Paris Airshow News 6-23-11

Paris

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6•23•2011 Vol. 43 No. 16

Airshow News

TM

Avionics

Money

Military Transport

Sun Power

Cabin Design

Rockwell Collins Unveils CSeries Cockpit

NextGen Fund Aims To Kick-start ATM

A400M Flight Testing Shines

Solar Impulse Waits for a Sunny Day

Portuguese Consortium Explores Eco-cabin

Pro Line Fusion flightdeck promises enhanced pilot awareness, simplicity, paperless operation and reduced training time. Page 4

A public-private capital fund has $1.5 billion to help airlines equip for ATM modernization, taking “We can’t afford to do it” off the table. Page 6

Engine gearbox glitch nixed the quad turboprop’s Paris flying display, but otherwise its test program is almost flawless.

The innovative Solar Impulse came to Le Bourget to fly for the crowds, but rain and wind have kept it grounded.

Maybe today? Page 18

Pages 8 and 16

Looking to the future and showing an 18-foot mockup here, group wants to meld nature and technology to add comfort and function. Page 20

KC-46 Tanker generates big bucks for suppliers

by Chris Pocock Boeing finally released signif- since Boeing won the controvericant detail on the U.S. Air Force sial KC-X competition in FebruKC-46 Tanker, and a list of the ary. According to the company, major suppliers, at the Paris Air a total of 50,000 U.S. jobs in Show yesterday. more than 40 states will be supThe announcement dispels ported by the program. In all, some of the mystery that has more than 800 companies will surrounded the configuration, Continued on page 22 u

Buying frenzy here could set the stage for mergers

DAVID McINTOSH

taking a raincheck on the deluge

by Charles Alcock Aerospace firms have been doing a roaring trade here at the Paris Air Show, selling record volumes of aircraft, engines and all the associated systems and services that go with them. But,

according to leading mergers and opportunity. and acquisitions specialists, they “There is a shortage of availshould be just as busy buying able companies [for mergers and and selling each other since the acquisitions] even though there industry recovery now presents has never been a better time to Continued on page 22 u the ideal combination of motive

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Paris

The CSeries cockpit draws from many of the “man-machine interface” lessons of the past few years. This “snapshot” is of the animated 360-degree virtual tour being displayed

by Bombardier at its CSeries pavilion this week.

Pro Line Fusion for Bombardier CSeries

by Ian Sheppard Rockwell Collins (Hall 4 A18, and Chalet B19) held an official unveiling of its Pro Line Fusion flight deck for the Bombardier CSeries yesterday at Le Bourget, by showing a 360-degree “virtual tour” at the dedicated CSeries pavilion (Static Exhibition D128).

Robert Dewar, v-p and

general manager for the CSeries program, said, “This flight deck for the future offers enhanced pilot awareness, increased simplicity, paperless operation and reduced pilot training time.”

Pro Line Fusion draws on advanced features developed by Bombardier for its

business aircraft, including features that have not been seen before on an airliner, according to Colin Mahoney, v-p sales, marketing and support at the U.S. avionics manufacturer.

The integrated flight deck features five highresolution 15.1-inch (diagonal) LCD displays. The flight management system (FMS) is based on phase of flight, saving the pilots from confusing menus by displaying all the information they need for a particular phase, such as landing. Bombardier has also opted for sidestick controllers, which leave the pilots room for a pull out keyboard.

The cockpit uses keyboards and the new displays for pilot input, as part of a philosophy that is “heads up” rather than “heads down,” said Mahoney. “[The aircraft] provides all the

Third day of show yields whopping $27 billion worth of airline orders Another bumper day at the Paris Air Show saw more than $27 billion worth of orders (firm and memorandums of understanding) for commercial airliners placed by airlines desperate to get the best deals they can before the upturn really kicks in.

Airbus had another great

day with a raft of new A320neo orders to add to its show tally.

Leading the way was Republic Airways Holdings of the U.S., which signed a memorandum of understanding for 80 aircraft (worth about $7 billion at current manufacturer list prices), 40 being A320neos and the other 40 A319neos.

GECI Aviation signs more Skylander sales GECI Aviation has signed up more potential customers for the Skylander SK-105 twin-turboprop regional and utility transport, as well as announcing a firm order.

Malaysian company Trans Air ordered eight SK-105s, plus four options, for use on tourist services in eastern Malaysia, Borneo, Thailand and Indonesia. Kan Airlines of Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding

for five Skylanders, with three options, to serve destinations in the north of the country where infrastructure is limited, while PT Sky Aviation of Indonesia signed an MOU covering 20 SK105s and 10 options in the commuter version. GECI International also received a letter of interest from the Malian air force for four surveillance-configured Reims F406 aircraft. –D.D.

As part of the order, Republic Airways becomes the launch customer for the A319neo.

The airline said it had selected CFM’s Leap-X engine to power its Neo jets.

Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo chose to firm up an order for 150 A320neos and 30 A320s (total worth $13.5 billion) following the MOU it signed in January for 180 A320-family aircraft. Engine selection will be decided at a future date.

LAN signed a firm order for 20 A320neos (worth $1.8 billion), thereby becoming the first company in Latin America to sign an order for the re-engined A320. However, LAN was soon followed by AviancaTaca, which ordered 33 (worth $3 billion) as part of an MOU covering a total of 51 A320/A320neos.

This broke another record as the largest order ever from a Latin American carrier, in terms of number of aircraft.

The recently merged airline already operates 78 Airbus

4 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

information that the pilots need and keeps them in the loop. The ultimate control of the aircraft always remains with the pilot.” There is envelope protection to prevent the pilot overstressing the aircraft, however.

The dual head-up displays also allow for enhanced/synthetic vision advances in due course. Bombardier Business Aviation and Rockwell Collins have been pioneering this in the industry.

Much of the paper previously used by the pilots can now be accessed directly on Bombardier electronic flight bags (EFBs), or customers can choose third-party EFBs. Meanwhile, the built-in electronic checklist is again a first for an airliner.

Dewar said Bombardier is now building up toward finishing the CSeries CIASTA (complete integrated aircraft systems test area) by the first quarter of 2012. This will allow the company to test fly the aircraft without leaving the ground, so that it should have no surprises and next to no changes to make when the actual aircraft flies in the second half of 2012. o A320-family aircraft.

Adding to the order tally on a rainy Le Bourget morning was Kuwaiti leasing company Alafco, which added six more A350XWBs (worth $1.6 billion) to its existing order to take the total to 18 aircraft.

Alafco is one of the companies to have altered its order from A350-800s to -900s over the past year.

Boeing, meanwhile, announced an order from UTair Aviation of Russia for 40 737NGs (seven 737-900ERs and 33 737-800s, worth a total of over $3.2 billion). The carrier operates some 30 Boeing aircraft already, including 737-800s with the new Boeing Sky Interior.

Also having a successful day was AgustaWestland, which received an order from emergency services operator INAER for 10 AW169 helicopters (the AW169 is due to be certificated in 2014), and from Russia’s Exclases Holdings for eight AW139 medium twin helicopters. –I.S.

Airshow News

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Rolls details A350-1000 power growth strategy Rolls-Royce has revealed how it will increase the thrust of the baseline engine it is developing for the Airbus A350 by 13,000 pounds to meet the takeoff and climb requirements of the heavier, longer-range A3501000. The new Trent XWB version will produce 97,000 pounds at takeoff, making it the most powerful production engine R-R has ever built, and that Airbus has ever used.

According to Chris Cholerton, Trent XWB program director, the upgrade is “optimized for commonality” with the 75,000to 84,000-pound-thrust baseline engines powering the smaller A350-800 and -900. “This is a low-risk program, which will give Airbus the 400-nauticalmile extra range and 4.5 metric ton extra payload [Airbus] asked for,” he told AIN. The decision to develop the higher thrust engine was made easier, said Cholerton, because of the baseline Trent XWB test program. “We’ve been very pleased with specific fuel burn figures, which have come out better than target and there are better efficiency and surge margins in the intermediate and high-pressure compressors.”

The figures were so good that R-R was able to trade the margin for fuel burn, he added, “and we’ve seen opportunities for further improvements.”

The extra thrust of the -1000 engine comes from a 6-percent increase in fan flow, coupled with aerodynamic improvements to the core. The fan has the same 180-inch diameter as the baseline engine, but is driven at a higher speed.

“Keeping the fan the same size meant we could have a common nacelle,” said Cholerton.

“It is not a compromise. The fan is the optimum size for the aircraft,” he added.

Despite the extra thrust, specific fuel burn will be the same as the baseline engine’s, thanks to technology drawn from several R-R demonstrator programs, said Cholerton. A “next-generation” material is being used for the single-crystal high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades, and shroudless HPT blades have been introduced to reduce stress at the higher temperatures of the engine. A lot of work has also been done to reduce tip

clearances and improve airflow.

Whole-engine X-ray technology has also allowed engine functioning to be studied during running, leading to several minor improvements.

The agreement with Airbus to develop the upgraded engine was signed at the show on Tuesday by Rolls-Royce CEO John Rishton and Airbus CEO Tom Enders, further cementing R-R’s sole-source position on the A350-1000.

“The Trent XWB already had the potential for high production volume,” said Cholerton. “Now the certainty of high volume has increased.”

He added that the production of Trent engines would double over the next five years, to one engine per day. “We’re working hard on making sure we have the production capacity in place in factories round the world,” Chorlerton said.

Final assembly will take place in R-R’s Derby base and also its new Seletar facility, in Singapore, due to open in mid-2012.

Separately, Qantas has agreed to pay Rolls-Royce $96 million in compensation, following the mid-air failure of a Trent 900 engine on one of its A380s on September 4 last year. The airline grounded all six of its aircraft for 23 days after the event.

Also yesterday, Japan’s aviation authorities granted certification to the Trent 1000 engine that powers the Boeing 787. The country’s ANA airline is launch customer for the widebody. o

Correction: Boeing must act now on narrowbodies, says ILFC chief In the edition of Paris Airshow News published on Tuesday, June 21, Henri Courpron, CEO of International Lease Finance Corporation, was quoted as saying: “Boeing will have to pull its finger out.” In fact, due to an editing error, the story did not reproduce Mr. Courpron’s exact words. His actual comment was: “Boeing will have to get on with it.” AIN apologizes for this error and is glad to confirm the correct quotation. n

6 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

DAVID McINTOSH

by Julian Moxon

Speakers participating in the Public-Private Solutions for Accelerating Air Traffic Management Modernization were (l-r) Marion Blakey of Aerospace Industries Association; Russell Chew of Nexa Capital Partners; Airbus ProSky CFO Daniel Janouschek; John Kefaliotis of ITT Corp., and Tom Captain, of Deloitte LLP.

accelerate air traffic management reform now A public-private financing construct designed to assist airlines in equipping their fleets for next-generation air traffic operations is nearing realization, according to one of the principals.

The NextGen Equipage Fund, a $1.5-billion fund raised through commercial borrowing and private equity, would finance new avionics for an estimated 75 percent of the U.S. airline fleet, proponents say. The fund, which includes ITT Corp. as a major and so far only named aerospace corporate investor, is seeking a U.S. government loan guarantee to back the private capital.

The fund aims to kick-start the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) in the U.S., but also could serve as a financing model for the Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) program as well as air-traffic modernization efforts in other parts of the world, speakers said Wednesday during a Paris Air Show panel discussion at the ITT exhibit (Hall 3 D82).

Air traffic control modernization “cannot happen without equipage on aircraft,” said Russell Chew, managing partner with Nexa Capital Partners of Washington, D.C., and a general partner with the NextGen fund. “The new system requires that all airplanes be equipped with new avionics. The airlines in their equipage decisions

have become the gatekeepers of this function.”

Chew said the fund would procure “a basic NextGen suite of avionics,” enabling functions, such as automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) and data communications, which airlines would lease.

They would make payments based on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) achieving agreed milestones for supporting ground infrastructure. Participating airlines would realize a sooner return on their investment due to airspace system efficiencies delivered by FAA, closing the equipage “business case” that challenges NextGen. The fund is negotiating “participation agreements” with several airlines, which Chew declined to identify.

He also declined to identify other participating aerospace investors beyond ITT. John Kefaliotis, ITT vice president of Next Generation Transportation Systems, said the deployment of ADS-B ground stations in the U.S. is an example of a successful public/private partnership like that proposed for the NextGen fund. The company has met all milestones since winning the ADS-B ground infrastructure contract from FAA in August 2007, having invested $200 million in the effort, Kefaliotis said.

–B.C.

Battlefield video direct to phones L-3’s Interstate Electronics Corp. is bringing full-motion video and data generated by aerial platforms into the hands of ground-level troops via smartphones using Google’s Android operating system. The latest version of its Video Scout system is being demonstrated here at the Paris Air Show (Static F186) using real-time data from L-3 Wescam MX-15i and MX-10 sensors.

Video Scout has been available some time on a ruggedized MC2 laptop. Users can connect with fellow personnel via local area networks and shared intelligence resources, including other Video Scout units, remote sensors, network-centric collaboration servers and intelligence connection nodes.

Todd Gautier, president of L-3’s Precision Engagement Sector, explained to AIN that the new Android application demonstrates that the technology is mission-system agnostic, adding that Video Scout could be applied to other devices in future. The system can deliver essentially the same content on the smartphone as on the laptop, albeit on a smaller display. Users can zoom in on details in the video, dragging and dropping content via a touchscreen.

“Situational awareness [relating to missions] can be shared with every member of a unit in real-time, and [commanders] can share information via handwritten notes and texting,” explained Gautier. “Each user now has push mode too so they can capture imagery and data and push it back into L-3’s Video Scout system is now available for use with Android-based the network.” –C.A. smart phones, extending its scope of operation.

NG proves case for countermeasures pod

The first production Typhoon is an instrumented aircraft that is still used in flight trials. It is now carrying Meteor BVRAAMs, plus camera-equipped pods that will record the separation of missile from machine.

by Bill Carey

‘Typhoon 2020’ heralds Eurofighter upgrades

by Chris Pocock Eurofighter confirmed in Paris yesterday that an AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar would enter service on the Typhoon in 2015, and announced the start of flight trials with the MBDA Meteor BVRAAM (beyondvisual-range, air-to-air missile).

The company also unveiled a “Typhoon 2020” concept with a host of improvements, most of which are not yet under contract.

Even the AESA radar, which is so necessary to secure export customers, has not yet been funded by the four Eurofighter partner nations.

Two industry sources told AIN that German, Italian, Spanish and UK governments did sign a letter of intent yesterday to eventually introduce the Captor e-scan radar on their aircraft. But a Eurofighter press

release on the new radar made no mention of the letter. AIN understands that the nations have agreed to eventually pay back Eurofighter and Euroradar for the development.

Eurofighter said that the Captor E-scan array will be “larger than the ones available to our competitors, thanks to the Typhoon’s voluminous radome,” and also referred to the repositioner that will provide the radar with a wider field of regard than “those installed or scheduled on other fighters.”

Meteor Missile Trials

BAE Systems has recently flown carriage trials of the Meteor missile on the first production Typhoon, with separation trials to follow. But there is no word yet on when the nextgeneration missile will be fully

integrated.

The Meteor is being developed by the four Eurofighter countries, plus France and Sweden. The latter two governments have already committed to full integration on the Rafale and Gripen fighters, respectively.

Eurofighter declined to discuss the Typhoon 2020 evolution in detail here. As things stand, the nations have approved only a first phase of enhancements, comprising full integration of laser designator pods, and laser/GPSguided GBU-16 and Paveway IV bombs. (The UK introduced an interim precision air-to-ground capability with Litening pods and Enhanced Paveway II bombs that was debuted in combat over Libya recently and described in our opening edition here at Paris).

Phase One also includes interoperability updates to the Typhoon’s multifunctional information distribution system (MIDS) and IFF, and improvements to the autopilot. o

Dubai airshow to hold student day An effort to inspire the youth of the United Arab Emirates to become the next generation of aviation professionals will take the form of the inaugural “Futures Day” at this year’s Dubai Air Show, scheduled to run from November 13 to 17 at the city’s Airport Expo.

Senior-level students from key UAE colleges and universities will receive invitations to attend Futures Day on the show’s final day.

Encouraging youth to join the aviation profession has become an imperative for the UAE and the rest of the Middle East, where, according to

Boeing’s Current Market Outlook, airlines will add some 2,340 aircraft worth $390 billion by the year 2029. Such fleet growth would require some 32,700 trained pilots and 44,500 technicians, estimates Boeing.

To help raise awareness of the need to prepare them, F&E Aerospace has launched the inaugural Gulf Aviation Training Event scheduled to take place on November 14 and 15. The event carries the theme “Averting the Crisis: selection and training of Middle East-based flight crew for the next generation.”

A pavilion in the airshow

Northrop Grumman, named to supply its large-aircraft, infrared-countermeasures (LAIRCM) system on the U.S. Air Force’s new KC-46 tanker, recently demonstrated a podded version of the infrared-countermeasures system on the aircraft the tanker will replace, the KC-135.

The company also demonstrated its belly-mounted Guardian infrared-countermeasures (IRCM) system in Afghanistan in March for KC-135 refueling and aeromedical missions. The components in the pod are the same line-replaceable units (LRUs) used in the LAIRCM system, said Jeff Palombo, Northrop Grumman vice president and general manager for Land and Self Protection Systems Division.

Under the KC-X contract awarded in February, Boeing must deliver 18 initial operational KC-46A tankers to the Air Force by fiscal 2017.

“In the meantime, the KC-135 has to continue to fly its missions,” Palombo said. “It will be in areas when it’s going to be threatened by surface-toair missiles. It previously has not been fitted with this product.”

He added, “The transit case is actually the loading platform.

It lifts [the Guardian pod] to the bottom of the airplane, and you bolt it in. It’s a very inexpensive, nonintrusive way of protecting the airplane.”

The pod used on the KC-135 was developed for the U.S. Department of Homeland

Security counter-Manpads (manportable air-defense system) demonstration for commercial aircraft, involving FedEx MD-10, MD-11 and Boeing 747-200 aircraft. That demonstration, concluded about three years ago, demonstrated the airworthiness of the pod solution.

Palumbo offered few details on the infrared-countermeasures system planned for the KC-46A. “It’s been dictated to be a version of the LAIRCM system, so it will be extremely similar to what’s flying on LAIRCM,” he said. “The Air Force has the lead with that.”

Northrop Grumman and partner Selex Galileo are offering an 85-pound infrared-countermeasures system for helicopters under the U.S. Army’s Common Infrared Countermeasures System (CIRCM).

Asked about a competing offer by Raytheon, with its Quiet Eyes laser-turret assembly, Palombo noted that Northrop Grumman demonstrated its Viper laser with the Quiet Eyes system four years ago under a U.S.Air Force contract. “We demonstrated we can operate with Quiet Eyes,” he said, adding, “we remain by far the leader in self-protection on airplanes.”

Northrop Grumman and Selex Galileo also signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to offer an export countermeasures system to “an International DIRCM system that can be sold and deployed without restriction.” o

Infrared countermeasures that Northrop Grumman will supply for the U.S. Air Force’s new KC-46 tanker is shown in a podded version on a KC-135.

exhibition hall showcasing training and simulation companies will support the conference and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has agreed to deliver the keynote address.

F&E Aerospace also organizes the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBA) convention, scheduled for December 11 to 13 next year, and a pair of exhibitions running simultaneously on February 1 and 2 at Dubai’s Airport Expo: MRO Middle East and Aircraft Interiors Middle East. The Middle East Business Aviation Association has yet to decide on a venue for MEBA. –G.P. www.ainonline.com • June 23, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 7

requirements, including adequate cooling. The second of the radars is planned for installation in T-50-3, while the third radar is scheduled to be mounted in T-50-4 in a production-representative configuration.

The second T-50 prototype undertook its first flight from the Knaapo factory airfield on March 3 this year.

Russian and Indian Requirements

Sukhoi’s new-generation T-50 fighter gets ready to rumble for Russia

by David Donald Sukhoi’s T-50 fifth-generation fighter program has made significant strides since the first aircraft (T-50-1) flew at the Knaapo factory’s airfield back in January 2010. The most important recent milestone is the first flight of the second aircraft (T-50-2), which is now scheduled to join T-50-1 in flight trials.

Aircraft T-50-3 is currently in final assembly and is due to fly later this year in a configuration representative of the initial production version. Components of T-50-4 are advanced, and this aircraft is intended to fly in the full operational configuration, depending on the outcome of ongoing trials. T-50-5 and T-50-6 are due to fly some time next year.

T-50-2 conducted its first flight at Knaapo on March 3 this year, in a sortie lasting just under an hour. It subsequently flew three more times in the next two days, and in early April was shipped to Zhukovskiy.

Compared with T-50-1, the

T-50-2 has some notable differences, including what appears to be some real sensor systems in place of T-50-1’s representative fairings, a new single-piece canopy and a generally higher standard of surface finish.

Engine and Radar Developments

As of last week T-50-2 had yet to fly again at the Zhukovskiy test facility, possibly because it was being fitted with new engines. T-50-1 flew with the NPO Saturn AL-41F1 engine, also known as Izdeliye 117, an advanced derivative of the engine that powers the Su-35.

In addition to flying in the T-50, the AL-41F1 had undertaken 32 flights by March this year in an Su-27M testbed.

Saturn’s AL-41F1 was originally seen as the initial powerplant, pending development by the Lyulka-Saturn research-anddevelopment center and MMPP Salyut of a more powerful and

more advanced engine, identified as Izdeliye 129. The new engine is expected to feature rectangular low-observable nozzles. However, Lyulka-Saturn CEO Victor Chepkin recently spoke of an interim powerplant, dubbed Type 30, offering 15 to 25 percent more thrust than the AL-41F1 and which may have benefitted from Salyut’s input.

Chepkin stated that fifthgeneration engine development is ahead of schedule, and also alluded to the fact that the Type 30 is ready for flight in the T-50.

It may therefore be installed in T-50-2, accounting for the delay in its return to flight.

NIIP Tikhomirov is to supply the AESA radar for the T-50 program, based on the back end of the passive e-scan Irbis radar used in the Su-35S. Three active e-scan units have been built for testing. The first has undergone an exhaustive series of ground tests and NIIP Tikohomirov is happy that it meets

Meanwhile, in China. . .

Nearly a year after the Sukhoi T-50 made its first flight, another fifth-generation fighter program made its debut, in the form of Chengdu’s J-20. The aircraft was revealed in late December 2010, before making a first flight on January 11 this year.

While seemingly happy to allow the J-20 prototype to be photographed, Chinese authorities have been tight-lipped about the program, and there is little in the way of concrete information. It appears that the aircraft is powered by the indigenously developed WS-10G engine, and it exhibits numerous stealthy features, including long weapon bays.

Whether the January flight was indeed the first flight, or what the exact purpose of the J-20 is, remains unconfirmed. It has been speculated that the aircraft is little more than a technology demonstrator for a subsequent design, and that it may be tailored more for strike and anti-ship operations than air-to-air.

Following its one-off flight in front of high-ranking officials from Beijing in January, the J-20 prototype was not seen for some time. It resurfaced in April and had undertaken 14 further flights by last weekend. –D.D.

The J-20 is seen on a recent test flight from the 611 Institute facility at Chengdu.

8 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Last year Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin demanded that the T-50 be ready for operational evaluation and initial training at the Lipetsk academy in 2013, and enter operational service in 2015. Judging by other current fighter programs, that timescale would appear to be optimistic, having already slipped by a few months (T-50-2 was due to fly in November 2010). The Russian government has signaled its intentions to order 10 from 2012, and then 60 after 2016,

with a total requirement of around 200.

India has signed up to codevelop a version for its air force known as the FGFA (fifth-generation fighter aircraft), which will be a two-seat variant. After several years of negotiation, the initial design contract was signed last December. HAL has negotiated a 25-percent share in the design and development of this version, including software and mission computer, cockpit displays, navigation systems and countermeasures.

India requires around 200 two-seat FGFAs, but before that date it will take 50 single-seaters similar to Russia’s T-50. Initial operations for the Indian aircraft are slated for 2017.

Vietnam has also shown considerable interest in the T-50, as have a number of other air forces. o

Europrop still wrestling with A400M gearbox

by Julian Moxon The last-minute problem with the gearbox of the TP400D-6 turboprop engine, which led to the decision to cancel the anticipated Airbus A400M flying display at the Paris Air Show, has still not been resolved, Europrop International (EPI) said.

The malfunction occurred on Thursday last week on an A400M flight-test aircraft, though not the one that flew into Le Bourget to be on display.

“We’re continuing to analyze what happened,” explained EPI president Simon Henley. “We still don’t know the root cause or even the sequence of events that took place.” The A400 flight test program is unaffected, however.

“It’s not a safety issue,” he said.

“This is a benign failure.”

The engine shut down automatically during a test flight after sensors detected the engine and propeller had become “decoupled.” Manufacturer Avio is investigating the gearbox, but the engine’s development program continues, following the TP400’s civil certification on May 6.

“We’re extremely pleased with the performance of the TP400 to date and are hitting the milestones regularly,” said Henley. More than 13,000 hours of running time have been accumulated, 8,600 of which were onwing and 6,400 hours in flight.

So far EPI has delivered 24 development engines, with a

further four due for delivery this year. The first production engine will be assembled in the third quarter of 2011, for delivery in early 2012. Under the new contract with Airbus Military, production will ramp-up slower than originally planned, with “less than 20 engines” to be produced in 2012, said Henley.

Flight testing of the TP400 is 95 percent complete and has taken the 11,000-shp turboshaft through high-power, in-flight shutdowns and engine-out takeoffs. The flight envelope has been extended to 42,000 feet (2,000 feet higher than the A400M specification) and has included high angle-of-attack and sideslip performance checks. The A400M has flown at a maximum speed of Mach 0.72.

“Performance is better than expected,” said Henley. “And we’re about one percent better on fuel burn.”

Delivery of the first A400M is due to the French air force in late 2012 or early 2013. In April agreement was reached on production of 170 aircraft for Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the A400’s only export customer, Malaysia. o

Unarmed Indian recon plane?

You could be in for a surprise

Arming an airliner: Saab’s Indian proposal would see the Saab 2000 carrying a pair of anti-ship missiles under its belly.

Saab is offering a version of its 2000 MPA (maritime patrol aircraft) to the Indian navy to answer that service’s medium-range, maritime reconnaissance (MRMR) requirement.

India is expected to issue a request for proposals for MRMR at the end of July, and Saab has been busy drafting its response. Included in the proposal is the ability to fire Saab’s RBS 15 anti-ship missile and an AESA (active electroni­ cally scanned array) search radar.

The twin-turboprop 2000 MPA is one of a family of special-mission aircraft based on the Saab 2000 regional airliner, which went out of production in 1999.

Saab, however, sees the type as remain­ ing a perfect platform for a range of mis­ sions, and offers effectively zero-time refurbished airplanes with the promise of at least 35,000 flight hours and guar­ anteed support for 25 years.

For India, Saab is proposing the 2000 MPA with a full maritime-surveillance suite, including a Selex Galileo Seaspray 7300 AESA radar in a radome under

the belly offering 360-degree coverage and the capability of tracking 200 sur­ face targets over a radius of more than 200 nm. It has full electronic support measures, electronic warfare self-pro­ tection and an EO/IR (electro-optical/ infrared) turret.

The airplane’s radar is supported by Saab’s R4A AIS (automatic identifica­ tion system) receiver/transmitter, which provides a similar identification func­ tion for surface vessels as IFF (identi­ fication, friend-or-foe) does in the air.

In the cabin are four work stations fac­ ing to starboard and a tactical display on the flight deck, all interfaced with an advanced command and control system.

The Indian navy requires anti-ship capability, so Saab is proposing to fit two pylons under the Saab 2000’s belly, between the main undercarriage, to carry the company’s advanced RBS 15 missile.

The pylons will be plumbed for tanks, should very long endurance be required, although without them the 2000 offers an endurance exceeding 9.5 hours.

MARK WAGNER

by David Donald

Saab has performed what Tommy Hultin, business development direc­ tor aircraft services division, described as “pre-studies,” or risk reduction work that proves the engineering feasibility of the pylons. When asked about any poten­ tial conflict between the MPA offering to India and the use of the airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) Saab 2000 operated by Pakistan, he said, “We don’t see one. The AEW machine is an overland air asset, and this is going to be used at sea.”

Turbomeca bolsters helicopter engine line

by Thierry Dubois versions–2E, 2D and 2N–Philippe Cou­ teaux, vice president and general manager, airframers, explained. The newer engines feature an improved axial compressor and single-crystal, high-pressure turbine blades. On the digital side, a dual-channel Fadec is accompanied by a data recorder that provides for preventive maintenance.

On the Eurocopter EC145 T2 light twin, the Arriel 2E is replac­ ing the EC145’s Arriel 1E2. The newer engine provides 26 per­ cent more takeoff power, at 890 shp. Couteaux said the time between overhaul (TBO)–cur­ rently 3,000 hours–would increase to 4,000 flight hours and to 6,000 hours “when mature.” Turbomeca intends to cut direct maintenance cost (DMC) byb10 percent. The Fadec will make a major differ­ ence, as the 1E2 was lacking such a sophisticated engine control. Certi­ fication is slated for next year.

For the AS350 B3e Ecureuil light single, the Arriel 2D (replac­ ing the Ecureuil B3’s Arriel 2B1) was certified in May. This time, power is increased by 12 percent, to 950 shp. Again, DMC is reduced by 10 percent and TBO increased to 4,000 hours and 6,000 hours, eventually.

The company also said the Turbomeca has improved its Arriel turboshaft engine family for Arriel 2N for the AS365 N3e Dauphin (which supersedes the Eurocopter’s new helicopter models.

Pons/Turbomeca

Helicopter engine manufacturer Turbo­ meca (Hall 2A A232) is busy developing improved models for new Eurocopter vari­ ants in the light-single and medium-twin helicopter categories, as well as an engine family that will power China’s and Russia’s forays in medium twins.

The new Arriel 2+ family has three

Dauphin N3’s 2C) is to be certified in 2013. DMC is targeted to improve by 10 percent. TBO should increase to 3,500 flight hours. However, Turbomeca and Eurocopter have not settled on a precise power level yet, although it is clear it will be greater than the 2C’s 961 shp.

In the Ardiden 3 family–1,800-shp class–Turbomeca has received a firm order for 40 Ardiden 3Gs to power Kamov Ka-62 twins. The order is part of a broader contract for 308 engines. Deliv­ eries will spread over two years, starting late in 2012. Engine certification is sched­ uled for 2014.

For the Avicopter AC352 medium twin–the Chinese version of the jointly developed Eurocopter EC175–the Ardiden 3C version will also have a local designation, the WZ-16. The AC352 is being developed jointly by Avic Engine’s Dongan (compressor) and Turbomeca (combustor and high-pressure turbine).

The Chinese civil aviation authority is expected to certify the engine in 2013.

The main differences between the inservice Ardiden 1 and the in-develop­ ment Ardiden 3 lies in the larger size of the latter and the aerodynamics of the compressor and turbine. As a result, fuel consumption is promised to be 10 to15 percent below that of current engines in the same category (namely, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6C-67). Turbomeca also anticipates lower pollutant emissions and “a very high level” of reliability. o

Here at Le Bourget the company has its corporate shuttle Saab 2000 on dis­ play. As well as the MPA version, the company offers an ELINT/SIGINT (electronic-intelligence/signals intelligence) platform known as Airtracer, and the 2000 AEW&C with Erieye radar. The latter has been sold to Pakistan and an undisclosed customer, bringing to eight the number of customers for the compa­ ny’s Erieye radar system, which can also be carried by the smaller Saab 340 and Embraer EMB 145. o

AFI KLM Launches Comprehensive, International Training Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance launched a new international training package here this week, combining the resources from AFI KLM E&M centers in Paris and Amsterdam with those of its subsidiaries and partners Regional (Clermont-Ferrand), Brit Air (ICARE Flight Training Center, Morlaix), KLM UK Engineering (Technical College, Norwich) and AFMAé (Apprentices Training Center, Paris).

AFI KLM E&M’s training offering extends from basic maintenance training in accordance with EASA Part 66/147 (Aircraft Maintenance License categories A, B1 and B2) to continuous training for regional fleets (Embraer, BAE 146, Fokker, ATR, Bombardier), narrowbodies and widebodies including A380s and Boeing 777s.

The portfolio of courses includes type training, OJT, HOT, engine, engine run up, engineering and structure and cabin repair courses, as well as an extended range of special training and consulting services.

Expected to announce a major contract today involving NATO AWACS airframes, AFI KLM E&M this week just signed with Air Atlanta Icelandic to maintain CF6-80C2 thrust reversers.

Headquartered in Kopavogur, Iceland, Air Atlanta Icelandic specializes in ACMI leasing services of both freighter and passenger aircraft.

–G.P.

www.ainonline.com • June 23, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 9

z Safran and Comac Form Joint Venture for C-919 Safran’s Labinal and Comac have established a Shanghaibased joint venture known as Shanghai Saifei Aviation Ewis Manufacturing, with Comac taking a 51-percent share. A signing ceremony at the Paris Air Show this week formally created the new company, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in February. The new venture specializes in electrical wiring interconnection systems, which it is providing for the Comac C-919 airliner. Safran has been selected to supply the C-919’s propulsion system.

z Hamilton Sundstrand Joins KC-46 Tanker Team Boeing has added Hamilton Sundstrand to its team of suppliers on the KC-46 aerial tanker, awarding it a contract to supply its environmental-control system, electric-power generation system, emergency ram-air turbine system, fans and engine bleed-air system, engine controls and accessories, bleedair leak detection system and the engine/APU fire detection and overheat detection system.

The equipment either replicates the hardware or is based on the systems the company supplies for the Boeing 767-400 airliner. However, adoption of some of the systems on the KC-46 will require software modifications, said Hamilton Sundstrand.

Separately, the Windsor Locks, Connecticut-based United Technologies subsidiary recently finished performance testing of its NP2000 propeller with the U.S. Air Force’s C-130H transport and the New York Air National Guard has nearly finished operational evaluation on LC-130s.

The testing with the USAF covered complete aircraft and propeller performance gains on C-130Hs, after replacing fourbladed Hamilton Sundstrand 54H60 propellers with eight-bladed NP2000s. Meanwhile, after a two-year evaluation, the New York Air National Guard requested a switch to the NP2000 propeller as a permanent modification for its fleet of LC-130s.

z Airbus and Parker Collaborate on Fuel Cells Airbus is cooperating with Parker Aerospace (Hall 5 D203) to explore ways to improve the efficiency of fuel cells for aviation applications such as on-board power generation. The objective is to develop a technology demonstrator, which will be followed by a flight-test campaign around the middle of the decade.

Airbus will be responsible for the overall aircraft system architecture and technology integration into the aircraft, while Parker will supply the fuel-cell system.

The airframer and other industrial partners tested a fuel-cell system on an aircraft in 2008, an activity that has led to Airbus exploring the possibility of replacing and aircraft’s auxiliary power unit with a multifunctional fuel cell. This could provide aircraft electrical consumers, such as cabin lighting, when the engines are not running.

Airbus believes that this will enable “the replacement of ground power units leading to an emission-free ground operation and significantly reduced mission fuel consumption.”

z U.S. Customs Agency Showcases Guardian UAS The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency is displaying the Guardian, a maritime variant of the MQ-9 Predator B unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the Paris Air Show. CBP acquired the UAS, manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems of Poway, California, to enhance the agency’s long-range maritime surveillance, detection and targeting capabilities in the Eastern Pacific, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, as well as to support anti-terror efforts along maritime smuggling routes.

The Guardian began operational testing and evaluation at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in February 2010 and began conducting missions in April. CBP currently has five Predator B and two Guardian aircraft operating from strategic locations in the U.S. Since its inception, the CBP Office of Air and Marine UAS program has flown more than 10,000 hours responding to requests for support from CBP ground agents and for emergency response and disaster support.

10 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Decision looms over F-35 helmet with BAE and Gentex ready to bid

by David Donald Following developmental issues with the Joint Strike Fighter’s helmet display that were raised earlier this year, the F-35 Joint Program Office is faced with making a decision this summer on whether to procure an interim helmet/display to use with standard night-vision goggles. Because the JSF cockpit lacks a headup display, flight data has to be presented on some form of helmet-mounted device, making it a critical system.

Vision Systems International (VSI) of San Jose, California, was selected to provide the F-35 Gen II helmet-mounted display system, which presents flight data and imagery, such as that from the distributed aperture system, on a visor. Latency and jitter problems were encountered, and concerns were raised over the acuity of night-vision imagery.

As a consequence, a requestfor-information was issued in early

March to BAE Systems, Gentex and VSI for an interim solution based on proven off-the-shelf components, leading to an request-forproposals on March 18.

The proposal from BAE Systems Platform Solutions draws on a number of the company’s other products. They include the tracked helmet developed for the Typhoon and the Q-Sight helmet-mounted display, the latter on course to complete safety-of-flight qualification at the end of this month.

According to Paul Cooke, director of business development for BAE Systems Defense Avionics, the Eurofighter Typhoon helmet’s system offers very accurate head tracking and low latency, important attributes for a system that could form a primary flight reference source.

The Q-Sight sits close to the eye, and allows NVGs to be swung down easily in front of the display, while still offering a wide

Bedek outsources some conversions to China

by Liz Moscrop

field of view.

In the meantime, VSI has elected not to respond to the RFP. “We have confidence in our approach,” asserts Drew Brugal, VSI’s president. “We’ve experienced these challenges before on other programs.” VSI has put in place a series of fixes that address the issues, including a new camera in the helmet that produced “very promising results” in its first tests last month.

Next month, government pilots test VSI’s helmet modifications, and the company is confident that the problems will have been overcome. Brugal commented that such issues were not uncommon when system design and development (SDD) had not been completed before production was launched, as is the case with the F-35.

Brugal said he expects that the JPO’s decision on whether an interim helmet was required would be taken in August. o declined to reveal the names of the two companies Bedek is working with.

The majority of its customers are U.S. leasing companies and Hattem reckons Bedek can work on up to 15 aircraft in its hangars over a year. On average, a passenger-to-freighter conversion takes 120 days.

There are six 747s and eight 767s in process for the 20112112 time frame.

“If the market behaves itself, I’m hoping our core business will grow over the next five years,” Hattem said. o

Bedek Aviation Group is also do refueler and medevac strengthening its relationship configurations,” Eliezer Hattem, with two Chinese companies corporate vice president and to cater better for its growing general manager, told AIN. According to Hattem, buildfreighter conversion business.

The company is the mainte- ing the kit is what slows up the nance, repair and overhaul production process, so out(MRO) subsidiary of Israeli sourcing it to Chinese compaAerospace Industries, and a size- nies makes economic sense. He able slice of its revenues come from its passenger-to-freighter conversion line, which it says has grown in 2010 over 2009.

IAI’s commercial section accounts for 30 percent of the Israeli airframer’s market, while its conversion entity takes up 40 percent of that.

Bedek services both wideand narrowbody airliners including Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas types.

“We need to manufacture a special kit in order to covert the aircraft, and From old to new can change many difAircraft that fly into LeBourget for the airshow range from very old to very ferent types, such as the new, witness the Breitling Stearman (foreground) and the Qatar Boeing 777.

Boeing 747 series. We can

DAVID McINTOSH

news clips

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Call 1-800-FLY-BELL or visit www.bellhelicopter.com to find the solution that’s best for your mission-specific needs.

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The Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport (ZEHST)would avoid dumping pollutants in the atmosphere by flying above it. Ramjets would take it 76,000 feet and then to Mach 4.

z Bauhaus Airliner Highlights Ecofriendly Planes

EADS

Bauhaus Luftfahrt created a model of a concept airliner to highlight ecofriendly aircraft of the future, as well as the recent establishment of the Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany (Aireg). Aireg, whose founding was announced on June 8, sees itself as “a platform for promoting science and research in the area of climate-friendly aviation fuels.” Other partners in Aireg include EADS, Munich Airport, Airberlin, Rolls-Royce Deutschland and JatroSolutions. The model of the concept airliner is on the MTU exhibit (Hall 2A Stand AB254).

Various fuel tanks would take up most of ZEHST’s fuselage.

EADS engineers looking forward to Mach 4 by 2050

Ecofriendly concept airliner.

z Sagem Launches Cassiopée Aviation Services Sagem, part of the Safran Group, is launching a new aviation services offering known as Cassiopée. This is a modular service, covering flight safety and risk management, maintenance performance, flight operations, airline organization and operating cost savings.

Cassiopée’s modularity allows Sagem (Hall 2A A232) to offer services tailored to requirements, from a complete package to custom-made solutions. It is aimed at a wide variety of operators, including major and regional airlines, freight carriers, private owners, leasing companies, manufacturers, repair shops and insurance providers.

Sagem has more than 20 years of experience in managing and analyzing flight data, and more than 60 years’ experience in recording flight data. To a large extent, Cassiopée is based on that knowledge, but also brings in the flight-data analysis of Alizair and airline regulatory compliance knowledge of Printair, both of which have recently been acquired by Sagem.

Sagem has also consolidated Cassiopée with various partners, such as the Safran Group’s Snecma that provides engine operating data.

by Ian Sheppard EADS has unveiled two new futuristic “Flightpath 2050” aircraft. The Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport (ZEHST) would fly above the atmosphere to avoid dumping pollutants in it, except for a relatively small amount during takeoff. The descent would be a unpowered glide, apart from restarting the engines for the final approach and landing. A steep climb on takeoff would leave a relatively small noise footprint around the airport.

Jean Botti, EADS’s enthusiastic chief technology officer, said, “ZEHST goes up to five kilometers [16,000 feet in altitude] to Mach 0.8 and then uses a rocket to get up to Mach 2.5. Then the ramjets take it to 23 kilometers [76,000 feet] and Mach 4 plus. So you can do Paris-Tokyo in 2.5 hours.”

Botti said the wings resemble those of the

z Raytheon Radar Upgrades Romanian ATM Romania has ordered Raytheon mode-S monopulse secondary surveillance radars for three of its airports as part of its upgrade to comply with European Union requirements for air traffic management. The U.S. company will supply Condor series 300 systems for en-route radar sites at Henri Coanda (Otopeni), Constanta and Arad international airports over the next 20 months, with the first system due to be installed at Otopeni airport in November.

Voltair is an all-electric transport aircraft that would carry 50 to 70 passengers. It has a large, contrarotating fan engine in the back.

Dutch engineering and maintenance firm Fokker Aircraft Services (Hall 2B G91) has handed over its first head-of-state, VIP-configured Airbus A320 to Masterjet, a charter company based at Le Bourget Airport. Certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency, the 26-seat aircraft is equipped with specially adapted interior materials for cabin linings, furniture, seating and carpets to comply with safety regulations.

“When there is no specific product available on the market, we’ll engineer and build it ourselves,” Eric Cuppen, director Aircraft Completions and Conversions.

Fokker Aircraft Services has on site five hangars and is able to accommodate up to four Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s simultaneously.

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

EADS

z Fokker Delivers VIP A320 To Masterjet

Concorde, illustrating how “the aerodynamics of the ’60s were already very smart.” In fact, the aircraft looks like a combination of an SR-71 Blackbird and a Concorde. With it, EADS Innovation Works (in collaboration with Astrium) has yet again thought “outside the box” to come up a spaceplane that can fly super/hypersonic and not have the environmental impact that is usually assumed to be inevitable.

EADS already has a spaceplane in development: the EADS Astrium. CEO François Auque said during his presentation, “Our spaceplane is a mature concept now and we’re looking for development money. We signed an agreement with Singapore in February to develop a one-fifth scale demonstrator.”

The second new aircraft is the Voltair, an all-electric transport aircraft from EADS Innovation Works, which has a “minimize drag, maximize thrust” ethos, said Botti. He explained that it would carry 50 to 70 passengers, but that the technology to achieve this with a single electric motor is far from mature.

“There is a lot of progress that needs to be made to get to this point, as we need seven to ten kilowatts per kilogram, which is three times what you will see at Le Bourget,” said Botti.

The Voltair concept has a large, contrarotating fan engine at the back of the aircraft, the motor using superconductivity with nitrogen cooling. o

news clips

The Airbus Concept Aircraft could have a neural network enabling it to respond to passengers’ needs. Aircraft and passenger would be “connected.”

z General Electric Joins Sikorsky S-97 Raider Team Sikorsky and General Electric have signed a teaming agreement under which GE Aviation will provide CT7-8 engines for Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider prototype development program. The Raider is a high-speed, high-agility next-generation helicopter drawing on the company’s X2 technology, and which is aimed at providing an armed aerial scout for the U.S. Army, among other applications. Sikorsky and General Electric have enjoyed a long and fruitful airframe/engine supplier partnership. The 2,500- to 3,000-shp class CT7-8 is currently used in Sikorsky’s S-92 and MH-60M helicopters.

z EADS North America Boss Looks on Bright Side

Airbus reveals how air travel will look in 2050

In the Airbus Concept Cabin, morphing seats make for perfect comfort, and holographic images immerse you in the visual environment of your choosing.

by Ian Sheppard The best and brightest minds at Airbus (Chalet S3 418) have peered into their crystal balls and come up with what they think aircraft cabins will look like by 2050, along with a raft of futuristic ideas for how the passenger experience could be revolutionized.

Presenting “The Future by Airbus” in both Paris and London last week, the European aircraft manufacturer premiered a 25-minute film with awe-inspiring ideas of transparent aircraft, seats that grow organically and extract body energy to help power the aircraft and pods that passengers could use for seamless transport between modes.

“Our research shows that passengers of 2050 will expect a seamless travel experience while also caring for the environment,” said Charles Champion, Airbus executive v-p engineering. “The Airbus Concept Cabin is

designed with that in mind, and shows that the journey can be as much a voyage of discovery as the destination.”

Airbus spends some $2 billion annually on research and development, with much of this having environmental benefits. For example, the Concept Cabin is designed to be 100-percent recyclable, as will much of the Airbus Concept Plane (unveiled by the company last year).

The Future by Airbus has five pillars: energy sources (alternative fuels); flight paths (air traffic management); travel solutions (new business models); research and technology (of which the Concept Plane and Concept cabin are part); and “Future Talent.”

Indeed, the panoramic film was clearly designed for youngsters as well as adults, aimed to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in aerospace. The company now hopes that the film will be shown in planetariums around the world.

The sixth element of the five pillars that Airbus will address has not been decided, although one spokesman told AIN that it could be airports, given the frustrating bottleneck that security currently represents to most travelers. o Interactive technology could make boredom on aircraft a thing of the past–for example, passengers could practice their golf swing!

CEO of EADS North America Sean O’Keefe believes that there is a bright side for his company in losing the massive U.S. tanker contract. Most of all, he said, “It was a good way to demonstrate what we could do and it validated what we can do.”

Former NASA administrator O’Keefe, who was fortunate to walk away from the crash of an aircraft that killed Senator Ted Stevens last year, said, “We established EADS as a supplier to the Defense Department in a way we would never have achieved before.”

O’Keefe added that the ambition of EADS North America is to “be a leading prime contractor within ten years and to achieve $10 billion of U.S. revenue, through organic growth, M&A [mergers and acquisitions] and building the product portfolio.”

z L-3 Joins Skylander SK-105 Team L-3’s Aviation Products Group (Static F186) is to supply a wide range of avionics for the Sky Aircraft Skylander SK-105, the multi-purpose twin-turboprop transport currently taking shape for a projected first flight in the middle of next year. L-3 is supplying systems via the SK-105’s core avionics integrator, Cobham Avionics. Among the equipment to be provided are TCAS 3000SP with dual RCZ-852 mode-S transponders, Stormscope weather mapping system, FA2100 cockpit voice recorder, digital flight data recorder and digital flight data acquisition unit.

z Morocco’s Aerospace Sector Targets Growth The Moroccan aerospace industry has made significant strides in recent years to position itself as a lower cost base than nearby Europe. But this could be undermined if mounting political unrest in the north African country boils over into violence.

The industry group here at the Paris Air Show (Hall 2B F93) comprises more than 90 aerospace companies employing more than 8,500. Annual growth is heading for 20 percent as a result of investment by companies such as Boeing, EADS, Snecma, Aircelle and Creuzet.

The sector is aiming to employ 15,000 by 2015 and 23,000 by 2020. Work recently began to renovate the MidParc Casablanca Free Zone. The country has also just opened an Aviation Trade Institute (IMA).

The Casablanca Free Zone accommodates up to 300 units in its 308-acre trade park. Not far from MidParc the IMA trains up to 400 aerospace students and is set to double in size by 2015. Besides technical training, the institute carries out training in purchasing, quality control, logistics, engineering and industrial management.

z Aero Sekur Wins F-35 Maintenance Contract

Passengers could individually choose to be able to “see” the spectacular view outside the Airbus Concept Cabin. Opacity or transparency on command would negate the need for windows.

Aero Sekur (Hall 2B F156) announced here it has won a “significant first order” to supply an inflatable maintenance enclosure and climatic controller to Northrop Grumman for field repairs to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II. A climatic controller sourced by AeroSekur will be integrated into the enclosure.

The group also chose the Paris Air Show as the venue to launch a new company, Sensichips, which will develop safety system micro-sensors. According to Aero Sekur, Sensichips will provide low-power, integrated micro-sensors for the aerospace and defense sectors.

www.ainonline.com • June 23, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 13

news clips z Cobham Converts King Airs for Military Cobham (Hall 2B EF167) delivered four converted Hawker Beechcraft B350ER King Air special mission aircraft to Ascent Flight Training for the UK Military Flying Training System on June 9. The delivery was made at the Cobham Aviation Services facility adjacent to Bournemouth International Airport.

Royal Navy and Ascent personnel will use the aircraft to train navy observers to navigate and operate their aircraft tactically, prior to commencing operational flight training on Lynx, Merlin and Sea King helicopters. The aircraft are fitted with twin student training consoles and twin instructor consoles and will be equipped with 360-degree Telephonic RDR1700A underbelly radar and full navigation and communications suites.

The King Airs replace now retired Jetstream T2 aircraft, and will be operated by 750 Naval Air Squadron at Culdrose. Cobham Aviation Service received the $32 million contract from Ascent in 2009 to convert the aircraft for the training role and provide daily in-service support for an initial five-year period.

z Terma Cuts Wind Turbine Radar Clutter Surveillance of aircraft by ground radar in proximity of wind farms is an increasing concern and Terma (Hall E E2) claims to have the answer with its Scanter 4002 radar system.

The problem is that large wind farms can have a negative effect on ground radar used to track aircraft, as the spinning wind-turbine blades appear on radar as unwanted targets.

According to the Danish firm, the Scanter 4002 is the only air-surveillance system that shows the stationary wind-turbine towers, filters out the clutter and still detects and tracks small air targets near the wind farms.

The wind-turbine/radar issue has created some conflict between the expanding energy and ensuring aviation safety.

“The uncertainty has led to the postponement or even rejection of several planned wind farms,” according to Terma. In fact, Terma claims that some 45 percent of all new wind-farm projects in the U.S. were postponed or rejected due to concerns over aviation safety.

Separately, the Norwegian Royal Air Force has selected a Terma missile-warning system for its F-16 fleet, following a development program in Denmark for the pylon-based missilewarning system. The Cassidian Electronics AAR-60(V)2 MILDS-F is based on a derivative of the Terma-developed product in which pylons on stations three and seven are each equipped with three missile warning sensors, giving nearly 360-deree spherical coverage against missile attack.

z Volvo Aero Tracks Saab Gripen Engine Health Volvo Aero has launched the Volvo Life Tracking System for “accurately calculating usage of critical engine components.”

The product is designed primarily for Volvo Aero’s RM12 engine, which powers the Saab Gripen multi-role fighter.

“Unlike other systems, the Volvo Life Tracking System is not based upon an anticipated use of an aircraft engine, [but] registers exactly how the engine components are affected by the actual flights in which that engine has been a part,” explained Volvo Aero development engineer Magnus Andersson.

The tracking system will give the Swedish Air Force a tool to significantly reduce costs for spare parts, while improving availability and safety, according to Volvo Aero. The RM12 is based on the General Electric F404 engine.

z Eurocopter Is First Tenant for Malaysian Heli-Centre Eurocopter Malaysia will be the anchor customer for a new helicopter center that is soon be constructed at the Malaysian International Aerospace Centre at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Selangor.

Eurocopter president and CEO Lutz Bertling and Malaysia’s transport minister, YB Date’ Seri Kong Cho Ha (for Malaysia Airport Holdings), signed the contract here at the Paris Air Show. Eurocopter plans to start operations from the center in April 2012.

14 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Antonov asserts its independence to pursue bigger airframing ambitions

by Vladimir Karnozov Ukraine’s Antonov has come a long way since it was last here at the Paris Air Show, but it still has a long way to go. In February, its An-158 regional jet completed initial type certification and first deliveries are pending.

The smaller An-148 model has been in service for some time with launch customers Aerosvit (three aircraft) and Rossiya (six).

But the company’s main challenge is to establish itself as a full-fledged airframer in its own right, rather than being just a design bureau–albeit a well-regarded one. Antonov absorbed the Aviant factory in

production infrastructure weak.

The company has since arranged a line of credit for the factories with the Russian bank VTB and also strengthened its business plans via a string new cooperation agreements with Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. (UAC).

The new management is counting on more proactive support for Ukraine’s aerospace industry from the country’s new government. “But no one can really help us, but ourselves,” Kiva told AIN. Immediate plans call for an increase in output to two airplanes per month and then up to

Antonov has gone from strictly a design bureau to manufacturer with the absorption of the Aviant factory in Kiev.

Kiev at a time when the operation was deeply in debt and in need of a bailout, with the restructuring orchestrated by the Ukrainian government.

“We have already invested $100 million in the plant,” said Dmitry Kiva, Antonov general designer. The factory has been modernized and retooled.

Kiva is convinced that there are big markets for both the An-158 and An-148, despite what some people view as an overlap with Russia’s Superjet SJ100 aircraft. Also in Antonov’s portfolio are the An-70 military transport and the An-124-300 large freighter.

Meanwhile, the smaller An-26 cargo aircraft recently achieved a breakthrough step by obtaining European Aviation Safety Agency certification.

Antonov’s plans to deliver no more than 10 regional jets this year, with three to be built in Kiev and the rest at the company’s plant in Voronezh. Kiva admitted that poor management in the past and insufficient support from Ukraine’s previous government had left Antonov’s

three, with Kiev focusing on the stretched An-158 and Voronezh on the baseline An-148. Looking further into future, the company wants to build a business case for boosting production to as much as 60 to 80 units per year.

“Ukrainian plants used to make more than this,” Kiva explained. “Kharkov produced 66 Tu-134s a year and Kiev 200 An-24/26s. We were once able to do that many, so why can’t we do it today?” Lowering costs and streamlining the manufacturing process are the key to success. “In some cases we rework certain airframe parts for fewer man-hours or lower cost,” he said.

Part of the plan is to extend its existing partnerships with Chinese manufacturers, who could contribute as component suppliers to Antonov programs.

Antonov has long been involved in various Chinese programs, including local production of the An-2, An-12 and An-24 derivatives, and shaping the wing of Avic’s new ARJ-21 airliner.

At the same time, Antonov is boosting its ties with the Russian aerospace industry, building on a

long-established alliance with the Ilyushin Finance Co. (IFC). The Moscow-based lessor promotes the An-148 worldwide including in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Asia. Earlier this year, Antonov and UAC established a 50/50 joint venture to coordinate industrial cooperation and marketing efforts.

The An-158 and Sukhoi’s Superjet 100 are often pictured as competitors, but Kiva disagrees. He said, “In comparable cabin configuration, the An-158 takes 90 passengers against 100 [for the SJ100]. Ten passengers make a difference. I promised Sukhoi not to go beyond 100 seats, and our biggest number of seats is 99 at 30 inches pitch for low-cost operators.”

Besides, the SJ100 is heavier and not intended to operate from unpaved runways. “The two aircraft fall in different market niches. In my view, airlines must have a choice and be free to buy the airplanes that they find more suitable,” Kiva concluded.

Although critics say the An-158 program upset some elements in the Russian industry, its creator insists its launch was market-driven. “For airlines it is important to operate a family of airplanes, and so we offer the smaller An-148 for thinner air routes and the An-158 for higher passenger flows. This improves operational economics.”

In fact, the Russian content in the An-158 comes to about 50 percent. “In a sense it is a more Russian airplane that a certain model from a Russia,” Kiva quipped. Antonov was offered the Franco-Russian PowerJet SaM-146 engine for the An-158, but opted instead for the Russian Ivchenko Progress D-436 turbofans.

But Antonov has no qualms about taking work to suppliers beyond Ukraine and neighboring Russia, if it feels it can get better quality and value elsewhere. It has already ditched a Ukrainian weather radar and Russian wheels and brakes on these grounds.

Here at the Paris Air Show, Antonov also is displaying models of a larger An-168 version of the twinjet, plus a maritime patrol derivative. Also featured is the An-178, which appears to be intended as a military transport. o

Aerospace industry raises ethical bar

“We are putting forward a new charter, which we are committing to both on the European standpoint and our standpoint,” Blakey said. “There are a number of companies that are willing to stand up and be essentially accountable in terms of providing information and their commitment to reaching the global principles of business conduct that we have laid out.”

by Paul Lowe exchange best practices for business ethics among industry participants and identify areas of commonality. While a number of U.S. and European companies have voiced their support

for IFBEC and its global principles, there have been no formal procedures or requirements for participation in IFBEC or for registering adherence to the principles until now.

It’s about a lease that lasts five years and a relationship with no expiration date.

It’s about more than the plane.

PAUL LOWE

Ethics in the global aerospace industry is one of many topics that CEOs from the U.S. and Europe are addressing at meetings here this week, according to U.S. Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) president and CEO Marion Blakey.

The former FAA Administrator came to the Paris Air Show along with a large congressional delegation to speak with counterparts from the EU and other aerospace executives from around world.

“From a U.S. DOD [Department of Defense] standpoint, we have a good contingent of aircraft that are coming over,” Blakey told AIN. “And we are providing support for the aircrews and the [aircraft] corral.”

“We will get together with our counterparts from Europe, the ASD [Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe], and the CEOs, the leadership of both organizations, sit down and have a discussion where, I have to say, the agenMarion Blakey da is heavily into civil aviation and commercial aviation,” Blakey added.

According to Blakey, the agenda is going to be focused around NextGen and Sesar and the optimization questions. She noted there is new leadership in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to both ensure that the two major satellite-based systems are achieving true harmonization and rationality together, as well as taking stock of how the two sides are developing on both the technical and policy standpoints.

“And I think that ICAO is committed to increasingly globalizing this ATM modernization initiative worldwide,” Blakey explained. “They are approaching this from the standpoint of block builds, one of the things the industry worldwide should be alert to.”

In addition to carbon emissions and the EU’s stand on its European Emissions Trading Scheme, the CEOs are talking here about the ethics initiative that was started several years ago.

Members of AIA and ASD have created a new task force to administer the ongoing activities of the International Forum on Business Ethical Conduct (IFBEC).

IFBEC is an opportunity to

In order to participate in IFBEC, the new charter would require companies to execute an annual company statement about their corporate ethics policies and practices, their participation in industry-wide ethics activities and their commitment to bolstering adherence to the global principles within their company. o

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www.ainonline.com • June 23, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 15 5/17/11 9:23 AM

The Airbus A400M flight test program has performed almost flawlessly, logging more than 500 hours on about 1,600 flights.

news clips New Boeing analysis of future passenger- and cargo-capacity requirements confirms the trend toward ever-bigger jetliners, although its perception of global demand for large aircraft (400-plus seats) continues to oscillate. And the forecast sees only slight growth among regional jets, which have declined in number almost continually over the past 10 years. Overall, the U.S. manufacturer forecasts a $4,000 billion, 33,500-ship market for new commercial aircraft during 2011-2030. Some 40 percent of new-aircraft deliveries will be replacements.

Compared with last year’s equivalent document, the company’s 2011 Current Market Outlook (CMO), released here in Paris a few days ago, expects requirements for single-aisle and large equipment to increase by 10 percent and almost 14 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Boeing predicts only a modest 3-percent increase in 20-year demand for both new regional jets and twin-aisle aircraft. The increasing average size of aircraft is demonstrated by Boeing analysis that predicts the combined single- and twin-aisle sectors’ market share growing from 81 percent last year to 92 percent in 2030.

Geographically, Boeing’s soothsayers forecast that the Asia Pacific area will require the most new aircraft–11,450 valued at $1.5 trillion–in the coming 20 years. “The region will account for more than a third of [all] new deliveries, while the Middle East and Latin America will also continue to show very strong growth,” says the CMO.

DAVID McINTOSH

z Boeing: Airliner Size Will Continue To Grow

KIRBY J. HARRISON

z ST Aerospace Delivers Refurbished VIP DC-8 Singapore Technologies Aerospace (Chalet D50) announced here the high-end VIP outfitting of a DC-8 former airliner for an unidentified Middle East customer. ST Aerospace’s inhouse design and engineering department handled the redesign, reconfiguration and relocation of seats, galleys and lavatories in the cabin, while the company’s U.S. facility in San Antonio, Texas, did the build and installation, along with the management of engineering authorization and certification.

The high-end cabin features a master suite with lavatory and shower, three passenger lounges, a mid-ships bar, a crew-rest area and an aft galley and acoustic curtains to provide additional privacy.

Projecting a compound annual growth rate of 3.7 percent, ST Aerospace forecasts growth in the cabin interior retrofit market from the current $5 billion to $7.2 billion by 2020.

z Chinese and Swiss Partner on Airline Seats Swiss and Chinese partners are forming a joint-venture company to manufacture airline seating, with the aim of capturing 15 to 20 percent of the forecasted world seating market over the next two decades.

Aerospace Life-Support Industries (ALI) of Xiangyang, China, and Corporate Consulta of Fribourg, Switzerland, signed a provisional agreement at Le Bourget this week to create the 50/50 joint-venture company. ALI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (Avic) Electromechanical Systems.

The new company, Jiahang United Seating Technologies (JUST), will be headquartered in Xiangyang, with technical, development and commercial offices in Latina, Italy, and regional sales offices planned for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C. According to ALI president Yongsheng Ma, JUST will obtain international certifications to gradually produce 110,000 passenger seats annually. The initial product line will span nine seat types for all cabin classes, based on five different seat platform structures. The first product–X-Light FB and R economy-class seats–will combine aluminum and carboncomposite technology.

Last week, International Project Management Investment of Dubai said it had entered into an agreement with Corporate Consulta to fund the seating venture as a 30-percent equity shareholder.

16 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Except for Paris blip, A400M testing shines

by Chris Pocock Until the engine gearbox glitch revealed on the eve of the Paris Air Show, the Airbus A400M flight-test program had proceeded almost flawlessly. “We have over-achieved against expectations in many areas,” declared Cedric Gautier, Airbus Military program head, a few weeks before the opening of the show.

The four A400M military transports flying (MSNs 1 through 4) had, at that time, amassed more than 500 hours on more than 1,600 flights. According to Ed Strongman, chief test pilot, the full flight-test envelope had been explored, including flutter tests at 375 knots and stalls in full power. He showed an impressive video in which the big airlifter makes a 120-degree turn to recover from a 45-degree stall.

Only three minor airframe modifications had been required, Strongman revealed. A few vortex generators had been added below the fuselage to correct a slight snaking movement. A small spoiler had been installed inside the landing gear bay, so that retraction can be done at speeds up to the specified 220 knots without buffet. And after high-speed taxi tests over a gravel bed, some pipework within the landing gear bay had been rerouted, for greater protection.

Another video showed minimum rotation speed trials, during which 80 knots was achieved.

This is impressive for an airplane with no leading-edge slats, according to Strongman. The

A400MK’s short-field landing performance will likely be better than expected, since de-icing tests have shown that less wing area coverage is required, leading to reduced approach speeds.

Landings using only the Flir display and night-vision goggles have already been done.

Other flight test achievements have included in-flight opening and closing of the rear ramp doors, paratroop drops and formation flying, including dry contacts in fuel-receiving mode.

Ground Tests

Meanwhile, in Madrid, static tests on the ground using MSN5000 were successfully completed last September. This airframe is now being used for initial wing-fatigue testing. Full-scale fatigue testing is being done on MSN5001 in Dresden. It is scheduled to perform 25,000 simulated flights by mid-2012, equating to 2.5 times the A400M’s design life.

A fifth aircraft (MSN6) will join the flight-test program in October. It will be in production configuration, with the small weight savings that have been identified to date.

Gautier said civil type certification could be achieved by the end of this year. However, another 2,600 hours of flight test are scheduled before the A400M gains initial operational clearance (IOC) by the middle of next year. The first production aircraft (MSN7) should fly in the third quarter of 2012 and

Airbus A400M Will Soon Be the Atlas According to the latest speculation, the A400M will soon gain an official name: Atlas. Not a bad choice for a heavy airlifter, although references to Greek mythology invariably suffer from conflicting and sometimes mischievous interpretations.

At the Farnborough airshow last July, the name Grizzly was unveiled with due fanfare. The image-makers carefully explained that this was an interim moniker, applicable only to the flight-test airplanes. But reaction from observers and at least one customer was, shall we say, “Bearish.”

So now, as befits a multinational program, Europe’s new military airlifter will gain a name that works in various languages.

–C.P.

be delivered to the French air force in early 2013.

He also revealed the staged approach to achieving full capability, which has been agreed with the launch nations. IOC provides basic strategic airlift functionality. The first standard operational clearance (SOC1) follows in late 2013 and adds “basic” tactical performance and initial aerial delivery. At the end of 2014, SOC1.5 provides full aerial delivery and tanker capability.

At the end of 2015, SOC2 enhances the tactical mission management by providing additional navigation functions.

Enhanced tanker capabilities and search-and-rescue patterns are included in SOC2.5 to be achieved in later 2017.

The complete capabilities required by contract, including full low-level flight, are not due to be delivered until the end of 2018 in SOC3. All aircraft delivered before then will be brought up to that standard. To achieve SOC3, a grand total of 3,700 flight-test hours are required.

Gautier confirmed to AIN that Airbus Military is still committed to the original specification with respect to the “Common Standard Aircraft” agreed to by the partner nations.

If Germany and any others still want advanced terrain-reference navigation, including masking, separate arrangements will presumably be negotiated.

In general, Gautier noted that performance requirements for the A400M are “way beyond those of previous turboprop airlifters, including the C-130,” including, for example, the ability to take off and climb to 31,000 feet at maximum weight.

Gautier refused to comment on whether Airbus Military is still formally in dispute with Thales with respect to the flight management system (FMS). He did say that after a complete review, a new development path for the FMS had been proposed to the launch nations, which would likely accept it. This path will eventually reduce pilot workload and provide other improvements in the humanmachine interface, according to Strongman. The damages claim with engine provider EPI was settled some months ago. o

MRJ taps Boeing for customer support role

Hideo Egawa, CEO of MRJ, and Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Commercial Aircraft, beam after signing the customer support agreement.

provisioning, service operations and field services for the MRJ. “One of our oldest and most trusted partners has been MHI [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries] over the years,” said Albaugh.

“Its products go on every airplane that we deliver.

“We believe the MRJ is going

to be a terrific regional jet,” he said. “You can see by the order book that it’s being accepted in the marketplace and we know they’re going to sell many, many more.”

Albaugh also made note of an earlier agreement under which Boeing will assist Mitsubishi in the flight-test program and consult on development, marketing and post sales activities of the MRJ. However, yesterday’s support agreement does not directly call for sales and marketing collaboration, according to Junichi Miyakawa, Mitsubishi executive vice president.

Although the deal calls for socalled parts provisioning,” Mitsubishi’s Egawa said that the contract does not provide for warehousing or spare-parts distribution.

Miyakawa explained that the partsprovisioning aspect of the deal calls for consultation with airlines on the kind of parts they will need in preparation for operations.

Under the term of the agreement, Boeing will also help tailor a Web portal for Mitsibushi.

Modeled on Boeing’s own customer support Web site–MyBoeingFleet.com–the new portal will support and airplane health-management system to monitor, collect and analyze real-time “smart” airplane data, allowing MRJ operators to decide on maintenance needs to minimize their aircraft’s time on the ground. o

Raytheon reveals UAV’s hyperspectral sensor

by Chris Pocock Raytheon revealed a hyperspectral sensor, which has been adapted to the MQ-1 Predator UAV, at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday. The airborne cueing and exploitation system hyperspectral (Aces HY) is believed to be the first such sensor to enter series production for a tactical airborne platform.

“This technology has been a long time in development, but it’s now mature enough to be fully militarized,” Tim Carey, v-p of ISR Systems for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, told AIN. Aces HY completed flight tests on a Twin Otter airplane last September. The nine systems

now being produced for the Predator weigh 100 pounds each.

Hyperspectral sensors capture light across a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum. They have the potential to detect features or activity that cannot be identified by conventional optical or infrared (IR) sensors.

Every material has its own unique signature, and the right sensor can identify it from as little as a single pixel of information.

The sensor collects the spectral signature and compares it against a library of known objects.

For example, midwave IR sensors can identify faint heat signatures from space, while long-wave

DAVID McINTOSH

MARK WAGNER

Boeing will help provide customer support for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet under the terms of a 10-year contract announced yesterday. Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh joined Mitsubishi Aircraft president Hideo Egawa to launch the partnership, under which Boeing Commercial Aviation Services will help with spare parts

DAVID McINTOSH

by Gregory Polek

Engines are what makes them go Aircraft engines don’t have the cache that the airplanes they power do, but they are perhaps the most important component in today’s jets. Their importance was underscored here by sales that totaled more than $1.5 billion.

Leasing group ILFC ordered almost a billion dollars for Leap engines.

IR sensors can identify effluents, such as factory plumes. Gaseous emissions from a building, such as the storage of explosives or drugs or the manufacture of chemical or biological weapons, can be detected with the right sensors. Concealed military targets may also be revealed.

Raytheon previously developed the advanced responsive tactically effective military imaging sensor (Artemis) covering visible to shortwave infrared wavelengths. It was launched into space as piggyback payload on the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory TacSat-3 in May 2009.

Artemis is now generating some 100 hyperspectral images per month that are providing “key intelligence within hours after sensor tasking,” Raytheon revealed.

Raytheon already produces the multi-spectral targeting system that is the primary sensor on U.S. Air Force Predators. o

Nordic Aviation is latest ATR 72-600 customer ATR has revealed another of its previously undisclosed customers–Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). Yesterday at the Paris Air Show the Danish lessor and aircraft trading company placed a firm order, valued at $450 million, for 10 ATR 72-600s, with 10 options for more. “This is a strategic purchase for us, as these new aircraft bring us the opportunity to continue developing our business and expanding our portfolio of aircraft,” said NAC chairman Martin Möller. “We receive increasing demand for fuel-efficient aircraft with optimal economics.”

NAC currently has a portfolio of 160 aircraft, including 91 ATRs, and proclaims itself to be “the world’s leading turboprop lessor.”

Filippo Bagnato, CEO of ATR, said, “The interest of leasing companies in the ATR product has increased substantially in the last three years.”

At last year’s Farnborough Airshow, Steven Udvar-Hazy’s Air Lease signed up for 10 ATR 72-600s, while here at the show this week GECAS ordered 15.

Also here in Paris yesterday, Ecuadorean flagcarrier TAME signed a contract valued at $54 million for three new ATR 42-500s. ATR already has 120 aircraft operating in Latin America and the Caribbean. –I.S.

www.ainonline.com • June 23, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 17

news clips

Solar Impulse waiting on the weather to fly

z New Grounds Under Way for ILA Berlin 2012 The ILA Berlin Air Show, scheduled for September 11-16 next year, will be located “directly next door to Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt, the capital’s future airport, only 30 minutes from central Berlin,” according to the event’s organizers, who say that planning is well under way.

The new grounds will adjoin the south runway and provide halls for exhibitors, outdoor ramp area for displaying aircraft “of every type and size,” chalets and a control tower for ILA management. For the first three days, the show will be open only to trade visitors, but on September 14 to 16 it will admit the public and mount a “spectacular program of flying displays.”

The organizers say that, compared with its previous location, the show’s new grounds will be more compact, shortening the distances visitors need to cover, and concentrating individual aerospace segments in smaller areas will make it easier for visitors to target representatives of the industry. Those segment clusters will include commercial air transport, spaceflight, defense and security, equipment, engines and materials.

Exhibitor numbers at ILA 2010 were the highest in the event’s 100-year history, said the organizers, with 1,153 exhibitors from 47 countries hosting an attendance of 235,000, of whom 125,000 were trade visitors.

by Thierry Dubois The world debut of solar-powered Solar Impulse airplane could hardly have happened in less auspicious weather conditions.

First, it faced a battle against strong winds to get to Le Bourget from its most recent port of call in Brussels. And then, as of press time, heavy rain and shifting winds had prevented the solarpowered aircraft from making its planned flying display appearance here at the Paris Air Show.

pleasure to pilot it,” Borschberg said after a two-hour sortie. “She’s docile and gentle. But when she gets into turbulence, she’s something of a shrew, and much harder to control. If a ‘bubble’ of warm air only touches one wing, the plane will become unbalanced. Then the pilot has to fight to correct the plane’s trim.”

The solar-powered airplane’s first international flights were from Payerne to Brussels and

Rolls-Royce has signed a $360 million long-term TotalCare agreement to provide engine support services and enhanced performance kits for the Trent 700 engines that power four Etihad Airways Airbus A330s. Etihad has also extended an existing agreement covering Trent 700s powering 20 other aircraft in the Abu Dhabi airline’s fleet, and will fit the EP kits on 30 Trent 700s.

Rolls-Royce claims that this will increase the fuel efficiency of the engines by more than one percent and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 800 tons per aircraft per year.

DAVID McINTOSH

z Etihad Opts To Upgrade Its A330 Engines

z Sikorsky Sets Up Swiss Helicopter Center with Ruag Sikorsky Aerospace Services (Hall 3 D108) has signed an agreement with Switzerland’s Ruag Aviation (Hall 4 B76) to designate its Aplnach helicopter facility as an authorized customer service center (CSC) to support the S-76 helicopter type.

Frank DiPasquale Sikorsky’s vice president sales and strategic relationships, said, “The Aplnach CSC will be a key support facility for the future expansion of our S-76 commercial aircraft fleet in south east and south central Europe.”

The new CSC will offer S-76 operators aftermarket support, including local, Sikorsky-trained, maintenance personnel, management inspections and spare parts procurement.

z Rafael Debuts New Integrated C4I System Missile and air defense specialist Rafael is debuting its MIC4AD command and control system. The company claims its modular integrated C4I air defense system is the first to connect the roles of air defense, missile defense and air superiority into one system.

MIC4AD builds on the C4I system developed for the Iron Dome missile-protection system, and is modular and openarchitecture to allow the integration of numerous defensive systems. It draws data from a wide variety of sensors, including radars and long-range electro-optical sensors such as Rafael’s TopLite that can typically detect aerial targets at ranges of around 100 kilometers. MIC4AD also draws in data via datalink for airborne platforms, and interfaces with civil and military air traffic management.

MIC4AD is designed to answer the needs of operators at various levels, from national down to tactical, and there are mobile solutions to serve the latter.

The overall picture available to the commander can be assigned in large-scale elements for use by individual system operators, allowing them to concentrate on their tasks. The main map-type display is complemented by a three-dimensional representation that is particularly useful for deconflicting intercept actions against hostile threats from friendly aircraft.

18 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard (left) and Andre Borschberg, company CEO and pilot, are happy to have made it to Le Bourget but unhappy with the weather. A seven-knot wind is acceptable on the runway, but crosswind is limited to four knots.

In a pre-show interview, André Borschberg, company CEO and pilot, said that the Solar Impulse’s flying display is planned to last about 20 minutes. But he admitted that the aircraft would stay grounded in the event of rain and convective turbulence. On the runway, a seven-knot wind is acceptable, but crosswind is limited to four knots.

Next Up: The World

The single-seat HB-SIA is just the prototype of HB-SIB, a larger airplane that has the goal of flying around the world in 2014. But this is more than just the personal flight of fancy for program co-founder Bertrand Piccard, whose real goal is promoting renewable energies.

After flying last year and taking a winter break, Borschberg resumed flying in the spring from Solar Impulse’s base in Payerne, Switzerland, to expand the flight envelope.

One of the flights focused on turbulence. So the team went looking for it on purpose, to see how the plane would handle it.

“When the plane is flying in calm conditions, it’s a real

then Brussels to Paris. The aircraft was displayed in Brussels last month as part of a week of events organized on the occasion of the European Renewable Energy Coun­cil’s annual conference.

The European Commission is a sponsor of the project.

The flight to Brussels was a big technical challenge for the Solar Impulse team. Flight director Raymond Clerc and his team had been preparing for months.

“To operate in environments as complex as the international air traffic network and the taxiways of Brussels airport, we needed to anticipate and study every eventuality, so as to be able to react quickly if unexpected circumstances arise,” Clerc explained.

Next year, the HB-SIA will attempt longer international flights.

The second aircraft in the project–HB-SIB–is in the design phase with a goal for manufacturing the first parts this summer. Rollout and first flight are slated for 2013, one year before flying around the world with a few stopovers.

The first airplane’s main feat so far has been to fly through the

night. Flying over his native Switzerland, Borschberg managed to stay in the air for 26 hours and nine minutes in July last year.

When the aircraft took off, its batteries, weighing close to 900 pounds in total, were charged at 75 percent.

The objective during daytime was to accumulate as much energy as possible. Electrical energy was stored in the batteries, thanks to 11,628 solar cells on the wing and horizontal stabilizer. In addition, Borschberg climbed the airplane to 28,000 feet to gain potential energy.

Sink Rate Critical

During the night, he focused on keeping a minimum sink rate.

This translated into a 23-knot airspeed. The sink rate was high at the beginning of the descent, close to 100 feet per minute, because of the thin air. It decreased and came eventually close to zero at the end of the night.

There is no autopilot in the HB-SIA and so no sleep for the pilot. Borschberg used yoga techniques–breathing, exercising muscles without moving and maintaining concentration. He also had a very simple accessory–a water spray for his face.

At dawn the sun rays were powerful enough to recharge the batteries, in addition to powering the motors. At this point, the aircraft could have started a new day/night cycle– had the pilot been able to stay awake indefinitely. HB-SIA landed with several hours of flying power in its batteries.

HB-SIA has a wingspan of 208 feet, a length of 72 feet and a weight of 3,500 pounds. Solar energy is captured by 11,628 solar cells, of which 10,748 are on the wing and 880 are on the horizontal stabilizer. The solar energy is converted to electricity, which powers four 10-horsepower electric motors and is stored in batteries. HB-SIA takes off at 19 knots and cruises at an average speed of 38 knots.

As proven by Borschberg’s overnight flight, the airplane’s endurance is limited only by the endurance of the pilot. o Solar Impulse by the Numbers Wingspan:

208 feet

Length:

72 feet

Weight:

3,500 pounds

Power:

four 10-hp electric motors

Solar cells:

11,628 (10,748 on the wing, 880 on the horizontal stabilizer)

Average 38 knots flying speed: Takeoff speed: 19 knots

MBDA targets Indian need for fire-and-forget missiles PARS 3 LR is on the shortlist of weapons to arm the Indian Army’s Dhruv/ ALH helicopter, with follow-on application to the new LCH (light combat helicopter). Evaluations for this potentially large order are being held this year, leading to a selection decision expected some time next year.

The weapon is also part of the proposals for an Indian air force requirement for an attack helicopter to replace the Mil Mi-24. MBDA is to provide the missile armament for the Russian Kamov Ka-52 and Mil Mi-28 proposals, PARS 3 LR being partnered by MBDA’s Mistral air-to-air missile.

Meanwhile, MBDA Deutschland has

delivered all 80 sets of firing posts and launchers for the German army’s 80 Tiger UHT helicopters. Beginning in September, four firings are to be undertaken as part of integrated field evaluation trials. The tests will include shots against a moving target, in a simulated urban environment, and against a temporarily hidden target.

Delivery of the 680 missiles under contract for Germany begins early next year, with production running into 2014 at the expected rate of 25 per month. If MBDA is successful in India, the requirement would be much A PARS 3 LR missile leaves its launch canister during recent trials in Sweden. Pop-out wings and fins have larger, and production can be doubled the yet to deploy. with current facilities.

PARS 3 LR is an IR-guided weapon with a tandem warhead and an engage- the need for a cool-down period, and ment range of 500 to 7,000 meters (1,650 it has direct or top attack options. The feet to four nautical miles). It is highly infrared seeker employs constant optimaneuverable and has a high fly-out speed mal hitpoint calculation, and it has a prediction mode for targets that are temof 290 meters per second (560 knots).

It has a pre-cooled seeker so that it porarily hidden. Four can be fired in less o can be launched immediately, without than 10 seconds.

and also for aerostat applications.

Three new members are being added to Controp’s well-known Stamp family of sensor payloads for UAVs, including those of the Israel MOD’s Sky Rider program. M-Stamp is a new multi-sensor payload aimed at small UAVs, combining a daytime camera, uncooled dual field-of-view thermal imager and a laser pointer in a single payload that weighs less than 1.2 kilograms. Combining day and night cameras allows UAVs to remain effective during long-endurance missions, and also allows coverage to be

maintained during the twilight “crossover” period.

Other new Stamp products are the T-Stamp triple-sensor payload with day/ night observation cameras and a laser pointer, packed in a stabilized installation that weighs less than thee kilograms.

TD-Stamp is currently under development, a five-kilogram payload with EO/ IR sensors and a laser designator.

Aerostats are another area where Controp has been active, and it has recently delivered the 23-kilogram Speed-A payload. As well as standard pitch and yaw

by David Donald MBDA Deutschland conducted three firing trials of its PARS 3 LR fire-andforget precision missile in late April as part of its campaign to sell the weapon to India. Performed at the Vidsel range in Sweden, the test firings were undertaken from a German Eurocopter Tiger UHT helicopter, for which PARS 3 LR has been selected by the German army.

In the first trial the Tiger fired from a hover at a target seven kilometers (four nautical miles) away, then immediately repositioned and fired again at a moving target less than a minute later. The third firing was undertaken at 6,900-meters range with the helicopter in fast forward flight. All three tests were successful.

Controp shows sensors for small UAVs Israeli sensor specialist Controp Precision Technologies (Hall 3 C17) is displaying a range of its advanced electro-optic/infrared/laser payloads, including several new products. The latest payloads are tailored for use with UAVs,

stabilization, the Speed-A is also stabilized in roll to cater for the balloon’s movement in that plane. It has a longrange thermal camera with continuous optical zoom lens and can be optionally fitted with a laser rangefinder (LRF).

An LRF is incorporated, along with thermal imaging and daylight cameras, in the 10.5-kilogram Shapo payload now being used by a South American air force from an airship, for defense, security and environmental monitoring duties. Shapo is controlled from the ground by datalink. –D.D.

Elop to play ‘Music’ in Italy

DAVID McINTOSH

As the culmination of a jointly funded cooperation program between Italian electronics house Elettronica and the Elop business of Elbit Systems, the Israeli company yesterday announced a $15 million contract to supply directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) systems for installation on Italian aerial platforms, including the Lockheed Martin C-130J and Alenia C-27J transports, and AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters.

Designated ELT/572, the countermeasures system is based on Elbit’s Music (multi-spectral infrared countermeasures) DIRCM, employing advanced fiber laser technology to counter missile attack,

especially the threat posed by Manpads (man-portable air defense systems). The system detects incoming missiles and fires a laser beam at them to lure the seeker away from the aircraft.

Here at Le Bourget, Elbit is highlighting the civil version of the system, known as C-Music. This has been specified for the airliners of Israel’s commercial carriers, and is being touted as a cost-effective solution to protect airliners and VIP aircraft.

The system is seen here integrated with Elbit PAWS (passive approach warning system) into a pod that can be carried under commercial aircraft. –D.D.

UTair To Buy 40 Boeing 737s Boeing and Russia’s UTair announced an “agreement” yesterday calling for the purchase of 33 new 737-800s and seven 737-900ERs. The deal, which remains subject to final confirmation, calls for deliveries to begin in 2013. From left to right, Andrey Martirosov, UTair CEO; Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes; and Marty Bentrott, Boeing senior v-p of sales.

Now flying a fleet of more than 30 Boeing airplanes, UTair just this year became the first operator in Russia and Eastern Europe to fly new Boeing 737-800s equipped with the Boeing Sky Interior. By the end of this year, UTair expects the size of its 737-800 fleet to grow to nine airplanes. “These airplanes meet today’s commercial needs of the airline by their value-formoney and availability of early delivery positions,” said Martirosov.

–G.P.

Elbit’s C-Music pod display is a 1:1 scale replica, cut away to show the DIRCM on the underside and PAWS sensors.

www.ainonline.com • June 23, 2011 • Paris Air Show News 19

New Portuguese consortium plans eco-friendly cabin design

The L.I.F.E. cabin mockup emphasizes, among other factors, eco-efficiency, function and comfort. Embraer is collaborating with L.I.F.E.

by Kirby J. Harrison L.I.F.E., a new Portuguese multi-discipline consortium, has been formed to explore “the design, development and industrialization of functional technical solutions for aircraft interiors,” and will work in collaboration with Almadesign of Porto Salvo, Portugal, and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.

The L.I.F.E. group is made up of Amorim Cork Composites, leather provider Couro Azul, INEGI institute of mechanical engineering and industrial management, and SET injection mold prototyping. The collaboration with Embraer, according to L.I.F.E., brought “a direct and privileged

access to the view of an aeronautical integrator, facilitating access to information on market trends and technological solutions for the interior cabin.”

The first product born of that consortium and its collaborators can be seen at the Portuguese Pavilion in Hall 3 in the form of an 18-foot long, full-scale cabin mockup.

The entry to the mockup consists of two modules (galley and storage) made of composite panels consisting of carbon fiber and cork core, a melding of technology and nature. In the executive area, leather “corkgel” allows seats to adapt to the body shape of each passenger

Novabase Highlights Portuguese Pavalion The Portuguese Pavilion at the Paris Air Show is the stage for Novabase, an Internet technology s­ pecialist, to demonstrate its expertise in the aerospace sector and establish new business partnerships to accelerate its international growth.

“We want to position ourselves as a supplier for major manufacturers in the European aerospace industry, and expand our business to other international segments and markets that can also capitalize on our reinforced expertise,” said Ricardo Marvão of Novabase.

Most recently and as part of its strategy, Novbase acquired Evolvespace Solutions, a Portuguese company specializing in consulting services and products for the aerospace sector.

The Novabase presence here is also part of a strategy to promote the National Aerospace Cluster of the Agency for Foreign Trade and Investment of Portugal.

–K.J.H.

through a biometric identifier and memory. The system floats on a suspended structure of carbon fiber that reduces vibration and adds to comfort. Technological interfaces are integrated in the surfaces to form a “skin2skin” technology that is accessible but at the same time invisible to the eye.

The design of the windows, based on a conceptual approach and using advanced composite materials, allows greater visibility and abundant natural light. Thermal and acoustic comfort is provided by composite sandwich panels using a corkbased insulation core, covered in natural leather or corkleather.

Retractable touchscreens are installed in the seats and offer “permanent and simple connection to the cloud.” Two large divans create an area of comfort, leisure and work centered around a multi-touch table.

Interactivity is enhanced through the “Sphere” immersive infotainment system. The system consists of the geodesic sphere built in modules on which images

Sapphire Energy to turn algae into synthetic fuel emissions over traditional fuel.”

He explained that bio­fuels need potable water during their production process, but that algae can thrive on non­potable water. “Algae consumes massive amounts of carbon dioxide, and is the single most efficient form of photosynthesis,” Pyle said.

Algae covers just 2 to 3 percent of the earth’s surface, but is responsible for 50 percent of global photosynthesis, he said, pointing that all petroleum is essentially algae that has sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Sapphire’s algae-based jet fuel can be used as a drop-in replacement for petroleum-based Jet-A1, and Pyle said he hopes that one third of Sapphire’s production would go to the aviation industry.

With investors such as Bill Gates and the Wellcome Trust on board, the company would appear in a good position to realize its goals.

Sapphire is exhibiting at the show as part of the dedicated Alternative Aviation Fuels Showcase. –L.M.

come, fly with me

DAVID McINTOSH

What does it take to make a million barrels of “green” oil a day? According to San Diego, California-based Sapphire Energy (Hall 3 E118), the answer lies in combination of new environmentally friendly technologies.

Sapphire aims to be producing 20,000 barrels of its fuel per day by 2014 . Earlier this year it broke ground on a development facility in Columbus, New Mexico. CEO Jason Pyle said his firm is now talking with refineries in the U.S. to turn the algae into oil, but that using algae alone would not provide the entire global answer to switching to greener fuel.

“We need all alternative fuels development to work, not just one of them,” Pyle said. “The U.S. consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day.”

Sapphire said it turns sunlight into fuel via photosynthesis, using the algae as its base for the crude product. Pyle added, “Every barrel of algae oil produced consumes 600 kilograms of carbon dioxide, which is a 70-percent reduction in

are projected, creating a virtual environment for a variety of uses, from business to entertainment.

The lavatory combines shower and Jacuzzi and includes a large window.

Finally, the sleeping area is defined by a bed on a lightweight composite structure that appears to float weightlessly off the floor.

With an investment of approximately $2.6 million, L.I.F.E. is a Portuguese-funded, integrated project with controlled cost and risk. It aims to return the investment by demonstrating capacity and leveraging other projects and activities.

It further aims to introduce improvements in research and development, organization, cooperation and management of enterprises, as well as to support their presence in the international market.

Funding was from the Portu­guese National Strategic Framework Program under the Op­erational Program for Competitiveness Factors and European Regional Development Fund. o

20 Paris Air Show News • June 23, 2011 • www.ainonline.com

There are very few general aviation aircraft on the static at Le Bourget, so those that are on site stand out. Toussus-leNoble, France-based Air et Compagnie flight training school (Static Block B) has brought a Cessna 172 SP, a Cirrus SR22 and a Robinson R44 from its 25-strong fleet to the show. Exhibitor Coralie Hommel said, “We hope to attract more students by being at Paris for the week.”

Move over Williams, here comes DGEN French turbine-engine manufacturer Price Induction is about to embark on European certification of its DGEN 380 general aviation turbofan. An example of the engine, claimed to be the smallest such powerplant available, is being exhibited on the company’s stand (Hall 3 E30).

The Tarnos, France-based company has recently set up wholly owned subsidiaries in Atlanta, Georgia, and São José dos Campos, Brazil, to develop and market the 560- to 900-pound-thrust

DGEN 380 and the 700-poundthrust DGEN 390. The company said it is “highly likely” that the U.S. subsidiary will be given responsibility for producing a specific engine in the U.S. The engines are being marketed in tandem with a new product, launched in 2010, the whole engine simulator turbine technology (WESTT), which is targeting the market for turbine engine engineering training, estimated at more than $170 million over the next 10 years.

WESTT products have already

been installed in various French academies, including the prestigious Toulouse-based Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace. Price Induction said U.S. universities have also shown interest. “There is real hope an order will be placed soon,” it said.

The company admits the market for general aviation products has reduced greatly in the current recession but confirmed that it is talking to several aircraft manufacturers about possible applications for the DGEN 380/390. –J.M.

01-02 FEBRUARY 2012 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Bringing you the Middle East market www.aime.aero

SEE US AT THE PARIS AIR SHOW CHALET D56

Commercial Aerospace: Historical Multiple Evolution Commercial Aerospace: Historical Multiple Evolution

Defence: Defence:Historical HistoricalMultiple MultipleEvolution Evolution Historical Multiple Evolution vs US Defence Budget 3,000

11.0 10.0

2,500

9.0

2,000

8.0 1,500

7.0 6.0

Average: 8.4x

5.0

Average: 7.8x

4.0

Average: 7.4x

3.0

Structures Multiples

Equipment Multiples

MRO / Services Muliples

Structures Multiples Average

Equipment Multiples Average

MRO / Services Multiples Average

1,000 500 0

Aircraft Gross Orders

13.0

1,250

12.0

1,200

11.0

1,150

10.0

1,100

9.0

1,050

8.0

1,000

7.0

Average: 8.4x

6.0 5.0

Average: 7.8x

4.0

Average: 7.4x

3.0

950 900

Aircraft Deliveries

Forward Looking EV/EBITDA Multiple (x)

Historical Multiple Evolution vs Aircraft Deliveries (1)

15.0

800

14.0

750

13.0

Equipment Multiples

MRO / Services Muliples

Structures Multiples Average

Equipment Multiples Average

MRO / Services Multiples Average

uContinued from page 1 sell,” Paul Edwards, managing director of Jefferies International told AIN just before the Paris show. “Share prices have returned from the lows of 2009; in fact, some have doubled.”

In reality, there was a better time to be a buyer in the recent cycle–namely when the industry was hurting badly in the fallout from the global financial crisis. Then companies’ valuations were dipping, but, of course, so too was the availability of capital needed to complete the deals.

But couldn’t that mean that the value in M&A activity has swung too far back

uContinued from page 1 make a contribution.

Boeing now says that the KC-46A will be “based on the proven Boeing 767-200ER” airliner, powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4062 engines. The maximum takeoff weight will be 415,000 pounds and the maximum fuel capacity will be 212,000 pounds. Eighteen military 463L pallets can be carried, plus 58 passengers (plus up to 56 more in an emergency).

Essentially, then, the KC-46A airframe will be similar to the four KC-767s being supplied to Italy, albeit with a new cockpit, refueling boom and updated defensive systems.

The tanker’s digital fly-by-wire boom will offload fuel at a rate of 1,200 gallons per minute, and include a camera that captures 3-D video, supplementing others mounted on the fuselage.

Rockwell Collins will supply these cameras, while the other key suppliers to the Boeingdesigned boom are Parker Aerospace (interface control system) and Woodward (sensor system, control unit and telescopic and flight control sticks). As expected, Cobham is providing the wing refueling pods and centerline drogue system. DRS Laurel Technologies is responsible for the aerial refueling operator station (AROS) in the crew compartment.

Rockwell Collins is also providing the integrated cockpit display system based on the 787 airliner and featuring 15-inch diagonal LCDs,

Average: 9.3x

9.0

Average: 8.4x Average: 7.8x

8.0

550 500 450

7.0

400

6.0 5.0

350

4.0

300

Jan-06 Sep-06 May-07 Jan-08 Sep-08 May-09 Jan-10 Sep-10 May-11 Jan-12 Sep-12 May-13 Jan-14 Sep-14 May-15

Defence Electronics

European Defence

800

Defence Electronics Mulitples Average

European Defence Mulitples Average

Prime Contractors

Government Services

Prime Contractors Mulitples Average

Government Services Mulitples Average

US Defence Budget

believes the time is right for sellers and buyers to get connected (see charts above).

The charts show that, especially since the last Paris Air Show at the nadir of the recent down cycle, forward-looking EV/EBITDA multiples (enterprise value/earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for those in the civil air transport sector have improved in direct correlation to both the recovery in aircraft orders and deliveries.

By contrast, the value multiples for defense companies has dipped in response to concerns about shrinking military spending– especially in key markets like the U.S. Despite recent uncertainty about profitability in the cost-battered airline sector, Lazard’s Richter said that he remains bullish about the outlook for the aerospace sector.

plus a “tactical situational awareness system,” communications, navigation, surveillance, networking and flight control systems.

Parker Aerospace is supplying primary flight controls and fuel, hydraulics and pneumatic equipment for the KC-46A. The other key suppliers are: • Eaton Aerospace–electromechanical and cargo door actuation systems, hydraulic and fuel distribution subcomponents; • GE Aviation Systems–mission control system; • Goodrich–interiors and landing gear; • Honeywell–auxiliary power unit, cabin pres­ sure control system, air data inertial navigation; • Moog–electro-hydraulic servo valves, actuators, stabilize trim controls, leading edge slat actuator, inboard/outboard leading edge rotary actuators, autopilot actuators, elevator feel system, refueling boom actuators; • Northrop Grumman–large aircraft infrared countermeasures; • Raytheon–digital radar warning receiver and digital anti-jam receiver GPS; • Spirit–forward fuselage section, strut, nacelle components to include inlet, fan cowl and core cowl, fixed fan duct, fixed leading edge; • Triumph Group–horizontal stabilizer and aft body section, including pressure bulkhead, wing center section, doors, nacelles and other components including cowl doors, seal depressor panels, acoustic panels and aft wheel well bulkhead. o

22 Aviation International News • April 2011 • www.ainonline.com

Average: 9.6x

850

the other way, with all the bargains buys now gone from the market? The president of one U.S. tier-two company told AIN last month that he wanted to expand through acquisition and has the cash to do so, but now considers the asking prices for his targets to be too high.

Not so, said Michael Richter, managing director of Lazard Aerospace and Defense Group. “There is definitely still value in acquisitions as we are still at the early stages of the next aerospace cycle,” he told AIN. “Companies in the early stage of the cycle generally trade for higher multiples than in the latter stages.”

Data released by Jefferies neatly illustrates the recovery in the aerospace sectors fortunes and why the M&A specialist

KC-46 Tanker

600

10.0

Aircraft Deliveries

Buying frenzy here

650

11.0

Jan-06 Sep-06 May-07 Jan-08 Sep-08 May-09 Jan-10 Sep-10 May-11 Jan-12 Sep-12 May-13 Jan-14 Sep-14 May-15 Structures Multiples

700

12.0

US Defence Budget ($bn)

12.0

Forward Looking EV/EBITDA Multiple (x)

3,500

13.0

Aircraft Gross Orders

Forward Looking EV/EBITDA Multiple (x)

Historical Multiple Evolution vs Aircraft Gross Orders (1)

He’s convinced that an upswing is being maintained and that this will drive deal-making forward. “In mergers and acquisitions there will be transformational deals, technology tuck-ins, deals relating to cross-border [market] access, all involving both strategic and financial players [including private equity groups,” he concluded.

At Jefferies, Paul Edwards said that interest in buying aerospace firms is being fanned by the improving profitability across the civil sector’s supply base–further supported by the burgeoning backlogs seen here at Le Bourget this week.

“In two years time I expect commercial aerospace M&A will still be pretty good,” he predicted. “But defense M&A could be very difficult.” o

news clips z Never Mind the Olympics, Farnborough 2012 Awaits The 49th Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) will help mark a memorable summer in the UK next year as the eyes of the world focus on the biennial FIA ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games. In 2010, Farnborough attracted some 250,000 visitors over a period of seven days and hosted 1,455 exhibitors from 40 countries. As always, logistics will present organizers with an enormous test, but visitors can rest assured that the show team will do all it can to again meet the challenge.

Meanwhile, Farnborough International continues to work with the Civil Aviation Authority and Olympic Air Restrictions Committee to secure special dispensation from the airspace restrictions put in place as a security measure for the Olympics so the airshow can stage its four-hour flying displays during the public weekend on July 14 and 15.

On the final trade day, July 13, Farnborough International will celebrate its first Jubilee Day, marking a number of initiatives, including an educational youth program known as Futures Day. The organizers plan to extend invitations to attend the show to exhibitors’ guests and family members, as well as a limited number of interested public attendees, to allow them to experience some of the exhibits only showcased on trade days.

Managed by UK aerospace, defense and security industry trade association ADS, Futures Day is meant to encourage young people ranging in age from 11 to 21 to follow a carrier path in aerospace.

Farnborough International plans to invite schools and colleges to participate in the day’s lineup of activities, including a careers exhibition, seminars and discussion workshops, meetings with pilots, engineers and young professionals.

See us at Stand F146, Hall 2B

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