocopter NH-90. Australia previously bought 50 Black Hawk and Seahawk helicopters, but plans to retire them all by 2014. Lockheed Martin also reports interest from Denmark (a proposal for nine MH-60Rs has been submitted); Korea (MH-60R); Qatar (MH-60S) and Saudi Arabia (a large number of both versions). “The MH-60 is the world’s most capable maritime helicopter, with highly integrated flight and mission computers,” claimed Dan Spoor, vice president and general manager of aviation systems for Lockheed Martin’s Missions Systems and Sensors (MS2) division. “The U.S. Navy plans to buy 296 MH-60Ss and 300 MH-60Rs, and we can leverage that economy of scale, as well as the spiral development, for international customers,” he added. The U.S. Navy has spent some $1 billion to develop the MH60R/S series as replacements for six previous helicopters, including the original SH-60B/F Seahawks. The MH-60S “Sierra,” introduced in 2002, is designed for transport of cargo and passengers, plus combat search and rescue. It can be armed with Hellfire missiles and a Gatling gun. The MH-60R followed four years later.

The four large cockpit displays are common to both. The primary sensors on the “Romeo” are the Telephonics APS-147 multi-mode radar, which includes inverse SAR modes for optimum detection of submarine periscopes; Raytheon AQS-22 long-range dipping sonar; 25 sonobuoys; Raytheon AAS-44 FLIR for visual identification and targeting of the Hellfire missiles; and Lockheed Martin ALQ-210 ESM system. Output from all these sensors can be sent to ships via a C-band datalink that will be upgraded to Ku-band next year. Link 16 is also carried. There is an integrated self-defense system comprising chaff and flare countermeasures, plus protection from radar, IR and laser threats. The stub pylons also mount the Mk54 torpedoes as well as the Hellfires. Diverse Systems Integration

The Owego facility of Lockheed Martin is home to cutting-edge expertise in aerospace systems. The site still manufactures some specialist components and subassemblies and is developing the next generation of parallel processors. The processor backbone for the F-35 stealth fighter is produced here. But systems integration is the main task for the 2,800 employees at Owego. Owego has done C-130 upgrades for the U.S. Coast Guard; P-3 programs for Pakistan, Portugal and Taiwan; and the A-10 for the U.S. Air Force. For the latter, a systems integration laboratory is maintained so that annual software upgrades can be provided to the evergreen Warthog. The digital cockpit and precision strike work that was done here for the A-10 has been exploited again for the Pentagon’s Light Attack Aircraft (LAA) competition, in which Lockheed Martin MS2 is teamed with Hawker Beechcraft for the AT-6. “A lot of our work is now open architecture, and therefore potentially platform agnostic. We’re making big investments in modular software that is portable between platforms,” said Spoor. As an example, anti-submarine work

CHRIS POCOCK

A newly completed MH-60R “Romeo” stands outside Lockheed Martin’s facility at Owego, New York. The 100th example of this sophisticated multi-mission naval helicopter will be delivered to the U.S. Navy later this month.

44 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Crewmen help guide a MH-60R into a shipboard landing. Lockheed Martin is mission systems integrator on the Sikorsky-built Seahawks.

could be applicable to helicopters, the P-3 or ships. In fact, the company’s current MH-60R/S programs benefit from work done originally for the UK’s Merlin helicopter upgrade. “We’re doing or pursuing business with more than 40 countries now,” Spoor noted. MS2 has made various international proposals for P-3 upgrades, and palletized ISR system add-ons or ASW mission systems for the C-130J. The division has partnered with Sikorsky for the Pentagon’s key ongoing helicopter competitions: the Common Vertical Lift Support Platform (CVLSP), the HH-60 Recapitalization (formerly

Combat Search and Rescue (CSARX), and the second round of the V-XX Presidential helicopter. MS2 was prime for the ill-starred V-XX first round, using the AgustaWestland AW101. This time, though, Sikorsky will be the prime contractor. Owego is also leading Lockheed Martin’s work on the U.S. Marine Corps unmanned cargo resupply requirement. It has adapted the Kaman K-Max utility lift helicopter for optionally piloted operation. The system will be demonstrated in Afghanistan later this year, if MS2’s solution is preferred to the competing A160 Hummingbird proposal from Boeing. o

Nexcelle demos scale model of integrated propulsion system Cincinnati, Ohio-based Nexcelle (Hall to visually and mechanically demonstrate 2A A232) is exhibiting what it calls an in- why Nexcelle’s IPS technologies will deliver dustry-leading integrated propulsion system real performance advantages in new prohere in Paris in the form of a functional scale pulsion systems,” said Steve Walters, Nexcelle president. “It takes our model demonstrating elements of its technology roadmap next-generation, enfrom paper to a pracgine nacelle contical demonstration, and figuration. The underscores the progress half-scale modwe are making in bringel shown by Nexing the IPS to reality.” celle–the engine The functional scale nacelle joint venmodel sits on the Paris Air ture of Middle Show exhibit of Safran–the River Aircraft Sysparent company of Nexcelle’s tems and the Safran joint venture partner comgroup’s Aircelle company– pany, Aircelle. highlights the company’s Functional scale model of Nexcelle’s Nexcelle has won the efforts to cut fuel consump- integrated propulsion system is on tion, improve performance display here. The full-size version will competition to supply go on two major engine programs. the engine nacelle sysand enhance maintenance for jet engine applications on commercial tems for two major engine programs: the CFM International Leap-X1C integrated airliners and business aircraft. Features of the propulsion system include propulsion system on Comac’s C919 aira low-drag front end with single-piece air liner and the GE Passport 20 engine for inlet; a fan cowl structurally integrated to the Bombardier’s Global 7000 and 8000 busi–G.P. engine; a translating O-duct thrust reverser ness jet aircraft. that provides improved fan flowpath while eliminating door links, lower bifurcation, latches and split lines; and a new integrated mounting system for reduced engine distortion and enhanced on-wing performance. “We invested in this high-fidelity model

Laser-guided AASM hammers moving targets

INNOVATION IN ALL DOMAINS

by David Donald One of the most important weapons development programs here in France is the INS/GPS+laser-guided variant of Sagem’s AASM (armement air-sol modulaire in French, now also known by its NATO name of SBU-38 Hammer). The AASM has been achieving good success in its INS/GPS- and INS/GPS+IRguided versions, and the laser version will provide the significant ability to hit moving targets. The AASM is a fully modular weapon with three different guidance packages and warhead sizes ranging from 125 to 1,000 kilograms (275 to 2,200 pounds) that correspond to NATO’s Mk 80 series. Only the 250-kilogram warhead is currently in use, although the 125-kilogram weapon is now cleared. Other options include general-purpose and penetration warheads, and an insensitive munition for shipboard use. In addition, the AASM has a rocket booster kit that is common to the 125-, 250- and 500-kilogram warhead options that extends range to over 70 kilometers when fired from high altitude, or 15 kilometers at low level. The Rafale can carry up to six AASMs through the use of triple carriers, and all six can be independently targeted and simultane ously launched. Sagem is currently gearing up for a full evaluation of the laser AASM by the Cazaux flight-test facility of France’s DGA armaments agency early next year,

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leading to service entry by 2013. At least three test firings are planned against moving and time-sensitive targets. The DGA’s flight test department has already conducted numerous captive-carry test flights, including near-vertical dives and fast runs at low level against vertically mounted targets to mimic the terminal phase of the missile. These flights led to three developmental firings at the Biscarrosse range, the first of which (L1, conducted on June 17 last year) ended in a vertical diving attack profile. The L2 test was launched at more than 40 kilometers range and employed a delayed designation with a deliberately diffuse laser spot. The final development test, L3, was conducted from a Rafale on April 21 this year at a 90-degree off-boresight angle and a range greater than 15 kilometers. The target was a laser spot traveling at 80 kilometers per hour along a banner, the inert weapon hitting within one meter of the spot. Laser AASM will significantly enhance the Rafale’s capability in the close-air-support role by allowing a loitering aircraft to rapidly engage timesensitive and moving targets, regardless of boresight angle and using a variety of designations sources. Further developments planned for the family include an airburst fuzing option, additional anti-ship capability and a datalink that allows mid-flight retargeting and battle damage assessment. o

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Ejectors thrust a laser AASM away from a Rafale during a developmental test. Weapons tested at Cazaux by French armaments agency DGA incorporate a self-destruct mechanism in case they out-fly the constraints of the range area.

DAVID DONALD

www.raytheon.com The laser version of the AASM seen here is virtually indistinguishable from the IR variant. The weapon employs a rolling guidance kit that always keeps the GPS receiver uppermost.

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www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 45

Bombardier, Comac share ambitious China strategy by Gregory Polek Canada’s Bombardier and For its part, Embraer mainChina’s Comac will become tains a joint venture with Avic close partners in the com- in the northern city of Harbin. ing years under the terms of a It recently built the last of just framework agreement signed forty-one 50-seat ERJ-145s over between the two companies in some eight years and will soon March that calls for cooperation begin building Legacy business in seven major areas, accord- jets, likely at a similarly modest ing to Bombardier Commercial rate. Although Boehm almost Aircraft vice president of inter- scoffed at the mere suggestion national business Ben Boehm. that the Embraer joint venture But while industry executives might serve as some model for such as Embraer CEO Frederico Bombardier, one might argue Curado have called the poten- that Embraer’s attempt to cultitially far-reaching tie-up “very vate industrial ties with the Chiimportant,” some have expressed nese, even if only marginally doubts about what exactly Bom- successful, helped pave the way bardier, in particular, has to gain toward wider success in selling by lending its marketing and the E190, even in the presence technical expertise to a partner of a potential domestic rival in that has historically proved an the Comac ARJ21-700. elusive target of opportunity. Nevertheless, said Boehm, In fact, Bombardier had not “just putting final assembly lines long ago attempted a some- into China is not good for either what less ambitious collabora- party. That, to me, is a patchtion with the Chinese, in 2007. work fix. Under a deal signed at the Paris “The real root reason why Air Show with China’s then- Bombardier and Comac are dominant aerospace conglom- doing this is because we see synerate Avic I, it had agreed to ergies between our two compaparticipate in the development nies that, quite frankly, are there of the ARJ21-900 in return for for better customer value and to a $400 million investment in sell more planes. Let’s be blunt research and development and about it,” he concluded. Such construction of new facilities to “synergies” will manifest themsupport the development of the selves first in customer relaC Series. But when the Chinese tionships and support, systems turned their attention away commonality, materials comfrom stretching the ARJ21- monality, supply chain “oppor700 into a 105-seat regional tunities” and, finally, said jet and toward development Boehm, “potentially looking of the 160- to 190-seat C919, at where each of our products’ the partnership fizzled, leaving family derivatives might go.” Bombardier searching for new The Bombardier executive avenues of collaboration. counted “roughly ten or so” Certainly, Bombardier still saw a need to make headway into a market that, by its own reckoning, stands to account for 18 percent of the world’s demand for 20to 149-seat airliners over the next 20 years. After all, the Canadian manufacturer hasn’t sold a commercial airplane in China for several years, while its Brazilian rival, Embraer, has enjoyed relative success in the country, particularly of late, with its 100-seat E190. Indeed, this latest framework agreement–if, in fact, it does bear as much fruit as Boehm expects–would extend Bombardier’s participation in China’s com- Pierre Beaudoin, president and chief executive officer of Bombardier Inc., front left, and Mr. mercial aircraft industry far Zhang, chairman of Comac, seal a framework beyond anything its Brazil- agreement to establish a long-term strategic ian rival has managed. cooperation on commercial aircraft.

46 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Bombardier’s cooperation with Comac will draw on “synergies” between the two companies, which have common suppliers for their respective new airliners, the C Series (top) and C919 (left). The ultimate goal is facilitating access to previously blocked markets for each airframer.

suppliers that the C919 and C Series share already, “and potentially even more,” although he conceded Bombardier has completely locked in its supplier base for the C Series. Meanwhile, the Chinese, well aware of the implications of an October 2015 certification of the Airbus A320neo, appear serious about sticking to the schedule for the C919, leaving little time for major changes to systems. Still, Boehm ranked supplier commonality as one of the most important long-term benefits of the framework agreement. “If you look at our three products today [the ARJ21, C919 and C Series], they don’t overlap at all, but there are some gaps between them. So we see opportunities potentially in the longer term but acknowledge in the short term that each of us is full up with what we’re already working on,” said Boehm. Working Teams

Bombardier and Comac have already established what Boehm called working teams, each dedicated to a specific area of collaboration. He said he couldn’t comment on specifics, but he counted “between 50 and 100” Bombardier Commercial Aircraft employees on his international team now stationed in China, either permanently or on a temporary basis. These are apart from Bombardier Aerospace employees in Shenyang, where Shenyang Aircraft builds the three center sections of the C Series fuselage. “So our focus right now is really on getting the working teams together and then starting to put some program

plans together for each of those seven work areas,” said Boehm. Apart from the fact that Comac and the C919 didn’t exist in 2007, the circumstances of this agreement differ broadly in that, this time, the sides have already outlined the areas of focus on which they planned to collaborate and have actually established some timelines “in terms of where we want to be next,” said Boehm. “The timelines revolve more around governance…about, for example, how often do the executive members of the steering committee get together…that type of thing.” Still, Boehm didn’t expect Bombardier and Comac to have signed a firm agreement on any one area of cooperation by the time the Paris Air Show started. Customer Support

In the areas of customer support and help with Western certification of the C919, it seems clear that Bombardier has much to offer its Chinese partners. But, to some, answers about what technical assistance Comac can immediately offer Bombardier appear somewhat less obvious. Boehm, however, pointed to China’s huge pool of engineers as one resource from which the Canadian company can certainly benefit. “There is a shortage of engineers in North America right now,” he said. “It’s not as easy as it used to be to hire large groups of engineers. They also have fairly good research-anddevelopment centers where there are good opportunities. They have some flight test centers that potentially can be used, wind tunnels that potentially can be used. There are a

lot of development opportunities that can be really good for Bombardier.” Perhaps more significantly, though, the two companies together can more broadly cover what Boehm called the global “geopolitical spectrum.” Certainly, it appears Bombardier can use help in China and the Asia Pacific region at large, where it has yet to place a C Series airplane. C-Series in China?

Nevertheless, Boehm would not concede that the deal with the Chinese reflects any sense of desperation. “The C Series in China. . .I’m not really worried about it yet,” he said. “Historically the Chinese market is not one to focus much on new product developments; they typically take the tried-and-true products. If you look historically, they have never been a launch customer for Airbus or Boeing, so from that perspective I’m really not too concerned.” As for reasons Bombardier has failed to sell any commercial aircraft to a Chinese airline for several years, Boehm hesitated to identify any specific shortcomings in the product line or sales strategy. “It’s not as simple as a one-off answer,” he said. “I would say that we’re more focused on where we want to go. Bombardier is putting a lot more investment in and a lot more focus on the Asia Pacific region than we have perhaps in the past. And our plan is to turn that around.” o

Pacific Northwest firms team on development of aviation biofuel

INNOVATION IN ALL DOMAINS

by Bill Carey Washington state and its neighbors in industry, is looking into wood waste and the U.S. Pacific Northwest claim to have mill residue as raw material for aviation established an early leadership position in biofuel. In April this year, Governor the development of sustainable aviation Christine Gregoire signed into law a meabiofuels. Companies and research groups sure authorizing the state’s Department from the region believe they now under- of Natural Resources to conduct a demstand how to develop the most promising onstration project on the concept. biofuel feedstocks and how to bring them Among those leading the biofuel to market, and plans are under way to trend in Washington State is agribusiness establish a biorefinery for jet fuel by 2014. entrepreneur Tom Todaro, founder and Last July the Sustainable Aviation CEO of AltAir Fuels in Seattle. Todaro Fuels Northwest (SAFN) project was is developing a biofuel refinery with the launched to look at biomass options goal of producing 100 million gallons of in a four-state area as possible sources camelina-based jet fuel annually, supplyfor renewable jet fuel. Alaska Airlines, ing 5 to 10 percent of the fuel consumed Boeing, Portland International Airport, at Sea-Tac Airport. Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Spokane InterTodaro told AIN that engineering national Airport and Washington State and the securing of permits are substanUniversity spearheaded the initiative, tially completed to build the planned involving a consortium of 40 industry, biofuel facility adjacent to an oil refinacademic and government entities. ery in Washington. In the meantime, he The group last month produced a hopes soon to announce the location of report addressing the an interim facility on the need to support develU.S. West Coast capaopment of sustainable ble of producing 10 to 20 biofuels in the region, million gallons of biowith strategies for bringfuel within a year. ing biomass feedstocks “We’re certifying that to commercial viabilthe process we work on ity. SAFN’s vision is that with UOP creates a molby 2020 or soon thereafecule that is indistinter, “all or most flights guishable from regular from major airports in jet-A…it has all of the the region will be using at characteristics of jet-A” least a blend of bio-based in a 50-percent blend, fuel that is sustainably Todaro said. It takes “an developed,” said Ross incredible amount of Macfarlane, senior adviwork to get your feedsor, business partnerships stock growing efficiently with Climate Solutions, in target geographies. an environmental nonWe’ve spent many years profit organization manand many millions of aging the effort. dollars creating this crop SAFN members are called camelina.” targeting biomass-derived According to Todaro, fuels as opposed to other The Camelina plant is one of four camelina-based biofuel petroleum alternatives, feedstocks identified as promising for is five times better than sourced largely from biofuel production. Forest residues from jet-A in terms of carbon the participating states logging operations, solid waste and emissions. Looked at algae are also considered promising of Washington, Oregon, sources of biofuel. another way, he said you Idaho and Montana. can fly five miles on bio“They identified a need to develop some fuel and release the same amount of CO2 regional approaches, flight paths, if you as flying one mile on jet-A. Macfarlane said the cost and volatilwill, to get a significant quantity of aviation fuels from sustainable alternatives to petro- ity of petroleum-based fuel, as well as concern over the environment, is driving leum,” said Macfarlane. The project has identified as most development of aviation biofuels. “The promising four feedstocks: oilseeds, par- aviation industry has incredibly thin and ticularly camelina, which can be grown challenging profit margins, and one of in rotation with wheat crops; forest res- the biggest variables is the 100 percent idues from logging operations; solid dependence on petroleum fuels,” he said. “Their challenge is managing the price waste and algae. “The intent is to be feedstock agnostic and to help create the volatility and supply volatility that is preconditions for success that are going to sented in that market. I think the queslead to a viable and sustainable industry tion for most aviation stakeholders isn’t to create fuels for aviation and other crit- whether they are going to invest in alterical uses, and not just pick winners and natives, but what those alternatives are going to be and how they can quickly get losers,” he said. o Washington state, with its big timber there,” he added.

AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Enabling the safest, most secure air traffic management systems in the world: that is our mission. It’s one we fulfill by developing and integrating advanced military and civil ATM systems, and by training those who drive their success.

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www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 47

European agency urges collaborative tech efforts With defense budgets in Europe under severe pressure, the work of the European Defence Agency (EDA) could take on greater significance. Formed in July 2004, the agency was charged with fostering collaboration among European Union nations in their defense research, requirements and equipment programs. At an agency conference in April, EDA operations director Adam Sowa renewed the call for “smarter cooperation, which generates and secures critical key enabling technologies to answer challenges posed by the economic cri sis.” He also noted that “Europe needs common policies for reducing technology dependence” on countries such as Japan and the U.S. The EDA has recently engaged consultants to fully identify this dependence, especially in aerospace. Of the €35 billion ($49 billion) that European countries spend on defense equipment each year, only some 20 percent goes to collaborative projects. The EDA would like to raise that to 35

Priorities for Action Within its overall capability development plan (CDP), which was recently updated, the European Defence Agency has identified the following priorities for a collaborative approach: • Counter improvised explosive devices (C-IED) • I ntelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) • Improving helicopter availability for operations • Medical support • Multinational logistical support • Cyber defense • Strategic and tactical airlift management • Mobility assurance • Fuel and energy • Information exchange on the common defense and security policy. –C.P.

percent, but previous collaborations have delivered poor value, especially when three or more countries have attempted to set requirements, and then manage joint projects according to “juste retour” principles where workshare is rigidly allocated so that each state aims to achieve maximum possible benefit. The Eurofighter project is a classic example, but there are many others. All of the EU member states except Denmark participate in the EDA to a greater or lesser extent. But the six largest countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK) also discuss defense industry restructuring in a separate forum that predates the EDA. And, while the EDA attempts to coordinate future air systems, so do those six nations within their European technology acquisition program (ETAP). EDA is also separate from organizations such as the Paris-based OCCAR defense procurement agency. According to the EDA, OCCAR is well placed to take on projects that are conceived and born within the EDA. EDA Initiatives

Like other Brussels-based EU bureaucracies, the EDA has attracted its fair share of criticism and skepticism. It has a staff of more than 100, working in four directorates and 23 project teams, at an annual cost of €30 million ($42 million). The EDA has produced plenty of policy documents: a centerpiece capability development plan (CDP; see box) plus strategies for research and technology, armaments cooperation and the industrial base. It has also produced codes of conduct for procurement and offsets, and developed enabling tools for cooperation, such as a pan-European online contract opportunities portal and an electronic marketplace for third-party logistics

Last year, Eurocopter and Boeing revealed early plans for a new-technology version of the CH-47 Chinook. This transatlantic cooperation could be an option for Europe’s Future Transport Helicopter requirement.

48 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

DAVID McINTOSH

by Chris Pocock

The Eurofighter Typhoon program exemplifies a collaboraive program that has delivered poor value due to rigid, self-serving rules over workshare among the nations involved. The European Defence Agency is calling on Europe to foster “smarter cooperation.”

support. It has been trying to harmonize military airworthiness requirements across Europe. In 2009 alone, the EDA launched 38 new projects. So what difference has the EDA made to date, in practical terms? The agency points to various initiatives, including: • A helicopter training program (HTP) being launched this year covering simulated tactics training, pre-deployment training and an outline course syllabus. Eleven countries took part in a “test bed” for the HTP. • Study work on UAS operations in nonsegregated airspace, which led to the launch here at Paris two years ago of the Midair Collision Avoidance System (MIDCAS) by 13 companies in five participating nations. • Development of a European air transport fleet (EATF). Fifteen countries have signed up to an initiative that would pool, share and exchange

Opening Up Cross-border Procurement A new measure to open up defense procurement by European countries to greater competition is finally coming into force this year. In January 2009 the European Parliament approved the European directive on defense and security procurement, which should greatly increase the percentage of defense contract opportunities that EU governments offer to bidders from other European countries. The new law also allows m anufacturers to apply for a general license to export specific defense equipment within the EU, rather than seek permission for each sale. Previously, the EU encouraged member states to publish contract opportunities on the website of the European Defence Agency. Still, it is e stimated that less than one fifth of European defense procurement is publicly notified in this way as required. “European industries will get a much larger ‘home’ market with longer production runs and economies of scale,” promised Charlie McCreevey, the EU internal market commissioner. – C.P.

capabilities, including aircraft, training programs, cross-servicing, cargo handling and spare parts. • Multinational space-based imaging system (MUSIS). Six countries have agreed to develop better sharing of the data from the Helios, SAR Lupe and Cosmo Skymed systems, and to develop successors. • Future unmanned aerial system (FUAS). Seven states have defined common requirements for a maritime tactical UAS. The EDA is now evaluating engine requirements. • Future transport helicopter (FTH). Franco-German agreement to join forces on a new 13-metric-ton, 70-troop heavy helicopter. A possible transatlantic cooperation [Eurocopter and Boeing revealed a “new” technology Chinook last year]. Ongoing Research

Other projects on the EDA books have been around for years with little progress. In the air domain, they include the advanced European jet pilot training system (AEJPT). The agency aims to develop a memorandum of understanding and launch a request for proposal this year. The EDA is also pushing research and technology (R&T) collaboration among EU member states, which spend about €2.5 billion ($3.5 billion) annually on R&T–clearly not enough, according to EDA officials. The agency has managed more than 40 R&T projects and has identified 12 domains that are ripe for collaboration, including aerial systems; optical and RF sensors and their signal processing; guidance and control, and missiles and munitions. The EDA also coordinates R&T strategy with the European Commission and the European Space Agency “to avoid duplication of efforts and to increase civil-military standardization.” o

INNOVATION IN ALL DOMAINS

INTEGRATED AIR & MISSILE DEFENSE SOLUTIONS

Alenia is preparing to start flight testing its Sky-Y medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV in non-segregated civil airspace from the end of this year.

With contributions to Neuron, Alenia extends UAV roles

Raytheon’s experience developing and integrating air and missile defense solutions makes us a key player in the United States’ Phased Adaptive Approach for missile defense in Europe, and in developing solutions to protect nations worldwide.

by Paolo Valpolini Alenia Aeronautica’s standing as a player in the fast-developing UAV market has been bolstered by its role a first-level partner in Europe’s Neuron unmanned combat air vehicle program. Last month, the Italian company delivered the first weapons bay doors and its operating mechanism to program leader Dassault Aviation. The weapons bay forms part of Alenia’s responsibility for the Neuron’s integrated weapons system. In work being done at its Torino Caselle facility in northern Italy, the group also is providing the electrical generation and distribution system and the air data system. The design of the weapons bay has been driven largely by the need to meet the low-observability requirements of the stealthy Neuron warplane. This prompted Alenia to patent a special seal for the perimeter of the weapons bay doors. The package is now being installed on a test aircraft being assembled at Dassault’s Istres facility in the south of France. The first flight of the Neuron has been pushed back from late 2011 to early in 2012 as Dassault and its partners await confirmation of a launch for phase two of the program. Alenia’s role in the Neuron has its origins in its own Sky-X UCAV demonstrator. In May 2005, the Sky-X became the first European UAV weighing more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) and three years later it was the first to achieve an autonomous in-flight refueling connection with a support aircraft. To date, the Sky-X has flown 29 missions logging some 15 flight hours. MALE Genes

The pedigree of Alenia’s UAV actually goes back to the early 1990s when the company started work on a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) aircraft as part of a technology demonstration program called Sky-Y. The initial aim of the Sky-Y project was to develop an ultra-light structure in the MALE class of UAV and also to develop heavy fuel engine technology that would reduce operating costs and enhance endurance. Today, Sky-Y ground and flight tests

are mainly aimed at developing automatic mission functions for ground surveillance and a midair collision avoidance system (MIDCAS). The contract to develop the MIDCAS was awarded to Alenia in June 2009 and is due to run for four years. This work is being done under the auspices of the European Defence Agency (EDA) and, in addition to Italy, involves a dozen other countries, including Sweden, Germany, France and Spain. The EDA chose Sky-Y as a MALE test platform because of its flexible configuration and ability to carry a lot of sensors, and the fact that it represents a typical MALE missions profile. Alenia is working closely with Italy’s ENAC civil aviation authority to prepare the way for fully functional flight testing that is due to start toward the end of this year. So far, Sky-Y has flown 33 missions (outside civil airspace), logging more than 60 hours. The tests planned for later this year will focus on live demonstrations of its advanced environmental monitoring system (known by its Italian acronym SMAT, for Sistema di Monitoraggio Avanzato del Territorio). The program is being part sponsored by Italy’s Piedmont region, with Sky-Y being used for medium-altitude environmental monitoring. The next phase of flight-testing will be the first time the UAV has been able to fly from civil airports in non-segregated airspace. It is to be followed by a further flight campaign to test new avionics and ground station functionalities. Export Options

Alenia’s commercial strategy holds that in a sector widely covered by U.S. and Israeli products the only way to acquire market share is to offer a product that is free from export control restrictions. The company also wants to deliver a platform with modular and open architecture able to accommodate customer enhancements, while minimizing acquisition and life-cycle costs. The company is currently working on selecting a series of subcontractors in order to create a team ready to cooperate on possible future projects. In this regard,

Continued on page 51 u

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www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 49

Superjet and Airbus similarities ease pilot training at Aeroflot by Vladimir Karnozov

Praise for Superjet

The Aeroflot flight instructors were full of admiration for the Superjet when they met with AIN ahead of this week’s Paris Air Show. “It handles similarly to Airbus narrowbodies. The Sukhoi has controllability reminiscent of the A319 and is as flyable as the A321,” commented Airbus instructor Oleg Engels. “During training flights the angle of attack peaked at 25 to 27 degrees, at which the airplane demonstrated that it is safe to fly thanks to well-done flight controls and envelope protection system,” added his colleague Igor Treibert. Comparing the SSJ100 to the A320, Sergei Bodrov noted, “The Sukhoi is better

trimmed in yaw, bank and pitch channels” and “handles better with one engine out, with the automatic flight controls doing all necessary compensations.” The second phase of the SSJ100 crew training program will see these six instructors teaching less experienced pilots. Flying for that phase will be done out of Aeroflot’s main base at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport (for night operations) and from the city of Ivanovo (during daylight hours). For those transitioning from A320s, the conversion program will take two-and-a-half months and include eight flight hours in an SSJ100. It the future this will be reduced to just oneand-a-half months and five flight hours. “For the time being, much of the training is done in classes and on real aircraft since the FFS is not ready yet,” said Stanislav Tulsky, director of the Aeroflot Aviation School (AAS). He explained that Aeroflot used to send its flight crews to Boeing, Airbus and European airlines for training, but, “Now we do everything in-house.”

recently and said they are deeply impressed and pleased with this school,” said Tulsky. The cooperation with the European airframer is now focused on perfecting the A320 and A330 syllabuses. “When you get all the necessary equipment in place, it is the instructors and their methodical approach to training that becomes priority number one,”

So where do young Russians go to become airline pilots? Typically, they apply to the advanced flying school at Ulianovsk, which is a well-regarded old institution. In 2010, Ulianovsk accepted 200 new cadets and g raduated 82 of them. The syllabus there is focused on initial training in aircraft handling skills and navigation. The flying is done on the venerable Yak-18T trainer and the newer Diamond DA 42. Yakovlev’s Yak-18T is a single-engine piston aircraft that has introduced several generations of Russian pilots to flying. It works well as a skills screener and ab-initio trainer for basic flying skills. The DA 42 piston twin introduces pilots to the world of the glass cockpit and into the art of crew resource management, which is about coordinating the work between captain and copilot during flight. “This airplane is simple, and having a glass cockpit, it is easier for the trainees going on to fly the Airbus A320,” said Stanislav Tulsky, director Aeroflot Aviation School. Aeroflot instructors assist Ulianovsk and offer jobs to its best graduates. –V.K.

Six Aeroflot flight instructors recently completed 40 days of training to qualify to fly the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which is scheduled to enter revenue service later this summer.

VLADIMIR KARNOZOV

Six Aeroflot flight instructors have qualified in the Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) after undergoing 40 days of training at the manufacturer’s Zhukovsky base near Moscow. These pilots will be flying the Russian carrier’s first SSJ100 to enter revenue service, with initial passenger flights expected later this summer. Aeroflot became the new jetliner’s launch customer by placing firm order for 30 SSJ100s in 2005. The carrier will assign 11 pilots to each aircraft, driving a need for 330 SSJ100 pilots in 2014, when deliveries are due to be completed. The SSJ100-qualified instructors are Aeroflot’s most experienced Airbus A320 pilots, each with more than 10,000 flight hours in five or more types. They were selected carefully so as to ensure high flight safety standards in the absence, for the time being, of a full-flight simulator (FFS) for the SSJ100. “Both aircraft have a sidestick and a glass cockpit,” explained Aeroflot’s head of cockpit crew training Aleksander Miroshnichenko. “Thanks to this similarity, a good A320 pilot can master the SSJ100 with no problem.” The use of a level-five training device helped somewhat to get the SSJ100 training program under way. With 24 hours on this device, the half-dozen pilots gained the necessary flying skills in an SSJ100 prototype, with each pilot amassing eight flight hours in 15 missions under the guidance of Sukhoi test pilots.

Inside Russia’s Airline Pilot Factory

Western Experience

Tulsky said he has experienced “several cycles of the learning curve” in the West, starting in 1991. He also added some interesting personal details that give a clearer picture of the experience base on which Aeroflot is building its future crewing needs: “I underwent training in the 737, 767 and 777 at Boeing in Seattle, and in the A320 and A330 at Airbus in Toulouse. My school [that is, the AAS] uses experience that my colleagues and I have amassed in the past twenty years. We accumulated experience in over 10 foreign training centers and fused it with that of our own. These 20 years of learning will pay off. We have amassed the necessary skills, and more recently got hold of some superb training equipment. Our aviation school prepares good cabin and cockpit crews, and does that on a very competitive basis.” AAS instructors have many personal friends among their foreign colleagues and especially from Airbus’s training organization. “They visited us

50 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

explained Tulsky. “It is impossible to prepare an airline pilot without good training devices, and yet it is the instructor who does the teaching.” Training in the SSJ100 is conducted in English, even when both instructor and trainee are Russian. Pilots are required to have at least level-four English, as defined by the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization. “Although the aircraft is a Sukhoi, the airplane has got a lot of Western systems,” said Tulsky. “This airplane is intended for sales to foreign airlines, and that means using English.” Computer-based Training

Computer-based training (CBT) is carried out in a dedicated class, after 100 hours of lectures. The class is equipped with four SSJ100 “kiosks” seating eight crewmembers, and 16 more for Airbus narrowbodies. Since the A320 and SSJ100 are broadly similar in systems architecture and design philosophy, training syllabuses are purposely unified.

In March, Aeroflot took delivery of a procedures training device for teaching cockpit and cabin crews how to disembark the airplane in normal and emergency landing situations. Called the ASP (after the Russian acronym for emergency, escape, rescue procedures), this simulator represents a cylindrical fuselage section equipped with doors that can be open or dropped when configured for a particular situation. Aeroflot conducts escape drills involving cockpit and cabin crews so they learn to cooperate in a dangerous situation. Facilities include a special device representing a fragment of an Ilyushin Il-96 airframe on moving platform where crews simulate rescue operations from an airplane with a broken landing gear. There is a water reservoir to practice evacuation from a ditched airplane using rafts. “The cockpit and cabin crews need to coordinate their actions in conducting a proper evacuation of passengers and themselves, which is very challenging

and therefore requires special skills,” Tulsky commented. “We have amassed a unique experience preparing A320 pilots with such limited flying experience; few schools in the world do this,” said Tulsky. “And we do this to high standards so that our graduates are qualified to pass Aeroflot exams and meet Airbus requirements. However, we have modified the training programs that Airbus suggested to take into account the peculiarities of our entrants and our airline.” Aeroflot has been receiving A320 series aircraft since 2003 and it continues to grow its Airbus fleet. Starting with 18 of the A320 family, it now operates 69 and expects this number to rise to 82. Superjet FSS Due Soon

The Russian carrier has four FFSs: an Il-96-300 unit, a Tupolev Tu-154M and two A320s. Their capacity is just enough to qualify 160 new pilots annually, each with 80

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INNOVATION IN ALL DOMAINS

RADAR VLADIMIR KARNOZOV

Across multiple platforms and missions, the harshest physical environments and all major frequency bands, one constant remains: Raytheon radar solutions deliver an unmatched ability to sense one’s environment, share information, strike with precision and succeed with confidence.

Aeroflot conducts computer-based training for the Airbus A320 and Superjet 100 in its dedicated lab. Four kiosks are allotted for SSJ100 training, with 16 more set aside for A320 instruction. The similarities between the two airplanes allows the airline to unify their training syllabuses.

Aeroflot’s first pilots qualified in Superjet uContinued from preceding page simulator hours. Simulator capacity is undoubtedly a bottleneck in the training process, especially given the need to make the equipment available for recurrent training as well. Aeroflot currently is awaiting delivery of FFSs for both the A330 and the new Boeing 787. In the meantime, it has removed an A310 FFS to make room for an SSJ100 FFS that is due to be installed next year. The level-D simulator has been developed by Thales as part of the program partnership struck between Sukhoi and the French avionics group in 2006 and 2007. “There is nothing special in mastering the Superjet, and until the FFS is in place, Aeroflot will continue to populate SSJ100 cockpits with experienced A320 pilots,” said Tulsky. “As soon as the simulator is available, we will start training of new pilots without A320 experience, and it will take us three months to get them qualified.”

Alenia extends its UAV participation uContinued from page 49 it is looking not only at the industry, but also to universities and other research institutes to help launch a technology development plan. Alenia wants to be a systems integrator for a MALE that, within two or three years, will be ready to compete with the aircraft being jointly developed by France and the UK. Separately, Alenia also is pressing ahead with plans to develop another UAV weighing less than 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) that could be used for roles such as maritime surveillance and pipeline monitoring. But this program will proceed only as a spin-off from Sky-Y if a launch customer comes forward to commit funding.

Tulsky would not say how many pilots will be in the second batch of SSJ100 trainees. “We will do what it takes to ensure that the number of pilots always matches the number of aircraft available,” he said. “Technically, everything is in place to prepare enough pilots in time so that when the next Superjet is delivered to Aeroflot it will not stay on the ground.” The fact is that Aeroflot has to be mindful of training costs. An SSJ100 FFS costs $12 million, when the airline is only paying $17 million for the aircraft itself, having enjoyed maximum possible discounts as the launch customer for the SSJ100. [The list price is understood to be between $23 million and $25 million.–Ed.] Aeroflot funds its new pilots’ two-year training program, a cost that is repaid over a five-year contract under which they work as copilots flying an average of 80 hours per month. o

Meanwhile, leveraging its simulation capabilities, Alenia also is developing an aircraft flight simulator to support the Sky-Y flight-test campaign. This embedded training system is located inside the operational ground control station (GCS), which, according to the company, makes it a cost-efficient solution for training. The simulator features a six-degreesof-freedom model integrated with real GCS equipment to allow it to simulate all the phases of a UAV’s mission as well as its payload. It also gives operators the chance to prepare for several emergency scenarios and different weather conditions. Training missions can be recorded and replayed for debriefing and analysis. Alenia’s intention is that this training platform could be adapted to the Sky-X UCAS if required. o

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www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 51

AgustaWestland to adopt common cockpit design by Paolo Valpolini AgustaWestland’s new common cockpit concept is being adopted on all of its new helicopters in order to provide an identical “look and feel” to the operators. But the idea is about more than branding. Ultimately, it’s all to do with safety in the hope that in an emergency situation pilots will not have to give a moment’s thought to which model they are flying since all the commands are identical. The Italy-based rotorcraft group is looking at a common avionics architecture design that might be adopted both for commercial and military helicopters to keep the product range competitive. The key elements of this are as follows: the cockpit display system, the automatic flight control system and the aircraft management and mission system. The mission system provides dual redundancy for the flight management system, vehicle monitoring system, communications and navigation control system, central maintenance system,

digital map and health-andusage monitoring system. While the core avionics system hardware is provided by specialist avionics suppliers, the development of flight software and system integration are handled by AgustaWestland’s own avionics team. The thinking here is for the airframer to have plenty of control and flexibility for customizing and modifying the aircraft to customer specifications. Airline-inspired Network

The architecture adopted by AgustaWestland is centered around the AFDX data network developed for the latest commercial airliners. The AFDX high-speed digital bus has been developed to Arinc664 Part 7 specifications. This bus is based on improved Ethernet technology. When a message is sent through an Ethernet in current computers there is no certainty that the message has arrived. With AFDX not only does the system confirm that a message has been sent and received, it also includes an

Ontic shoulders burden of legacy aircraft support by Matt Thurber When Peg Billson first was approached about the opportunity to take over leadership of BBA Aviation’s Legacy Support division and its Ontic subsidiary, it took her just a few minutes to understand the unique nature of the company’s business model. The model is simple: when aircraft reach a certain age, OEMs are faced with deciding whether to deploy limited resources on supporting older products or develop new products that could bring in a lot more revenue. That’s where Ontic comes in. It is a manufacturer of aircraft parts and components, but unlike other third-party companies, it doesn’t compete with OEMs. “We partner with OEMs,” Billson said. “Whether they want to divest or license, we’re agnostic.” There are various reasons that an OEM would want to offload legacy support to Ontic. For example, Pratt & Whitney Canada sold the intellectual property for a PT6 fuel pump

to Ontic. “Over time, the OEM makes a decision to rationalize its portfolio,” she said. “Maybe it’s going to newer technology and needs to license older technology to free up resources for new programs, or new spares are very low volume.” Some OEMs sell the product lines needed to support an older aircraft; other OEMs prefer to license the intellectual property– the design of the parts–to Ontic but retain ownership of the parts. In either case, Ontic then manufactures the parts, labeled with its own nameplate, and sells them directly to the aircraft operator. Ontic also obtains parts manufacturer approval (PMA) from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on each part that it makes (or the equivalent for European parts), which eases the process of shipping directly to the end-user. And Ontic takes on the liability for the parts as well. Unlike a large manufacturer with huge overheads, the company

52 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

integrity check to ensure that it has arrives with all the information intact. Compared to the Arinc429based systems currently used by all commercial helicopters, the AFDX increases the available data bandwidth by a factor of 1,000. On its latest aircraft, AgustaWestland uses a pair of 24-port 100-Mbps switches. The basic avionics suite on these models uses only one tenth of the available bandwidth, which shows the considerable inherent growth potential of the new system. In the AgustaWestland common architecture, the main ex ternal avionics systems linked to the core avionics are the primary flight instruments (ADAHRS, RAD and ALT), the communication and navigation suite (VHF, XPDR and ICS) and the navigation suite (NAV, ADF, DME and GPS). Currently, all these subsystems work on Arinc429, BUS 1553B or even analog interfaces. With AFDXinterfaced systems, the much faster data rate will allow the transfer of a much more information–a vital factor especially in the military world where transferring high-resolution pictures and streaming video in real time has become important for fully exploiting ISTAR assets. doesn’t need to make a large number of parts to cover that overhead. It thrives in the world of low-volume manufacturing of high-quality aerospace components. Ontic also uniquely has the resources to store inventory for seldom-used but high-value parts, while most OEMs are forced to keep inventories at a minimum. “We’re not a distributor,” said Billson. “We manufacture and repair parts.” When taking on a new part, Ontic works with the existing supplier of that part. In some cases, it will transition to new suppliers, if there are efficiencies to be gained. Some parts are manufactured in Ontic’s own facilities and some are sourced from other suppliers. After a production run of a part

Among other benefits, AgustaWestland’s adoption of a new common avionics architecture means a much higher degree of system commonality between the flight decks of helicopters such as the AW169 (pictured) here and other models, such as the AW149.

The aircraft’s mission computer will also benefit greatly from the higher data transfer rates. Another key element in the new AgustaWestland avionics architecture is the Arinc661 capability. This allows cockpit designers to separate the functioning of applications and displays. Commands used purely for the graphical representation of flight data are sent autonomously from an external user application to the cockpit displays. One benefit from this approach is that when a sensor needs to be replaced, AgustaWestland can simply update the symbology, rather than having to go back to the display manufacturer to have software reworked. This makes any necessary recertification work less complicated and reduces the cost of improving

functionality during the life of an aircraft. AgustaWestand believes the new approach makes it better equipped to initiate improvements in areas such as cockpit displays, mission computers and the autopilot to reduce crew workload and improve aircraft handling. It wants to be able to do this without always having to work through the avionics supplier. Another objective in terms of cost saving is to increase software commonality between its various models. For instance, the commonality between the AW149 and AW169 helicopters will be between 70 and 90 percent with the new architecture. This is despite the fact that the two cockpits have different numbers of displays–four and three, respectively. o

is done, the company stores all of the tooling and jigs in case more parts need to be produced. Ontic currently operates four facilities, two of which– Chatsworth in California and Slough, UK–manufacture new parts and provide MRO services. A facility in Cheltenham, UK, is growing in capability, and its Houston, Texas facility is mainly for MRO. In 2012, the company is to open a Singapore MRO facility. “The business model is a global model,” said Billson. It’s much easier for Ontic to provide parts to European operators from the UK facilities, especially for military and government customers. “That’s why we strategically focused on having both footprints

[in the U.S. and Europe],” she said. The company logs more than $100 million in annual sales, and that amount has quadrupled since BBA purchased Ontic in 2006. Sales break down to 40 percent military and government aircraft programs, 30 percent business aviation and 30 percent commercial airliners and freighters. Ontic’s activities include about 20 percent making parts for existing product lines, 40 to 50 percent for new spares, with the remainder being the company’s MRO business. Key areas of focus are turbomachinery and engine accessories, electromechanical items like motors and heat exchangers, and landing gear and control surfaces. Ontic also makes and services electronics, such as smoke detector systems and electronic engine controls for Honeywell TFE731 engines, but is strategically targeting the generation of electronic products made from the 1970s to the 1990s. Rotor control systems are also a targeted opportunity. Large Ontic deals include the purchase of GE Aviation’s fuel measurement business (which included the Cheltenham facilities, now branded as Ontic) and licensing Honeywell’s 700-series APUs. o

Ontic technicians in one of the company’s fluid-pumping test areas check propeller governors used on several single- and twin-piston engine platforms found on Cessna, Beechcraft, Socata and other aircraft, and fuel boost pumps used on all variants of the Lockheed Martin C-130.

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Bombardier Belfast base is hub of wing expertise by Matt Thurber In a large building in Belfast very near where thousands of laborers hammered thick steel plates to massive ribs and fittings using thumb-size rivets to build the ill-fated Titanic ocean liner, Bombardier Aerospace is carving out its own advanced technology niche, building wings for new aircraft models almost entirely from composite materials. In an odd coincidence, the famed Harland and Wolff shipyard that built the Titanic now focuses most of its efforts in the composites business, manufacturing enormous power-generating wind turbines. For Bombardier, the Belfast facility is more than just a manufacturing center. The capital of Northern Ireland is a relatively high-cost area, and to keep the 1,100 employees there productive, they have to add value to the products that they make. “We’re not going to be sustainable if we just manufacture things,” said Michael Ryan, vice president and general manager of the Belfast facility. “We manufacture, integrate and support our products, with progressively more value added.” This means that for the

C Series airliner and the Learjet 85 business jet, Belfast is responsible for designing, manufacturing and integrating the jets’ composite wings, including systems, flight controls and high-lift systems. Belfast engineers also developed the patented resintransfer injection (RTI) technique used to manufacture the C Series and Learjet 85 wings. The composite wings are made in four main parts, with a front and rear spar and integrally stiffened top and bottom skins, all using composite materials. The wing ribs are aluminum (some titanium parts are used near the wing root and for the landing gear mount). The reason for aluminum ribs is that composite ribs would have to be much thicker and heavier to handle out-of-plane bending or shearing, according to Ryan. “Composites are good when you apply the load along the plane of the composites,” he said. “We can make lighter ribs in aluminum than carbon.” The RTI process has significant advantages over more traditional composites manufacturing techniques such as resin-transfer molding (RTM) and composite layup. With layup, carbon

CRJ1000 Enjoying Excellent Service Record Bombardier’s largest regional airliner–the CRJ1000 NextGen (until the C Series enters service in 2013)–has had a nearly flawless record since its entry into service last December. With 13 CRJ1000s flying for Brit Air and Air Nostrum, the fleet has achieved a 99.4-percent dispatch reliability rate and 99.9 schedule completion rate. Carrying up to 100 passengers, the CRJ1000 makes flying more comfortable with a bright interior featuring LED lighting throughout and 24-percent larger windows with fully retractable shades. Luggage bins are larger, too, and can fit a standard IATA rollerbag. Integrated airstairs allow the CRJ1000 to operate from airports without access to jetways. The CRJ1000’s Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite includes Waas LPV capability and Link 2000+ air-ground datalink plus the recently certified AHS-4000 attitude and reference hearing system. Top speed of the CRJ1000 is Mach 0.81 and maximum altitude 41,000 feet. Bombardier has total orders for 49 CRJ1000s and 36 currently on backlog. –M.T.

MATT THURBER

Brit Air CRJ1000 NextGen

54 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

In addition to the composites work it is doing on the C Series and Learjet 85, Bombardier’s Belfast facility also works with more traditional aluminum to build the fuselages of the Challenger 300, Global and CRJ, including the CRJ1000 seen here.

fiber prepreg (pre-impregnated with resin) is laid into a mold, then the material is held tightly to the mold using vacuum bagging (applying suction to a layer of rubberized material laid on top of the carbon fiber), then the whole piece is baked in an oven or autoclave. An autoclave uses temperature as well as pressure to finish the piece. RTM is simpler, involving placement of dry fiber into a mold of the final product. For example, North Coast Composites, Cleveland, Ohio, uses RTM to make rudders for the Gulfstream G250 business jet. Once the carbon fiber is placed in the mold, the mold’s two halves are bolted together, then resin is injected into the mold. The quality of the final product is dependent on the quality of the mold tooling, the goal being avoiding the need for a lot of final machining after the part is removed. Just for the G250 rudder, the mold tooling weighs 38,000 pounds. While it is possible to make tooling large enough to build a wing using RTM, the tooling would be massive; Bombardier would have to borrow the gantry cranes from Harland and Wolff to lift those, and maneuvering such heavy and huge bits into the autoclave would be impossibly tricky. RTI uses one side of the tooling (the outer mold-line tool) as the hard surface to form the finished outer side of the part, like the upper or lower wing skin. Like RTM, dry carbon fiber is laid onto precision jigs, but the

Bombardier uses its resin-transfer injection technique to manufacture the wings of the C Series and the Learjet 85.The part is laid up in assembly jigs, left, and vacuum bagged and placed in the autoclave, right, for curing before final trimming.

To prove the sturdiness of the composite structure, Bombardier is currently conducting nondestructive testing of the C Series wing, subjecting it to 150 percent of its ultimate load.

inside of the part is not formed by the tooling but by vacuum bagging material. Each ply of the carbon fiber–cut into the desired shape by an ultrasonic cutter–used for RTI is three to four times thicker than the prepreg material used in layup construction, which simplifies the construction process and lowers the chances of making mistakes. And prepreg has a limited shelf life, usually 30 days. “We don’t have that issue,” said Colin Elliott, vice president of engineering, business and product development. “The outer mold-line tool is conventional,” he explained. “The clever stuff is how you vacuum bag it and keep the pressure on. We call it a flexible mold-line tool.” Bombardier Belfast is experienced with prepreg manufacturing, as it makes the Global Express horizontal stabilizer

using prepreg materials and has been making composites parts for more than 40 years. Once the part is laid up in precision production assembly jigs then vacuum bagged, it is placed into the autoclave, a 70-foot-long, 18.5-foot-diameter monster. Bulbous vats outside the autoclave squirt resin through pipes and tubes into the part, in the proper proportion needed to strengthen the carbon fiber. After a cure cycle involving precise temperatures (up to 370 degrees C) and pressures, the part is removed and sent to a five-axis machine tool for final trimming. The machining is done with a high level of precision, not just the trimming of the composite material, but the way the part is held in place. Vertical holders called pogo sticks apply suction to the part in exactly Continued on page 56 u

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The Big Frog team has been preparing to compete in the Reno Air Races for several years. The airplane is expected to compete this year, and the team anticipates reaching speeds of more than 300 knots.

Big Frog diesel racer to stake France’s claim to Reno glory by Olivier Saucier The Big Frog racer is getting attention for more than just its tongue-in-cheek patriotic name. The French aircraft is the first carbon-fiber race plane to run on a diesel engine powered purely by jet-A fuel. And it is turning heads here at the Le Bourget show. Big Frog is the brainchild of three pilots–Frank Doyen, Mario Soave and Willy Gruhier–who dreamed up the project in 2005. They wanted to prove that a high-performance aircraft with a diesel engine could win the prestigious Reno National Championship Air Races, which take place every September in the Nevada desert. The novelty of Big Frog lies in its combination of a lightweight Nemesis NXT airframe with a diesel engine. Thanks to the U.S.-made airframe, which is mostly carbon fiber except for the fiberglass wingtips and vertical stabilizer, Big Frog team leader Franck Doyen expects his aircraft to weigh about 330 pounds less than competitors on race day. Powered by its original Lycoming TIO540NXT engine, the Nemesis NXT has already won the Sport Class race in Reno three times. Big Frog’s SMA SR305-230 engine consumes less fuel and has lower emissions than one running on avgas. It is also greener in that it doesn’t contain leaded additives that are harmful to the environment and public health. Diesel engines are a relatively new phenomenon in the field of light aviation–they usually have been considered too heavy–but they are enjoying newfound interest as the high cost and negative environmental effects of avgas raise concerns. The engineers at SMA Engines, a division of French Safran group, are one of the few teams to have successfully developed a diesel engine for light aircraft. Doyen and others working on Big Frog have reworked the powerplant systems– such as cooling, turbo and exhaust–to fit their needs on raceday. “The horsepower is not something we will make public,” Doyen told AIN, “except to say that it’s far more than the motor’s original power capacity of 230 horsepower.” Another notable innovation is that the aircraft’s wings and horizontal stabilizer can be disassembled for transport.

The Big Frog team is currently composed of a dozen engineers, designers and public relations specialists, as well as several high-profile “godparents” like world aerobatic champion Pascale Alajouanine and Formula 1 car racing legend Henri Pescarolo. Most members of the Big Frog team have experience in Formula 1 racing, as do the engineers behind the SMA engine. Bound for Reno Air Races

“I was attracted to the challenge in Reno because I found the spirit of nascar: an oval, a pack, a sprint and a checkered flag,” Doyen explained, referring to the parallels with America’s number-one auto sport. The French team has witnessed the races often, and, according to Doyen, American racers appreciate their ability to poke fun at themselves b y

adopting the name Big Frog. In Reno’s Sport Class race, airplanes will fly past ten 50-foot-high pylons around a sevenmile circular course. The Big Frog team hopes to showcase advanced technology and French leadership by winning the Reno Sport Class Silver race with a French pilot and a French engine. Americans consistently dominate the Reno championship, although other nationalities also participate. “We have pilots from Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, England and Canada,” said Valerie Miller, a spokesperson for the Reno Championship. The last time a Frenchman won was in 1936, when Michel Détroyat piloted a Caudron Rafale to victory. Seventyfive years later, the Big Frog team also has a “first” to be proud of. According to Miller, a diesel engine has never competed in the Sport Class before. Reno is an important step as it will introduce Big Frog to a large audience of air racing enthusiasts; this year’s event is expected to draw more than 200,000 spectators. “In 2010, we were very close to being ready to go [to Reno],” said Doyen, “but we had some construction delays.” He and other team members are doing all they

56 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

can to be in Nevada this year. According to Doyen, “The plane is ready; it flies almost every day.” He will confirm Big Frog’s participation in the championship after this week’s Paris Air Show. During the race, the team’s goal is to fly faster than 300 knots, with an average speed of 280 knots. The Sport Class category regularly sees speeds upward of 350 knots. The Big Frog team is also thinking about how to develop air racing in Europe, where aerobatics have always been more popular. “Right now our focus in on Reno,” said Doyen. “As for the next step, we are considering our options, we’re asking questions. We like the idea of a Reno-type race in Europe,

with some differences, but we’re not really in a position to discuss that right now.” Early on, PICY Development came onboard as a financial backer of the project. The company furnished the team with its “electron convertor in real-time nanotechnology” for use in Big Frog. Dassault Systèmes is supporting the project in a technical

Bombardier finalizes Belfast wing facility uContinued from page 54 the aerodynamic profile of the wing while the finishing is done in a tightly choreographed numerically controlled process. After finishing, each part undergoes nondestructive testing. While some might assume that composite parts are lighter than the same part made of metal, that isn’t necessarily the case, according to Ryan. “The overwhelming advantage is fatigue,” he said. And that advantage grows as the part ages because it doesn’t corrode. “Even though there’s no weight advantage, it still pushes the choice [toward composites].” The Belfast facility has been running tests on a C Series wing, which is the first three quarters of the important wing structure minus the last 12 feet to the tip. The wing root is mounted to a dummy fuselage structure that replicates the actual mounting scheme, and the wingbox structure includes the

capacity via its Passion for Innovation program. During the design phase, Dassault’s Catia modeling software and Simulia simulation tool showed the team how best to combine the diesel motor and the Nemesis NXT airframe. In 2009, the team found another partner in the French air force, which was particularly interested in the potential of a diesel-powered composite aircraft. This partnership has taken shape at the Montde-Marsan air base, which has welcomed Big Frog and now hosts its test flights. Two pilots are scheduled to fly Big Frog at the Reno races: Christophe Delbos, a fighter pilot based at Mont-de-Marsan, and founder Willy Gruhier. Big Frog is conducting aerial demonstrations every day at Le Bourget this week. It is also on static display. o titanium landing gear mount. During testing, 12 hefty hydraulic actuators pushed on the test wing, forcing it to deflect 24 inches at the outboard end and endure 150 percent of the ultimate load, which it did without breaking. The wing structure is equipped with 2,100 strain gauges. “That [hydraulic test rig] will break anything we need to break,” said Neil Campbell, head of the experimental and ground test facility. And on composite parts tested to destruction, he added, “It’s actually very quiet. When it breaks, you have a bit of a bang. But that’s not what we want on this job. Once it’s broken, you can’t test another failure case.” Of course, there is much more to Bombardier Belfast than the new 600,000-sq-ft composites manufacturing and assembly facility. Next door assembly technicians rivet together traditional ribs, stringers, bulkheads and sheets of metal to build Challenger 300, Global and CRJ fuselages. Later this year, the first production C Series composite wings will begin flowing out of the Belfast facility in preparation for entry into service in 2013. o

Goodrich taps small firm for innovation in UAV systems Innovative engineering in small companies has been responsible for many of today’s unmanned aerial vehicle developments in the U.S. One such company is Cloud Cap Technology, based in Hood River, Oregon. It provides lowcost autopilots and gimbals to a variety of small, mostly unmanned platforms. Cloud Cap was started by two pilot-engineers after they left another young company, located just across the Colombia River that divides Oregon from Washington state. That other company is Insitu, which developed the Scan Eagle UAV. And just as Insitu’s unique capabilities were snapped up by Boeing, Cloud Cap was bought in 2009 by a much larger aerospace firm that sees synergies–in this case, Goodrich. “Cloud Cap developed the algorithms to produce a very versatile and highly integrated autopilot,” explained

Jim Siekkinen, a Goodrich ISR Systems manager who became operations director at Hood River facility. The Piccolo flight management system provides a small but complete off-the-shelf package, including flight sensors, navigation, wireless communication and payload interfaces. Several different software configurations are available, as is a basic flight planning option as a free download. Lightweight Video Systems

Responding to demand from its growing base of small UAV customers, Cloud Cap then developed low-weight, low-cost stabilized camera systems. The TASE family of micro-gimbals has “the key features of an 85-pound ball in packages weighing only one to five pounds,” said Siekkinen. They are ideal for low-altitude work by UAVs, helicopters and light manned aircraft, he added. They provide two-axis inertial stabilization plus optional software stabilization. Since buying the company, Goodrich has added a GPS tracker so that the gimbal will automatically slew to waypoints inserted into Cloud Cap’s ViewPoint

software for command and control and video display. The software includes advanced features such as real-time frame-to-frame video mosaicing to expand the display’s field of view, and the geo-location of live video onto a map, including terrain warping. The scale and cost of this type of system is a far cry from the high-end airborne electro-optical sensors and ground-based exploitation systems for which the ISR Systems division of Goodrich is best known. Goodrich ISR Systems provides the podded DB-110 on the F-16, and the SYERS sensor developed originally for

Goodrich subsidiary Sensors Unlimited’s shortwave infrared (SWIR) linescan camera is small enough to be carried within one of Cloud Cap’s gimbals.

the U-2 spyplane, but now finding its way into space and onto the JSTARS radar surveillance aircraft. However, in 2005 Goodrich also bought Sensors Unlimited, another innovative company that developed a shortwave infrared (SWIR) linescan camera, which is the smallest of its type. The SWIR sensor can be carried within one of Cloud Cap’s gimbals, as part of an array of sensors covering other functions. –C.P.

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www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 57

French aerospace firms see slow and uneven recovery by Jeff Apter The French aerospace industry is still feeling the effects of the economic crisis but its results last year point to a recovery. Announcing combined 2010 results for members of French industry association Gifas in April, association chairman Jean-Paul Herteman said

the recovery for equipment manufacturers started to take shape in 2010. Overall unconsolidated revenues for Gifas member companies climbed gently by 3.5 percent to €36.8 billion ($51 billion) in 2010. More encouragingly, over the same period, the value of new orders

booked by French aerospace firms rose 27 percent to €42.9 billion ($60 billion) compared with a 23-percent decrease in 2009. The recovery has by no means been even. Gifas equipment manufacturers–generally small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that make components and sub-systems– actually saw a 4.8-percent drop in revenues last year to €9.2 billion ($12.9 billion). But the same group also pushed up their combined new orders by 34 percent to €10.6 billion ($14.8 billion). According to Gifas, most of the bounceback has been driven by a strong recovery in the air transport industry. According to Herteman, while the

present euro/dollar exchange rate is more favorable to the French industry than that between 2007 and 2009, its level continues to undermine its competitiveness. But, in fact, the first five months of 2011 has seen the value Jean-Paul Herteman, Gifas chairman of the dollar fall below $1.40 to €1–making the main income currency of eurozone aerospace industries like that of France even weaker against their main cost currency. Nonetheless, Herteman, who is also head of engine and electronics group Safran, stands by his prediction last year that 2011 will prove to be “a year of recovery for Gifas members.” He praised France’s tier-one aerospace groups for showing a spirit of cooperation and solidarity with their suppliers and subcontractors. Another factor in restoring the French industry’s strength, he claimed, is the French government support for SMEs to merge become more efficient. Near-Term Goals

Gifas companies continue to devote 15 percent of their annual revenues to research and development. They are currently investing around €1 billion ($1.4 billion) in manufacturing facilities each year. Exports account for the lion’s share of France’s aerospace business, including 73 percent of revenues. Orders booked exceeded revenues for the 17th year running, and the total order book continues to represent the equivalent of four years’ activity for the profession. On the employment front, despite the economic crisis, the French aerospace sector has recruited 27,000 people since 2008, with around 8,000 of them hired last year. In 2010, aerospace companies in France together directly employed 157,000 people, 52 percent of them highly skilled engineers and executives. The industry expects to take on another 8,000 workers this year. According to the Gifas chairman, the industry faces three major challenges for the future: First, to master technologies of the future to meet the far-reaching changes expected to sweep through the entire industry in 2030-2040–especially in aerodynamics, propulsion, flight systems and air traffic management–and to take on board the impact of environmental regulations and rising oil prices. Second, recognizing technological superiority as a strategic issue, the French aerospace industry has to recruit highly skilled personnel and develop engineering expertise to provide attractive opportunities for young engineers and technicians. Last, Herteman said many countries now are developing their own aerospace industries, which provides French manufacturers with opportunities for growth worldwide with locally based facilities becoming a commercial necessity, p articularly in emerging countries. He claimed that French equipment manufacturers are ramping up activities in major international programs, which increases their competitiveness. o

58 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

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by Gregory Polek The first raw materials for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s new regional turboprop demonstrator have begun to arrive at the company’s Longueuil plant in Quebec as technicians prepare to assemble the compression system for the NGRT (next-generation regional turboprop). In an interview with AIN ahead of this week’s Paris Air Show, P&WC vice president of marketing Richard Dussault revealed that the company has completed the design architecture and launched the demonstrator program, scheduled to culminate with a finished product some time next year. “We’ve released the drawings and are in the process of machining the first components,” said Dussault, who noted that the company would initially test the parts individually this summer as part of a schedule

that calls for running of the compressor system by the end of this year or early next year. “We now believe that we have all the ingredients to bring an engine to market that will be as successful as the PW100 has been and as the PW150 is,” said Dussault. Engine Components

Foremost among those ingredients ranks P&WC’s Talon lowNOx combustor technology used for years in its big turbofans and a central feature of the PurePower series of geared turbofan engines now under development for the narrowbody market. While the Talon combustor cuts NOx emissions in half, according to the company, overall greenhouse gas emissions will decline at least in proportion to the 20-percent fuel burn improvement on which airlines insist for a new

Now stationed at Pratt & Whitney Canada’s new Mirabel test and assembly facility, one of the company’s Boeing 747 test beds will grow a wing-like stub from the upper deck of its fuselage to accommodate a turboprop test article. The new turboprop engine could be certified by 2015 or 2016.

60 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

GREGORY POLEK

P&WC gets serious about new turboprop

turboprop such as the NGRT. we have, the architecture we “Secondly, [the airlines] gen- selected, could scale across a erally want larger aircraft,” said power range that would accomDussault. “That’s obviously modate both.” not under our control. The After the company tests the airframers have got to decide new engine’s compressor systhe size of airplane they want. tem, the job falls to its engineers But I would generally say that to run the engine as a full gas you’re probably going to see generator–essentially the core, development of 70-plus-seat said Dussault. “After launch aircraft into the future and we of a program with a customer, definitely see a need you would configfor a 90-passenger ure a gearbox and type aircraft.” power turbines and In response, so on, but I think the P&WC plans to size key for us is to run its new turboprop to the compression sysproduce anywhere tem,” he added. Once between 5,000 and it reaches that mile7,000 shp, along stone, the engine with the capability maker hopes to offito move into a range cially launch the proRichard Dussault closer to 8,000 shp. gram and test the Dussault wouldn’t venture to demonstrator core next year. predict what might come first– Given those assumptions, it a 70-seat replacement or a expects it could ready an engine 90-seat turboprop, from either for certification sometime in Bombardier or ATR. “I think 2015 or 2016. it could go both ways; someOnce the program reaches its body could start with a 70-seat flight-test phase, likely in 2014, aircraft and then grow to 90, or P&WC plans to attach an engine equally they could start with to a wing-like stub built into the a 90-seat aircraft,” he said. upper deck of the fuselage on “The product technology that one of Pratt & Whitney’s Boeing 747 test beds for flight testing from its new test and assembly facility at Mirabel, Quebec–also site of PW1000G GTF trials. The design would offer an optimum range of between 200 and 600 nm, said Dussault, and target a niche that had once belonged to smaller turboprops but has become saturated with less fuel-efficient 50-seat jets. Now powering both the Bombardier Q400 and ATR 42/72, as well as China’s MA60, Pratt & Whitney Canada would hope to maintain its existing customer base to best justify the development cost, an estimate of which Dussault declined to offer. “I think that’s obviously our goal,” he said. “The market has been good for Pratt & Whitney, and we have been able to develop a lot of products for it. At a certain point in time there were many other platforms, there were a lot of players, it was a growth market and

then there was the era of the jet for the longer range, which sort of dominated for a while. But today it’s a more stable market and we generally think with the price of fuel there’s a lot of potential…Until there is an offer out there, there will be a limit to how big and how fast the market can grow.” Growing Turboprop Market

Regardless of the eventual size of the market, it seems clear Pratt & Whitney does not want to concede any of its current partnerships to GE, which has talked of using the core of the GE38 military turboshaft as the basis for a new turboprop to power an airplane carrying between 80 and 90 seats. GE, which owns Dowty Propellers and whose Middle River Aircraft Systems subsidiary holds a stake in Nexcelle, says it can develop and supply a complete propulsion system by 2015. Of course, Pratt & Whitney parent United Technologies also owns propeller maker Hamilton Sundstrand, which, said Dussault, would contribute to any integration effort with P&WC. Although Pratt has projected a market for some 3,000 regional turboprop engines over the next 20 years, Dussault considers the estimate conservative, he said, given the forecast assumed $90-a-barrel jet fuel. “Even today, we’ve blown through this,” he noted. Bombardier and ATR have each talked about introducing turboprops larger than their respective Q400 and ATR 72, but neither has offered much detail recently about its plans. Officially, Bombardier continues to gauge market interest in its proposed Q400X, the launch of which Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Gary Scott said last year likely won’t happen until “mid-decade, or a little later.” ATR, meanwhile, has recently gained certification for its 600 series, equipped with more powerful PW127M engines and new Thales avionics. Although at the 2010 Regional Airline Association convention in Milwaukee, ATR vice president of marketing Mario Formica called 2011 “an important year for a decision” on a larger turboprop, company executives have recently pointed to next year as a more likely time frame. o

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Constellium makes new name for itself and for aluminum by Olivia Saucier Alcan, once again under new ownership, has arrived at the Paris Air Show under its new name–Constellium. The France-based aluminum group hopes to achieve a period of stability in terms of its shareholding structure and also hopes it will be a platform for growth in key markets like aerospace. Back in January, Apollo Investment Fund bought a controlling 51-percent stake in what is now Constellium from former owner mining group Rio Tinto. The latter holds 39 percent and the remaining 10 percent of its equity is held by French government-backed investment fund FSI. The engineering products group originally known as Pechiney has changed hands three times in the past 10 years. In 2003, the Canadian aluminum maker Alcan bought it before selling it to Rio Tinto in 2007. Headquartered in Paris, Constellium employs 9,500 people in 60 countries, and operates 24 production and recycling facilities in Europe and North America, including a large aluminum rolling mill in Ravenswood, West Virginia. Constellium is involved in several different industries Christel Bories, and wishes to further Constellium’s CEO focus its business in select markets: aerospace, packaging and the automotive sector. Its global aerospace and transport branch is a billiondollar business with clients that include Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Bombardier and Dassault Aviation. It claims to be the number-one producer of aerospace plates, ahead of Alcoa and Aleris. Last year, Constellium’s total sales reached $4.4 billion. According to CEO Christel Bories, that figure should climb to $5.5 billion this year as the company continues to recover from the economic crisis. Beginning in 2008, a drop in the global price of aluminum and reduced demand caused what was then Alcan to lose 30 to 40 percent of its total revenues. Today, revenues are still about 15 percent below 2007 levels. But now Constellium’s management is more optimistic, given that demand for aluminum is expected to rise by 4 to 5 percent annually–driven in good part by the recovery in aircraft production. “By expanding our geographical footprint and by rigorously selecting growth projects, we aim to outperform the average industry growth by 50 percent,” Bories said last month.

a low-density aluminum-lithium alloy for the aerospace sector. Constellium launched Airware in response to the commercial threat posed by composite materials that are increasingly used in the aviation sector. The technology has found success with airframers and is to be used for both the new Airbus A350XWB and Bombardier C Series airliners. Not only is Airware lighter than classic aluminum, it is also 100 percent recyclable. According to the company, the advanced metal features “low-density alloys with higher stiffness and better damage tolerance than traditional alloys, enabling new aero structure designs that reduce weight by more than 20 percent.” Bories claims that Airware could allow manufacturers to extend airframe

maintenance intervals by as much as three to four years over those required for aircraft made from composite materials. She also said the technology is better suited to aircraft manufacturers. “They know how to work with metal, they know how to repair it,” she said. Recycling Factors

Here at Le Bourget, Constellium is promoting other aviation-specific technology such as alloys specially designed for the A380 widebody (sheets and extrusions) and friction-based welding procedures. The company also wants to highlight advances in the field of recycling, which is part of air transport’s wider effort to reduce its carbon footprint. A significant advantage of aluminum is that it can be recycled infinitely. According to Bories, as much as three quarters of all aluminum ever produced is still in circulation. Of the raw product used by Constellium, 30 percent is bought as new material (mainly from its ex-parent company, Rio Tinto) and 70 percent comes

A350XWB shell structures take shape at Premium Aerotec by Bernard Fitzsimons One of the big changes when Airbus unveiled its market-driven XWB revamp of the A350 back in May 2007 was the new structural concept: a fuselage constructed of 12 panels of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) mounted on frames of aluminum-lithium alloy. Two years later, while John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer for customers, was announcing yet more sales of the new model here at Le Bourget in 2009, at Nordenham in Germany newly formed Premium Aerotec (Hall 1, E320) was delivering the last of four CFRP

fuselage shell demonstrators, a door frame shell, for qualification testing by Airbus in Hamburg. Now it is focusing on the real thing: in March the Airbus subsidiary finished curing the first production example of the biggest of the 12 shells. More than 64 feet long and 1,000 sq ft in area, the forward right-hand side panel will be integrated with left and upper shells to form the forward fuselage barrel. Established at the beginning of 2009 and combining EADS’ Augsburg plant with Airbus sites in Nordenham and Varel, all in Germany, Premium Aerotec subsequently added the Airbus parts factory in Bremen and built a new production facility at Brasov, Romania.

A350 production got under way in June 2010 with the first CFRP placement on the layup tool for an A350 section at the company’s Nordenham facility.

New Product Lines

Above all, the company is betting on its research-and-development team to develop successful product lines like its patented Airware technology:

Premium Aerotec produces CFRP side shells for the A350’s fuselage section at its Varel facilities.

62 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Premium Aerotec successfully cured the first example of the A350XWB’s largest fuselage panel in March.

Constellium introduced its Airware aluminum-lithium alloy as a competitor for composites use in aircraft.

from recycled product. The company is expanding its recycling operations and technology in Europe in order to perfect close-circuit production cycles, through which aluminum waste is collected and reused. Bories pointed out that one ton of recycled aluminum uses only 5 percent of the energy required to produce a ton of primary aluminum. Growth in the aluminum-recycling sector is also affected by rising demand from developing countries that are without their own primary sources for the metal.

Continued on page 64 u

For the A350 the company is building the complete forward fuselage section 13/14, including the titanium/CFRP door frames and the aluminum-lithium-titanium alloy floor grid, plus the rear fuselage section 16/18 side shells, aft pressure bulkhead, door frames and floor grid. It has installed big new autoclaves to cure the shells at Nordenham (section 13/14) and Augsburg (section 16/18), while the Varel plant, which specializes in production tool development and design as well as machining, will produce the forward and aft floor structures. Total investment in the program amounts to around $500 million. Production of fuselage panels started last June in the new 300,000-sq-ft A350 production hall at Nordenham, using a fiber placement machine to build up the panel on a layup tool before curing in the autoclave. Floor structure production started in January with the cutting of the first floor beams in a new high-speed aluminum cutting center at Augsburg, where a 270,000-sq-ft production hall has been built to manufacture the CFRP shells. Premium Aerotec Varel also makes the aft pressure bulkhead for both the A350 and its rival widebody, the Boeing 787. The bulkheads, like the cargo door for the A400M military transport, are fabricated using the EADS-patented vacuumassisted process. Fabrication using VAP infusion is 20 percent faster than traditional methods and uses less energy. Premium Aerotec’s former Airbus plants make parts for other Airbus families as well as the A350, while Augsburg has produced more than 300 center fuselages for the Eurofighter Typhoon. And increasing production rates for the A320 and A330, alongside the ramp-up for A350 and A400M production, is keeping both factories and development engineers busy: as well as hiring more production specialists, the company expects to need dozens more composite engineers, particularly for design and stress analysis. o

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ASR-11s in the continental U.S. Meyer said Raytheon has developed new “schemes” or algorithms within the ASR-11 advanced signal data processor, including one developed to mitigate the effect of wind-farm turbine blades, which have radar returns that can mimic aircraft, making them undetectable to controllers.

COURTESY RAYTHEON

Self-separation Tool

An air traffic controller monitors the high-resolution, color display of Raytheon’s standard terminal automation replacement system (STARS).

Raytheon forges ahead on U.S. ATM projects by Bill Carey Raytheon has new developments to report in both air traffic automation systems and radar portions of its air traffic management (ATM) business. In April, the U.S. group announced a $177 million contract modification from the Federal Aviation Administration to deploy the standard terminal automation replacement system (STARS) at the 11 largest terminal radar approach control (Tracon) facilities in the U.S. currently equipped with older automated radar terminal systems. STARS is a command-andcontrol system that manages terminal area airspace, tracking up to 1,350 aircraft simultaneously. The system interfaces with multiple radars and presents flight and weather information to air traffic controllers on high-resolution 20x20 color displays. Seven of the Tracon facilities, starting with Dallas-Fort Worth, will be converted to STARS by the end of 2013. The schedule calls for all 11 facilities, known as 3E Tracons and associated towers, to be converted by the end of 2015. The 3E designation is a measure of capability as opposed to traffic volume. Rollout Under Way

The STARS rollout “is more than under way,” Robert Meyer, Raytheon business development lead for ATM, told AIN. “We’re working extremely closely with the FAA to define what these new systems will look like when they’re implemented in the national airspace system.” Raytheon was awarded the STARS contract from the FAA

back in 1996, originally to modernize 191 FAA and 140 U.S. Air Force terminal approach control facilities. The program was troubled by delays and escalating cost in its early years, with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), which represents FAA controllers, raising human factors issues with the system design. “As far as the black eye at the very beginning, I would characterize the lesson learned being that the FAA and Raytheon made a mistake by not involving the users–NATCA–when they defined what it is they wanted,” said Michael Espinola, Raytheon STARS program manager. “When the union looked at [the system] they wanted a-hundredand-one different things, literally. “We kind of got ourselves stuck and it took us a couple of years to introduce those associated changes and then we started moving out,” Espinola explained. “All those changes cost a lot of money. We spent a lot of that money effecting those changes and when we got down to the fiftyfirst site, they were out of money. That’s when the agency had to go and request more money and look at the bigger decision of continuing with program.” The FAA considered recompeting the program, and in October 2009 and February 2010 issued requests for information to industry, Espinola said. There was a possibility of changing STARS for another automation system, even one from a foreign vendor. The April contract modification from the FAA to deploy STARS at the 11 most capable

64 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

terminal radar sites in the national airspace system, known as 3E Tracons and associated towers, validated Raytheon STARS as the system-wide terminal radar solution, said Espinola. “The FAA is driving to what they call a common automation platform for efficiencies, and this clearly makes the note that they’ve made a decision that STARS is the common terminal automation platform,” he said. There are now 114 STARS sites completed: 63 operated by the U.S. Department of Defense and 51 by the FAA, according to Raytheon. There are 30 more DOD sites, the 11 3E Tracons and 90 lesser capable 2E Tracons remaining to complete the NAS. Abreast of New Data

STARS is keeping pace with new data sources, such as automatic dependent surveillancebroadcast (ADS-B), being introduced through the FAA’s NextGen air traffic modernization effort, Meyer said. The display of fused radar and ADS-B targets was first achieved in March 2010 at the Philadelphia Tracon servicing Philadelphia International Airport, the first major airport to deploy STARS in 2002. “STARS is going to have to be able to ingest that data…and properly display that to controllers,” he said. Raytheon has the STARS program and another major joint procurement by the FAA and the DOD in the U.S. The company is contracted with the DOD to supply up to 213 new ASR-11 digital airport surveillance radars (DASR), an agreement from which the FAA procures radars. The ASR-11 system provides primary surveillance radar coverage to 60 miles and monopulse secondary surveillance radar to 120 miles. There are currently 130 installed

Another “altitude estimation scheme” is being developed with the U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts under a cooperative research and development agreement. Meyer described this as a “selfseparation” tool for controllers and operators of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), supporting combined operations of manned and unmanned aircraft. “There is increasingly a requirement for UAS to operate outside restricted airspace,” Meyer said. “That is probably becoming one of the largest priorities between the DOD and the FAA. Raytheon recognized that this was going to be a high priority.” The scheme employs concurrent beam processing, a method of detecting airborne objects by concurrent processing of radar signal returns from high and low beams. The aim is a surveillance approach that would detect even aircraft that do not have transponders that can be interrogated

Constellium builds new name for itself uContinued from page 62

“Countries are battling to get their hands on this waste,” said Bories. “Europe used to import aluminum waste but now has become a net exporter. At the same time, Europe itself has no primary sources of aluminum, so it doesn’t make sense that nearly a million tons of waste leaves Europe every year. It’s definitely something we’re working on.” Constellium is Airbus’ leading supplier of aluminum, and Boeing’s second. Today, aerospace accounts for about 12 percent of total group revenues and this is expected to grow. Overall, Bories’s main financial goal for the next five years is to boost operating profits to represent 10 percent of total Constellium sales. Three quarters of the group’s total sales are in Europe, mostly in Germany, the UK and France. Bories acknowledged that Constellium has not yet focused enough on emerging economies

by secondary surveillance radar. “We’re looking at introducing a scheme to ASR-11 that will allow it to look at non-transponder-equipped aircraft and give the controller good enough altitude information to keep safe separation,” Meyer said. Outside the U.S., Raytheon is implementing its latest generation AutoTrac III air traffic management system for the Airports Authority of India at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and airports in Mumbai and Chennai. Other customers for AutoTrac III are the civil aviation authorities of Dubai and Hong Kong. AutoTrac, based on an open architecture design, provides multi-sensor tracking, flight data and clearance processing scalable from a tower automation system to an integrated national multi-center system. The thirdgeneration automation system “includes all the bells and whistles and functionality that we see air navigation service providers will need to handle” future airtraffic demands, such as 4-D trajectory approaches, Meyer said. Raytheon also is under contract from the Indian Space Research Organization for the “full operational phase” of India’s Gagan program to augment GPS signals with ground reference stations, comparable to WAAS in the U.S., Meyer said. The GPS overlay is scheduled for completion in June 2013. o in regions such as Asia. For instance, the company is considering acquisitions, joint ventures and other investment possibilities in China. “Ten years ago, investing in China was a complicated process,” said Bories. “That is no longer true today. We are looking to develop our presence there, and especially to join clients that are already implanted there.” Most of Constellium’s current workforce is located in Europe, with half of them in France. Constellium’s new origamishaped logo is based on the aluminum atom. The name–derived from the word “constellation”– reflects a desire to encourage all forms of collaboration and interaction among employees. “Constellium does not want to be the biggest company in the aluminum market, but rather the most respected and the most profitable,” said Bories. o

airbus a380 scratched from flying display

Centenarian Eaton innovates to stay young

During ground maneuvers with Airbus A380 flight test aircraft MSN 004 here at Le Bourget, the aircraft’s right wingtip touched a structure near a taxiway. Company experts are currently inspecting the aircraft, but it is already confirmed that it will not fly in the airshow.

It does this by adding arc-fault detection and circuit interruption (AFCI) electronics. o

AT O W 2 US S H 24 T T SI A I R LE VI HA IS R A, C PA W RO

Eaton Aerospace comes to Paris celebrating its centenary–100 years in which it has grown from a small axle business into a company with, among other things, one of the most impressive arrays of aerospace systems and components, and an annual turnover of $13.7 billion. On the company’s stand at the show this week (Hall 2B D32) are many of the latest innovations that make its products lighter, smarter and more reliable. For example, Eaton said before the show that it had responded to demand for lighter composite aircraft wings by building in lightning and ignition protection capabilities to fuel components, avoiding the usual weight increase. It is currently designing a next-generation system that promises a further 20-percent weight reduction. Complex bonding and grounding architectures are required for aircraft wings to compensate for the lower electrical conductivity of the composites.

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www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 65

Rostvertol seeking customers for its revamped Mi-26T2 by Julian Moxon Rostvertol is at the Paris show promoting its Mi-26T2, an upgraded version of its popular heavy-lift helicopter, in the hope of securing sales to India and other potential customers. The company is appearing at the Paris Air Show for the first time since becoming part of Russian Helicopters (Chalet B37). Improvements include a glass cockpit, more advanced avionics and night-

operations capability. The new cockpit enables crew numbers to be reduced from five to two, plus a flight engineer to operate the external sling. New air conditioning and cargo compartment heating have been fitted, which is likely to prove popular with crewmembers. The cockpit upgrade comprises five multifunction liquid-crystal displays, a

Where Next for Russian Helicopters Following Share Flotation Flop? Russian Helicopters has had to go back to the drawing board on plans to raise fresh capital, following last month’s failed attempt at a $500 million share flotation. Prospective investors didn’t buy the statebacked group’s business plan, raising questions about which of Russia’s other planned privatizations will prove to be viable. The group, which brings together the famous Mil and Kamov design bureaus as well as Rostvertol, generated earnings of approximately $461 million in 2010, claiming a profit margin of 17 percent. But financial analysts indicated to AIN that prospective investors are concerned by what they perceive as a lack of transparency over its orders backlog, due to restrictions in the way Russian manufacturers are required to report contracts and provisional deals. At a Paris show press conference yesterday, Russian Helicopters outlined plans to modernize its product portfolio through new partnerships with Western avionics groups. Perhaps these envisaged deals may constitute a stepping-stone to further investment and restructuring of the group. –J.M.

Raytheon turns missile skills to countermeasure solutions

United Aircraft wants to vie with the Western big boys

by David Donald

by Gregory Polek

Raytheon has used its missile experience to develop an infrared countermeasures (IRCM) capability that is vying to provide a LAIRCM (large-aircraft IRCM) solution for the U.S. Air Force’s fixed-wing platforms, and a CIRCM (common IRCM) system for the U.S. Army’s helicopters. A recent test series was conducted with great success. For the U.S. Air Force, the company has developed the Quiet Eyes laser turret assembly (QELTA), which won a Defense Acquisition Challenge contract. Raytheon used AIM-9X air-to-air missile seeker technology as the basis for developing the system that directs a quantum cascade laser (QCL) at threats. It is compatible with lasers from several suppliers, and in the QELTA configuration employs a Daylight Solutions QCL. The turret is designed to fit existing airframe apertures and connections, and a trial installation has been made on a C-130 Hercules. In March, the QELTA was put through a grueling tower test at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. According to Mike Booen, Raytheon’s v-p advanced security and directed energy systems, “QELTA defeated every threat the U.S. Air Force presented; it was a flawless performance. Our solution is nearly half the weight of the existing system and draws significantly less power. QELTA is twice as reliable as the current

system at half the acquisition cost, and will significantly reduce life-cycle costs.” He added that a low-rate initial production decision could be expected in 12 to 18 months. Meanwhile, Raytheon is awaiting a U.S. Army decision concerning the CIRCM program, expected in late September. Existing directed IRCM systems have been too large for installation in most U.S. Army helicopters, so small size is a crucial factor. Raytheon’s CIRCM proposal is sized to fit helicopters down to the size of the Bell AH-1Z Cobra. CIRCM employs similar technology to that of the QELTA, although it employs a Northrop Grumman QCL. It can be fully integrated with the common missile warning system and other defensive aids systems. Raytheon is marketing similar systems internationally as the Scorpion, for both military and VIP/civil applications. o

Raytheon used AIM-9X seeker technology to develop the QELTA-directed infrared countereasures turret.

66 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) yesterday spelled out its vision for joining Boeing and Airbus as one of the world’s top three major global aerospace players. Company president Mikhail Pogosyan presented a strategic roadmap to the year 2025 here at Le Bourget, posting three major milestones for the company. According to the plan, from 2011 to 2013 the company will continue on its growth platform, during which it structures the entire business into what Pogosyan called a functional unit. From 2014 through 2018, the company plans an innovation leap, during which it expects to embark on a number of technical advances meant to introduce it to markets in which it doesn’t now command a presence. In 2019 it would enter a period of slower, stable growth until it reaches its desired status as one of the world’s three aerospace industry leaders. UAC plans to form a new corporate structure before 2018, dividing itself into UAC Defense, UAC Commercial Aviation, UAC Transport Aviation and UAC Special Aviation. As part of the plan, it would establish so-called multi-program competence centers, namely a composite-wing center, a high-lift devices and empennage production center and wing lift-devices production center, all in Ulyanovsk. It also plans a wing-assembly center in Kazan and an avionics-integration

center at an unidentified location. Pogosyan said that within two years, UAC could introduce another new commercial project to take the company beyond the regional jet and narrowbody sectors. “Our two top priorities for today are the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and the MC-21 project in the seating capacity beginning at 130 seats and up to 180 seats,” he said. “Then maybe we’ll move further and we’ll look into this perspective, and maybe in a year-anda-half or two we will be able to make further announcements on the launch of future projects.” o

Mikhail Pogosyan, president of United Aircraft, has a vision of joining Boeing and Airbus as one of the world’s top three major players.

GREGORY POLEK

Rostvertol hopes to secure sales to India and other potential customers with its upgraded Mi-26T2 heavy-lift helicopter. Improvements include a glass cockpit.

pair of PS-7 digital control panels and backup electromechanical units. A new video sensor has been added, which brings color visuals of external-load operations to the cockpit. An additional searchlight has been installed for nighttime visual operations along with an infrared lighting mode, to be used with night-vision goggles. The navigation upgrade includes an A-737 GNSS system compatible with both the U.S. GPS and Russian Glonass global positioning systems. The Mi-26T2 features improved versions of its 11,650-shp D-136-2 turboshaft engines, now provided with full-authority digital engine control units and a contingency power rating of 12,500 shp at temperatures above 30-degrees C, a feature specifically aimed at operations in hot countries such as India, where the helicopter is in direct competition with the Boeing CH-47F Chinook. Meanwhile, serial production of the Night Hunter version of the Mi-28N attack helicopter is in full swing, with 40 aircraft built to date. The first machine was delivered to the Russian Federation in 2008. The type has already taken part in several combat operations. The Mi-28NE can carry twice the rocket payload of the Mi-24, from which it is developed, and it has been given an air-to-air capability, improved armor and better survivability. o

Engine buy validates Safran’s view of rebound by Jeff Apter Virgin America’s eve-of-Paris-show $1.4 billion order for CFM International Leap engines to power its 30 Airbus A320neo airliners provided validation of parent company Safran’s view that the aerospace market is well and truly back in growth mode. Yesterday, the airline gilded the deal with a $400 million contract for rate-per-hour support for the new-generation turbofans over 12 years in service. “We are clearly out of the crisis that began three years ago,” Jean-Pierre Cojan, Safran’s executive v-p for strategy, told AIN. “Customers are producing aircraft at full capacity. We are working according to the aims of our programs and don’t see any negative turnaround between now and the end of 2012.” France’s Safran is one half of CFM International–the other half being GE Aviation–and Airbus’s re-engined A320neo isn’t the only validation of its Leap technology. The engine is also the selected powerplant for the Comac C-919

narrowbody, which is set to enter service in 2016. The focus now is intensifying on possible new turbofan requirement for whatever path rival Boeing opts to take in developing a replacement and/or update to its prolific 737 family. Not that engines themselves are Safran’s only focus in aerospace. On the equipment side, it is supplying the landing gear on the Boeing B787, this being a key contribution to making the new widebody arguably the most-electric aircraft yet. Here in Paris on Sunday, Safran (Hall 2A A232) took this trend a step further, announcing a new alliance with Honeywell to develop electrically powered taxiing system. To ensure a more coherent response to airframers’ needs for complete landing systems and support, Safran recently merged its Messier-Bugatti, Messier-Dowty and Messier-Services subsidiaries into a single company. For Cojan, this single-offer

approach–including in-service maintenance–makes life easier for customers. The big news in Safran’s defense and security is the imminent closure of the process to acquire the biometrics, access control and secure ID document operations of L-1 Identity Solutions of the U.S. All the necessary regulatory approvals have been met and L-1 will be integrated with Safran subsidiary Morpho, already a world leader in X-ray diffraction that identifies the chemical signature of materials inside baggage. According to Cojan, despite the general pressure on defense budgets, some aspects are on the rise especially in the high-technology fields that are Safran’s specialties. He maintained that Safran has no concerns

about counting on continued support from French and European governments for key defense technology programs. Safran also is increasing its profile in key emerging markets, particularly in Asia. “These countries, especially China and India, require big increases in their fleets and want to develop their own aerospace industries, providing huge potential and big opportunities,” he told AIN. The company is already established, through its Powerjet joint venture with Russia’s NPO Saturn engine maker, as the powerplant provider for that country’s new Superjet SJ-100 airliner. “Safran has plants in Russia, China and India. All are big powers that do not threaten our Western base. They will export their own aircraft but still need Western European companies for aircraft equipment and will keep buying European and American aircraft for a long time.” he predicted. o

SonicStar V-tailed SSBJ would whisk 20 passengers from Paris to New York in one hour and 45 minutes.

ITT’s Gorgon Stare yields actionable intel to USAF The Gorgon Stare wide-area sur- and space surveillance programs to adapt veillance system has overcome early commercially available cameras to the integration problems and is delivering task. “We have a long history of underactionable intelligence to warfighters in standing the image chain,” he added. One key advantage of the dissemiAfghanistan as envisaged. Danny Rajan, director of geospatial nation architecture devised by ITT for information solutions for ITT Defense Gorgon Stare is that, while the video and Information Systems, told AIN that streams down, a number of different the new electro-optical/infrared (EO/ users can view that geographic porIR) video sensor provides unique dis- tion of the imagery that most concerns semination and interpretation options, them. The user can also rewind the as well as unprecedented area coverage. video even while the current scene is Gorgon Stare was designed to pro- still being collected. The imagery is fed vide “unblinking eye” coverage of city- to Rovers on small-capacity datalinks, sized areas when fitted to U.S. Air Force and in higher resolution to ground stations via the tactical comMQ-9 Reaper UAVs. Sierra mon data link. Nevada Corp. is the prime Initial suitability testcontractor for the quicking by the U.S. Air Force reaction capability (QRC), was done before the senwhich was developed in sor alignment had been caljust 18 months. ITT is the ibrated, and all the software sensor integrator. had been completed. This The imagery from five contributed to an adverse EO and four IR cameras draft report from USAF teshoused in a turret is joined ters, Rajan said. together in onboard pro“We delivered the 100-percessing and compressed to Gorgon Stare’s ‘‘unblinking eye” is providing intel for cent system early last Decemenable streaming transmis- use in Afghanistan. ber and it was then approved sion via various datalinks to users on the ground. Those users can be for deployment. We’ve had some key carrying portable remote optical video mission successes since then,” he added. The Gorgon Stare system is not curenhanced receiver (Rover) terminals, or be sitting in front of larger interpretation rently exportable, but Rajan said ITT is exploring its application to other U.S. systems housed in a ground station. “The real key to this capability is the platforms. The new generation of surpackaging,” Rajan explained. He said veillance airships is one possibility and that over the past several years, ITT lev- a smaller version could be fitted to the o eraged its previous experience in airborne Army’s Shadow UAV.

HyperMach hypes up SSBJ that is due to fly Mach 3.5 by 2021 by Liz Moscrop HyperMach Aerospace Industries around the world in as little as five hours. unveiled plans for its SonicStar V-tailed Lugg is also chairman of Portland, Mainesupersonic business jet (SSBJ) at the Paris based SonicBlue Aerospace, which would Air Show. The company is making big manufacture the engines. However, Lugg was hazy claims for an aircraft that it says on details about exactly how will take no more than one hour HyperMach would bring the 45 minutes to fly from Paris to aircraft to market, saying that New York, but left many questhe company is still “in distions unanswered as to how it cussions with and identifying” will take the concept to market. partners to build the airframe CEO Richard Lugg said his and powerplants, as well as research indicates there could financial backers. HyperMach be a market of “above sevhas promised more partnereral thousand” for the aircraft, ship announcements over the which he said is due to fly first in 2021. He did not give a price Richard Lugg is chairman next few days. Lugg filed a patent with the for the new plane, but the more and CEO of HyperMach U.S. patent office last Septemadvanced Aerion SSBJ concept Aerospace Industries. costs around $80 million, so it is not unrea- ber outlining plans for a “quiet hybrid elecsonable to assume a similar price point. tric supersonic civil transport” (QHESCT), Initially laid out in a 20-seat VIP configura- a proposed twinjet in a “shockwave canceltion, Lugg said he also thinks there would ing aerodynamic configuration.” The idea is that there will be two shock waves as the airbe interest in a cargo variant. HyperMach reckons the cruising speed craft approaches supersonic speeds. The secof the aircraft could be in the neigh- ond wave will have greater pressure and will borhood of a blistering Mach 3.5, well partially mitigate the impact of the first. With the Aerion team still struggling to over double the top speeds of the Aerion (Mach 1.6) and Supersonic Aerospace make a reality of its SSBJ based on an existInternational (Mach 1.8). Powered by the ing engine and materials, it remains to be SonicBlue S-Magjet hybrid supersonic seen whether HyperMach will be able to pull 4000-X series engine, the SSBJ could fly off its far more ambitious proposition. o DAVID McINTOSH

by Chris Pocock

www.ainonline.com • June 21, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 67

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68 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Hawker Beechcraft’s popular T-6 Texan II has been modified into an AT-6 armed derivative. The company has brought its T-6C trainer demonstrator to Paris as part of a major European tour.

DAVID McINTOSH

INTERNATIONAL

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Gun-slinging AT-6 shapes up as cousin of T-6 Texan trainer by David Donald While Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) waits on a decision from the U.S. government regarding a potentially lucrative contract for the AT-6 armed derivative, it has brought its T-6C Texan II trainer demonstrator to Paris as part of a major European tour. The AT-6 has been developed to answer two linked U.S. Department of Defense programs: light air support (LAS) and light attack and armed reconnaissance (LAAR). The LAS “Building Partnership Capacity” requirement initially focuses on 20 aircraft for use by Afghanistan, but has been drawn up as an indefinite-duration/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) program to form a contracting vehicle through which other similar acquisitions can be facilitated. As a consequence, LAS proposals are required to be fully exportable. By contrast, the LAAR requirement is for U.S. Air Force use, with the initial 15 aircraft going to a training unit at Eglin AFB, Florida, where they would be used to provide instruction for LAS users. Subsequently, the USAF may acquire LAAR aircraft for operations in theaters where the air-threat environment allows the operations of cheaper aircraft than the fast jets currently used, such

as Afghanistan. The LAAR machines would have some non-exportable U.S.specific equipment, the differences being primarily in the communications systems. HBC currently has two AT-6 production-representative test vehicles (PRTV), developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin. The first PRTV (AT-1) is now in full LAS configuration, with the mission system from Lockheed Martin’s A-10C upgrade, 1,600-shp engine and a centerline pod with L-3 Wescam MX-15Di sensor derived from the system used in the King Air-based MC-12W Liberty aircraft employed by the USAF. Field trials of the AT-6 and its competitor, the Embraer Super Tucano, have been completed and now the two bidders await an outcome. Earlier this year HBC delivered the 700th T-6, and the fleet has now clocked up 1.7 million hours. Currently, the company is halfway through delivering 24 T-6Cs to the Royal Moroccan air force, which was the launch customer for the T-6C version. As well as wing hardpoints, this version features an Esterline CMC Cockpit 4000 avionics suite driving a three-screen cockpit with head-up display and upfront control panel. o

Ground Training System Debut HBC has selected CAE to provide the ground-based training system (GBTS) for the AT-6, a comprehensive suite of aids from computer-based training and courseware, through desktop trainers and the unit training device (UTD) to full mission simulators. Together the companies are presenting the UTD element for the first time here in Paris. On display in HBC’s chalet (S1 406), the UTD is a full-fidelity cockpit trainer that can be controlled by an instructor from a remote station, and employed to give a range of training capabilities in a cockpit that looks and feels identical to the airplane’s cockpit. Possible training scenarios include complex light attack and irregular warfare missions. –D.D.

Boeing’s 747-8 Freighter Makes Green Entrance to Paris No changes were made to the airplane, its engines or its operating procedures before departure. The Freighter will be on static display here at the Paris Air Show today and tomorrow only. Cargolux is scheduled to take delivery of the first 747-8 Freighter to enter service this summer. The 747-8s arrival came just two days after a Honeywelloperated Gulfstream G450 flew across the pond burning a jet biofuel blend on one engine. –C.T.

DAVID McINTOSH

The Boeing 747-8 Freighter landed here at Paris Le Bourget Airport yesterday at 5:35 p.m., after completing the first transatlantic flight of a commercial airliner powered on all engines by a sustainable aviation biofuel. The 747, flown by Boeing pilots Keith Otsuka and Rick Braun, as well as Cargolux pilot Sten Rossby, flew from Everett, Washington, to Le Bourget with all four of its General Electric GEnx-2B engines powered by a blend of 15-percent camelinabased biofuel mixed with 85-percent traditional jet-A.

It’s raining dollars… uContinued from page 1 of around $10.6 billion. With Airbus, the leasing group has forged a memorandum of understanding that envisages purchases of up to 50 A320neo aircraft. It also announced firm orders for 11 A330s and one A321. Boeing’s share of the Air Lease booty was generally firmer. Its deal included sales of up to 14 of the 737-800s, five 777300ERs and four 787-9 Dreamliners. The leasing group also agreed to exercise previous options for six more 737-800s. The U.S. airframer’s balance sheet also ended the day $5.4 billion more to the good, with a deal for up to 17 of its new 747-8 Intercontinental longhaul jets. Two undisclosed clients have signed contracts, bringing the total backlog for the Paris Air Show debutante to 50 units. Close on its rival’s tail in boosting its lease portfolio was GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). The leasing group upped the backlog of the Airbus A320neo, with an order for 60 of the new twinjets that at list prices would be worth $5.4 billion. These will be powered by CFM International’s Leap engines, adding $1.4 billion. Saudi Arabian Airlines honored Airbus with an order for four more A330300 aircraft. This transaction is valued at approximately $880 million. GECAS also addressed potential demand in the regional airline sector by doing a deal with ATR to buy 15 of its new ATR 72-600 twin turboprops, and optioning 15 more (see page 6). This contract is worth up to $680 million. Boeing also was in the money, with a $1.7 billion contract from Qatar Airways for half a dozen 777-300ERs, which are to be

powered by $350 million worth of GE Aviation’s GE90 engines. The Middle Eastern carrier also confirmed that it is has become the launch customer for a VIP version of the U.S. airframer’s new 747-8 widebody, and it will make this available for charter through its Qatar Executive division. The first day of Paris 2011 also brought another welcome boost to Bombardier’s hitherto slow-selling CSeries airliner. A “major network carrier,” which chose to remain nameless, signed for 10 CS100 jets, and with options for six more the provisional value of this deal is just over $1 billion. Rival Embraer collected approximately $1.8 billion worth of firm and provisional new business doing deals with four customers for up to 46 of its E190 aircraft (see page 6). Where there are airliner deals, contracts for engines to power them soon follow. And so it was in Paris yesterday, with CFM International fulfilling its eve-of-show prophecy of a bumper year for new orders. Its Leap turbofans also have been chosen by SAS for its previously announced order for 30 A320neos, with a contract value of $710 million. The Safran-GE joint venture also sealed an $80 million deal covering CFM56-5B engines for four new A320s bought by Jazeera Airways. GE itself got a $400 million contract to supply CF6-80C2s for up to 18 Boeing 767s operated by Chile’s LAN Airlines. The U.S. engine maker also landed an order to supply 38 CF34-10E engines for the various Embraer E-Jet sales listed above in business worth some $260 million. Rolls-Royce didn’t miss out either. It announced a $2.2 billion order contract for Trent XWB engines for TAM Airlines’ pending A350XWB deliveries. Pratt & Whitney shared in the powerplant business associated with the

A320neo gold-rush, with ILFC confirming orders for PW1100G engines for 60 of the type. The value of this contract was undisclosed, but it could rise to cover engines for 40 more aircraft. A separate contract for PW4074D turbofans to power five All Nippon Airways Boeing 777s was worth $230 million. Finally, International Aero Engines– in which Pratt is partnered with RollsRoyce–won two new deals for its V2500 engines. The SelectTwo version is to power six A321s for Gulf Air in a $120 million deal and China Southern has ordered 65 SelectOnes for various A320s at a combined cost of roughly $500 million. o

Boeing must act now uContinued from page 1 from our customer airlines all over the world on it. We’ll see what happens this week but if the A320neo gets a strong endorsement Boeing will have to pull its finger out.” Airbus has been busily collecting further orders for the Neo since the Paris show started yesterday. Courpron suggested that Boeing would need to find only a 5- or 6-percent improvement in economics for the -800 for it to be attractive to airlines and keep Boeing in the picture while it considers an all-new aircraft. “They don’t have to get the 15 percent that the A320neo gives us. It just has to be close enough to be good enough. The 737-800 is very competitive in the workplace,” Courpron said. Some of the upgrade could come from the CFM56-5BE engine, which brings a 2-percent improvement in fuel burn, while the remainder could come from cost of ownership and maintenance gains. “You have to remember that fuel is only 30

Bombardier lands key orders for CSeries by Gregory Polek An undisclosed “major network carrier” has placed a firm order for 10 Bombardier CSeries CS100s and has agreed to become the aircraft’s first operator, the Canadian manufacturer announced here yesterday. The airline also placed options for another six of the 110- to 125-seat jets. Although Bombardier did not say when it would deliver the first airplane, the CSeries flight test schedule calls for certification in late 2013. Including the options, the value of the contract could eventually total $1.1 billion, said Bombardier. “This firm order is the third one announced this month, and is a testament to the growing appeal and momentum for CSeries aircraft,” said Gary Scott, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president. The first CSeries order this month, revealed on June 1, came from Sweden’s Braathens Leasing, which ordered five CS100s and five CS300s. A week later a separate unidentified customer inked a firm order for three CS100s, along with options on three more. Plans call for Braathens Aviation member Malmö Aviation to operate its Bombardier jets from its base at the Bromma-Stockholm City Airport starting in 2014. That transaction accounted for the CSeries’ first sale since Indianapolisbased Republic Airways inked a so-called purchase agreement covering 40 CS300s in February 2010. Bombardier has now drawn firm orders for 113 CSeries airplanes, including 51 CS100s and 62 CS300s, and raises the number of customers to six. o percent of the total operating cost,” he said. While Boeing might win breathing space with a 737-800 upgrade, Courpron is in no doubt that both Boeing and Airbus will have to come out with an all-new offering later this decade or early next. “They owe it to themselves to come out with new aircraft,” he added. On Monday, Courpron signed the definitive agreement with Pratt & Whitney president Dave Hess for PW1100Gs to power the 60 firm and 40 optioned A320neos ordered by ILFC, the first customer for the geared turbofan. The companies had announced the agreement in March. “We were behind the P&W engine from the start,” Courpron told AIN. “We were never worried about the gearbox. Sometimes you need a leap of faith, and we believe this will be a great engine.” Courpon added that both P&W and CFM had been encouraged to improve their respective offerings for the A320neo. “We encouraged them to take this aircraft seriously and they finally reached the same conclusion.” o

www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • April • June 2011 21, • Aviation 2011 • Paris International Air Show News 69 00

Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion passes certification milestones by Bill Carey of use and situational awareness, he added. Bombardier (Chalet A256) and Rockwell Collins will be the first partners to certify synthetic vision on a head-up display as part of the Global Vision flight deck. The companies recently conducted a series of tests using a Global 5000 to validate synthetic vision on the Rockwell Collins head-up guidance system (HGS) for lower landing minimums during special authorization Cat 1 ILS and WAAS localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches. “Obviously, the price has to be compelling to fit the market,” Statler said. “The Holy Grail was the form factor,” which was downsized by integrating the system components. “We’ve seen this trend coming for quite some time and have been investing some dollars” on the technology. Pro Line Fusion also has been specified for the Gulfstream G250, Learjet 85, Embraer Legacy 450/500, Mitsubishi Regional Jet and Bombardier CSeries. The ARJ-21 regional jet built by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) is equipped with a Pro Line Fusion backbone and Pro Line 21 displays. Now Pro Line Fusion is moving into the military market. Embraer Defense and Security has specified the avionics solution for its KC-390 tanker, expected to enter service in late 2015. Brazil’s

air force has committed to purchasing 28 KC-390s. At a press briefing at the Paris Air Show on Monday, Rockwell Collins executives outlined future research-and-development directions for Pro Line Fusion, including an “image-augmented navigation” capability, which would fuse data from multiple sensors (including inertial measurement, GPS, visual or electro-optical/infrared imagery and weather radar). The goal is to enhance pilots’ situational awareness, help them avert weather emergencies and facilitate more accurate flight planning. The springboard for the research was work Rockwell Collins did into damage tolerance and safe recovery of unmanned aerial vehicles after structural or engine failure. “We are beginning to talk about how do we get some of the recovery modes that we’ve been demonstrating in the world of unmanned systems and in the world of subscale demonstrators into our commercial air transport, business and regional solutions,” said David Vos, Rockwell Collins director of unmanned aircraft systems. “We will be talking pretty seriously about what level of emergency recovery modes will be coming along in the next generation of Pro Line Fusion for manned aviation. Jeff Standerski, vice president and general manager for Air Transport Systems, said the company is investigating the use

has other stories to tell. Among other systems, the company provides the integrated displays and pilot controls on the 787, the largest Rockwell Collins content on a Boeing air transport aircraft. The coming Airbus A350XWB represents the mostever content for Rockwell Collins on an Airbus platform, covering six equipment packages. The avionics manufacturer is supplying displays, autopilot, comm/nav, surveillance, maintenance, emergency and data management systems for the Boeing 747-8 family. Statler said Rockwell Collins is in the joint development phase, and finalizing joint ventures, with Chinese companies for avionics specified on the Comac C919 airliner. The company is working with Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute (Letri) on the aircraft’s integrated surveillance system and Cetc-A on the comm/nav suite. It also is providing the inflight entertainment and cabin management systems on the C919, expected to enter service in 2016. o

School picks TB 20 as Socata prepares upgrade Daher-Socata (Hall 2B C186, Static C63) has been selected by ENAC (Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile), France’s national aviation school, for the avionics modernization of 37 Daher-Socata TB 20 Trinidad light aircraft in the ENAC training fleet. The upgrade contract was signed yesterday at the Paris Air Show and includes installation of a Garmin G500 integrated avionics suite, two GNS 430 combined communication/navigation systems, a Garmin GAD 43 digital autopilot and numerous other options.

The G500 suite selected features a 6.5-inch primary flight display and multifunction display, along with an attitude/heading reference system, Garmin’s synthetic-vision software and the Jeppesen Chartview option. ENAC uses the TB 20 for pilot training from ab initio through A320 second officer. “With a modern glass-cockpit configuration on our TB 20 aircraft, we will be able to better prepare our student pilots for their future careers in the aviation environment of today and tomorrow,” said the school’s director, Marc Houalla. –K.J.H.

what color do you want your falcon, comrade aubry? Dassault chairman Charles Edelstenne (left) chats with French socialist party leader Martine Aubry, who could yet be a candidate in the country’s presidential election.

70 Paris Air Show News • June 21, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

ENAC director Marc Houalla in the cockpit of a Daher-Socata TB 20.

Kirby J. Harrison

DAVID McINTOSH

Four years after unveiling its next-generation Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics suite, Rockwell Collins (Hall 4 A18) has surpassed major certification milestones. Now the company is leveraging the system up and down the civil aircraft market and across to the military market as well. “Literally every new aircraft, every new order brings content for Rockwell Collins,” said Kent Statler, Rockwell Collins executive vice president and chief operating officer, Commercial Systems. Last week, Rockwell Collins announced Transport Canada certification of the Pro Line Fusion-based Global Vision flight deck on Bombardier’s Global 5000 and 6000 business jets–the first certification of the system on a customer aircraft. Certifications from U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency are expected to follow this year, with entry into service on track for early next year, according to the company. “We’re very proud of that,” Statler said. “We reached all of our TSOs [technical standard orders] through FAA about 30 days ago. We’re proceeding with lightning speed with getting that aircraft into service and the nine other platforms” that have specified Pro Line Fusion for avionics. Pro Line Fusion raises the bar for avionics functionality, ease

of its MultiScan weather radar to enhance situational awareness on the ground and to protect against runway incursions and other hazards. “Today is the integration of the synthetic and the enhanced vision picture, both heads-up and heads-down,” said Standerski. “In the future would be to augment that even further with weather radar [data] to provide as much situational awareness as possible for the pilot whether he’s on the ground or in flight.” Asked if the weather radar would be used to paint moving aircraft on the ground, Vos said, “You can tailor the spectrum of the radar as well as the signal processing of the returns and you can use it for detection of solid objects whether they’re airborne or on the ground. Therefore, you’re adding in not just rain and storm detection, but you’re also tracking solid objects.” During a Paris Air Show that is showcasing new airframes– headlined by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 Freighter– and expected new orders, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa company

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