Farnborough Airshow News 7-20-10

An independent publication, solely owned by The Convention News Co., Inc., Midland Park, N.J.

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• Eurofighter partners to fund e-scan radarThe Eurofighter Typhoon partnercompanies today will announce theirdecision to kick-start, through pre-funding, the development of anactive electronically scanned array(AESA) radar for the four-nationcombat aircraft. The driving forcebehind this move is the Indian air force competition for 126 AESA-equipped fighters. Page 14

• ATR cabins get a makeoverATR has turned on the Italian style to give the cabins of its regionalairliners a new look and feel. And the airframer has been ringing in thechanges in the cockpit, too, with help from Thales. Page 24

• NRC Canada bridges the research gapThe National Research CouncilCanada Institute for AerospaceResearch (NRC Aerospace) fills aninnovation gap between academiaand industry. Among its many currentprojects is icing research on largeengines, including studying the effectof ice crystals in the atmosphere andon engines, as well as ice accretionand shedding inside engines. Page 42

• U.S. presence peaks The size and scope of the U.S. Pavilion at the Farnboroughairshow has grown so much since itsinception in 1996 that it now extendsthrough three of the exhibit halls.That’s good news because itindicates a resurgence in the NorthAmerican aerospace sector after achallenging couple of years. Page 50

INSIDE...

A PUBLICATION OF

Etihad Airways’ new Airbus A330-300 freighter touches down to take its prime spot on the Farnborough airshow staticdisplay, but it was rival Arabian Gulf carrier Emirates that kick-started the aircraft order machine here yesterday,when it signed a deal with Boeing for 30 more 777-300ERs. Airbus also shared in an impressive first-day orders tally.

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AgustaWestland revealed yet anothernew helicopter yesterday in Farnborough–the twin-engine, 4.5-metric ton AW169.Nestling between the GrandNew andAW139 in the company’s product line, theAW169 (shown here as a mockup) is aimedprimarily at the government, parapublicand commercial markets, offering aneight- to 10-seat cabin that can be rapidlyreconfigured for a variety of roles.

“The AW169 keeps us in line with thelatest market needs, and ahead of ourcompetitors,” said AgustaWestland CEO

Giuseppe Orsi, presiding over the unveiling.“We are unveiling the AW169 here at Farn-borough because of the real and excitingpotential this aircraft will have for the UKin terms of the market, and industrially.Our company’s commitment to the UKindustrial base, I believe, is widely recog-nized, and the AW169 is another opportu-nity for the UK to support and participatein a major new program,” he said.

That opportunity was recognized by thepresence of Vince Cable, UK secretary of

July 20, 2010 Vol. 42 No. 18

by David Donald

by Julian Moxon

Last-minute “commercial issues” con-nected with the Pratt & Whitney PW1000Ggeared turbofan engine have proved thestumbling block to the expected QatarAirways order for Bombardier C Seriesregional jets at the show.

“We hope our negotiations with Bom-bardier will be concluded in the not toodistant future,” said Qatar group chiefexecutive officer Akbar Al Baker. “We’rehaving discussions with them with respectto Pratt & Whitney. There are some sensi-tive issues that we have not resolved yet.”

Announcing a $90 million order for twoBombardier Global 5000s yesterday, AlBaker left little doubt that the C Seriesremains on the cards for the airline’splanned expansion to regional routes up tothree hours away from its new hub at DohaInternational Airport. “An aircraft of thissize is perfect for airlines such as ours,” hesaid. He added, however, that if Airbuslaunched a re-engined version of its A318or A319, “we’d have to think about that.”

The 5,200-nm-range Global 5000s willjoin a pair of Bombardier Challenger 605sand a single Challenger 300, considerably

Continued on page 61 �

Qatar stalls overC Series orders,but buys Globals


Jumbo-sized airliner orders cameback into fashion on the first day of the2010 Farnborough airshow as Boeingand Airbus led the charge to seal newdeals. Other leading airframers, includ-ing Embraer, Sukhoi and Bombardier,followed suit in a wave of new businessreported throughout today’s edition ofFarnborough Airshow News.

Emirates Airline got the ball rollingwhen it gave Boeing a $9.1 billioncontract for 30 more 777-300ERs.Later in the day, Norwegian Air Shut-tle chipped in with a $1.15 billionorder for 15 narrowbody 737-800s.Leasing group GECAS also ordered40 Boeing 737-700s, -800s and -900svalued at $3 billion.

Never willingly outdone in the air-show orders stakes, Airbus GECAScommitted to 60 firm orders for A320s.At list prices, this business is nominally

Airlines boost backlogs by the billionby Ian Goold

AgustaWestland sprung a surprise here yesterday, unveiling a new twin-engine rotorcraft aimed at applicationssuch as law enforcement. It could be partly-built in the UK, but only if the UK generates sales.

AgustaWestland unveils AW169


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airbus.com Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks. New Standards. Together

It’s greener in more ways than one.The Airbus A380 has earned its reputation as the world’s greenest long-haul jet. But it’s been earning hard

dollars at the same time. The moment it entered service, its sheer popularity, combined with the lowest cost per

passenger of any large aircraft, has meant more profit, much quicker. Giving its operators a competitive edge in

tough times. Simply by introducing A380s on long-haul routes, operators can save millions of dollars a year in

cash operating costs, while creating thousands of extra seats. The most exciting plane in the sky is also a proven,

working aircraft, making real money, day after day. Airbus A380. See the bigger picture.

53475_009_Aviation_IntN_Dollar_july.indd Pg1 Mundocom UK 05/07/2010 14:12

airbus.com Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks. New Standards. Together

It’s greener in more ways than one.The Airbus A380 has earned its reputation as the world’s greenest long-haul jet. But it’s been earning hard

dollars at the same time. The moment it entered service, its sheer popularity, combined with the lowest cost per

passenger of any large aircraft, has meant more profit, much quicker. Giving its operators a competitive edge in

tough times. Simply by introducing A380s on long-haul routes, operators can save millions of dollars a year in

cash operating costs, while creating thousands of extra seats. The most exciting plane in the sky is also a proven,

working aircraft, making real money, day after day. Airbus A380. See the bigger picture.

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The British government is reviewing asecurity agreement signed previously withthe U.S. that could preclude future coopera-tion with Europe on unmanned combat airvehicles (UCAVs). Last week’s unveiling ofthe all-British Taranis stealthy UCAVdemonstrator by BAE Systems has broughtrenewed focus on whether European gov-ernments and industry can or should uniteto fully develop such a system.

The existence of the agreement was con-firmed to AIN by Jonathan Barratt, TeamLeader for Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) inthe Defence Equipment and Support (DES)organization that is part of the UK Ministryof Defence. Officials at Dassault, whichleads the pan-European Neuron UCAVdemonstrator program, previously told AINthat when they approached the UK to dis-cuss the possibility of cooperation, “theBritish were not able to discuss low observ-ables with us because they had signed anexclusive agreement with the U.S.”

Barrett said technical knowledge gainedfrom the U.S. could be ring-fenced from anyfuture international collaboration. Further,

he told journalists attending a BAE Systemsbriefing on the Taranis here yesterday that aprogram in which two British representa-tives participated in the Pentagon’s UCAVdevelopment programs had ended last year.It was called Project Churchill and lastedfive years, but did not involve any technol-ogy development or exchange, he said. “Theproject discussed the CONOPS [Conceptsof Operations], doctrine and through-lifecosts of a UCAS. Both we and the U.S. sidederived great value from it,” he added.

However, Barrett did not rule out futurecooperation with the U.S. “We’re exploring allopportunities to collaborate with Europe, orwith the U.S. Project Taranis provides us witha good basis to open that dialogue,” he said.

BAE Systems’ strategy and businessd ev e l o p m e n tdirector for auto-nomous systemsDave Kershawdelivered the samemessage. “Taranisis a catalyst fortechnology and

know-how. It allows us to bring credible skillsto the market,” he said. He confirmed thatBAE and partners GE Aviation, QinetiQ andRolls-Royce had provided £40 million for theTaranis demonstrator program. The Britishgovernment has provided £142.5 million, upfrom the original £124.5 million, to extendthe project by one year to include additionalrisk reduction and airborne low-observabilitymeasurements. The aircraft will fly next year.

Kershaw said that BAE’s experience indeveloping autonomous systems could be akey discriminator in any future UCAS full-scale development. But at the Taranisunveiling ceremony, and again at yesterday’sbriefing, BAE and government officialscarefully noted that human interventionmust be a key part of the design.

Can the UK afford to go-it-alone?Despite the British flag-waving at Wartonlast week, no one is prepared to say yes.“It’s a demonstrator. We don’t know whatmight come out of it,” said GeraldHowarth, UK Minister for InternationalSecurity Strategy. �

4aaFarnborough Airshow News • July 20, 2010 • www.ainonline.com

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UK waves flag with Taranisand reviews UCAS allianceby Chris Pocock

Neuron Reaches the Hardware Stage

While the British are touting their UCAV capabilities to the world, the sixEuropean countries that have partnered to produce the Neuron UCAV demon-strator are quietly getting on with their own tasks.

The five-year, ?400 million program is scheduled to last until 2014, after afirst flight in 2012. Unlike the Taranis program, test flights will include theoperation of a purpose-built EO/IR sensor and the dropping of weapons.France is providing half of the funds, so Dassault is prime contractor anddesign authority. The other industrial partners are Alenia Aeronautica (Italy);EADS (Spain); HAI (Greece); and Ruag (Switzerland).

Saab program manager Mats Ohlson admitted last month that the Neuronschedule has slipped, but said it was largely the result of additional risk reduc-tion work on low-observability that was performed in the first two years. Theprogram was launched in 2006. –C.P.

A400M PROTOTYPE BEARS A NEW NAME

So the A400M is now named the Grizzly. Or is it? Upon closer investigation, yes-terday’s christening ceremony may not have conferred a definitive moniker onEurope’s new airlifter. Airbus Military spokeswoman Barbara Kracht told AIN that thebearish name applies only to the flight test aircraft. For the moment. “Maybe it willbecome official, eventually,” she said.

And yes, those large yellow footprints painted all over the show walkways are part ofthe same story. A spokesperson for the show organizers confirmed to AIN that this wasno guerrilla marketing scheme. “Airbus Military asked us for permission to do this about aweek ago. We have sold them our tarmac,” she said. The trouble is, if you follow the foot-prints, you don’t actually “Get Up Close to a Grizzly,” as the painted legend promises.The A400M in the static park is quite some distance from the nearest marked walkway.

Anyway, what’s wrong with Liftmaster, the name for the A400M that was sug-gested by now-retired Airbus Military marketing manager David Jennings? No onethat AIN spoke to last night even liked the name Grizzly. We think that should giveAirbus Military paws for thought. –C.P.Airbus Military CEO Domingo Ureña-Raso and aerobatic

champion Catrine Maunoury christen the A400M as the Grizzly.

CORRECTION: L-3 FINANCIAL FIGURES

In yesterday’s issue of Farnborough Airshow News we incorrectlyreported a group-wide drop in sales figures for L-3 of 20 to 25 percentin 2009. In fact, this dip in sales applied only to the company’s commer-cial business and was of the order of 13 percent. Overall consolidatedsales for L-3 grew by 5 percent in 2009 over 2008, largely reflecting thestrength of the company’s defense activities. L-3 has indicated that sofar this year it expects to achieve consolidated sales growth of around 3percent. Financial analyst Moody’s upgraded L-3’s credit rating toinvestment grade during last year’s turbulent trading conditions. �

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Northrop’s venerable T-38Talon supersonic trainer enteredservice with the U.S. Air Force inMarch 1961 and has provided theadvanced portion of the service’straining syllabus ever since. Over1,100 were delivered and morethan 450 remain in service.

The T-38C avionics upgradeprogram was begun in 2001 and,combined with the Pacer Classicstructural and systems overhaulprogram, was intended to see theTalon through to at least 2020.However, a fatal accident twoyears ago was the catalyst for aplan to accelerate the T-38’sreplacement, with a new plannedin-service date of 2017.

That date would suggest theaward of a system design anddevelopment contract in 2013,and the world’s trainer manufac-turers are working hard to comeup with attractive proposals. Intoday’s climate all competitionsare worth fighting for, but it isthe sheer scale of this one that isremarkable. The U.S. Air Forcehas outlined an initial require-ment for around 350 aircraft, butthis is likely to grow consider-ably and may also involvelight-attack and carrier-capableversions. As with most U.S. pro-grams, the export spin-offpotential is also huge.

Studying the T-XFor some time the USAF has

been working on studies for whatit calls the T-X, and a request forinformation was issued in March2009. On the face of it, the obvi-ous T-X candidates are the triothat have battled over mostrecent advanced trainer competi-tions: the Alenia AermacchiM-346 Master, BAE SystemsHawk and Korean AerospaceIndustries/Lockheed Martin T-50Golden Eagle. All three are builtoverseas, but the establishmentof production lines in the U.S.and incorporation of a largedegree of domestic content

would overcome many of thepolitical challenges.

Given the potential scale ofthe T-X it seems likely that theprime contractor would be amajor U.S. company. In the caseof the T-50 it would be unthink-able that Lockheed Martin wouldnot throw its weight behind whatis, after all, partly its own prod-uct. Italy’s Aermacchi, throughits Alenia North America arm,and the UK contender, throughU.S.-based BAE Systems Inc.,could feel they have enough of adomestic footprint to go it alone,but would more likely team upwith a U.S. major. In May Aleniarebranded the M-346 as the T-100 Integrated Training Sys-tem for the U.S. market.

The big U.S. companies haveyet to show their hands, raisingsome interesting questions aboutthe T-X. Boeing, in particular, isweighing a number of options. Viathe merger with McDonnell Dou-glas it inherited and has perpetuateda close relationship with BAE Sys-tems through the Harrier and T-45Goshawk programs. The latter, inparticular, would appear to makeBAE the most obvious partner.However, in May 2008 Boeingsigned an agreement to jointlymarket the Aermacchi M-346 (andM-311) in non-U.S. markets. At thesame time, Boeing has not ruledout a new, all-American design.

Although the T-38 line endedin 1972, Northrop Grumman isthe incumbent advanced trainer

manufacturer and could enter thefray with a new design. Perhaps amore likely offering would be aradical modernization programfor the T-38 itself, with consider-able cost savings compared tonew procurement.

To meet the 2017 schedule, thePentagon must allocate some T-Xfunding in the next budget, therequest for which is due in Febru-ary. If it is approved, a request forproposals would most likely beissued soon after.

At present the USAF is study-ing only the training element ofthe T-X, but there are obviousopportunities for light-attackcapability. For the training rolethe aircraft would prepare pilotsfor the F-22 and F-35, and by

definition would need anadvanced cockpit with missionmanagement capability. Thesupersonic capability providedcurrently by the T-38 is rarelyused and is probably an expen-sive luxury. Similarly, radar andweapon systems can be emulatedsatisfactorily in the moderndecoupled cockpits of the threemain T-X candidates.

While the T-X is an Air Forceprogram, the U.S. Navy is keep-ing a close watch as it may join ata later date to satisfy a long-termrequirement for a T-45 replace-ment. The ability of the T-Xaircraft to be carrier-compatible isnot being considered initially, butmay become factor at a laterstage. Alternatively, the U.S.Navy may plow its own furrowgoing forward, perhaps proceed-ing with the proposed T-45DGoshawk, a much-improved ver-sion of the current trainer. �


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Blue-on-blue incidents have al-ways been an unfortunate factorin warfare, but a series of tragicevents in recent times has broughtthe subject into sharp focus, inturn driving a need to devise andimprove the means by whichfriendly forces can be identified assuch on the battlefield. The intro-duction of longer-ranged pre-cision weapons has heightenedthe challenge in recent years.Raytheon’s Netcentric Systems di-vision believes it has the answerwith a system that it has been de-veloping for some time that isready for production.

Numerous combat identifica-tion technologies have been mooted.Thermal panels have been pro-posed, but they also provide theenemy with ID information, mark-ing the vehicle out as a target.Laser-based systems have beenstudied, but the laser quicklybreaks up when encountering veg-etation or other cover.

“This program came out ofbad incidents in Desert Storm andnow we are virtually ready forproduction,” explained BillyMitchell, Raytheon’s businessdevelopment manager of combatidentification systems. “Initially itwas a big system that could be fit-ted only to vehicles, but over theyears we’ve driven down the sizeso that it can fit on a rifle. Sizeequates to cost, so now it’sbecome a lot more affordable.”

Millimeter-wave RadioRaytheon’s system is based on

millimeter-wave (MMW) high-fre-quency radio operating at around35 GHz. Mitchell described this asa “sweet spot in the spectrum,where we can see through humid-ity.” At lower frequencies thedirectionality is difficult to achieve,while higher frequencies entailmuch more expensive systems.

The concept is similar to thatused by identify-friend-or-foe

(IFF) equipment in the air-to-airworld. The system uses a smallmillimeter wave radio interrogatormounted on a vehicle or aircraftthat emits a highly directed beam.The receiver picks up the signaland broadcasts back a positive ID,which can then be overlaid onsensor imagery in the cockpit, orat a fire control operator’s stationin a vehicle. An “F” appears onthe imagery, immediately givingthe operator a positive identifica-tion correlated with the image.The directional nature of the sys-tem makes it difficult to detect,while the signal is encrypted.

Raytheon’s system was demon-strated in 2006 in a vehicle appli-cation, collocated with an LRAS3turret on a Humvee. The air-to-ground capability was demon-strated in Exercise Bold Quest 09.The interrogator was fitted to aSHARP reconnaissance pod on anF/A-18 Hornet, which also carriedan electro-optical targeting pod.

The pod found targets and alsocued the combat ID system. Thecombined image in the cockpit dis-play showed friendly forces withthe “F” icon, even as they moved.Data suggested that a fair degreeof identification could be achieved

from more than 60 miles, and thatin a close-air-support environmentwithin 10 miles the identificationcapability was universal. The sys-tem’s capability in the dismountedsoldier arena will be demonstratedin Bold Quest 2011.

Currently the U.S. Joint ForcesCommand is in the planning stagefor the Joint Cooperative TargetIdentification program, which willanalyze technologies for possiblefielding, with technical develop-ment to begin next year.

Meanwhile, Raytheon is confi-dent that its solution is matureenough to be ready for produc-tion. The aircraft-mounted systemis small enough to not require apod and could be mounted undera small blister, or as part ofanother sensor installation. Thereis also significant interest fromNATO nations, as the interopera-ble system is already ratified tothe relevant NATO STANAG4579. Raytheon recently signed amanufacturing licensing agree-ment with Selex in Italy. –D.D.

Raytheon ready forair-to-ground ID

For the T-X competition theAlenia Aermacchi M-346has been redesignated as the T-100.

The KAI/Lockheed T-50 isbeing produced in bothtrainer and light attackversions for the Republicof Korea Air Force.

BAE Systems is likely tobase its Hawk offering onthe T.Mk 2 that recentlyentered RAF service.

All eyes focus on U.S. trainer contestby David Donald

Pg-6-d2_train_v2.qxp 7/8/10 12:49 PM Page 1

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Sweden is advancing its own Gripendevelopment path alongside that of theGripen Next Generation aircraft intendedfor export, which is currently awaiting theoutcome of major competitions in Braziland India. The Swedish air force is nowtalking openly about a JAS 39E/F versionthat would draw on many of the technolo-gies being applied to the NG program.

In the shorter term, in March Saabreceived a contract worth around $256million from the Swedish defense materialadministration (FMV) for an upgradepackage that will improve countermeasuresand communications, integrate new weaponssuch as the Meteor (the acquisition of whichwas recently approved by the Swedish gov-ernment) and provide extra range andfunctions to the Gripen’s PS-05/A radar. Italso includes measures to reduce operationalcosts, based on experience from the 130,000flying hours achieved with the Gripen fleet.

This contract helps define the Gripen’sMaterial System 20 as part of the rollingcapability sustainment program that is inforce for the type. Shortly after this deal wasdone, Saab received another commission toexpand the capabilities of the aircraft’s SPK39 reconnaissance system. This enhancesnight capability and user interface, and willalso allow the Gripen to feed imagery intothe sensor source intelligence cells beingproduced to support the country’s newShadow 200 unmanned air vehicles.

MS21 VersionSaab already has the next major iteration

in its sights. The MS21 version is to includea major review of the aircraft’s avionicssystem, including computers and displays,with the accent placed on handling vastlyincreased amounts of information at differingsecurity classification levels. The architec-ture will also to be able to handle new typesof sensors.

It is evident that the MS21 will becomethe JAS 39E/F, and that it will be basedclosely on the AESA-equipped Gripen NG.Although the exact nature of an “MS21Gripen” has yet to be defined, it will almostcertainly incorporate the more powerfulGeneral Electric F414G engine. An avionicsdevelopment contract was awarded to Saabin May and is expected to lead to a conceptevaluation review later this year. Preliminarydesign reviews will be undertaken next year,leading to full development starting in 2012.

Sweden expects to have the JAS 39E/Fin service by around 2017, although it hascommitted to bring that date forward ifBrazil adopts the Gripen so that thecustomer does not shoulder the burden offielding a major new version on its own.

Development of what is now known asthe Gripen NG began around 2004, a yearbefore the JAS 39C/D achieved IOC. Pre-dictions of airpower requirements for the2015-2020 time frame suggested the needfor new sensors, greater range and largerwarloads. After analysis of other options, itwas concluded that a developed Gripen NGcould meet the requirements, with technol-

ogy to be demonstrated in a “Demo” aircraftthat would also become a de facto proto-type for the NG. Initial estimates put the costat approximately $230 million but that wasconsidered too high, leading to the formationof an industrial partnership that cut the costsby 60 percent. In fact, the Gripen Democame in some 15 percent below that budget.

The Gripen Demo technology demonstra-tion program has been conducted in twophases and involves a flying demonstratorand an avionics rig. Phase 1 flight tests gotunder way with a first flight on May 27,2008, during which the extensively modified

two-seater validated the aerodynamicchanges caused by moving the main under-carriage to under the wingroots, the additionof underfuselage pylons, new drop tanksand the installation of the uprated GeneralElectric F414G engine. Phase 1 was com-pleted after 79 flights.

Phase 2 introduced further modifica-tions to the aircraft, including extra fuelcapacity and, most importantly, installationof a development version of the Selex/SaabES-05 Raven AESA radar. This phase wasbrought to a conclusion this February aftera further 73 flights. During the initial Demo

campaign, all goals were achieved, includinga Mach 1.6-plus speed and a supercruise(non-afterburning) capability of greaterthan Mach 1.2.

Following the end of official Phase 2trials, the Gripen Demo aircraft continueddevelopment work, but in May was dis-patched to India in support of Saab’s entryin the country’s MMRCA multi-role fightercompetition. MMRCA envisions the acqui-sition of 126 aircraft, with the first 18 to bebuilt by the original manufacturer, followedby a stepped transition to Indian production.Saab is pitching its Gripen NG againstthe Boeing F/A-18E/F, Dassault Rafale,Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed MartinF-16IN and the Mikoyan MiG-35.

Although Saab had already demonstratedthe JAS 39C/D in India in March (20 evalua-tion flights), and Indian pilots had flown theGripen Demo in Sweden during April,the demonstrator deployed to India for anin-country evaluation. Earlier it had beenannounced that ongoing test work wouldmean the Gripen Demo was unavailable tomake the trip. This was widely seen as beingdetrimental to the Gripen bid’s cause andresulted in a reversal of the decision. Routingvia Kecskemet in Hungary, Athens, Hurghadain Egypt, Riyadh and the United ArabEmirates, the Demo aircraft and its RavenAESA radar arrived in India in late May.

High-altitude OpsDuring its stay, the Gripen Demo flew

eight evaluation sorties, including in-flightrefueling from an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker andoperations from Leh. Located in disputedJammu and Kashmir, close to the scene ofthe 1999 Kargil war, Leh is of strategic valueto India but, at 10,826 feet elevation, is oneof the world’s highest airfields. The GripenDemo operated with ease from the base,and performed well in other trials. Accordingto Eddy de la Motte, Saab’s India campaigndirector, “We are confident that this air-craft meets, or exceeds, every operationalrequirement raised by the Indian Air Force.”

The return to Sweden of the Demo air-craft brought to an end the MMRCA flyingevaluation phase. Meanwhile, the final biddeadline has been extended a year, allow-ing some of the competitors to refine theirproposals. It is expected that the technicalevaluation will initially produce a down-selectto three competitors, after which the politicsare likely to become an increasing factor.

Politics have certainly played their part inthe Brazilian FX2 new fighter competition,in which the Gripen is pitched against theRafale and Super Hornet. In Septemberlast year President Lula announced theselection of the Rafale, but at the time ofwriting there is no sign of a contract.

An interesting aside to the Brazilianand Indian deals is the proposal by Saab ofa Sea Gripen, as both countries have air-craft carriers. Developed initially to meetSweden’s stringent dispersed short-fieldoperations doctrine, the Gripen alreadypossesses many of the characteristicsrequired in a carrier-borne aircraft. Modifi-cations for sea-going operations are said tobe relatively straightforward, but Saab hassignaled that it would pursue this avenuefurther only if Brazil or India signed upfor the Gripen NG. �


Gripen NG matures and waits for Indiaby David Donald

Gripen Goes Green

Sweden is currently outlining a three-yeartest plan to test a locally developed biofuel in aGripen, in a scheme that is partly funded by theU.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA). In November 2007, Swedish Biofuelsentered into an agreement with U.S. defensetechnology agency, which is funding severaldevelopment programs to produce military-grade biofuel from a variety of sources, includingalgae- and cellulose-based raw materials.

In 2009 the Swedish government launched aneffort to reduce the military’s dependency on fossilfuels, seeking to address the challenges of a sus-tainable fuel supply for the air force. The argumentsfor biofuel are compelling: not only does it have adramatic effect on environmental impact, but italso allows the production of fuel in-country,reducing the dependency on a volatile internationalmarket that cannot guarantee future supplies.

What is particularly attractive about SwedishBiofuel’s process is that it uses waste vegetablemass, and therefore has no impact on potentialfood-producing land, which has been one of themain criticisms of other biofuel projects. Waste isfirst turned into alcohol, and then further refinedinto a JP-8 surrogate known as BJ-8. This meetsall the performance requirements of JP-8 and

exceeds them in some key areas, such as havinga better heat capability and lower freezing point.

Developing a fuel for the military follows onfrom civilian projects and focuses on the abilityof the fuel to perform in the harsh environment ofthe military jet engine. Before the fuel is tested in aGripen, extensive bench tests will be performed.If the trials are successful, the questions of produc-tion and distribution at an industrial level will beexamined. The goal is to produce a fuel that notonly replicates or improves performance, but thatdoes not increase costs or maintenance needs, anddoes not require aircraft or engine modifications.

Biofuel research is ongoing in several nations,notably the U.S., and is beginning to achieve notablemilestones. A number of airlines have flown biofueltrials, and last November an Air France-KLM Boeing747 conducted the first passenger-carrying flight,with one of its engines powered by a 50:50 mix ofregular kerosene and a camelina-based fuel. Thesame blend was used to power a U.S. Navy F/A-18Hornet fighter in a flight on April 22 (Earth Day). Lastmonth the Royal Netherlands Air Force and Boeingscored a rotary-wing first by flying an AH-64 Apachepowered by a 50:50 mix of JP-8 and a bio-syntheticparaffinic kerosene processed from algae and cook-ing oil by UOP, part of the Honeywell group. –D.D.

The Gripen Demo aircraft, above, carries a pair ofLGBs under the new fuselage pylons. The bulgeunder the wingroot houses the repositioned mainundercarriage.

Saab has confirmed the feasibility of a carrier-borneSea Gripen, shown here at right, in this impressionwith two RBS 15 anti-ship missiles, four Meteorsand two Iris-Ts.

Pg-8_d2-grip_v2.qxp 7/8/10 2:49 PM Page 1

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While it seems like the A380first flew only a short time ago,Airbus is well into its nextprogram–the A350 XWB (eXtrawidebody). The planned family isscheduled to begin operations inmid-2013 competing against theBoeing 787 (expected to enterservice early next year) and somevariants of the 777, which begancommercial flights in 1995. Man-ufacturing of the first A350 beganlast year and final assembly plantsare under construction in France,Germany and the UK.

The XWB variant arose afterAirbus abandoned the proposed222-inch diameter cross sectionof the A300, A310, A330 andA340 programs for a new, widerstructure. Its 10-abreast seating,not previously available fromAirbus, will accommodate up to475 passengers in stretched, high-density variants.

A350 product marketingdirector Sophie Pendaries said the-800, -900 and -1000 variantsconstitute a “single family wellpositioned for a market of over5,000 aircraft with the rightcapacity mix and right cross sec-tion.” And, at a briefing in May,customer and business programdevelopment v-p Francois Cau-dron said Airbus had orders for530 aircraft from 33 customers,including three private customersand five lessors, adding that theA350 “industrial setup is on trackwith ‘extended-enterprise’ suppli-ers on board.”

Detailed design of the initialA350-900, which will hold 314passengers in a three-class layout,has been completed as Airbuscontinues to establish manufac-turing facilities. According toA350 deputy chief engineer Alainde Zotti, A350-900 design workis well advanced, with first partsmanufactured and major develop-ment testing started.

The second model, which isscheduled for service entry in2014, is the A350-800 with 270

seats, compared with220 in the equivalentBoeing 787-7. Detail defini-tion is under way, followingdesign freeze at the end of lastyear. The A350-800 and -900 offerup to 900 nm more range than the787-8 and 787-9, said Pendaries.

Still in the concept phase,with design freeze planned for2011 and service entry fouryears later, is the 350-passen-ger A350-1000. The A350-800 and -900 will be pow-ered by 84,000-poundthrust Rolls-Royce TrentXWB engines, whilethe larger -1000 will beequipped with 93,000-pound-thrust units.

Systems CommonalityThe Series 800 and 900 will

enjoy a high level of structural andsystems commonality. The twomodels share a forward fuselage,outer and center wingbox, rearfuselage and empennage, wingleading and trailing edges andrelated high-lift devices, and enginepylon. Compared with the Series900, smaller Series 800s will sportmodified forward- and aft-fuselagegeometry, including re-sizing ofthe forward section 13/14 and aftsection 16/18 and the center fuse-lage upper shell.

Among the common systems

are landing gear,flight controls and

hydraulics, slat/flap actu-ators, shafts, power-controlunit and wingtip brakes, theauxiliary power unit, fueland inerting systems, and the

electric power generation and dis-tribution. Both variants have anoptional 79,000-pound engine-thrust rating. A350-800 systemsdifferences from those of the -900include adapted crew oxygen andfire-extinguishing bottles, flightcontrol software and six ratherthan seven cabin ventilation zones.

The larger Series 1000 hasincreased design weights andpayload, stretched fuselage (sixframes forward of the wingboxand five aft), reinforced airframestructure and revised wing trailingedge. Its main landing gear adoptssix-wheel bogies accommodated

in a one-frame-longer undercar-riage bay, while the enginesfeature “bespoke fan module andcore technology.” Air condition-ing also is modified.

Airbus is aiming to reach pro-gram maturity at service entrythrough a series of structure- and systems-testing pyramidsinvolving design, component andsubassembly demonstrators andsystems integration, full-scale air-frame structures and “iron-bird”systems testing. Caudron saidtechnology readiness will involvefuselage, pylon and wingboxdemonstrators. Some 84 percentof overall tools had beendeployed among major partnersand all A350 work programs hadbeen allocated as of this May.

According to Airbus, it haslearned from the challenges itendured with the A380, on whichcommonality issues arose betweenmanufactured parts and assembledstructures. Buyers also had toomuch latitude for cabin customiza-tion, the manufacturer said.

Physical and Digital MockupsCaudron explained that what he

called de-risking the manufacturingphase to secure a quick ramp-up inserial production required “a lot ofwork upfront.” Having also burnedits fingers by relying too much onA380 digital mockups (DMU),Airbus has re-introduced a physicalmockup (PMU) for the A350.

Engineering centers engagedin A350 work outside Europeinclude facilities in China and theU.S., said engineering executivev-p Charles Champion. In Bei-jing, almost 200 engineers workon several projects, includingA350 movables such as the rud-der and elevators. The U.S. centerin Mobile, Alabama, employsabout 150 engineers engaged incabin-related design work.

Manufacturing on the A350began in late 2009 with the firstcomposites lay-up. Metal-cuttingstarted in March with productionof center wingbox attachments,said Caudron, adding that final

assembly lines in Toulouse andHamburg are taking shape. Pro-duction of the first aircraft isunder way. Initial major parts haveincluded wing and center-wingboxpanels and the first forgings.

The 904,000-sq-ft A350 finalassembly building in Toulouse islocated close to the A330/A340production line. It is expected tobe able to handle more than 10aircraft a month.

Scheduled for completion laterthis year, the L-shaped facilitycovers some 18 acres, with theaircraft halls occupying 570,500sq ft. There are 226,000 sq ft ofancillary buildings.

Airbus is preparing for produc-tion of the 106-foot A350 wingsat its UK factory at Broughton innorth Wales, where a 495,000-sq-ft facility is being built. To makebest use of internal volume, theplant will build the largely com-posite wings “in the horizontal,”rather than “in the vertical” aswith previous such Airbus parts.

‘Branding’ Cabin ProductsAs well as using both DMUs

and PMUs to improve productionmanagement, Airbus is workinghard to permit A350 operators tobrand their cabin products whileultimately limiting their options.“Customization is where the A380is in trouble: the A350 will be amuch more rigid process,” said pro-grams executive v-p Tom Williams.

Customization is offered “whereit matters,” said Caudron. TheA350 is designed to meet specificoperational requirements and toallow operators to differentiatetheir aircraft from those of othercarriers. For example, customerscan select from a number ofmodule options–such as trim andfinish, color and materials–whenchoosing cabinet, countertop,mirror, wall panel and flooring.Similarly, there is a range of pas-senger seat and galley options.

This modular approach aimsto give Airbus greater assurancein managing production ramp-up,while offering A350 owners confi-dence about future residual valuessince less work will be requiredin “decustomization.” �


Airbus is building a A350 final assembly facility close to the A330/A340 production linein Toulouse. Scheduled for completion later this year, the L-shaped building isexpected to be able to handle more than 10 aircraft a month. Half the requiredelectrical power will be generated by roof-mounted solar panels.

The A350 XWB’s cockpit design is to depart from that of the A380, featuring six large 15-inch screens with two central displaysmounted one above the other, and a single primary flight/navigation display for each pilot.

Airbus is using both digital and physicalmockups to plan the manufacture andassembly of the A350 twin-aisle twinjet,having learned a hard lesson from itsexperience with the A380.

Airbus keeps A350XWB on the 787’s tailby Ian Goold

Pg-10_d2_a350_v8.qxp 7/8/10 12:50 PM Page 1

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The total closure of Europeanskies in April because of thevolcanic ash cloud was consid-ered by many observers to be anunnecessarily severe reaction.More than 100,000 flights werecancelled and, according to theAssociation of European Airlines,the airlines clocked up losses of atleast $1 billion. Butthere was one very posi-tive outcome, which wasthat the chaos under-scored the urgency ofthe need for the SingleEuropean Sky (SES), afact readily admitted byEurocontrol, which borethe lion’s share of theairspace managementchallenge during the ashcloud crisis. (See relatedstory on page 48.)

The unified, pan-European air traffic management(ATM) environment heralded inthe SES would have considerablysimplified the task of directingtraffic around the system, provid-ing more flexibility to open andclose airspace sectors as required.Instead, the old, fragmented sys-tem of national airspace areasprevailed, delaying the measuresnecessary to solve problems asthey occurred.

This year is the most critical forthe SES since its official launch inNovember 2000 because by theclose of 2010 a number of keyelements must be in place if thesystem is to be up and running bythe December 2012 initial imple-mentation date. While the generalview is that most of the key driversare on the right path, there is sig-nificant concern from the airlinesthat there still is not enoughurgency behind ensuring that theoverall performance of the systemmeets expectations.

Three major activities areunder way: establishment of aEuropean Union-wide protocolsetting performance targets forthe ATM system, development ofa new ATM charging system anddeciding which organization willbe responsible for managing theSES network–a crucial task.

While improving EuropeanATM performance is the reasonfor the SES, getting there requiresunanimous agreement among allEuropean Union member states, aprocess that demands considerablediplomacy by those trying to pushthrough the measures needed. “It’smoving along at a reasonable

pace,” said Jeff Poole, director ofindustry charges and taxation withthe International Air TransportAssociation and one of the airlinechampions of the SES, “but we are concerned that the systemwon’t deliver adequate perform-ance if some very importantissues aren’t resolved.”

The end of this yearair navigation serviceproviders are to havecompleted their reportsoutlining how they intendto meet the SES perform-ance targets. In October2011, the European Com-mission will assess themfor consistency–poten-tially a rocky process thatwill come up for reviewin two reference periods:2012-14 and 2015-19.

The way SES perform-ance is to be measured is basedon the idea of key performanceindicators (KPIs). Four areas have been identified: safety, the environment, capacity andcost efficiency.

The Safety KPI will concen-trate on the maturity of safetyculture within member states,including the all-important appli-cation of a “Just Culture”–an“honest” approach to accidentand incident reporting that doesnot carry any threat of punishment.Environmental performance willcover enroute flight efficiencyand monitoring of how civil andmilitary airspace is being shared,while the capacity KPI will dealwith delays and monitoring ofairport data such as taxiing issuesand arrival/departure sequencing.Finally, the cost-efficiency KPIwill establish a unit rate for en-route air navigation services andwill monitor airport charges.

Bo Redeborn, Eurocontrol’sdirector for cooperative networkdesign, said the development ofmandated performance targets“will, for the first time, give thePerformance Review Commissionthe right to make changes toimprove the network, where beforea consensus was needed amongall of the players.” He added thatnot only will this save time, “butit will give us a quicker responseto changing requirements.”

According to Redeborn, thereis little doubt that Eurocontrolwill be the network manager“because it is the least riskyapproach,” but he added thatthere will be a need to balance

member states’ considerations.“We need unanimous acceptancethat Eurocontrol will play thisrole. If we can achieve that we’llbe looking at a new chapter in thehistory of European aviationbecause it will provide a newbaseline for cooperation betweenthe European Commission, Euro-pean Aviation Safety Agency andEurocontrol,” he told AIN.

Manager’s RolePoole said he is happy about

the choice of Eurocontrol as net-work manager, but added that it is“essential that the role of themanager is clear and that Euro-control meets its requirements,not the other way around.” Ques-tions of governance have to besettled. “It is as important to saywhat the manager cannot do as tosay what it should do,” he added.

While the principles are alreadyagreed, “the devil is in the detail,”said Redeborn. “We have to seewhat the final text contains.” Theworst-case scenario is that theservice provision and regulationfunctions will be insufficientlyseparated, leaving the network

manager with too many conflictingtasks. “The airlines’ expectationsare very high,” he said.

One of Poole’s main worries isthe lack of progress toward thefunctional airspace blocks (FABs),a key element of the SES which,in the European Commission’sSES II package, are recognized as “drivers to performance andchange of the ATM industriallandscape.” The EC has set a firm2012 deadline for the FABs “sothat they can play their roles as adequate vehicles to achieveperformance improvement.”

Nine FABs have been createdso far, which might seem aremarkable success given thatonly a few years ago there was onlyone–the Maastricht Upper AreaControl Center. “I remain con-cerned that the FABs at presentare little more than cozy gentle-men’s clubs of ANSPs that are notfocused enough on performanceimprovement,” cautioned Poole.While they may be defined, “we’restill not really seeing a commit-ment to significant restructuringand reducing costs,” he said.

Pressure to nominate an FAB

coordinator to drive the FABprocess forward is growing. It willbe an organization charged withvisiting ANSPs and FABs, essen-tially to bang heads together.

The process received a boostin early June when the ANSPs ofFAB Europe Central (FABEC:Belgium, France, Germany, Lux-embourg, the Netherlands andSwitzerland) agreed to cooperateon air traffic controller training, thefirst move they had made towardgenuine operational cooperation.Eventually the EC hopes to seefurther integration between thenine FABs, but for now the mainaim is to ensure that they all worktogether to improve the overallsystem approach called for in theSES, which is where the conceptof a network manager comes in.

Earlier this year, the EC’s airtransport directorate published areport called “Towards a Roadmapto Implementation of the SES.”This leaves no doubt about the mammoth task still facingSES implementation.

Equally, there is no doubtabout the outcome, however. TheEC has made sure that the wholeprocess is backed up by regula-tions that set firm dates fornecessary actions to be taken.Within two years many of thoseactions will have become realityand the SES will be closer than ever to achieving the once-impossible goal of unifying theEuropean ATM system. �


Volcanic disruptionboosts case for SESby Julian Moxon

Bo Redeborn,Eurocontrol directorfor cooperativenetwork design

Above, Eurocontrol's Central FlowManagement Unit operations room inBelgium. Left, its Institute of AirNavigation Services in Luxembourg.

Pg-12-d2_SES_v4.qxp 7/9/10 10:10 AM Page 1

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Aluminum maker Alcan Global Aero-space has won two major contracts on thenew Airbus A350 XWB and the Bom-bardier C Series aircraft for which it willsupply light alloys from its new Airwarerange. Airware combines technologiesand services to improve metal perform-ance, reduce cost and facilitate recycling.The contracts allow Alcan (Hall3 Stand B26a) to invest approxi-mately $55 million in upgradingits facilities in Issoire andVoreppe, France.

For Airbus, the company willsupply light alloys, such as alu-minum-lithium, for A350 wingstructural parts, CEO ChristopheVillemin told AIN. The materi-als will be in the form of sheetsand extrusions. For Bombardier,it will provide Airware plates,some of them pre-machined, forthe C Series’ fuselage.

Airware is based on alu-minum alloys that include other metals,such as lithium (the lightest metal innature), silver, copper and magnesium.Lithium has been used in aerospacebefore, but only marginally and not on major parts, according to Villemin.“These alloys combine lightness, fatigueresistance and performance” and resistcorrosion better than other alloys, he said.Moreover, they can be machined to havedifferent thicknesses across their section,

which can translate into 20- to 30-percentweight savings on a given part and resultin lower costs.

Villemin said Airware products can“live in hybrid environments,” meaningthey have no problem being nearbyother materials–titanium or composites,for example. Alcan has also worked on

recyclability and claims Airware alloyscan be recycled at 100 percent.

The Issoire and Voreppe facilities willbenefit from a major investment, begin-ning in 2012. Issoire will become thefirst foundry in the world able to mass-produce aluminum-lithium, Villeminclaimed. Voreppe, the research-and-development site, will receive newequipment and become a training centerfor the new Airware technologies. �

The international industry debut of theBoeing 787 at Farnborough Internationalthis week has provided a major opportunityfor local carrier Thomson Airways to fly itsflag as the UK launch customer for the newaircraft, which is on display here until thisafternoon. Thomson is a wholly owned sub-sidiary of international leisure group TUITravel, which has ordered 13 of the 787sand has purchase rights on a further 13.

Eight of TUI’s aircraft have beenassigned to Thomson, with the parent com-pany taking the balance into its almost150-strong overall fleet. The first 787 forThomson is scheduled to be delivered inJanuary 2012, with the balance followingover three years to the first quarter of 2015,Thomson Airways managing director ChrisBrowne told AIN.

The airline has chosen the 787 to replaceits current Boeing 767s, believing the newdesign offers “fantastic, 20-percent better”operating economics and will provide evengreater customer comfort than it was seek-ing. Thomson is also impressed with the“8,500-nautical-mile range,” which Brownesaid would permit the operator to “push the[holiday] envelope” and introduce previouslyunlikely nonstop destinations.

For example, she cites the possibility ofoffering Pacific holiday flights from Bristolin southwest England to Hawaii. The airlinesaid more than 40 percent of surveyedinterviewees cited the Hawaiian Islands as the most preferred of newly offeredpotential destinations.

Another positive factor seen as provid-ing a commercial advantage to the holidayairline is the enhanced travel experiencearising from the 787’s lower, 6,000-foot(rather than usual 8,000-foot) cabin alti-tude. Perceiving slightly higher cabinoxygen levels as likely to reduce symptomsof jet lag–a particular consideration in east-bound travel–Thomson may use the 787 tointroduce seven-day vacations in whichbody-clock adjustment would become aless significant factor. Previously, this con-sideration has made some longer-rangedestinations less attractive.

Browne explained that the airline hasnot yet decided on the cabin configurationfor its 787s. A major element in the deci-sion will be the recent UK governmentproposal, announced in last month’s emer-gency budget, to explore changes to currentairline-passenger duty arrangements from atax payable by individual travelers to a per-aircraft charge (that also will apply to cargoaircraft for the first time). Browne is keento maintain a differential in its UK holidaymarket offerings over competing servicespromoted by British Airways.

Following its selection and plannedintroduction of the 787, Thomson Holidayswill consider its future single-aisle require-ments. The operator needs a newnarrowbody airliner to succeed currentBoeing 757 equipment, a market for whichAirbus claims its current A321 is a candi-date, especially if equipped with recentlyoffered winglets. �


UK’s Thomson Air dreamsof the day it gets Boeing 787s

Alcan treads lightly with new alloys for C Series,A350

EUROFIGHTER PARTNERS TO FUND E-SCAN RADAR The Eurofighter Typhoon partner companies will announce here today their decision

to kick-start the development of an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar forthe four-nation combat aircraft. The Indian air force competition for 126 AESA-equippedfighters is driving the move because the four European air forces that fly the Typhoonhave no immediate requirement for an AESA. The partners have therefore agreed to“pre-fund” the development. Two British Typhoon versions of the jet are flying dailyhere at Farnborough. One aircraft from the Royal Air Force is flying “clean,” while theother from the development fleet (pictured above) is flying with a full “swing role”weapons load. All 13 hardpoints of this jet are occupied, as it carries four Paveway IIlaser-guided bombs, four advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs), twoadvanced short-range air-to-air missiles (ASRAAMS) and three fuel tanks. �

by Ian Goold

Chemring Strengthens Malaysian Link in Bid for Asian Market

UK-based ammunition specialist Chemring Group (Hall 4 A12) and Malaysia-based National Aero-

space and Defence Industries (NADI) signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday that will

allow NADI-owned SME Ordnance to offer Chemring’s full range of products. SME Ordnance will be

able to offer military pyrotechnics and demolition materials, for example, to the Malaysian forces and

those of other Southeast Asian countries. The agreement builds on a 25-year relationship between the

two firms, as SME Ordnance has been manufacturing pyrotechnics at Batu Arang, Malaysia.

by Thierry Dubois

Alcan Global Aerospace has manufactured a milled fuselageframe prototype using its Airware lightweight aluminumalloy. The company will be supplying Airbus with aluminum-lithium for the A350 wing structure and Bombardier withAirware plates for the C Series fuselage.

Thomson is the launch UK customerfor the Boeing 787. It has placed anorder for 13 Dreamliners, withoptions for another equal number.

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Pg-14-d2_v4.qxp 7/19/10 12:35 PM Page 1

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Plans by British Airways andU.S. energy solutions companySolena Group to establishEurope’s first sustainable jet-fuelplant–dubbed “GreenSky”–arebeing outlined here at the Farnbor-ough airshow by the CommercialAviation Alternative Fuels Initia-tive (CAAFI), which claims tolead the development, testing,environmental acceptance, qualifi-cation and deployment ofalternative aviation fuels.

The CAAFI (Hall 3 StandA9a) presentation offers an “in-depth look [at] carbon-neutralgrowth for aviation as an emerg-ing reality and a new sustainablefuel dynamic for aviation buyers.”

Solena plans to build a self-contained plant in east Londonto convert 500,000 metric tonsof waste per year into some 16million gallons of fuel. From2014, British Airways plans topower some of its aircraft usinglow-carbon fuel derived fromwaste biomass otherwise des-tined for landfill. The airlinesays this is “more than twice theamount required to make all[our] flights at London City Air-port carbon-neutral.”

Fischer Tropsch ProcessWaste biomass fed into Solena’s

high-temperature gasifier will cre-ate synthetic “fuel gas” from the

thermal conversion of hydrocar-bons. Bio fuel and bio-naphtha,used in petroleum blending and asa petrochemical feedstock, will beproduced through the Fischer Trop-sch process.

Solena said the conversionmethod offers “lifecycle green-house-gas savings of up to 95percent, compared to fossil-fuelderived jet kerosene.” The biofuel involves a 50-percent blendof jet-A kerosene.

Tail gas arising from the con-version process can be used toproduce 20 megawatts of elec-tricity to feed the UK nationalpower grid or to provide steamfor a neighborhood heating sys-tem. The only solid waste wouldbe an inert vitrif ied slag mate-rial for use as an alternative toconstruction aggregates, whilethe plant will be carbon-dioxideneutral, according to BritishAirways.

The project will avoid produc-tion of methane that otherwisewould arise from the biomassbeing consigned to landfill andalso could reduce local-authoritylandfill tax bills that by 2014 areexpected to be £72 per metric ton($100/U.S. short ton). BritishAirways acknowledged it wouldemit oxygen, plus small quantitiesof nitrogen, argon, steam (watervapor) and carbon dioxide. Earlierthis year, the airline announced ithad signed a letter of intent to buythe plant’s entire output.

According to British Airways,the program will contribute to itsgoal of halving net carbon emis-sions by 2050. “We believe it willlead to a sustainable alternative tokerosene. We are determined toreduce our impact on climatechange,” said the carrier.

Dr. Robert Do, Solena Groupchairman and CEO, is scheduled topresent details of the scheme at theCAAFI stand at 1:30 p.m. today. �


British Airways, Solenateam on bio jet-A plant

NEWS CLIPS

Rolls-Royce and BA Search for New Aviation Fuels

Under a plan first revealed two years ago, Rolls-Royce and BritishAirways have invited fuel suppliers to participate in tests to evaluate alternativeaviation fuels in a study to seek practical alternatives to kerosene, the cur-rent standard fuel. The two companies have requested samples for possiblelaboratory and rig trials and, ultimately, tests on a Rolls-Royce RB211-524Gengine from a British Airways Boeing 747-400.

Funding will come from the U.S. Continuous Lower Energy, Emissionsand Noise (Cleen) program, the Federal Aviation Administration’s principalnext-generation environmental effort to demonstrate new technologies,procedures and sustainable alternative jet fuels. If sufficient volumes ofcandidate fuels are available, tests would be carried out on a Rolls-Royceindoor engine testbed in the UK.

Candidate fuels for consideration are expected to be derived from non-petroleum sources, be used neat or blended to meet requirements andhave potential for a better overall environmental footprint than kerosene. Theyalso must not unduly compete with food production, cause land or waterstress, have potential adverse effects on eco-systems or lead to deforestation.

Testing the engine in a Rolls-Royce testbed enables more accurate data to begathered in a controlled and consistent environment. The trial aims to explore fueltypes different from those currently approved or undergoing certification. –I.G.

by Ian Goold

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SKY-Y UAV IS TESTING ALENIA’S HOMEGROWN FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM

Alenia Aeronautica’s Sky-Y UAS technology demonstrator recently started its fourth flight-test campaign, duringwhich the company will test a homegrown prototype flight control system that includes an avionics computer,inertial, air data and GPS sensors and electrical actuators for the primary and secondary flight controls.

� Raytheon Gets the Nod for P-8I RadarBoeing has awarded a development contract to Raytheon for an

international version of the APY-10 surveillance radar fitted to the P-8Poseidon maritime patroller. Raytheon has already developed theU.S. Navy version of the APY-10 and has delivered on schedule foursystems to Boeing already, with two more left to supply under theinitial contract. The international version of the radar will be forexport customers, the first of which is the Indian navy, which signedup for eight P-8Is in January 2009. The aircraft are tailored to Indianrequirements, and differ in detail from their U.S. counterparts.

� Hamilton Wins Additional Work from ComacComac has selected Hamilton Sundstrand’s Ratier-Figeac

division to provide pilot controls, including side sticks, rudderbrake pedals, speed brake control lever, control panel and thethrust control quadrant for its C919 airliner. The companypreviously chose two other Hamilton Sundstrand businessunits–Electric Systems and Kidde Aerospace & Defence–toprovide, respectively, electric power generation and distribution,and integrated fire and overheat protection. The combined valueof these awards is estimated at $1.5 billion over the program’s life.

One aircraft that has benefited from the company’s expertise isthe Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Onboard Hamilton Sundstrand systemsinclude the electric power generating and start system, APS 5000APU, environmental control system, nitrogen generation, primarypower distribution and motor controls, galley cooling, electric-drivenhydraulic pumps and emergency power and engine gearbox system.

� Messier Services Inks Landing Gear Mx ContractsMessier Services (Hall 4 Stand B12) announced a contract with

Virgin Atlantic to overhaul the landing gear of its 19 Airbus A340-600s.The maintenance program started in April and will last until 2017 atthe company’s Molsheim, France facility. Messier Services, a Safrangroup company, has been also selected by Thomas Cook Airlinesfor Airbus A320 family landing gear exchange and overhaul. Workon the carrier’s 23 A320s and A321s is continuing in the UK until 2017.

� Kartika Signs Deal for 30 Superjet 100sIndonesian regional carrier Kartika Airlines has finalized an order

with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft for 30 Sukhoi Superjets in a deal valued at$951 million. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft president Vladimir Prishyazhnyukand Kartika CEO Kim Johanes Mulia Jiauw put pens to paper hereyesterday afternoon, signing the contract confirming a December2008 deal for 15 Superjet 100 firm orders and 15 options. With theformal signing, all options have been converted to firm orders, theexecutives said. Kartika Airlines also signed a letter of intent forlong-term support with Superjet International, the airframe maker’smarketing, sales and support division. Deliveries to the Jakarta-based carrier are planned to occur between 2012 and 2015.

� LM Joins with Finmeccanica, L-3 for ISR SolutionsLockheed Martin’s Information Systems and Global Services

business area has entered into an agreement with Finmecannica’sElsag Datamat and L-3 Communications Systems-West to pursueinternational business in the intelligence, surveillance andreconnaissance sector (ISR). The three companies bring a wealthof experience in ISR, command/control and networking, whichcan be applied to providing innovative solutions in the arenas ofterritorial situational awareness and homeland defense/security.

� CAE Will Provide Mitsubishi MRJ TrainingFlight training group CAE has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi

Aircraft Corp. to develop and deliver training for the new Mitsubishiregional jet (MRJ). The agreement includes a 10-year exclusivetraining-provider program for pilots, maintenance technicians, cabincrew, dispatchers and ground support personnel. In addition, CAEwill establish two training centers in Japan and the U.S. and develop7000 Series MRJ full-flight simulators (the first for the aircraft) andCAE SimFinity procedures trainers for the centers. The company willalso design the curriculums and courseware for the training program,which is to be ready by 2013. The 70- to 90-seat MRJ is planned toenter service in 2014 with launch customer All Nippon Airways.

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Emirates Airline could not waituntil this week at Farnboroughto order more Engine AllianceGP7200-powered Airbus A380airliners. Instead it chose lastmonth’s ILA airshow in Berlin asthe stage on which to announceits plans to acquire a further 32 ofthe widebodies. The additionalaircraft, valued at an $11.5 billioncatalog price and to be deliveredby 2017, will bring its A380 fleetto 90, representing 38.5 percentof the 243-strong order book.This booking well exceeds the20 orders from all sources thatAirbus chief operating officer forcustomers John Leahy had pre-dicted in May when doubling hisA380 sales forecast for 2010.

Two years after receiving itsfirst A380, Emirates accepted its tenth last month. It also has 70 A350s on order among 95other aircraft worth a nominal$48 billion from Airbus andBoeing. The Arab airline serveseight cities with the A380 andplans to add two more by Octo-ber 1, when it also expects toresume New York operations.

Weight IncreasesThe announcement of the order

and the presence of the newestEmirates A380 in Berlin willhave boosted Airbus and the 30-plus German major programsuppliers, following the aircraft’shesitant birth and late entry intoservice. The A380 supports anestimated 40,000 “direct, indirectand induced” German jobs,according to the manufacturer.

The new A380 orders comeas Airbus announces increasedweights for aircraft being deliveredbeginning in 2013, permittingincreased range or payload. Max-imum takeoff weight will growby around 4,410 pounds to almost1,263,500 pounds, which willprovide an extra 100-nm range–to 8,300 nm–on mtow-limitedflights. Services limited by maxi-mum zero-fuel weight will benefitfrom a 3,300-pound increase inmaximum structural payload whena new 811,500-pound max zfw isintroduced. The A380’s maximumlanding weight also will beincreased by 4,410 pounds, to866,565 pounds.

The weight increases follow

Airbus’s analysis of continuedfull-scale fatigue testing, saidprograms executive vice presi-dent Tom Williams. “[We havebeen] leveraging output frommore than 45,000 flight cycles[to the end of April 2010]. Thatis 2.4 times the design servicegoal, and tests are continuing tomore than 2.5,” he explained.The higher A380 weights havebeen achieved through reductionsin airframe loads, generatedpartly through an optimization offlight-control laws and unspeci-fied “minor local modifications.”

Airbus engineers are encour-aged by recent A380 progress inramping-up final assembly fol-lowing well-documented delays,with Williams claiming that the“major challenges are behindus.” He added that there is aconstant reduction in outstand-ing “out of sequence work” asthe manufacturer focuses on sta-bilizing production.

During 2009, the volume ofoutstanding work on the twoA380 final assembly lines fell by50 percent, the backlog of pro-duction drawings dropped by 80percent and the time taken toresolve queries decreased by 40percent, according to Williams.Looking back over the past threeyears, “out-of-sequence work [has

declined] by a factor of seven,from over 350,000 man-hours toaround 25,000.” By May, Airbushad managed to meet its targetsas planned levels established inearly 2007 finally were achieved.

The A380 has carried over 5.5million passengers on more than15,000 revenue flights to Auck-land, Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai,Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg,London, Los Angeles, Manches-ter, Melbourne, New York, Paris,Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo,Toronto and Zurich, according toAirbus. The statistics suggest anaverage load of more than 365people on each flight.

As the global network of A380services expands from its current21 routes, product marketing

director Richard Carcaillet saidthe company has identified some200 potential markets for a superwidebody in the A380 class, with“considerable potential to almosttriple” to 540 within 10 years.

As annual delivery rates con-tinue to increase toward thelong-planned 20 or more, Airbusnevertheless still has to reviseplans. For example, Asian opera-tor Korean Airlines will now haveto wait until at least next April forthe first of its 10 A380s, whichpreviously was slated for han-dover in December.

More positively, another AsiaPacific carrier–Qantas of Australia–expects to receive its seventhexample in the October-December2010 time frame, permitting Syd-

ney-London flights to becomedaily. A further three A380sshould arrive before next April,in time to provide daily flightsbetween Melbourne and Londonand six a week to Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Emirates’ rivalEtihad Airways reportedly hasbeen renegotiating its A380delivery schedule so that 10 late-2012 units now will arrive thefollowing year or later. Alongwith fellow Gulf carrier QatarAirways, the Abu Dhabi operatorhas been ordering huge numbersof aircraft in recent years in anapparent attempt to “out-DubaiDubai” in its plans to build ahuge tourism industry. The latestEmirates order has not made thatendeavor any easier. �


A380 sales continueas weight increasesby Ian Goold

Emirates Airline now operates 10 Airbus A380s and last month increased its overall commitment to the very-large-aircraft design byraising orders from 58 to 90 aircraft, giving it almost 40 percent of the total order book.

Newquay Cornwall Airport(Hall 1 Stand B16) is hoping thathelicopter manufacturer Agusta-Westland’s recent decision toestablish a new flight trainingfacility could prove to be the firststep in building an aerospace

business hub at the former RoyalAir Force base in the southwestof England. The $1.5 milliondevelopment was announced onMarch 31, and includes fundingfrom the European RegionalDevelopment Fund.

AgustaWestland Training Org-anisation will run its helicopterflight training program for up to 50 students each year atNewquay, with courses coveringrotorcraft applications such assearch and rescue, and policing.

The program will use AW139and AW109 Power helicopters.

The airport is owned andoperated by the Cornwall CountyCouncil via its subsidiary, Corn-wall Airport Ltd. The councilwants to develop the site as acluster of aerospace firms, cover-ing a wide range of aviation-related activities, as part of its strategy of generating new,high-value jobs in a county thathas largely depended on agricul-ture and tourism. There is landavailable around the airport site to allow companies to buildnew premises with direct con-nections to the airside area. Thecouncil also is encouragingdevelopment of nearby hotel andconference facilities. �

Newquay Cornwall Airport aims to build an aerospace business hubat a former RAF base in southwestEngland. The $1.5 milliondevelopment has thus far attracted the AgustaWestlandTraining Organisation.

Newquay aspires to be aerospace hub

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In the desert, the camel has no equal in the ability to conserve energy. In the sky, the Engine Alliance GP7200 can proudly make the same claim. With a 1% lower fuel burn than its rival, the GP7200 saves 190,000 gallons of fuel per A380 per year, producing a savings of $414,200 USD. It also results in Carbon Tax savings of $60,000 USD and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 2,027 tons per aircraft, per year. Figures that are no mirage. If you’ve developed a thirst to learn more and burn less, visit www.enginealliance.com.

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Sweden became the firstexport customer for theTextron/AAI Shadow 200 tacticalunmanned aircraft system when acontract for two Shadow systemswas finally completed on May 18.The contract was to be signed in

2008, but was deferred due tobudgetary problems.

Each of the Shadow systemscomprises four unmanned airvehicles (UAVs), plus groundcontrol segments, remote videoterminals for troops and vehicles

in the field, and a maintenancesection. Normally three of thevehicles are considered opera-tional, with the fourth held atreadiness as a reserve.

The RQ-7 air vehicles arelaunched from a ramp or a runway,

and are recovered either by a para-chute system or by an arrested striplanding. The vehicle is fullyautonomous and typically carries aPOP 300 EO/IR payload fromIsrael Aerospace Industries.

Sweden identified a time-criti-cal requirement for a tactical UAVin May 2007, primarily to supportits operations in Afghanistan. Thecountry’s current UAV system, the

Sperwer/Ugglan, is unsuitable forthis role, and Swedish forces haveonly the small Skylark available.The FMV defense procurementagency awarded Saab a contract toact as lead system integrator.

Five competitors were evalu-ated, but AAI’s Shadow 200 wasselected on the grounds of cost,reliability and combat-provenperformance.

Under the contract AAI willsupply the two systems, includingeight air vehicles, while Saab willrepack components to fit Swedishvehicles, provide logistics andtraining, and integrate systemsinto the Swedish network, includ-ing the delivery of two sensorsource intelligence cells [SSICs].The SSICs will also supportother reconnaissance platforms,such as the Gripen.

AAI is to deliver the firstShadow 200 system early next yearand the second about a year later.The first SSIC is to be delivered bySaab 16 months after contract signature and be deployed toAfghanistan along with the firstShadow system in the fall of 2011.The second SSIC follows towardthe end of the year and will remainin Sweden with the other Shadowsystem for training.

The U.S. Army has racked upits millionth hour of unmanned airoperations, and the RQ-7 Shadow200 has flown over half of thattime. Included in the 510,000hours of Shadow flying to date are420,000 hours of operations in Iraqand Afghanistan. Around 20 to 25systems are deployed for brigadelevel support, and at times theyhave been launching a vehicleevery 20 minutes.

AAI received orders for 115Shadow 200 systems from the U.S.Army and has delivered around100. The U.S. Marine Corps hasalso acquired the type.

The U.S. company is continu-ously improving the Shadowseries and has completed testing avehicle with wingspan extendedfrom 14 to 20 feet. This increasesthe payload capability and raisestypical endurance from six to ninehours. The parachute recoverysystem is being improved to pro-vide softer landings, and by theend of the year AAI expects tohave completed trials with a laserdesignation system. �


Shadow to cast net over Afghanistanby David Donald

AAI’s Shadow 200 has racked up over420,000 hours of in-theater operations inIraq and Afghanistan.

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EXPERIENCE COUNTSAlenia Aeronautica is a world leader in composite materials, with over 30 years of experience in their application to everythingfrom leading-edge fighters to airliners, jet trainers, regional turboprops and UAVs. Alenia Aeronautica has a proven record ofinvestment, production excellence, innovation and partnership with global players, from the early fibreglass fairings to today’ssingle-piece carbon-fibre widebody fuselage sections. The Boeing 787 and 767, Eurofighter, ATR family and BombardierC-Series are just some of the aircraft that have chosen Alenia Aeronautica composites. Because you can’t beat experience.

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Air Tractor’s AT-802U lightattack and surveillance aircraftmade its debut at Paris last year,but comes to Farnborough thisyear with new capabilities.Chief among them is a missionendurance extended to more than10 hours thanks to a new fuse-lage fuel tank. This extendedloiter capability is of particularbenefit in the surveillance role,allowing the AT-802U to remainon station long after othermanned platforms have had toreturn to base.

The AT-802U is based on aproven ag-plane, giving it out-standing rough-strip capability,but incorporates armor and asophisticated mission suite. Theprimary surveillance system isthe retractable L-3 Wescam MX-15Di multi-sensor turret, whichalso includes a laser designator.

Turret imagery is matched to anAeroComputers UC-5100 mov-ing map to provide real-timetargeting and cueing.

Imagery can be displayed onflat-panel LCDs in the front andrear cockpit, the screen in theback being a 17-inch display withsplit-screen and picture-in-picturecapability. An Avalex DVRrecording system allows imageryto be reviewed in flight or afterthe mission, while an L-3 CMDLdatalink allows imagery to betransmitted to ground forces,including to Rover-equippedunits. The cockpit has also beenupdated through the adoption of aGarmin G600 EFIS.

AT-802U also brings newweapons capability to Farnbor-ough. The type now has a fullytested gun capability in the formof the General Dynamics GAU-

19/A 0.50-inch three-barreledGatling gun, two of which can becarried on the inner underwingpylons. The Air Tractor can alsofire Hellfire and DAGR laser-guided weapons, as well asdeliver 500-pound laser-guidedbombs and a range of unguidedordnance. Eight hardpoints areprovided, three under each wingand two more under the fuselage.

A notable new weapon is the100-kilogram class Moog/FTSMini Talon missile, of which sixcan be carried under the wingpylons. Also known as the Bor-der Protection Weapon, this is aGPS/INS-guided, folding-wingmissile with a 12-kilogram war-head that offers a circular-errorprobability (CEP) of less thanthree meters, and capabilityagainst both moving and station-ary targets. �


Capabilities expanded for AT-802Uby David Donald

Demonstrating its weapons versatility, the AT-802Ucarries 500-pound bombs under the fuselage, withseven-round rocket pods and GAU-19/A rotarymachine guns under the wings.

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Industry must boost ITto grow and cut costsby Julian Moxon

Information technology (IT)specialist CSC aims to increase itsEuropean aerospace and defensebusiness by up to 10 percent year-on-year as it seeks to capitalize onthe trend for companies to lookfor business in new areas.

U.S.-based CSC, which employs94,000 and has annual sales of$16 billion, sees “major opportu-nities” in Europe, mainly helpingcompanies achieve greater effi-ciency and find new marketsectors. “IT has traditionally beenseen as an overhead,” GarethEvans, CSC European vice presi-dent for aerospace and defense,told AIN in Farnborough, “but itis time to move out of the base-ment and become a strategicenabler for growth.”

While European markets maynot be at their most active interms of sales, he said, “We canprovide a lot of help getting costsout of the system.” Other growthareas include helping major inter-national companies like BAESystems strengthen their positionin new regions of the world, suchas India and Saudi Arabia. CSC isworking with BAE Systems onproduct lifecycle managementsolutions for combat aircraft,including older types such as theTornado, Hawk and Nimrod. “Wedevelop the IT needed to gather

data for predictive maintenance,spares support and so on,” saidEvans.

For Airbus and EADS, CSC isworking on new radio frequencyidentification technology, whichwill label components at thepoint of manufacture so they canbe traced throughout the lifetimeof the aircraft. Evans said “autoident” technology is a major areaof growth and, besides recordingevery detail of manufacture, willeventually include such details asthe qualifications of the engineerswho worked on the component.

Evans said a “very attractive”growth area is in the aero-engineindustry. CSC recently announceda five-year, $1.5 billion exten-sion to its existing IT contractwith United Technologies, underwhich it provides IT infrastruc-ture support in 22 countries. He added that the company istalking to “several other manu-facturers,” but he declined to bemore specific.

CSC is one of four aerospacecompanies working for the U.S.Federal Aviation Administrationon a demonstration of net-enabled operations technology,aimed at spotting rogue aircraftentering U.S. airspace and shar-ing air traffic control informationamongst federal agencies. �

Hawker Beechcraft’s first AT-6PRTV (production-representativetest vehicle) has taken time outfrom its busy test schedule tomake its international debut hereat Farnborough. It arrives havingcompleted an impressive demon-stration of its light attack and armedreconnaissance capabilities during atwo-week U.S. joint forces exercise.

The AT-6 has been developedfrom the T-6A/B/C Texan II forthe close support and irregularwarfare mission, with an eye on theU.S. light attack/armed reconnais-sance aircraft (LAAR) requirementand exports. Lockheed Martin hasintegrated the mission systembased on that installed in the A-10Cupgrade. Key elements are L-3Wescam targeting pod, hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) controls

and advanced datalinks that cansupport video and other datatransmission to the ground. Ester-line CMC Electronics provides itsintegrated Cockpit 4000 avionicsand navigation suite for the AT-6,as well as for the T-6B.

Hawker Beechcraft has flowntwo PRTVs, the first being fittedwith the mission system. It hasmade more than 100 flights sincefirst flying in July 2009 and hasspent more than 200 hours in theair. In April it was deployedalong with a T-6C to Nellis AFB,Nevada, sponsored by the AirNational Guard and Air ForceReserve Command Test Center, toparticipate in the Joint Expedi-tionary Forces Experiment.

During the course of this exer-cise the two aircraft flew 24 times,posting 100 percent reliability ratesand demonstrating key capabilitiesin a range of irregular warfare sce-narios. Among them were digitalclose air support, interoperabilitywith existing equipment, long-endurance, rough-field operations,rapid re-arming and dry refueling

with Special Operations CommandMC-130 tankers. During the twoweeks the aircraft burned just15,640 pounds of fuel; HawkerBeechcraft pointed out that an F-16 burns 16,500 pounds in a singlethree-hour on-station assignment.

After its return from Farnbor-ough, the first PRTV is also toreceive the uprated Pratt & Whitney

Canada PT6A-68D engine, andbe integrated with the GentexScorpion helmet-mounted cueingsystem. The second PRTV initiallyflew without a mission system,but did feature the 1,600-shpPT6A-68D and optimized Hartzellpropeller from the start. It now hasmore than 50 hours flying time,and is to be fitted later this month

with aerodynamic fairings repre-sentative of the defensive aidssuite. These aids will then be testedon the No. 1 aircraft, at whichpoint it will become representativeof anticipated U.S. Air Force LAARrequirements. In the meantime, thesecond aircraft will receive missionavionics and equipment appropriateto Foreign Military Sales. –D.D.

Light attackAT-6 is readyfor action

The first light attack/armed reconnaissance AT-6 production-representativetest vehicle (PRTV) is making its international debut here in the UK. TheHawker Beechcraft-manufactured aircraft comes on the heels of successfullycompleting a two-week U.S. joint forces exercise.

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French-Italian regional turboprop man-ufacturer ATR earlier this month unveiled anew partnership with Italian design houseGiugiaro Design for the development ofthe cabin of its ATR 42/72-600 series. Themakeover, called Armonia, reduces the air-craft’s total weight by the equivalent of twopassengers and will be available as a retro-fit on the ATR’s current -500 series.Visitors to the Farnborough airshow cansee, for the first time, a full-scale mockupof an ATR 72-600 with the Armonia cabinand a new avionics suite.

Certification and entry into service ofthe 72-600 is expected in the second halfof 2011, probably during the summer,Bagnato said. Just before the Farnboroughshow opened, ATR said it had orders for59 of its 42/72-600 series, comprising 52examples of the 72-700 and seven copiesof the 42-600. The company, which claimsto have 56 percent of the market for 50- to74-seat regional turboprops, is consideringa possible 90/100-seat turboprop. Nothinghas been decided and, in any case, noannouncement would be forthcomingbefore certification of the 72-600, which isthe company’s priority.

“Simplicity” is how Filippo Bagnato,who has returned as ATR CEO after a

three-year term as board chairman,describes the partnership of GiugiaroDesign and the ATR joint venture and thatbetween Alenia Aeronautica (a Finmecca-nica company) and EADS. Toulouse,France-based ATR selected GiugiaroDesign for its experience, especially withautomobiles, in blending design and inte-gration capability. While Giugiaro Designhas been involved with several aircraftprojects from private individuals, the ATRsrepresent the company’s entry into thecommercial aircraft sphere. Fabrizio Giu-giaro, co-chairman and Giugiaro Designstyling director, said his company sought totranslate its know-how from automobiledesign to the ATR project and that thisexperience could also be valid for possiblefuture ATR programs.

The “latest in attractive, comfortablecabin interior design adds to ATR’s manyadvantages in terms of operating costs, per-formance and environmental friendlinessfor the -600 series, which has the widestcabin in the regional aircraft market,” Bag-nato told AIN. He confirmed the option ofretrofitting the interior on the present42/72-500 series “to protect customers’investments.” The Thai air force has chosento retrofit its corporate and VIP -500s, but

no list price is available either for thatoption or for the 72-600.

In addition to cleanly styled seats, ceil-ing, side panels and overhead bins thatmake the cabin more spacious, airy andcomfortable, Armonia uses new durablelightweight materials, reducing total weightby 440 pounds, the equivalent of two pas-sengers. The new interior features wider,lightweight ergonomically designed seatsto ensure greater knee clearance, anenhanced sense of space and increasedunder-seat capacity.

The seats will have a basic four-inchinclination with seven-inch in first class.As an option, the -600 offers a two-classconfiguration with a basic two-plus-one29-inch seat layout in first class withwider seats, more space, windows foreach row and large armrest tables. Theinterior’s overhead bins provide 10percent more cabin storage space and 30 percent more carry-on capacity,enabling up to 70 percent of passengers tostore their roller bags overhead. LEDlighting creates a more welcoming envi-ronment, while improving energy efficiencyand weighing less than other lightingsystems. A further option is a jetway-capable forward door with a new designedspacious entrance area.

The company Italdesign-Giugiaro wasfounded in 1974 as a service company toprovide automobile makers with prototype

engineering and support needed to launchnew vehicles into the market. In the 1970sthe company did interiors for privatelyowned Agusta helicopters, including onefor the Shah of Iran and another for anAfrican head of state. Giugiaro Design alsodeveloped an interior for an Alitalia AirbusA321 and a Piaggio Aero P180 Avanti. �


ATR has partnered with Italian design houseGiugiaro Design to develop the cabins for its ATR42/62-600 regional turboprops.

ATR cabin developmentloses weight, gains comfortby Jeff Apter

New-generation Avionics for the ATR 600

Thales is supplying the cockpit control dis-play and onboard airport navigation systems forATR’s new -600 series turboprops as part of anextensive package that also includes autopilot,navigation and communications equipment andthe integrated modular avionics (IMA) system.

Luc Baron, Thales’ design authority for theATR 600, said the IMA, an innovation forregional aircraft, means functions can bemodified without modifying the system. So itwill be possible to add new functions neededin the future either by adding a new circuitboard supporting several functions or by a newsoftware partition. The system includes theavionics full-duplex switched Ethernet (AFDX)developed for the A380.

The initial version of the software flew inJuly 2009. One year and four interim standardslater, the version in the Toulouse labs was 100-percent functional for Cat 2 operations, Cat 3capability being an option that no airline hasrequested so far. The system comprises aroundtwo million lines of computer code, Baron said,and every new version requires 7,000 elemen-tary tests. Thales delivered the Cat 2 version toATR last month and certification is expectedlate this year or early next.

Compared with the current -500 models,the new flight deck replaces all instrumentswith five large displays as big as those on theA380. Thales is also integrating equipmentfrom other vendors, including Honeywell’sPrimus 660 weather radar and Rockwell

Collins radios. The Cat 2 version uses a Sagemattitude and heading reference system (AHRS),which would be replaced for Cat 3 by a Honeywell inertial reference system. “Ourambition in the long term is to be able to beable to provide a complete avionics suite basedon our sensors,” Baron said

A retrofit would likely cost as much as theaircraft was worth, he added, “It is conceptuallyfeasible, but we’re sure it won’t be done.”

Thales has also delivered the full Cat 2version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 software,which is in the final stages of flight tests aimedat freezing the configuration and winningRussian certification. “Sukhoi is doing a signifi-cant part of the software development,” Baroncommented. “We trained their people todevelop software that we then integrate, sothey will be have useful competence to lever-age in other programs, or possibly for futureThales programs.” –B.J.F.

Selex Galileo (Stand OE1 & OE2) isdisplaying a range of its radar, electro-optic/infrared and electronic warfare sensorshere at Farnborough. The company, part ofthe Finmeccanica group, has been selectedto supply sensors to many of Europe’s leadingprograms, as evidenced by its place onEurofighter’s Typhoon combat aircraft asprovider of the Captor radar, Praetoriandefensive aid suite and Pirate infrared searchand track. The company also provides theES-05 Raven active electronically scanned

array radar and Skyward G IRST for theSaab Gripen NG, making its internationaldebut in the UK.

Another Farnborough debutant, theAgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat, hasSelex Galileo systems in the form of theSeaspray 7400E radar and HIDAS 15defensive suite. HIDAS has also beenspecified by several Apache operators,including the UK.

Selex Galileo also produces a range ofelectro-optic systems such as the EOST 46four-sensor turret, and is developing theVigilX distributed sensor system to provide360-degree coverage around the platform.Radars and EO/IR turrets are broughttogether in the company’s Airborne TacticalObservation and Surveillance (ATOS)family, primarily for maritime patrol appli-cations such as the Nigerian ATR 42MPhere in the static display, which has aGabbiano radar and EOST 45 turret. Aswell as producing systems, Selex Galileohas moved into the platforms business witha range of UAVs led by the Falco. –D.D.

Selex Galileohighlights its warfaresensors, optics

Radars and electro-optic/infrared from Selex Galileo work in concert to form the company’s Airborne TacticalObservation and Surveillance platform, which has been selected for the maritime patrol Nigerian ATR 42MP.

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by putting the vital information pilots need – Synthetic Vision, windshear, Traffic and Collision Avoidance System

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more information, contact Rockwell Collins at +1 319.295.4085 or visit our website at www.rockwellcollins.com.

Visit us at the 2010 Farnborough Air Show, Hall 4, Stand F-9.

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Maintenance, repair and overhaul(MRO) specialist SR Technics plans tobuild a new facility at Malta InternationalAirport, with construction commencingsoon, and to begin operating there in anexisting hangar in the third quarter of thisyear. It hopes to benefit from lower laborcosts in the region and from its locationwhich gives the Switzerland-based groupa foothold in the European Union.

“We have appointed a general managerand our local recruitment campaign is run-ning very successfully,” a spokesman toldAIN. The company envisions creating up to350 jobs in Malta by 2014. At present, it willbe very busy thanks to an 11-year extensionof an approximately $1.6 billion contract tosupport EasyJet’s Airbus A319 fleet.

SR Technics is launching its Malteseoperation in an existing two-bay hangarand plans to start construction on a four-bay hangar imminently. Initially, the MROfacility will focus on the Airbus A320family, for which it will perform intermedi-ate layover (IL) checks and C-checks. Italso expects to offer support for the Boeing737 family from early 2012, once the newhangar is completed.

Choosing Malta, where rival LufthansaTechnik also has a base, was driven notonly by lower labor costs. “A workforcewith relevant skills is available locally,” aspokesman said. Moreover, SR Technicssees a significant number of potentialcustomers within a four-hour ferry flightradius of the Mediterranean island–result-ing in a prospective MRO market spanningthe whole of Europe, as well as significantparts of Africa and the Middle East.

SR Technics also is touting its reducedturnaround times for aircraft checks. Thecompany is introducing to the market its“equalized maintenance” (or E check)concept, which has reduced downtime onA320 family aircraft by 17 days over asix-year maintenance period. It developedthe concept while maintaining EasyJetaircraft during 2003-2009.

In addition, it has reduced the turn-around time for an Airbus A320 family ILcheck from 21 to 14 days. For the fleet’sCFM International CFM56-5B, CFM56-5C and CFM56-7 engines, turnaround timestands at 45 days.

Meanwhile, SR Technics has plans toenter the U.S. market and in Marchopened a sales office in Sunrise, Florida,near Fort Lauderdale. In May, it opened atechnical training facility in Abu Dhabi,and beginning in September, will offerbase maintenance services in Zurich forBoeing aircraft.

In another move, in April, the companyclosed its component services organizationat London Stansted Airport with the loss of340 jobs, consolidating that work at itsZurich facility.

SR Technics (Hall 4 Stand D9) isexhibiting in Farnborough alongside itspartner company Abu Dhabi Aircraft Tech-nologies, also part of the MRO network ofthe Mubadala Development Co. �


SR Technics to open MRO facility in Maltaby Thierry Dubois

SR Technics claims to offer reduced turnaround times through its programs of “equalized maintenance”checks and intermediate layover checks for the Airbus A320 family.

We’re Taking Flight

Lately, North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad has been coming up a lot on the radar as a center for aviation. That may be because we’rethe new home of Honda Jet and a base for a growing fleet of aviation-related manufacturers, suppliers and maintenance facilities.

It may also be because today the Piedmont Triad has more than 30 aviation-related firms employing nearly 4,000 highly skilled engineers, mechanics and corporate personnel.

But one thing’s for sure. The blip that first appeared on the radar a couple of years ago is now a region being tracked by the leading firms in the aviation industry.

To find out more, call 800-669-4556 or go to PiedmontTriadNC.com.

We’re Coming Up On Radar

DON’T MISS A BEAT

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Aviation International News • Business Jet Traveler • EBACE Convention News •HAI Convention News • MEBA Convention News • NBAA Convention News •Dubai Airshow News • Farnborough Airshow News • Paris Airshow News •Singapore Airshow News • AINonline.com • BJTonline.com • AINalerts •AINmxReports • AIN Air Transport Perspective • AIN Defense Perspective • AINtv

Pg-26_d2_SRT_v5new.qxp 7/8/10 1:06 PM Page 1

Sunaero is here at the Farnbor-ough show (Hall 1 Stand A15)promoting its quick-repair equip-ment and services for repair offuel leaks in military and civilaircraft. The trend in this area istoward smaller, more portablehardware, a spokesman said. TheFrench company is also develop-ing a new solution for compositematerial repair, he noted.

Although air forces generallydon’t acknowledge it, fuel leaksrank second in aircraft-on-groundissues, just after engine failures,with some of them resulting fromcombat damage, said Sunaero’svice president for quality andtraining Thierry Regond. Sincethe 1990s, when DGA, France’sdefense procurement agency, com-missioned the company to workon the problem, the firm has beenoffering a range of solutions forleak detection and repair, with afocus on achieving shorter turn-around times.

Sunaero’s processes allowtechnicians to mend the aircraftin eight hours. “Sealants usuallypolymerize in 72 hours,” Regondtold AIN, but can take longer incold air, he added. The technol-ogy hinges on low-temperatureinfrared emissions, he said,explaining that so-called ther-moreactors (also known as rapidcuring devices, or RCDs) accel-erate the polymerization pro-cess, completing it overnight.RCDs also can be used to repaira leak on the windscreen or topolymerize some special mili-tary coatings.

Leak detectors that use a tracergas to can help technicians visual-ize three different pressure levelsin several fuel tanks at a time, arealso in Sunaero’s product range.Among its other products aredesealing processes that use pneu-matic and vibrant tools.

The leak detection processstill uses a sort of air computer,

where the signal is pneumatic,but Sunaero also offers elec-tronic systems for greaterflexibility. All these systemshave a number of safety fea-tures, mainly to avoid humanerror. For example, they warnthe operator if the tank still con-tains too much fuel for the test.

So far, Sunaero has foundmilitary customers in its homecountry, as well as in the Middle

East, Australia and northernEurope. Most contracts are forhardware, technician training andhardware maintenance, and somesales include on-site operationalassistance, Regond said.

Regond also said he seesgrowth potential in the civil market.“We have to explain that our sys-tem’s cost can be recouped in tworepair events,” he said, estimatingthat the daily cost of a commercial

airliner being stuck on the groundcan be between $110,000 and$180,000. Sunaero solutions areshown as approved in Airbus andBoeing maintenance manuals.

The leak repair kits–for bothcivil and military markets–aretransportable. To carry them, thecompany offers pairs of 70-poundsuitcases (rather than muchheavier carts) containing all thedetection and repair equipment.Airlines can transport them themas luggage, but the suitcases mustbe designed to be shock-proof towithstand rough handling.

Sunaero also is developingnew repair methods for compos-ite parts. “We aim at making deeprepairs without the need for partremoval or an autoclave,” Regondexplained. The target turnaroundtime is eight hours.

The company employs a staffof 12 in France, mainly engagedin research and development. Inthe U.S., where its Aerowingsubsidiary has fulfilled U.S. AirForce contracts, it employs 28,mostly in production. �

www.ainonline.com • July 20, 2010 • Farnborough Airshow Newsaa27

Sunaero’s quick fixesaim to plug fuel leaks

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by Thierry Dubois

Sunaero v-p Thierry Regond shows a military aircraft fuel leak detector system–weighing around 70 pounds–that can be transported in a durable suitcase.

It’s true … there is only one truly global company focused exclusively on modeling, simulation and training for both the civil and military markets. For more than 60 years, CAE has been earning its reputation for technology leadership and innovation specific to simulation and training. It’s why we now have operations and training centres in more than 20 countries and serve customers in more than 100. Our 7,000+ employees are your neighbors all over the globe, and each and every one of them is your partner in delivering enhanced safety, efficiency, and mission readiness to help you stay one step ahead.

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D E L I V E R I N G O N T H E P R O M I S E O F S A F E T Y, E F F I C I E N C Y, A N D M I S S I O N R E A D I N E S S .A R O U N D T H E W O R L D . . .

one step ahead

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Having celebrated its 100thbirthday last month, Dunlop Air-craft Tyres is working toward thelofty goal of doubling the size ofits business, profitably, by 2013.“We made this strategy before therecession and it has become morechallenging to the extent that itmight push the timeline out,”

acknowledged chairman and manag-ing director Ian Edmonson. He insistedthat there is still more growth to be hadfrom the sector and that it likely willcome through expansion into Asia andthe Americas, as well as through anextension to its product line.

The aircraft tire business is essen-tially about customer support, he

said. Airlines and military operators need toknow that they will get the replacementtires they need in an efficient and flexibleway and that they can be sure of a depend-able cost-per-landing.

“Supporting the customer is the mostimportant factor [in achieving marketgrowth],” Edmonson told AIN. “The keyis product availability and customer serv-ice, with an emphasis on responsiveness,flexibility and addressing customer con-cerns. We are focused on these issues andgive better customer service.”

Dunlop still makes its tires at its factoryin Birmingham and has no plans to movethe core-manufacturing task to lower costeconomies. But to support customersaround the world it needs to be able to sup-ply retread tires as economically and effi-ciently as possible, and it was this necessitythat prompted the UK firm to build a newfactory at Jinjiang in southern China. Itsnext step will be to establish retreadingcapability at a location in North America.

The Jinjiang facility, located about anhour’s drive from Hong Kong, recentlysecured its first order when Taiwan’sMandarin Airlines signed a three-year dealcovering bias tires for its fleet of eightEmbraer E-190/195 airliners. The newsubsidiary operates as Dunlop Taikoo (Jin-jiang) Aircraft Tyres Co. Ltd. and is a joint

venture with Hong Kong Aircraft Engineer-ing Co. Ltd. (with a 28-percent stake) andTaikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Co.Ltd. (9 percent).

Also this year, Dunlop acquired the air-craft tire making equipment from Japan’sYokohama Rubber Co., which is exiting theaircraft tire sector. This equipment has beentransferred back to Dunlop’s UK plant andwill give it the capability to make tires foraircraft such as the Boeing 777. Included inthe purchase is an additional dynamometer,which will help Dunlop to bring new prod-ucts to market more quickly.

Most of the emphasis on technologicaldevelopment of aircraft tires is now focusedon improving the cost of operation cost-per-landing, which largely comes down to howmany landings each tire can make and howmany times it can be retread. Manufacturersgenerally provide tires on a cost-per-landingbasis, so they have a vested interest inachieving a high degree of product reliabil-ity and knowing as much as possible about

the anticipated service life.Like the other leading manufacturers,

Dunlop makes both bias or cross-ply andradial tires. Generally speaking, bias tiresare more robust and can be retread moreoften, giving a lower direct ownership cost.Radial tires are generally lighter (meaninglower fuel burn) and can make more land-ings before having to be retread, givingreduced operating and maintenance costs.

Manufacturers have been concentratingresearch-and-development efforts on goalssuch as changing the rubber compoundsused for tires to make them more resistant todamage by foreign objects. They have alsobeen trying to have more control over theways tires do fail and more efficient ways tohandle the overhaul process.

Dunlop is also concentrating its engi-neering efforts on the impact tires can haveon an aircraft’s environmental footprint. Inaddition to reducing their weight, the com-pany is looking at the use of bio-materialsand ways to reduce the rolling resistanceand noise generated by tires. Another initia-tive could see the application of radiofrequency identification technology, usingchips embedded in tires for counting usagecycles and suppressing temperature.

Having been owned by a family founda-tion since the 1980s, Dunlop Aircraft Tyreswas acquired by private equity group AACCapital Partners in May 2007, and it wasthis takeover that prompted the ambitiousgoal of doubling the size of the business injust six years. Looking beyond the currentair transport down-cycle, Dunlop expectsto benefit from the next rising tide. “Wedo expect the global market to grow andwe will grow market share in growingmarket,” concluded Edmonson.

The company has no record of whichtype of aircraft first used its products at thestart of the last century, but its archivesshow a first published price list dating fromJune 1910. There are also records of the company having produced tires for theHoward Wright Biplane soon after that date.

You can see more current examples ofDunlop’s tires here at the Farnborough air-show on the new Airbus A400M militarytransport, for which it developed newtechnology to protect the tires againstforeign object damage.

Dunlop (Hall 4 Stand C14) has beenchosen as a supplier option for Bom-bardier’s CRJ1000 regional jet and it isalso working on achieving the same statuswith Boeing for the 777 family. �


Dunlop stays on growth path, despite dipby Charles Alcock

Dunlop makes both bias and radial tires, the latter(above) generally being lighter and able to makemore landings before having to be retread, thusreducing operating and maintenance costs.

Ian Edmonson

Dunlop Tyres technicians trim and retread tires.Factored into the cost of operating an aircraft is thecost-per-landing, which takes into account howmany landings each tire can make and how manytimes it can be retread.

FIFTH-GENERATION FIGHTER TRIALS ARE DOING FINE

The Sukhoi company has fully completed the pre-liminary ground-based

program. This involved the use of all the three develop-ment prototypes employed for on-bench load tests. Among other things, they

underwent ground-based trials of fuel systems and

-

took to the air on 29 Janu-ary in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The state acceptance

were fully completed in late March. On 8 April, the An-124 Ruslan Russian mili-tary transport aircraft and an ground bench used for

-port equipment, were deliv-ered to the Sukhoi Bureau’s base at the Gromov Flight Research Institute, an Avia-tion Center near Zhukovsky in the Moscow region. On completion of the re-quired preliminary trials, including those of static

performance, the aircraft

on 29 April. To date, the aircraft and its systems have fully undergone the optimization in terms of reliability and safety.Compared to the previous

new airborne complex has a number of unique capa-bilities, including those of a strike aircraft and of a

-

a dramatically new avion-ics suite that integrates the “electronic pilot” and an advanced phased antenna array system. This consid-

fatigue and enables the pi-lot to concentrate on tactic assignments. The onboard equipment makes it pos-sible to exchange data in the real time mode with ground control stations and those inside the aviation group. The composite ma-terials and innovative tech-nologies plus the aircraft’s

and stealth features reduce

the aircraft’s radar, optic, and infrared signature. This essentially enhances the operational capability in striking at airborne and land-based targets by day and at night in all weathers.The Sukhoi company’s new complex is putting Russia’s aircraft industry

and its related branches on a totally new track. These aircraft, along with up-dated aviation complexes of the fourth generation, will determine Russia’s air force’s capability in the next decades to come. The Sukhoi company also plans to advance its program in joint cooperation with In-dia. The implementation of this joint project will create an aircraft exceeding west-ern counterparts in terms of cost-to-effectiveness. This will not only build up the defence capabil-ity of both Russia and In-dia, but also will put those countries on a new stand-ing in the world market.

For more information please contact www.sukhoi.org

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For further information visit www.powerjet.aero

PowerJet is a joint venture between Snecma, Safran group and NPO Saturn.

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With the advent of the 787 Dreamliner,touted as a “flying WiFi hotspot” chock fullof useful data that will be passed alongto airline maintenance and engineeringdepartments, Boeing has an opportunity torevamp the way airliners are maintained.What if an airline could transfer its hugemaintenance and engineering burden toBoeing and focus on its primary functionof moving people around?

That concept is at the heart of Boeing’sGoldCare service, which allows airlinesto select from a menu of three burden-relieving options. A full GoldCare packagewould include maintenance, engineeringand materials (parts and consumables).Airlines can select any two of those optionswhen signing up for GoldCare, as long asengineering is one of them. Some airlinesmay opt for only one of the three, but thenthat won’t be a GoldCare package.

German airline group TUI has selected

GoldCare for four of its operations thathave ordered the 787. The TUI packageincludes the entire GoldCare packageexcept for line maintenance and covers 13airplanes over a 12-year period (to coincidewith the 787’s heavy check interval).

GoldCare integrates a number ofBoeing tools along with Maintenix, amaintenance planning and tracking soft-ware suite by Mxi Technologies. Boeingtools include Airplane Health Managementand the Maintenance Toolbox electroniclogbook, which plays on the electronicflight bags in the 787 cockpit. Materialsmanagement is also a key element of Gold-Care and is handled by an internal Boeinggroup to provide a cost-per-hour partsprogram for 787 operators.

Boeing has built a GoldCare operationscenter in Renton, Washington, to managecustomers’ maintenance and engineering ona 24/7 basis. Customers can also access the

same information via the MyBoeingFleetWeb portal. Boeing doesn’t perform themaintenance but works with third-partyproviders such as the UK’s Monarch Engi-neering, which will service the TUI 787s.

“What GoldCare does is to seamlesslyin real time take the data from the airplaneinto the system and translate it into knowl-edge,” said Bob Avery, vice president forfleet management with Boeing’s Commer-cial Aviation Services. “We can have thescheduling opportunities looked at veryquickly, check for parts, check for faultsthrough the electronic logbook straight into[the] Toolbox or Airplane Health Manage-ment [systems]. It’s a rapid way of gettingto what you need to make that next flight orto schedule the next maintenance event.”

GoldCare also relieves airlines of theburden of initial provisioning for new air-plane types, minimizing the infrastructurethat airlines need to buy and build. Anairline that signed for a full GoldCarepackage, for example, wouldn’t have tobuy any ground service equipment or buildspecial tools for maintenance or order aboatload of parts that cost money to store.

Parts needs are handled by Boeing sup-pliers, as well as Boeing itself, dependingon the source of the parts, but the result is

the airline can pay a predictable per-flight-hour amount and not worry about all thelogistics. “We’re trying to get the wholesupply chain aligned,” Avery explained.“The suppliers–if their products performwell and they keep improving them, they’lldo better than they planned.”

A key feature of GoldCare is that thesystem keeps detailed records of every-thing that’s ever been done to a coveredairplane. The benefit is that when the airplaneswitches owners or goes back to a leasingcompany, all the records are up to date and noone has to go digging through boxes oflogbooks to find out which components areinstalled and the status of time-life parts,airworthiness directives and service bulletins.

Boeing is discussing GoldCare with twonon-787 customers, even though the pro-gram was intended to be implemented afterthe 787 entered service.

GoldCare is still in the developmentphase, with completion due by the end ofthe first quarter of next year. “It is criticalthat we do that successfully,” Avery said.“We’ll get to a business case for the non-787stuff probably in the third quarter this year.”

So why is Boeing going to the expenseof integrating all the maintenance-relatedsoftware tools and service products underGoldCare? “If you have a reasonable sharewith GoldCare, you are embedded in a cus-tomer’s operations,” Avery said. “If you’retaking care of airplanes on a daily basisand doing a good job and a customer wantsto buy a new airplane, why wouldn’t theycome to us? Being embedded with a cus-tomer’s operation may give us someadditional opportunities.” �


Boeing’s new care program is worth its weight in goldby Matt Thurber

IT Is the GoldCare Key

“The secret sauce of GoldCare is e-enablement and IT integration services,”said Bob Avery, vice president for fleet man-agement with Boeing’s Commercial AviationServices. “Many of those functions arealready done either by airlines or outsourcefirms, but this is where Boeing’s investmentreally plays and makes a difference.”

GoldCare functions are run at a dedicatedoperations center where large-screen dis-plays show GoldCare customer airplanestatus in real time. The primary screenshows the Mxi Technologies Maintenix track-ing software: where airplanes are, where theyare going and time between flights so thatany upcoming maintenance can be slottedinto available time, or whether flights need tobe rescheduled. For larger problems, say astructural repair, GoldCare specialists willwalk across the room to Boeing’s big opera-tions center to make arrangements.

The GoldCare operations center doesn’treplace an airline’s maintenance controldepartment but helps the airline keep its air-planes available for revenue flying. “We havethese visual tools,” Lee Cantrell, duty man-ager, said, “to help us keep track of wherethe airplanes are, what’s going on withthem…if they’re having delays and cancella-tions. We’ll be able to talk with the folks atthe airline or at the maintenance provider totry to get everything back on track.” –M.T.

While best known for its comprehensiveaviation training courses and its lineup offlight simulation devices, CAE has movedfurther upstream into the aircraft designprocess with new modeling and simulatorproducts. The Canada-based company’saugmented engineering environment (AEE)is a suite of software and hardware prod-ucts that will assist aircraft manufacturerswith the design and systems integrationof prototypes.

AAE is currently seeing its first fulloperation in support of the design of Bom-bardier’s new C Series airliner, which isexpected to enter service in 2013 withlaunch customer Lufthansa. Bombardiersigned a seven-year contract with CAE lastyear as part of its complete integrated air-craft systems test area (CIASTA) program,which should take it through the designphase to initial training and two-years pastthe C Series’ entry into service.

In creating the system, CAE has lever-aged its computer modeling and simulatorexperience into a customizable hardwareand software integration backbone that candevelop along with the aircraft design fromconcept through series production. Thesystem consists of four work packages thatare presented to the customer at predeter-mined steps in the design process. The firststep, delivered last winter to the Canadianairframer, was a computer cluster loadedwith the software needed to simulate theaircraft design in a virtual environment.

The AEE is aimed primarily at systemsfunction and integration and is viewed byits creators as a complement to computersolid modeling platforms such as Dassault’s

CATIA. “System integration is a disciplinethat does not enjoy the same kind ofprogress as structural design with CATIA,”said Marc St-Hilaire, CAE’s vice presidentof core engineering. “It does not enjoy thesame type of progress as aerodynamicdesign with a super computer. System designis still very conventional; requirements on

paper, flowing them down to a suppliermanaging the interface and then testing thedesign very close to aircraft integration. I see simulating the requirements andanimating the design very early into theprogram to validate your system design, forsure is going to have a benefit.”

The second work package to be deliv-ered next spring to Bombardier is anengineering simulator with a cockpit.“Some of the OEMs want an animatedcockpit quite early in their design process,”said St-Hilaire. “We supply them with that

cockpit, which is reconfigurable, and thatcockpit is driven by a software suite on thecomputer cluster.” At that point in thedevelopment, the engineering simulatorcan also communicate with actual avionicscomponents. “It’s got the ability to inter-face between the virtual world and the realworld,” St-Hilaire told AIN. “From thatsimulation environment you can drive realpush buttons, you can drive real screens,you can even talk to real aircraft boxes.”

The third work package, to be deliverednext year, consists of an integrated sys-tems test and certification rig and softwareto test the flight controls. The final deliveryto Bombardier in 2013 will be the CAESeries 7000 full flight simulator, which|the company will initially use in its flight test program for cockpit operationalevaluations and other tests, including windshear certification.

One of the system’s major functionalitieslies in its ability to enable designers tocreate virtual cockpit control panels anddisplays early in the development phase,before any metal is cut. “You can constructthis whole virtual cockpit on touch-screenpanels and you can modify those virtualpanels within minutes. Then you can hookup those panels back to the simulationimmediately,” noted St-Hilaire.

In addition to the CIASTA contract withBombardier, CAE has also signed a similaragreement with the Indian National Aero-space Laboratory to develop and refine theavionics configuration for the RTA 70turboprop. The engineering simulator will beused for cockpit configuration and avionicsequipment studies, as well as to explore theeffects of human factors. The company alsosupplied engineering simulators to Embraerfor use in developing the fly-by-wire controlsystems for the E-170 and E-175 regionaljetliners, and to the Korean National Aero-space Laboratory to help define the flyingcharacteristics of a new helicopter. �

CAE blends computer modeling,simulators for better integrationby Curt Epstein

CAE’s hardware and software combo known asaugmented engineering environment is aimed atsystems function and integration. Its creators view itas a complement to computer solid modelingplatforms such as Dassault’s CATIA.

Pg-30-d2_v3.qxp 7/17/10 12:10 PM Page 1

New Standards. Together

If there’s one man who has helped to revolutionise the aviation industry, it’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy. This month his new

Air Lease Corporation gets off the ground and we’re proud to say that once again, Airbus is his fi rst aircraft choice with 51

A320s and A321s on fi rm order. So thanks for the business, Steve, and congratulations. You’re looking good up there.

Steve Hazy’s taken off again.

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53837_004 Aviation Int News.indd Pg1 Mundocom UK 16/07/2010 16:32AIN Ad Template.indd 1 7/18/10 5:05 PM

A revolution in aircraft economics.

THE POWER OF THE FUTURERadical change is in the air. And CFM* leads the way. Delivering lower emissions, noise and costs. Greater reliability and fuel efficiency. Forward with LEAP-X!** www.cfm56.com/technology/xpower

*CFM, CFM56 and the CFM logo are all trademarks of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of Snecma and General Electric Co. **All claims are compared to the current production engines which the LEAP-X will replace, as well as current and proposed environmental regulations. For more information go to www.cfm56.com/technology/xpower

AIN.SD_352x550_Revolution.indd 1 08/07/2010 12:46

A revolution in aircraft economics.

THE POWER OF THE FUTURERadical change is in the air. And CFM* leads the way. Delivering lower emissions, noise and costs. Greater reliability and fuel efficiency. Forward with LEAP-X!** www.cfm56.com/technology/xpower

*CFM, CFM56 and the CFM logo are all trademarks of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of Snecma and General Electric Co. **All claims are compared to the current production engines which the LEAP-X will replace, as well as current and proposed environmental regulations. For more information go to www.cfm56.com/technology/xpower

AIN.SD_352x550_Revolution.indd 1 08/07/2010 12:46

Just over three months ago, onApril 14, Thales undertook thefirst flight in the UK of the Watch-keeper unmanned air vehicle(UAV), 54 of which are on orderfor the British Army, plus 13ground control stations. The 20-minute sortie took place at theParcAberporth test site on the westcoast of Wales and marked animportant milestone in the pro-gram as the focus of testing shiftsfrom Israel to the UK in prepara-tion for service-entry next year.

Europe’s largest current UAVprogram is led by Thales andemploys a modified version of theElbit Hermes 450. Designated theWK450 and first flying in Israelin April 2008, the Watchkeepervehicle has a strengthened wing,rugged undercarriage and de-icing. It is fully net-enabled,allowing it to cross-communicatethroughout the Army’s network.An important lesson from Her-mes operations in Afghanistanwas the need to get informationto the ground quickly, and theWatchkeeper system includesremote video terminals for use inthe field, as well as ground con-trol stations.

The Watchkeeper is intendedto operate in all weathers, andtests in Israel have proved the airvehicle’s impressive crosswindlanding capability, whichincludes a last-minute “de-crab-bing” maneuver just beforetouchdown, as well as its abilityto operate from rough strips.The WK450 carries an electro-optical/infrared/laser turret andan I-Master synthetic apertureand ground moving indicatortarget radar. It has a 16- to 18-hour endurance and is fullyautonomous.

Production WK450s are beingbuilt by UAV Tactical Systems(U-TacS), a joint Thales/Elbit

venture based at Leicester in theUK. The first full production vehi-cles are to be available this fall.The test fleet includes prototypetest vehicles in Israel and five pro-duction-representative vehicles inthe UK. Three of them are alreadyat Link X-secure ParcAberporth,which has recently added a largeoverland test area more applicableto operational Watchkeeper test-ing than the previous overwaterrange area.

While tests are ongoing,Thales is completing the Army’sintegrated training facility atLarkhill, which will be openedsoon to allow operator instructionto begin. Next year operations areplanned to start from BoscombeDown, close to Larkhill and theArmy’s Salisbury Plain trainingarea. With training beginning thissummer, and operational vehiclesto be delivered soon after, theWatchkeeper is on course for anin-service date next year.

Afghanistan DeploymentThe WK450 will be deployed

to Afghanistan as soon as possi-ble. In the meantime, Thalescontinues to provide UAV capa-bility to the British Armyin-theater through a service con-tract under which it provides“ISTAR-by-the-hour” (intelli-gence, surveillance, targetacquisition and reconnaissance)with a fleet of Elbit Hermes 450sbased at Camp Bastion.

This operation was the resultof a UK ministry of defenceurgent operational requirementraised in July 2007. The fleetrecently passed the 30,000 opera-tional flying hour mark in over2,000 sorties. The Hermes 450sprovide the British Army with thebulk of its in-theater ISTAR fly-ing a variety of missions. As wellas convoy protection and support

to troops in contact, Hermes mis-sions are aimed at counteringimprovised explosive devices,monitoring narcotics growth andtraffic, indirect fire support andfor pattern-of-life surveillance.

Under the original terms of thecontract, the Afghanistan Hermesmission was due to end this Octo-ber, but it will be extended toprovide a seamless transition tothe Watchkeeper as it enters serv-ice. The process is scheduled tobegin next year and should becompleted by April 2012. TheWK450 will bring added capabil-ity as it is a two-payload system,whereas the Hermes has onlyEO/IR capability.

Thales could offer a similarinterim service to other Europeannations, several of which aremonitoring the Watchkeeper pro-gram closely. Among them isFrance, which is expected torelease a request for proposalscovering a similar type of systemnext year, for service entry in2015-16. Italy and Poland havealso expressed requirements inthis class, with NATO compatibil-ity and certification seen asimportant factors in these cases.The Watchkeeper’s developmentfor the British Army answers thecompatibility issue and it is theonly current UAV to be certifi-cated to European airworthinessstandards. �


Watchkeeper UAV oncourse for deploymentby David Donald

Thales provides the Elbit Hermes 450 to the British Army in Afghanistan under a UOR service contract. The fleet, seen here at its Camp Bastion base, has passed 30,000 hours of operations.

The Watchkeeper lifts off into UK airspace for the first time on April 14. Testing is beingundertaken at ParcAberporth, but could expand to include Boscombe Down next year.

Safran’s Morpho subsidiaryis here in Farnborough (Hall 4Stand B12) exhibiting a mockupof its CTX 9800 machine fordetecting the presence of explo-sives in passenger baggage,which was approved just lastyear by the U.S. TransportationSecurity Administration. OlivierAndries, Safran’s executive v-pfor defense and security, claimsthe system is much faster and has better detection per-formance than other explosivedetectors.

Using improved tomographytechnology, the CTX 9800 canprocess up to 1,000 pieces of lug-gage per hour. “This has to becompared to a typical 500 piecesper hour,” Andries told AIN.Moreover, greater resolution helpsspotting smaller quantities ofexplosive material and the falsealarm rate also is lower. San JoseAirport in California is the firstcustomer for the new system.

The smaller, less expensiveMorpho CTX 5800 is derived

from the CTX 9800. It has thesame detection performance buthandles just 400 to 500 pieces ofbaggage per hour. Safran boughtthis baggage scanning businessfrom GE last year.

Also on Morpho’s display is“Finger on the fly,” a contact-freefingerprint identification system.For future products, design engi-neers are endeavoring to improve

security performance, especiallyin detecting hazardous liquids andexplosives hidden on a passen-ger’s body. Simultaneously, theyare looking for ways to acceleratesecurity checks at airports.

Through acquisitions inrecent years, Morpho has grownits offerings in biometry, secureidentity documents and home-land protection. Andries saidmost of the company’s futuregrowth will be organic, although“targeted acquisitions” are stillan option. On Friday, newsagency Bloomberg reported thatSafran is considering taking overU.S. biometry specialist L-1. �

Morpho baggage scanneris more accurate, quickerby Thierry Dubois

Safran’s Morpho subsidiary makes the CTX 9800, which detects the presence ofexplosives in passenger baggage. The company is here displaying a mockup of theunit, which was approved last year by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

Pg-34-d2_v4.qxp 7/17/10 12:12 PM Page 1

Since almost one third of helicopteraccidents with fatal casualties are caused byimpact with obstacles and cables, developingand improving anti-collision systems againstlow-visibility obstacles is clearly a keyobjective for avionics specialists. Finmec-canica’s Selex Communications has hadsuccess with various military users of itslaser obstacle avoidance and monitoring(LOAM) system since introducing it in 2000.

With a view to broadening its applicationsinto civil applications, the Italian companyhas continued to develop the system withthe aim of reducing the LOAM’s weight.As a result, its sensor head unit (SHU)structure, which is located in the aircraftnose, now weighs just over 47 pounds, somefive pounds less than previously, whilemaintaining the same dimensions, center ofgravity and performance. The improvementwas achieved through an analysis of therigidity needed to maintain a stable opticalpath for the electro-optic components.

The 320- by 239- by 419-mm LOAMSHU contains a 1.55-mm wavelength ClassIV laser emitter with a 10-kW pulse power,but thanks to its pulse duration of 3 to 5

nanoseconds, its repetition frequency of 60kHz and a laser beam that scans the areaaround the flight path twice per second, itbecomes a Class I equipment–that is, fullyeye-safe. With a field of view (FOV) of 30degrees in elevation and 40 degrees inazimuth and its capability to tilt automati-cally, as well as the FOV centerline ofaround 20 degrees both in azimuth and ele-vation according to flight data to adapt thescanned area to the flight situation, theLOAM can guarantee to “look-into-turn”during demanding maneuvers at highspeeds and elevated bank angles.

The SHU also includes a swash mirror,which rotates at a constant speed around itsaxis reflecting the laser beam and draws apseudo-ellipse in the airspace, while theturret periodically sweeps the FOV inazimuth. The combination of these twomovements generates the required pseudo-elliptical scan pattern that Selex considersbest suited to detecting wire-like obstacleswhile maintaining an inherent high capacityto keep the detected obstacle shape unaf-fected by the helicopter motion, allowing itto reconstruct the obstacle shape. False echo

reduction, sun cancellation and sensitivityoptimization systems are all incorporatedinto the LOAM sensor.

The first aircraft to receive the latestversion of the LOAM with the lighter SHUwill be the ICH-47F Chinook helicopter,16 of which have been ordered for theItalian army (plus four options). The sameequipment should be installed on eight Ital-ian navy EH 101s in the amphibioussupport configuration.

A LOAM system also has been installedon a Bell UH-1H helicopter belonging toLockheed Martin. This sensor has beenoperating since 2006 and is part of a sensorpackage that Lockheed Martin is evaluatingfor a possible proposal within the degradedvisual environment program aimed at the

U.S. military helicopter fleet.At the same time, Selex is looking at

future markets, such as light and mediumcorporate helicopters needing a smaller,lighter and less expensive system. Thiscould function with a lower level ofperformance to military requirements. Forinstance, while the current system can detecta 5-mm diameter cable (less than quarterof an inch) from a distance of around 800yards with an optical visibility of about amile and a quarter, a detection range ofabout 550 yards would be sufficient for ahelicopter flying at a lower speed. Thiswould provide a similar warning time whilenot only decreasing the physical constraintsof the equipment but also reducing system,integration and qualification costs. �


Selex slims down heloobstacle warning system by Paolo Valpolini

Selex’s laser obstacleavoidance andmonitoring system can guarantee to “look-into-turn” during demandingmaneuvers at highspeeds and elevatedbank angles. With theaim of attracting civilapplications, thecompany has reducedthe weight of its LOAMby some five pounds.

On wheels, skis, or floats, the obvious choice for versatility and reliability in medium range maritime

patrol and critical infrastructure surveillance.

www.vikingair.com

Pg-35-d2_v1.qxp 7/17/10 12:15 PM Page 1

If journalism is the first draftof history, the front pages ofAviation International Newsover the last two years serve tochronicle the forces that havedarkened business aviation’s skyfor the past two years. It has beena rough flight, riding a spectacularupdraft until encountering abrutal shear 18 months ago andfighting a severe downdraft since.Despite some breaks in the weatherrecently, the business jet is by nomeans in the clear yet.

It’s well known that businessaviation’s fortunes are elasticallyhitched to the ebb and flow of the economy, lagging them by ayear or so, and the last downcycle was triggered by the chaosand angst that followed the ter-rorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.Aviation, both commercial andbusiness, felt this event hardbecause airliners had been com-mandeered as the weapon, andthe process of beefing up securityto prevent a repeat is still underway nearly 10 years later.

The TSA’s so-called Large Air-craft Security Program (LASP)proposal revealed how little itknew (or how little it wouldacknowledge) about the waybusiness aviation operates, butlobbying and education efforts bythe Washington alphabet groupsand scathing coverage by the avi-ation press persuaded the agencyto hold a series of public meet-ings around the U.S. to hear from

the people in business aviation’strenches. Their message was polite,loud and clear, and the TSA with-drew its original LASP. A revisedproposal is due out for commentby late this year.

The specter of LASP wasactually a more menacing threatto business aviation than the crum-bling economy, which (althoughnever on this scale since the1930s) has wobbled before butalways righted itself. A bad rulemade law, however, could haveinflicted a harsher and moreenduring blow on bizav. Until theTSA releases its revised largeaircraft security proposal it wouldbe premature for business avia-tion to regard LASP as a bulletdodged, but so far this has been avictory of sorts.

The sour economy, however, ismany tentacled and continues to ensnare business aviation bybloating the inventory of usedaircraft and stifling demand fornew ones. Since the recessiontook hold in the latter half of2008, business aviation has lostsome 30,000 jobs at OEMs,flight departments and the serviceindustry that supports them. Mostdisturbing, this damage has beeninflicted on a $150 billionindustry employing 1.2 millionpeople with the active approvalof the U.S. government.

The Big Three’s SUV-size Blunder

Business aviation could seestorm clouds on the horizon assummer in the Northern Hemi-sphere drew to a close in 2008,but the hammer blow was dealt bythe CEOs of the three strugglingDetroit car manufacturers when,in December, they each made thestaggeringly stupid decision to fly

to Washington aboard their $40million business jets to beg fortaxpayer bailout money.

The ensuing “fatcats in theirluxury jets” headlines launched asavage backlash on business avia-tion and did more damage thanthe economy alone could havewrought. President Obama, astaunch supporter of business avi-ation in that he has used Air ForceOne more than any other presidentin history, chose to portray busi-ness jets as yet one more symbolof wretched excess by the verysame people who got us into thismess in the first place.

We have subsequently had towitness House Speaker Pelosiclamoring for use of a 757because a Gulfstream is just toosmall for her needs, and now welearn that establishment of a TFR(an exclusionary protective bub-ble placed in the airspace over a

presidential destination) hasnow become a status symbol forother government high-ups asthey mingle with their subjects.

Wisely, business aviation’spublic voices have chosen to por-tray this appetite for private lift bygovernment officials as a ringingendorsement of bizav’s benefitsand advantages. Privately, ofcourse, all in bizav are seething atthe rampant hypocrisy.

In some ways, business aviationhad been setting itself up for this“exposure” for decades. Bizav hasbeen aviation’s stealth operatorsince long before the F-117Nighthawk and B-2 were declassi-fied. It has almost always preferredto operate in relative secrecy, andsecrecy breeds just the sort of sus-picion that erupted after the BigThree Auto bosses blew it. Bizavhas been drifting down in the ashcloud ever since.

This is not to say that moneyhas not been tight for the pastcouple of years, but business jetswere suddenly cast in the samedisapproving light as red Ferrarisin hard times and seen as perks,not as the business transportationtools that the industry had thusfar been increasingly successfulin portraying.

Bloated Used Inventory

As public furor grew, flightoperations declined and pre-ownedinventory swelled to alarming newhighs as owners felt compelled tohang a for-sale sign on their air-craft. And therein lies a key factorin the bloated inventory of usedaircraft: for an unidentifiablenumber of owners, hanging thatfor-sale sign was primarily a ges-ture to symbolize “I feel yourpain.” With values slashed by halfin some cases, owners knew therehad never been a worse time tosell a business aircraft, and thosewho could possibly avoid it hadno intention of parting with theirjet or turboprop at a fire-sale price.Market forces have butchered usedprices over the past 18 months.

From the standpoint of thebuyer, bloating and stagnation in the used jet market is a function of fear of future impov-erishment/buying prematurely(missing the bottom) or greeddriven by targeting and holdingoff for that same bottom. Eitherway, some airplanes have lan-guished on the used market for acouple of years. �


Business Aircraft Take aBow at FarnboroughYou can inspect a fine selection of business aircraft in Farnborough International’s Business Aircraft Park,including:

Sino Swearingen SJ30 (shown by Action Aviation)

AgustaWestland Grand New helicopter

Bell Helicopter 429

Bombardier Learjet 60XR, Challenger 850, Global 5000

Cessna–Citation Mustang, XLS, CJ3 and Grand Caravan

Cirrus Aircraft SR20

Dassault Aviation–Falcon 2000LX,Falcon 7X

Diamond Aircraft DA42

Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350i and Hawker 4000

Pilatus PC-12

Viking Air Twin Otter 400Source (all statistics and charts): Jetnet, LLC

2008

NO. O

F AI

RCRA

FT F

OR S

ALE

20091,600

1,800

2,000

2,200

2,400

2,600

2,800

3,000

3,200

2,777

3,069

2,027

2010

INVENTORY OF USED JETS PEAKED IN 2009

june 2008–june 2010

A BUSINESS AVIATION PERSPECTIVE

Business aviationtakes a batteringby Nigel Moll

One the most popular pre-owned businessjets are the Dassault Falcon 900 line, whichincludes the 900EX.

Demand for large-cabin business jets, such as thisBombardier Global Express, has held up better thanthat for light and midsize jets.

PH

OTO

S: D

AV

ID M

CIN

TOS

HSOME POPULAR PREOWNED MODELS

Model No. inoperation

Percentagefor sale

Averageprice

2008($M)

Averageprice

2010($M)

CJ1+ 98 12.2 4.7 3.9

ENCORE 165 9.0 6.9 4.0

PREMIER IA 137 13.1 5.6 4.4

LEARJET 45 240 15.4 6.6 4.5

FALCON 50 241 18.6 9.0 5.7

HAWKER 850XP 100 20.0 13.3 9.9

G200 224 10.2 17.0 12.1

GIV-SP 286 7.7 27.7 14.3

FALCON 900B 139 14.3 19.1 13.9

CHALLENGER 605105 5.7 31.0 21.2

Note: Averages are based on published asking prices. Such prices are not available for all aircraft on the market. Actual selling prices may vary.

Pg-36-d2_v7.qxp 7/18/10 1:03 PM Page 1


Snecma and GE Aviation are develop-ing new materials to make future engineslighter and improve their efficiency. In theworks are alloys using exotic metals suchas niobium, and composites using organic,ceramic or metal matrices. The two compa-nies will employ these technologies for theLeap-X engine they are developing undertheir CFM joint venture (Hall 4 Stand B13)and possibly for other projects.

Current engines are made using titaniumalloys in their cold section (that is, the fan,booster and compressor). “Titanium, whichhas a relatively low density, can be used upto 500 to 550 degrees Celsius,” Jean-YvesGuédou, a Snecma expert in metals, toldAIN. Steel, composites and aluminum alsocan be found in the cold section.

For the hot section, engine makers pre-fer to use nickel-based and, to a lesserextent, cobalt-based materials called super-alloys, he said. This means the metallurgicprocess has given them higher resistance toheat and mechanical stress. “Cobalt isheavier and more expensive than nickel butis slightly better at very high temperatures,around 1,100 degrees Celsius. It is alsomore resistant to corrosion,” Guédou said.

Next-generation MaterialsIn the hot section, GE has traditionally

used cobalt alloys, but change is coming.About a decade ago, Japanese researchersidentified cobalt-based, precipitation-strengthened superalloys as showinggreater high-temperature strength. In2006, researchers said these superal-loys–made of cobalt, iridium, aluminumand tungsten–were very promising ascandidates for next-generation high-tem-perature materials.

This is only the beginning of loomingchange, experts say. There are two motivesdriving a quest for new alloys and compos-ites. First, as engineers try to make enginesless fuel-thirsty, they tend to increase thebypass ratio. This increases the fan diameterand, in turn, makes the turbofan heavier–acondition that cries out for lighter materials.

A second way to cut fuel consumption isto improve the engine’s thermal efficiency.“If we strongly increase the compressionratio and raise combustion temperatures byaround 200 degrees Celsius, we have apotential 5- to 10-percent gain in fuel effi-ciency,” said Vincent Garnier, Snecma’sresearch and technology director. This callsfor higher operating temperatures for partsand therefore suitable materials, he said.

GE is already using titanium aluminide(TiAl) in its GEnx engine, which is power-ing both the Boeing 747-8 and 787 in testflights. A so-called intermetallic compound,TiAl features an ordered structure withstrong interatomic bondings, which providehigh strength at lower ductility than metalalloys. In other words, TiAl’s behavior isclose to that of ceramics and, therefore, isrelatively brittle. This drawback can be

countered by the addition of other elements,such as niobium and chromium.

TiAl’s main feature is its ability towithstand heat up to 800 degrees Celsius,which is more than aluminum or titaniumseparately. Yet, its density is about half(3.9 versus 8) that of more typical nickelalloys. It also can operate in severe condi-tions such as high-corrosion or high-oxidation environments.

“There is a challenge in processability,which is why development has taken solong,” said Bob Schafrik, general managerfor materials and process engineeringdepartment at GE Aviation. Still, the GEnx’slow-pressure turbine won’t likely be the lastengine component that benefits from the useof TiAl. “We are studying other intermetal-lic compounds,” Guédou added.

Engineers seem to place renewed hopesin ceramics, which had been much toutedin the 1980s, as they can withstand 1,300-to 1,500-degree Celsius temperatures.However, this family of materials is still inan early research stage.

Closer to production are ceramic-matrixcomposites, which can work at 1,100degrees Celsius. They can used for turbineblades and nozzles, for example, Guédousaid. “Ceramic-matrix composites arealready tested on several of our engines,”added Schafrik, who sees applications in thenext five to 10 years for powerplants such asa later version of the Leap-X.

New Metal MatrixAnother group of composites with a

metal matrix also looks promising. Theycan be made of a titanium alloy matrixaround a silicon carbide reinforcement, forexample. Thanks to the strength of the sili-con carbide fibers they have higherresistance, so parts can be made smaller.

“Such materials can help in designingparts submitted to high centrifugal forcesand cycle fatigue,” Garnier said. This makesmetal matrix composites suitable for parts inthe booster and compressor, such as disks.

However, Shafrik only partly agreeswith this approach. In his view, metalmatrix composites are a niche materialbecause of their high cost. “Titaniummatrix composites, thanks to their strengthand stiffness, are suited to certain sorts of

link parts, such as long cylinders. But weusually find cheaper solutions,” he said.

Among materials used for lower tem-peratures, polymer resin matrix compositescompete with titanium and aluminum.They can withstand temperatures of 200degrees Celsius, or even a bit beyond,depending how long they are exposed tothe temperature.

Snecma has begun full-scale endurancetests with three-dimensional-woven fanblades for the Leap-X1C–the first version ofthe engine, for the Chinese Comac C919airliner. The resin transfer molding (RTM)process wraps the woven carbon fibers intoa resin designed for crack resistance. Thedevelopment schedule calls for the new fanblades to undergo certification tests in 2014.

The design uses the same material forthe fan case. In total, Snecma expects tosave 1,000 pounds in weight on the air-plane, thanks to the new fan section andknock-on benefits such as the fact that alighter pylon will be sufficient for thelighter engine. The RTM fan blade, asSnecma calls it, will be ready for the 2016entry into service of the C919.

In the high-pressure turbine range, it ishoped that a silicon-niobium intermetalliccompound will help in manufacturing moreheat-resistant blades–up to 1,300 degreesCelsius. The challenge is in protecting thecompound against oxidation. Tin and alu-minum can be added to the mix, but whilethis improves the situation, it is not a com-plete solution so an effective coating also isneeded. “We are now working on a metal-based coating,” Guédou explained. Enginesequipped with silicon-niobium turbineblades will not fly until 2020, he said.

These new alloys, superalloys and com-pounds are less ductile–more brittle–thantoday’s engine materials, and engineershave to take these properties into accountright from the design stage. “Manufactur-ing is more challenging,” Guédou said.

Steel and AlloysGE also wants to continue improving

steel. This high-strength metal is used inbearings, shafts and gears, where strengthis critical. “For a shaft, the higher thestrength, the smaller the diameter, whichgreatly influences the configuration of theengine,” Schafrik explained.

In future engines, there is room for fur-ther improved nickel superalloys, he said.“We desire higher temperature alloys, withlower thermal expansion for some applica-tions. Also, we have learned that protectivecoatings should be developed concurrentlywith new superalloys.”

Titanium components could be formedfrom “meltless” titanium powder that isderived from a vapor or liquid. “Thismeltless titanium technology can substan-tially decrease the number of majorprocessing steps and provide large im-provements in product yield, energy useand emissions,” researcher Eric Ott saidin a recent paper. However, meltless tita-nium is still at an early stage of researchand development.

Some rare materials, like rhenium, willbe less commonly used mainly becausethere is concern about their long-termavailability. “That’s a change from the past,when conventional wisdom was that suchmaterials would always be readily avail-able,” Schafrik said. �


Engine makers engaged inquest for material grail

A titanium crystal bar. Titanium aluminide provideshigher strength at lower density and in a compositematerial, a titanium alloy matrix can help makeparts smaller. “Meltless” titanium could simplify the manufacturing process.

by Thierry Dubois

iXMotion, a French supplier of mechani-cal, electronic and software engineering andsystems and a manufacturer of motion simu-lators, is here at Farnborough (Hall 1 StandA15) exhibiting its range of antenna stationplatforms, also known as posi-tioners. The company begandelivering the platforms twoyears ago and currently iscompleting several con-tracts. Positioners are oneof several applications foriXMotion’s expertise in mo-tion simulators, which areused to test gyroscopes andaccelerometers.

“Our skills are in preci-sion motion,” sales vicepresident Bertrand Laubietold AIN. A positioner is apedestal that holds anantenna or an optical devicein place with great precision so it can beaimed at a radio or video transmitter. Toachieve this, iXMotion supplies the posi-tioner with its embedded control unit,including gyrostabilization and tracking.

Platforms can be provided with one-,two- or three-axis for various military,civil and space applications. iXMotion’s

customers for positioners include theFrench ministry of defense and EADSsubsidiary Cilas.

So far, iXMotion’s activities in inertialcomponent testing have focused onmotion simulators through which it has

developed capabilities in automatics,mechanics and software. Inertial

component manufacturersThales, Sagem, NorthropGrumman and Honeywellare all iXMotion customers.

Exports account for over60 percent of iXMotion’s rev-enues. “But we need the

French authorities to give thenecessary authorizations forus to access foreign militarymarkets,” Laubie said.

According to Laubie,iXMotion, which has been inbusiness for 30 years, has had

no sudden upturn or downturn in its business“because we are in long cycles,” he said.

Despite the fact that some customershave suffered during the continuingeconomic downturn, Laubie said the com-pany expects its overall volume ofbusiness to remain fairly steady this yearand next. –T.D.

iXMotion’s 3-axis positionerempowers antenna stations

Coverage provided byiXMotion’s POS-30 three-axisplatform for antenna stationsincludes an azimuth of 360degrees continuous.

ALC

HE

MIS

T-H

P

Pg-38_d2_ENGMAT_v5.qxp 7/8/10 12:34 PM Page 1

CA101758_Chronospace_275x352_Air1 1 23.6.2010 14:31:45AIN Ad Template.indd 1 6/30/10 1:59 PM


Ruag Aerospace plans to de-liver its first new-build 19-seatDornier 228 New Generation to astill-unidentified Japanese com-muter airline at the end of Sep-tember. The Switzerland-basedgroup is one of two companies torecently re-introduce a vintage 19-seat unpressurized turboprop to theregional airline and utility market.

Canada’s Viking Aerospace re-launched the de HavillandTwin Otter in 2007 and holdsa backlog of more than 50 air-planes worth more than $200million. However, Ruag Aero-space Services sales directorHubert Seher sees the Do 228 as a more credible replacementfor aging Beech 1900s, FairchildMetros and Embraer Ban-deirantes still flying due to itssuperior payload capabilities andtakeoff performance.

Seher told AIN that the com-pany plans to build between 12and 18 airplanes a year and seesAsia, Africa and South Americaas its primary markets. Capableof flying at least 450 nm with afull payload, the 228NG neededno special exemptions to complywith FAR 23, which requires one-engine-out takeoff capability. Italso boast good short takeoff andlanding performance.

The new 228NG is expected tocomplete European certification bythe end of the third quarter, withU.S. approval to follow soon after.

Of the 1,600 19-seat airplaneson the market, more than 60 per-cent have flown for more than 30years, said Seher. Ruag now sup-ports Do 228s flown by U.S. touroperator Vision Air of Las Vegasand Sheridan, Wyoming-basedcharter operator BigHorn Airways.

Worldwide, the company ex-pects the airplane to play a largerrole in utility and military opera-tions than in airline passengerservice. “There is a big gap espe-cially in Brazil and SouthAmerica, because there is no successor to [the Ban-deirante],” said Seher.

On November 12 last year,Ruag rolled out its first Do 228 atits Oberpfaffenhofen facility insouthern Germany, where Dornierand its successor, Fairchild Dor-nier, built more than 200 of theairplanes between 1982 and 2002.

In 2003 Ruag bought out ofbankruptcy the Aircraft Servicesdivision of the defunct FairchildDornier, and with it, the typecertificate for the Do 228. It announced the launch of the Do228NG in 2007 and since thenhas secured an order for a singleairplane from Lufttransport ofNorway and the new Japanesecustomer, along with “a few”other undisclosed operators inAustralia, Argentina, Vietnamand Mexico.

Built in Germany using sub-assemblies and airframe sectionsproduced by Hindustan Aeronau-tics in India, the 228NG hasimproved performance thanks to its new 776-shp HoneywellTPE331-10 engines and new five-blade propellers.

The cockpit features a glassavionics suite with an improved

flight management system and afour-screen electronic flight infor-mation system from UniversalAvionics, as well as radios andnavigation equipment from Rock-well Collins.

The powerplant improve-ments for the new-generationversion are covered by STCs andwill be available for retrofit onearlier models.

The new avionics suite isalready certified, having beenincorporated into a pair of 228snow in service with the Dutchcoast guard.

The propeller, which weighs77 pounds less than the originalfour-bladed unit, is designedand manufactured by Germany’sMT Propeller. In a series ofsome 350 modifications, Ruaghas also replaced a number ofminor parts around the airframeto further reduce weight and im-prove reliability. �

The 228NG’s cockpit features a glass avionics suite with Universal Avionics’ flightmanagement system and four-screen electronic flight information system, as well asRockwell Collins navcom equipment.

Part and subassembly special-ist Figeac Aero is a first-timeexhibitor here at the Farnboroughairshow (Hall 1 Stand A15), withthe news that it is expanding itsactivities to include hard metalmachining. After having beenbadly hit by the economy lastyear, the French company hopesrevenues are back on an ascend-ing curve.

“We have begun to grow ourbusiness in the UK through ourfirst contracts with Airbus’s fac-tories in Broughton and Filton,”sales and marketing v-p LucRouan told AIN. Figeac Aero hasalso contacts with Rolls-Royce,GKN and Spirit AeroSystems inBritain, and he indicated that itsees its relationship with Spirit asa step to eventually reach Boeing.

“We are expanding the hardmetal machining activity–steel,titanium and inconel [a specialistalloy]–in a new building withmore machines,” Rouan said. Thecompany also is addingaluminum extruded parts to itsproduct range and it plans toincrease the number of machinesit employs for aluminum, tita-nium and extrusion milling from40 to 70.

The firm also now can provideentire work packages, from designto manufacturing. “We are a risk-sharing partner with Aerolia forthe Airbus A350’s floor in Section

12,” Rouan said. The subassem-bly, which is located in theforward section, close to the pas-senger door, will be made ofaluminum and titanium. Figeacalso does work on Section 15 ofAirbus’s A330.

Opening Tunisia FacilityContinuing its expansion plans,

the company is set to open analuminum machining facility inTunisia, hoping to benefit fromlower labor costs there. Thefactory is scheduled to start operations in the first half of2011 with 15 employees–a num-ber expected to rise to 150 overthree to four years.

According to Rouan, FigeacAero’s revenues dropped from?64 million ($77 million) in 2008

to ?48 million ($58 million) in2009. The company forecasts itwill be back to ?64 million thisyear and grow to ?90 million($108 million) in 2011 and ?110million ($132 million) in 2012, asa result of a growing workloadfrom Airbus, Embraer, Aeroliaand Bombardier, among others.“We’ll begin being busy with theA350 in [the] 2013 to 2014 [timeframe],” Rouan added.

However, the recent downturnhas taken its toll on the com-pany’s own workforce. In 2008, itemployed 520 in France beforecutting back to 470 the next year.The workforce now numbers ap-proximately 500 and Figeac saidthe company anticipates increas-ing that headcount by another 150to 200 in the near term. �

Figeac branches out into hard metalby Thierry Dubois

Figeac Aero, which manufactures subassemblies for Airbus, including the floor structureof the A330 freighter’s Section 15, is expanding thanks to an uptick in business.

Ruag preps to deliver new-gen Dornier 228by Gregory Polek

Ruag Aerospace plans to deliver its first new-build 19-seat Dornier 228 New Generation to a Japanesecommuter airline at the end of September. The re-launched model has improved performance thanksto its 776-shp Honeywell TPE331-10 engines and five-blade propellers.

Pg-40_d2_Ruag_v3.qxp 7/8/10 12:23 PM Page 1

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Which is why we gave it impressive range and speed, plus an astonishingly smooth, quiet ride. One that practically screams you’ve arrived.

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The National Research Coun-cil Canada Institute for AerospaceResearch (NRC Aerospace) gen-erally doesn’t engage in the sortof fundamental research com-monly done at the universitylevel. Instead, it occupies a sort ofa middle ground between acade-mia and industry, filling aninnovation gap as wide as threetechnology readiness levels

(TRLs). As a result, it engagesprimarily in what Dr. IbrahimYimer calls mission-orientedresearch. “The goal is always[keeping] the end user in mind,even if we do innovative typeresearch,” he said.

For example, NRC Aerospace(Hall 4 Stand C19c) works with apartnership between Pratt & Whit-ney and Rolls-Royce calledGlacier LLC on a large-engine testfacility in Thompson, Manitoba,set to open this autumn. NRC’srole centers on icing research at thefacility, where it installed an icingmast capable of producing a cloudof supercooled liquid droplets. Thefacility carries the capacity to holdengines producing up to 150,000pounds of thrust.

Other areas in which NRCAerospace specializes includeadvanced materials and struc-tures, propulsion, aerodynamics,advanced manufacturing andavionics/flight operations. Muchof its research centers on conduc-tive bonding technologies forcomposites. “One of the down-sides of composites is that they’renot conductive,” said Yimer. “Sohow do you make them conduc-tive so they’ll act more likealuminum during lightningstrikes, for example.”

In aerodynamics, perhapsNRC Aerospace’s most remark-able studies involve what Yimercalled “morphing-wing technol-ogy.” By actively measuring theboundary layer separation on thesurface of the wing, smallhydraulic actuators and sensorson the skin automatically modify

its geometry so that it can delayseparation and allow the laminarboundary layer–rather than turbu-lence–to cover more of the airfoil,explained Yimer.

In the field of propulsion, theNRC performs studies on the per-formance of ice crystals onengines. “Even the FAA hascome to tell us that we’ve got theworldwide lead on that,” said

Yimer. One major area of studyinvolves the detection of ice crys-tals in the atmosphere and NRCresearchers have developed an iso-kinetic probe that can measuretotal water content when flying athigh altitude through clouds withice crystals. Claimed to be theonly fully functioning device of itskind in the world, the probe isplanned for flight testing next year.

NRC is also studying ice accre-tion and shedding inside aircraftengines. “On the inside of theengine, where it’s warm, peopledon’t think that ice crystals can beformed,” said Yimer, “but they doand they do so very quickly to thepoint where you accumulateenough to choke the engine.”

In the field of avionics andflight operations, the NRC workson a program called high altitudeaircraft research capability(HAARC), for which it placedspecial instruments on a Lock-heed T-33 jet trainer to studyturbulence and aircraft emissionsat altitudes up to 40,000 feet. TheHAARC also allows the T-33 toperform wake vortex research

and measure how the wake inter-acts with aircraft performance.

The NRC Aerospace researchfleet comprises three helicopters:a Bell 412 HP, a Bell 205A and aBell 206; and six fixed-wing air-craft: the T-33, a Falcon 20, aConvair 580, a de Havilland TwinOtter, a Harvard Mark IV trainerand the newest addition, an Extra300 aerobatic aircraft.

The Bell 412 HP is undergo-ing an engine modification byCalgary-based Eagle Copters,contracted to replace the 412HP’s engines with a Pratt & Whit-ney Canada PT6T-9 Twin-Pac.“NRC gets new engines,” saidNRC director Stewart Baillie,“while Eagle Copters will acquirea new service it can offer to Bell412 operators around the globe.”Transport Canada is expected toaward Eagle supplemental typecertificate approval for the modi-fication after it is completed onthe NRC 412.

NRC Aerospace also provideshighly specialized facilities andequipment, including eight windtunnels, the largest of whichmeasures 30 feet by 30 feet.Employing more than 350 full-time staff, the institute alsohouses about 100 guest workers,students and representatives fromindustry partners “at anymoment,” said Yimer.

The group’s holdings alsoinclude a full-scale structural testrig large enough to accommodatean F-18 wing for static anddynamic loading; engine andcombustion test cells largeenough to house engines that pro-duce up to 25,000 pounds ofthrust; material characterizationand testing equipment; andacoustic reverberant chamberscapable of holding a full-scalesatellite. The institute also main-tains a machine capable ofmanufacturing about 30-foot-longcomposite fuselage segments witha diameter of a Boeing 737 or Air-bus A320. NRC Aerospace hasalso used the machine to make afull-scale helicopter tail boom. �


NRC Canada bridges the gap� Rolls-Royce Opens JSF LiftSystem Facility

Rolls-Royce has opened a new $17 million cell at its Bristolplant dedicated to the manufacture of the unique 3BSM (three-bearing swiveling module) system that is a critical element of theF-35B’s short takeoff and vertical landing capability. The 3BSMdirects the main jet thrust from the conventional horizontalthrustline to the vertical for hovering. The three elements of thesystem rotate to deflect thrust up to 95 degrees from thehorizontal while operating in the high-temperature, high-pressureenvironment of the engine’s exhaust. The full traverse isaccomplished in just 2.5 seconds. Rolls-Royce supplies the maincomponents of the F-35B’s LiftSystem, comprising the 3BSM,forward lift fan, variable-area vanebox nozzle and roll posts.

� Boeing Picks Collins for E-3 Avionics UpgradesBoeing has selected Rockwell Collins to upgrade the avionics

in dozens of U.S. Air Force and NATO E-3s as part of amodernization program called Dragon. The upgrade includescockpit controls and displays, flight management systems and asuite of navigation and communication equipment designed tosupport future airspace requirements.

Rockwell Collins will initially design a flight managementsystem for 33 air force E-3B/Cs and 17 NATO E-3As. Boeing built68 E-3 Sentrys–an Awacs aircraft based on the Boeing707–between 1977 and 1991. Most of the remainder are in servicewith the air forces of Saudi Arabia and the UK.

� Third Gulfstream G250 Joins Flight Test ProgramThe third and final Gulfstream G250 test airplane has joined the

flight-test program, taking off on June 28 from Ben GurionInternational Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel–the location of IsraelAerospace Industries’ (IAI’s) main facility. The three aircraft arepart of the 1,300-hour flight-test program that started in December2009 with S/N 2001, which is focused on in-flight performance.Serial number 2002 is being used to test avionics, while S/N 2003concentrates on systems functionality and reliability.

The G250 super mid-size business jet, an upgrade of the G200(previously the Galaxy) is a collaborative program of IAI andGulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of GeneralDynamics. Gulfstream holds the type certificates for the G100,G150 and G200 business jets, and will hold the type certificate forthe G250. Concurrent certification of the G250 by Israeli civilaviation authority and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration isplanned for next year.

� Dunlop Launches First Products for ATR AircraftDunlop Aircraft Tyres (Hall 4 Stand C14) has developed the

radial main wheel and bias nose wheel tires for the ATR 42 andATR 72 regional turboprop aircraft, following demand fromoperators for more tire choice. These first products for ATR ensurethat the UK company is ideally placed to support all of the majorregional aircraft operated by the world’s airlines, said chairman IanEdmondson.

“Thanks to the opening of our new distribution and retreadingfacility in China, Edmondson added, “we are well placed tosupport the ATR fleet that operates in Asia Pacific, alongside ourtraditional markets of Europe, the Americas and Africa.”

� Airbus Gets FAA Nod for A330/A340 EFBAirbus has received U.S. certification for the “Flysmart with

Airbus” electronic flight bag (EFB) on the A330/A340 family. Thesystem was certified in October 2008 and is already in operationwith Thai Airways, Aeroflot and Oman Air. With approval from theFederal Aviation Administration, Saudi Arabian and HawaiianAirlines will follow.

Airbus’ EFB is a Class-3 system, which means that thehardware is certified and integrated in the cockpit. It can hostapplications such as navigation charts, performance calculationand electronic logbook. Among other features, it includes Wi-Fi,GSM and satcom links.

NEWS CLIPS

by Gregory Polek

NRC Does Flight Testing for Smaller CompaniesNRC Aerospace is now offering developmental and certification flight test-

ing for the needs of smaller Canadian and international aerospace companies.The designation of Rob Erdos, NRC chief test pilot, as a Transport Canadadesign approval representative (DAR), is a major part of this new service. As aDAR, Erdos will be able to examine the airworthiness of aircraft designs anddetermine their compliance with air regulations, and assess the pilot skillrequired to operate the aircraft. “We developed this capability because wewanted to support the needs of smaller companies, which may not be largeenough to have test pilots and the associated support people on staff,” saidStewart Baillie, director of NRC Aerospace Flight Research Laboratory. –G.P.

NRC is studying ice accredition and shedding inside turbine engines.

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BAE Systems is preparing for the startof flight trials of a landing-vision aid forhelicopter pilots that uses millimeter-waveradar to see through brownout conditionscreated by blowing dust or sand.

Called Blast, the technology can create3-D or top-down views of a landing site andportray those images in the cockpit on a hel-met-mounted or LCD multifunction display.Blast’s computer compares topography data

with the radar image to determine the loca-tion of obstructions down to the size of aone-eighth-inch wire. Potential hazards areshown on the display in red.

BAE Systems plans to begin flight testsof Blast’s 94-GHz monopulse radar sensornext year in preparation for sales of theproduct to military customers. The technol-ogy would be particularly welcome in placeslike Afghanistan and Iraq where brownout-landing conditions are common, said PaulCooke, director of business development fordefense avionics at BAE Systems.

Real-time Situational Awareness“Blast gives the pilot real-time situa-

tional awareness of objects in and aroundthe landing zone,” Cooke said. “It uses alow-power, high-resolution modulatedcontinuous wave radar that weighs just 10pounds, so it’s perfect for use in a heli-copter.” The radar signal is digitized andprocessed using monopulse processing toprovide terrain details, including theheight of objects, and create a 3-D terrainmodel. Missile maker MBDA suppliesthe radar.

A complementary technology, accordingto Cooke, is BAE Systems’ helmet-mounted Q-Sight display, which clips to any standard pilot helmet and can beused with night-vision goggles. Launchcustomer for Q Sight is the UK RoyalNavy, which has ordered several units forupcoming missions. First deliveries arescheduled to start within 30 to 45 days,Cooke said.

As part of the shift in focus to

the Q-Sight product, BAE Systems hasdecided to stop marketing its Q-HUD for commercial applications, Cooke said.The decision will enable the HUD devel-opment team to focus more of itsresources on the Q-Sight product, heexplained.

This week, BAE Systems is offeringdemonstration of the Blast and Q-Sighttechnologies in the Farnborough showsite’s FIVE building. �


BAE Systems’ Blast uses millimeter-wave radar tocreate 3-D or top down views of a helicopter’slanding site, enhancing situational awareness.

BAE’s helicopter terrainawareness system is a Blastby Stephen Pope

Elbit Systems is showcasing a widerange of its products and capabilities hereat Farnborough (Hall 1 Stand C14).Among them is CockpitNG, a new pilotinterface system based on a 22-inch high-definition central display. All avionicscomponents are integrated into a singlesuite employing touch-sensitive technol-ogy for ease of operation.

CockpitNG is intended for adaptationto a range of aircraft, from trainers andhelicopters to transports and fighters. Itcan be fully integrated with head-up and helmet-mounted displays, and alsoincludes a full suite of avionics applica-tions. It includes a smart electronic flightbag and a 3-D vector map to provide high-way-in-the-sky presentation capability. It

can also accommodate embedded virtualavionics to provide for virtual radar, elec-tronic warfare and targeting pod training.

The new cockpit is just one element ofElbit’s portfolio, which includes electro-optical sensors, helmet-mounted displayssuch as the new Targo, countermeasures,the Elisra range of electronic warfareequipment and unmanned air vehicles. Inthis latter sector Elbit has scored manysuccesses with its Hermes family, includ-ing being adopted as the platform for theBritish Army’s Watchkeeper program. In May this year, Elbit received its firstcustomer for the larger Hermes 900,which has been ordered by the IsraeliMinistry of Defense alongside additionalHermes 450s. –D.D.

CockpitNG leads Elbit assault

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In late May, Kaman Aero-space announced that it hadreceived a $2.9 million contractfrom the U.S. Army’s Aviationand Missile Research Develop-ment and Engineering Center(AMRDEC) to further refine itsUnmanned K-Max heavylift heli-copter for potential theateroperations. The contract comeshot on the heels of two successfuldemonstrations of the UnmannedK-Max for both the army and theU.S. Marine Corps.

Both services have identified apossible requirement for anunmanned system to delivercargo and supplies around thebattlefield. This need has arisenfrom experience in Iraq andAfghanistan, where manned

assets are often overstretched.Therefore, out of necessity, manysupplies are being moved by road,where they are vulnerable toinsurgent attack via improvisedexplosive devices and ambushes.

Getting the trucks off the roadis seen as a key means by whichthe alarming rate of friendly casu-alties can be reduced. Using anunmanned air system as a meansof delivery not only greatlyreduces exposure to fire, but isconsiderably cheaper than usingmanned helicopters.

Team K-MaxIn March 2007, Lockheed

Martin joined forces with Kamanto offer an unmanned version ofthe K-Max commercial logging

helicopter, which can carry slungloads of up to 6,000 pounds at sealevel. Within Team K-Max, Lock-heed Martin supplies the missionmanagement system.

Last August, under the auspicesof the U.S. Marine Corps Warfight-ing Laboratory, contracts wereissued to Lockheed Martin and

Boeing to demonstrate a near-termunmanned cargo delivery solutionunder the “Immediate Cargo UAS”banner. Boeing employed itsA160T Hummingbird unmannedrotorcraft for the demonstration,which was conducted at the Dug-way Proving Ground in Utah,where the terrain approximatesthat of Afghanistan.

Team K-Max took N131KA–itsunmanned demonstrator–to Utahfor three days in January, and Boe-ing followed in March. Themarines had identified a desirablecapability of delivering between10,000 and 20,000 pounds to alocation 75 miles away in a 24-hour period, a capacity reflected inthe demonstration by a 2,500-pound transfer in six hours. TeamK-Max actually achieved morethan 3,000 pounds in five hours,and also demonstrated a requiredhover with a 1,500-pound load at12,000 feet. Also displayed werenight capability, autonomous andremote-controlled flight, mid-flight retasking and multi-drop capability. Separately, theUnmanned K-Max demonstratedflight cruise at 17,300 feet with a1,500-pound load.

Perhaps the highlight of the tri-als involved the Unmanned

K-Max carrying four loads total-ing 3,450 pounds on itscompany-developed carouselload-carrying system. Three loadswere deposited autonomously atdifferent locations, demonstratingaccuracy within the 10-meter lim-its, while the fourth dropdemonstrated the ability of a con-troller to remotely and preciselydirect the K-Max from the ground.

Following the success at Dug-way, Team K-Max conducted aseries of airdrop trials in April atits Bloomfield facility in Con-necticut. In partnership with theU.S. Army’s Natick SoldierResearch Development and Engi-neering Center (NSRDEC), TeamK-Max undertook 11 airdrops ofcargo from altitudes rangingfrom 150 to 300 feet. The dropsused the army’s standard low-altitude cross parachute, whichcan handle loads of between 80and 600 pounds. In one of thedemonstrations, the UnmannedK-Max released four separateloads from the carousel system.Following these successful trials,Team K-Max and the army arestudying the employment of theJoint Precision AirDrop System(JPADS) for airdrops fromgreater altitudes. �

Unmanned K-Max prepares to lift a 1,500-poundload during the Marine Corps demonstration at Dugway in January.U.S.Army funding

unmanned K-Maxby David Donald

Aviation Communications &Surveillance Systems (ACSS), aU.S.-based maker of TCAS andADS-B avionics, has startedequipping dozens of airliners insupport of a European-sponsoredtechnology demonstration programaimed at saving fuel on transat-lantic flights.

Part of Eurocontrol’s Cascadeinitiative, ACSS is installingautomatic dependent surveil-lance-broadcast avionics aboardairliners for flight trials plannedto start early next year. Three air-lines have been picked for theprogram, the first publiclyannounced carrier being US Air-ways, which is equipping 20Airbus A320s with ACSS ADS-Bhardware that features specialsoftware allowing pilots flyingover the North Atlantic to seeother traffic on displays in thecockpit. The idea is to give flightcrews a clear view of nearby traf-fic that in turn will allow them toreach the most fuel-efficient flightlevels as quickly as possible.

“Without ADS-B, pilots oftenhave to make multiple calls toATC to request a flight-levelchange,” explained ACSS presi-dent Kris Ganase. “The in-trailprocedures these flights areintended to demonstrate willenhance situational awareness byallowing the pilots to see every-body else so they know the idealtime to contact the controller”

and ask for a climb. In addition to US Airways,

another major U.S. airline and aEuropean airline will participate inthe flight trials. The start of the pro-gram was delayed by this spring’svolcanic eruptions in Iceland.

ACSS last year participated inan Airbus-led program calledCristal that carried out the first in-flight demonstration of newprocedures to save fuel and reduceemissions during cruise flights onoceanic routes. The company is alsoon an ITT team awarded a majorcontract from the U.S. Federal Avia-tion Administration to studyADS-B technologies as part of theagency’s NextGen ATC overhaul.

Safe RouteACSS is perhaps best known

for development of its SafeRoutetechnology, which UPS is using tospeed arrivals at its hub inLouisville, Kentucky. The cargoairline slowed plans to equip itsfleet with the SafeRoute technol-ogy when the recession hit.

Software applications based onADS-B technology remainACSS’s biggest market differen-tiator, but the company’sbread-and-butter business is salesof its traffic alert and collisionavoidance (TCAS) equipment.ACSS TCAS units are flying onthousands of aircraft worldwide.The company’s latest T3CASproduct has been selected as stan-

dard equipment on all narrow-body Airbus airliners.

Underscoring the importance ofthat part of its business, Ganasesaid recent technology demonstra-tion programs have provided aboost for TCAS sales as well. “USAirways wasn’t even a TCAS cus-tomer before we started the[Cascade] trials,” he said. “Nowthey are equipping their entirefleet” with ACSS products.

ACSS stands to benefit greatlyfrom the move toward ADS-Btechnology. The company notedthat the FAA recently certified itsXS-950 air transport datalinkmode-S transponder for ADS-BOut functionality, which will berequired for all aircraft flying inU.S. airspace by 2020. US Air-ways and UPS plan to install theequipment in a mix of Airbus andBoeing airliners.

ACSS also recently became thefirst maker of TCAS devices toobtain approval for Change 7.1software, a safety enhancementEurocontrol developed in the after-math of the 2002 midair collisionof a Russian airliner with a DHLcargo plane over Germany. Change7.1 provides two important safetyimprovements. The first is “reversallogic,” which allows the TCAS toamend a traffic resolution advisoryif it sees a threat aircraft taking thesame corrective action–for exam-ple, both aircraft climbing to avoida collision. The software alsoreplaces the “adjust vertical speed”verbal command with a “level-off ”resolution advisory.

Phoenix, Arizona-based ACSSis 70 percent owned by L-3 Com-munications in the U.S. and30-percent by Thales in France. �

ACSS equipping airlinersfor Euro technology demoby Stephen Pope

TURKISH WEDGETAIL WINGS ITS WAY IN

One of the four Turkish Air Force Boeing 737 Wedgetails is being dis-played here at the Farnborough show static park. The dorsal fin of theAirborne Early Warning & Control aircraft houses a Northrop Grum-man Electronic Systems multirole electronically scanned array radar.

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Canada’s Viking Air celebrates a majormilestone here this afternoon when it handsover its first new Twin Otter 400 to launchcustomer Zimex Aviation. The Swiss opera-tor plans to send the aircraft to North Africato work in support of contracts for the oiland gas industry. The revamped, 21st-Century version of the classic twin turbo-prop made its first flight in February andcompleted the Canadian and European certi-fication process last month. U.S. certificationis expected by the end of this year.

This first production version of theSeries 400, which is appearing in the dailyflight display at Farnborough, was givenSerial Number 845, thus continuing thetype’s original de Havilland run, whichended 22 years ago. Viking (Hall 2 StandC20a) holds orders for 50 of the newmodel with a collective value of some$200 million and the Canadian companysays it is working on possible deals withsome 40 prospective clients.

“We’ve been lucky and have not beenhit by any cancellations or delays,” saidbusiness development v-p Robert Mau-racher, who noted that the values of existingTwin Otters have held strong even duringthe recent downturn. “Our biggest problemright now is that people don’t want to waituntil 2013 to get a new airplane.”

Of the original 844 Twin Otters built,nearly 600 are still flying. While Viking haspreserved many features of the original deHavilland Canada DHC-6’s famously ruggedairframe–it acquired the original DHC-6type certificate from Bombardier in 2006–the new aircraft’s engineers have made morethan 400 changes from the legacy version.“We’ve added things only where eitherobsolescence was an issue or we could addvalue through technology,” said Mauracher.

Composites IntroducedAmong the changes were the substitu-

tion of composite doors and nose to reduceweight and increase payload, the installa-tion of LED lighting, improved airflow inthe cabin and cockpit, and the creation of amodern glass cockpit designed aroundHoneywell’s Primus Apex avionics suite.Viking initially considered Garmin’sG1000, but the system’s primary flight dis-plays did not meet the level-A softwarerequirements needed for a transport cate-gory aircraft with more than nine seats,such as the Twin Otter.

According to Mauracher, North Ameri-can sales account for only eight of the aircraftin the order book so far, including three tothe U.S. Army. “Our market is the rest of theworld,” he said, “and we still haven’t tappedIndia and other developing markets that wesee as fertile ground in the future.” Basedon its current sales, the company is also pur-suing certification in Australia and Russia.

This year, Viking plans to deliver the 10Twin Otters currently under construction in

Calgary, and next year it wants to build 16to 18 aircraft before deciding whether toramp up to peak production of 24 in 2012.Mauracher noted that the newly openedmanufacturing facility at the company’sheadquarters in Victoria, British Columbia,could eventually produce enough part setsfor nearly 50 aircraft a year, but the actualassembly of that many would require moreinvestment in infrastructure.

While many of the aircraft components aremade in Victoria, the company has subcon-

tracted others. Fleet Canada in Ontario makesthe empennage, while Quebec-based DelastekAéronautique makes the composite parts.

Under current plans, Viking will build allaircraft to a standard specification and installcustomer-selected options upon completion.Currently on the options list are a de-icingpackage that includes Goodrich boots on thewings and tail, prop de-icing and heatedwindshield, air conditioning; private andcommercial IFR packages, long-rangewingtip fuel tanks, and any landing gear thecustomer wants as long as it’s wheels, straightfloats, amphibious floats, skis or wheeledskis. The company expects to offer a Honey-well autopilot option by the end of the year.

Powered by a pair of Pratt & WhitneyCanada PT6A-34s or optional PT6A-35s(tuned for hot-and-high operations) drivingthree-blade Hartzell propellers, the Series400 has a top speed of 182 knots at 10,000

feet and a range of nearly 800 miles withstandard fuel tanks. The unpressurized twinhas a service ceiling of 26,700 feet (withcrew/passenger oxygen), and STOL per-formance that allows the aircraft to clear a50-foot obstacle in 1,200 feet. WhileViking is still evaluating the final perform-ance figures, the 400 series is lighter andfaster than the legacy Twin Otter and has a“better than hoped-for fuel burn.”

Cargo and Roll-up DoorsEach aircraft comes equipped as stan-

dard with a 54-inch-wide cargo door;in-flight-operable fold-up and roll-up doorsfor aerial cargo drops and parachuting areoptional. The basic seating configurationprovides a 19-seat commuter cabin in aone-two layout. Another option providesfolding seats for quick conversion forcargo hauling. The cabin–which is morethan 18 feet long–also provides locationsfor a lavatory at either the front or rear.Viking has even received orders for fouraircraft with a VIP club interior, which willbe completed either by Wipaire in Min-nesota or by California-based IkhanaGroup subsidiary RW Martin.

As part of its new 84,000-sq-ft manu-facturing facility at Victoria InternationalAirport, Viking opened a new corporatehead office last December, freeing upadditional space in its previous structurenext door that will continue to house itsmaintenance and FBO operations. Thecompany recently received EASA Part 145maintenance approval, which will allow itto perform and certify maintenance onEuropean-registered aircraft. �


New-build Twin Otterwill pull oil-field dutyby Curt Epstein

Viking Air’s first Series 400 Twin Otter is being delivered to launchcustomer Zimex Aviation here at theFarnborough airshow. S/N 845 isdestined to work in support ofcontracts for the oil and gas industryin North Africa.

General Atomics Aeronauti-cal Systems (GA-ASI) recentlycompleted flight tests of its newLynx advanced multi-channelradar (AMR) on its own Preda-tor B unmanned aircraft system(UAS). The AMR combines thefunctions of a synthetic aper-ture radar and a ground movingtarget indicator.

According to the U.S. com-pany, the flight trials in May atits Gray Butte flight operationsfacility in Palmdale, Califor-nia, were the first time thatradar dismount detection capa-bility has been demonstratedon an aircraft in the Predatorclass of UASs. “This criticalmilestone demonstrates the

‘plug-and-play’ attributes ofthe Lynx QRC [quick reactioncapability] AMR and is the lastmajor objective we needed toachieve before offering thiscapability to various customersby the end of this year,” saidLinden Blue, president of theReconnaissance Systems Groupof GA-ASI.

During the flight tests, theAMR was evaluated for dis-mount detection performance(that is, the ability to detectground personnel walking orrunning). For this function, theLynx AMR uses space timeadaptive processing (STAP) anddelivers output to a ground con-trol station and its disseminationchannels, which comply withNATO’s STANAG 4607 militarystandards. The ground stationsoftware also supports real-timecross-cueing to the UAS’s elec-tro-optical infrared payload.

The flight trials also in-cluded evaluation of the exist-ing Lynx synthetic apertureradar function in nose-on geom-etry at Predator B loiteringspeeds. Using a typical routesurveillance “push-broom” flightprofile, Lynx was able to detectpeople walking slowly withouthaving to modify the existing

operational software.“The ability to detect and

track dismounts and slow mov-ing vehicles over large areasand to cross-cue the on-boardvideo sensor to areas of interestis an emerging military andcivilian surveillance require-ment,” said Blue. “The LynxAMR provides this capabilityover its full field-of-regard in alow-cost, ‘plug-and-play’ con-figuration for Predator B andSky Warrior Alpha aircraft.”

GA-ASI plans to continuedevelopment of the LynxAMR software for the rest ofthis year to further improvethe dismount detection per-formance before offering thesystem to U.S. Predator B andSky Warrior Alpha operators,such as the U.S. Air Force,U.S. Army and the Departmentof Homeland Security/Cus-toms and Border Protection.

In addition to being a UASdeveloper, GA-ASI (Hall 2Stand A9) also specializes intactical reconnaissance radarand surveillance systems. –C.A.

Lynx advanced radar isproved aboard Predator B

Flight tests of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ new Lynx advanced multi-channel radar on its Predator B marked the first time that radar dismountdetection capability has been demonstrated on an aircraft in that class of UASs.

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GE Aviation

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Something new is coming from GE…again.

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The air transport industry wascaught off guard in April whenhuge plumes of ash from Ice-land’s Eyjafjallajökull volcanoeffectively shut down flying inEurope for a week, strandingthousands of passengers anddraining at least $1 billion fromair carriers. Now, several monthslater the fact that engineers arestill having a hard time under-standing precisely how volcanicash damages an aircraft and itsengines lends weight to the viewthat the industry was woefully ill-prepared for this problem.

The general principles are wellknown–particles cause abrasioneverywhere and can create layersof sediment on engine blades, not forgetting corrosion. Butunderstanding the physics of aphenomenon calls for complexequations and number-crunching.

“If the industry had spent onR&D 10 percent of what it lostduring the volcano crisis, wewould have a much better knowl-edge of aircraft behavior in smallash concentrations–they couldeven be certified to fly in suchsmall concentrations,” Jean-PierreMesure, deputy technical directorfor aircraft airworthiness andoperations with French civil avia-tion authority DGAC, told AIN.He explained that ash particlesthat stay in the atmosphere are thesmallest ones–the bigger, heavierones fall.

The size of these airborne ashparticles is in the order of a fewmicrometers. Most of them aremade of silica (SiO2), a very hard material, and have sharpedges. “They are very abrasive,”Mesure said.

Like Rubbing with SandpaperFlying into silica-contaminated

air can damage air intakes, turbo-fan blades, propellers, wings, the windshield and antennas–likerubbing them with sandpaper. In addition, these particles areelectrostatic and discharge on to the aircraft itself, causing electro-magnetic interference, possiblyaffecting radio communications.

In an engine, the main damagecaused by the ash is erosion. Fan and compressor blades areespecially affected. Compressorperformance is degraded, Michelde Gliniasty, the general scientificdirector of French aerospaceresearch office Onera, told AIN.As a consequence, the combustoris not fed properly with air andthe surge margin decreases.

Silica’s fusion point is 1,400-degrees Celsius–it melts in thecombustor. It can re-solidify intoglass on high-pressure turbineblades, creating unbalance. It cansimultaneously obstruct the tinyholes that are part of the blades’cooling system. As blade surfacetemperature increases, the crewhas to pull the throttle back. Insome cases, glass can have disap-peared from the turbine by thetime the aircraft is on the groundso technicians cannot see theproblem immediately. Or, flowingdown into the low-pressure tur-bine, silica can re-solidify thereand erode the blades.

Silica can even re-solidify inthe combustor, causing a powersurge. The engine can flame outand relight successively severaltimes in a short period. This canhave a favorable effect–breakingthe layer of solidified silica, deGliniasty noted. Another conse-quence can be the contaminationof bleed air, which itself is usedin the air pressurization system.

Some other particles are madeof silicate–a family of com-pounds that includes silicon,oxygen and, for example, metal.“Silicate can melt at lower

temperatures. This can be right atthe end of the high-pressure com-pressor, when temperature reaches700-degrees Celsius. This leadsto the risk of partly blocking airinjection into the combustor,” deGliniasty explained.

Ash can cause a variety ofproblems. Should an aircraft sud-denly enter a dense ash cloud,engines could choke because of alack of oxygen. Corrosion can bea subsequent effect due to gasesfrom the eruption reconstitutingthemselves into the very corro-sive compound H2S4.

There is great uncertainty as tothe exact connection between acertain level of air contaminationby volcanic ash and the resultinglevel of damage to an aircraft.Sometimes entering the ash cloudcauses no more damage thanleaving black sediment on fanblades, wing leading edges andthe nose. However, corrosion canappear later.

Inspections made after therecent event involved engines thathad flown into slightly contami-nated air. Each inspection takessix hours using a borescopewhile slowly spinning the enginerotors. A lot of engines from dif-ferent operators were monitored,Mesure said, but the techniciansfound nothing–just a smallamount of dust but no sedimentor damage. However, despite thetime spent on the inspections,some areas at the root of the

blades were not examined. Thismeant that the precise ash con-centration and size of particlesinto which the aircraft had flownremained unknown.

In the U.S, Honeywell hasborescoped the TPE331-5 turbo-prop engines removed from aDornier Do 228 that flew 10hours in the heart of the Icelandicash cloud and 22 hours in theouter zone. The aircraft wasoperated by the UK’s NationalEnvironment Research Council.One of the engines was run in atest cell late in June, while theother was torn down for inspec-tion. Honeywell plans to release afull report on the condition of theengines by the end of this month.

In mid-April, the authoritiesasked the engine makers, “Whatcan your engines tolerate?” Theanswer was simple, according toMesure: “We do not know; wehave never tried.” In fact, there isno airworthiness specification forvolcanic ash.

Nevertheless, a working groupwas formed, representing airwor-thiness authorities, navigationservice providers, weather expertsand airlines–60 organizations intotal. The assignment was todefine when flights could resume.

The group came back quicklywith a few numbers. The main onewas a threshold of two milligramsper cubic meter. Below that, it wasestimated that neither hazard nordissuasive economic impact, such

as too many inspections or toomuch wear, could be feared.

Concentration models were runagain and scientific aircraft usedlidars (laser-based instrumentsthat can measure concentrations),ran particle counters and took airsamples. Airliners flew withoutpassengers and were inspectedafter. “We saw that a lot of areaswere below the two-milligramthreshold,” Mesure said. Therefore,the authorities decided to allowflying in these areas and a fleetmonitoring program was created.

Two milligrams per cubicmeter level of contamination lookslike a tiny concentration, but youneed to consider the air flowthrough the engine. A CFM56engine, for example, sucks in 300cubic meters (10,000 cu ft) of airper second, according to Snecma.Optimizing turbofans in terms ofnoise and fuel burn requires high-bypass ratios. This means a lot ofair, and therefore a lot of particles,go through the engine. In addi-tion, cooled high-pressure turbineblades withstand higher tempera-tures, which is good for fuel burn,but makes them more vulnerable.

Particle SeparatorsCould particle separators be

useful? All engines have a cen-trifugal separator, de Gliniastysaid. On the ground, gills (locatedjust downstream the low-pressurecompressor) open to blow parti-cles from the primary airstreamto the bypass airstream. Ideally,this principle could be used in flight but the Onera expertpointed out that this would drasti-cally degrade engine efficiency.Mesure was negative, too. “Thisworks with sand but not withsuch small particles, which havetoo little inertia,” he said.

Volcanic ash is a rare encounterin the sky but air transport cannotignore it or say it is too unusualto take it into account. In lateMay and early June, air traffic inNew Caledonia was disrupted bya volcano located in Vanuatu.Records show 90 to 100 aircrafthave suffered from encounteringash in the last 30 years; thesesmall incidents caused variabledamage and some diversions.

In 1982 and 1989, two Boe-ing 747s underwent flameouts ofall four engines before theircrews managed to relight them.The 1982 serious incident took place in Indonesia as a con-sequence of the Galunggungvolcanic eruption. The 1989incident happened near Anchor-age, Alaska, during an eruptionof Mount Redoubt. A Snecmaengineer suggested that air trans-port will have to suffer an actualaccident due to volcanic ash ifaction is to be taken. �


Airspace closures mandatemore volcanic ash research by Thierry Dubois

Modified Dash 8 Peers into Volcano

The response to the volcanic ash crisis has proved to bean important application for the Bombardier Dash 8 Q300operated by Iceland’s coast guard. The aircraft was deliveredlast year after Canada’s Field Aviation modified it formaritime surveillance duties, and in recent months hasbeen pressed into service to keep a watchful eye on theEyjafjallajökull volcano.

The Dash 8 is the only aircraft in Iceland with thenecessary equipment to be able to pinpoint the eruptionsite accurately in zero-visibility conditions. The data ithas gathered about volcanic activity has been invaluableto geophysicists, volcanologists, meteorologists andother specialists.

The radar equipment installed by Field (Hall 4 StandC20) allows the coast guard to seethrough the volcanic plumes tophotograph the status and exact loca-tion of the crater. The Dash 8 Q300twin turboprop is also equipped withlong-range fuel capabilities and an auxiliary power unit, enabling it to

perform missions lasting more than eight hours. Modifications included a maritime search radar, side-

looking airborne radar (SLAR) and an electro-optical/infraredpod (FLIR). These systems are connected and controlledvia an L-3 Communications integrated data handling system.

Field Aviation also undertook a series of structural mod-ifications to the Dash 8, which included designing,engineering and integrating a new interior, and installingBombardier’s proprietary active noise and vibration system.The company has also designed and approved a flightoperable rear cargo door used for more normal maritimepatrol functions such deploying location flares, oil samplingbuoys and inflatable rafts, as well as by personnel needingto “paradrop” to the ground or to a vessel. –C.A.

A Bombardier Dash 8 Q300, modified by Field Aviation

for maritime surveillance duty and operated by Iceland’s coast

guard, has been flying in the vicinity of the Eyjafjallajökull

volcano pinpointing the eruption site accurately in zero-visibility conditions.

Pg-48-d2_VOL_v7.qxp 7/8/10 12:19 PM Page 1

Aviation & Applied Ecologyin Moscow has just taken deliveryof a Hawker Beechcraft King Air350 with provision for dual digi-tal-mapping cameras for photo-survey missions. It is also capableof being rapidly converted to VIPtransport configuration. This air-craft is the first King Air to beexported to Russia, the type hav-ing received its local certification

last December. Its rugged relia-bility and short-field capabilitymake it ideal for mapping inregions where there is little in theway of traditional support, andwhere runways may often beshort and unprepared.

Hawker Beechcraft has alsodelivered a King Air 200 to Aero-data AG of Germany, which willmodify the aircraft for maritime-

patrol work. After installation of mission equipment, such assearch radar and EO/IR turret,the aircraft is scheduled fordelivery to the armed forces ofMalta in early 2011. Malta willuse the aircraft on maritimepatrol and security missionsaround the island, and has asecond order pending.

In the special-missions sector,however, the big prize is the U.S.Army’s newly launched EMARSS(enhanced medium-altitude recon-naissance surveillance system)program, which is looking at 36modified King Air 350ERs toreplace ageing RC-7 and RC-12ISR (intelligence, surveillanceand reconnaissance) platforms.

EMARSS specifies that thefirst four units be ready for serv-ice within 18 months of contractaward. Various prime contractorssuch as Boeing, L-3 and NorthropGrumman are vying for the mis-sion system integration. L-3 hasalready produced an ISR version ofthe King Air 350ER–the MC-12WLiberty–for the U.S. Air Force. �


Special-mission King Airscontinue to find new work

Vasilly Popov accepts thefirst King Air 350 to bedelivered to Russia onbehalf of Aviation &Applied Ecology. Theaircraft will fly photo-survey and VIP missions.

Bell Helicopter has begun con-verting OH-58A Kiowa cabins intoOH-58D Kiowa Warrior cabins,the company announced here atFarnborough. The aim of the pro-gram is to replace OH-58Ds thathave been damaged beyond repair.

In April 2009, the U.S. Armyexercised a contract option tohave Bell convert one cabin, andto engineer a cabin build line.The first cabin conversion isnow scheduled for delivery nextyear to Corpus Christi ArmyDepot. In May, the Army issueda sole-source solicitation for theconversion of more cabins–up to66 cabins could be required.

Bell is also providing crashdamage repairs. One Kiowa Warriorhas been repaired and deliveredto the army. Another two areundergoing repair. The companyis simultaneously continuing towork on OH-58Ds under a safetyimprovement program. In March,the Army awarded it a contract to

modify a final 30 aircraft. Theyare scheduled to be completed bythe end of next year, bringing thetotal number of safety-improvedKiowa Warriors to 371.

Meanwhile, Bell is ramping upH-1 production. In June, it receiveda $546 million contract for Lot 7in the U.S. Marine Corps H-1Upgrade program. The contractincludes 18 UH-1Y utility heli-copters and 11 AH-1Z attackaircraft. Lot 7 aircraft deliveriesare to begin in 2011. �

Bell initiatesKiowa cabinconversions

GOODRICH SUPPLIES QATAR,HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

Qatar Airways will use Goodrichwheels and carbon brakes for its 30-strong Boeing 787 fleet, which isscheduled to begin delivery next year.Goodrich (Stand OE4) has been chosen fornearly 80 percent of 787 orders to date.

The U.S. supplier also has extendedits agreement to provide nacelle systemssupport for Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717s.The flight-hour deal provides mainte-nance, repair and overhaul services, aswell as management of spares, rotablesand technical support for additionalRolls-Royce BR715-powered 717sintroduced in 2008. �

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Pg-49-d2_v1.qxp 7/19/10 11:45 AM Page 1

Participation by more than 200American companies at the U.S.International Pavilion here at theFarnborough airshow underscoresthe strong resurgence of the NorthAmerican aerospace industry aftertwo years of economic turmoil,organizers and delegates said.

The U.S. Aerospace IndustriesAssociation and pavilion organizerKallman Worldwide have created aglobal exhibit in Hall 4 showcasingthe capabilities of a diverse range ofAmerican companies. A highlight isthe Commercial Aviation AlternativeFuels Initiative (CAAFI), an FAAand industry effort announced in2006 to develop alternative aviationfuels using everything from grassclippings to mangrove forests andeven garbage.

“CAAFI represents a seismicchange in how we will think aboutjet fuel in the future,” said TomKallman, president and CEO ofKallman Worldwide. “Millionaireswill be made from this emerginginitiative, and officials from theU.S. government are here listeningto ideas” about alternative fuels.

The U.S. Air Force hasannounced a goal of increasing itsuse of biofuels fleetwide to 50 per-cent by 2016. On April 22 an U.S.Navy F-18 dubbed the “Green Hor-net” flew using a 50/50 blend of abiofuel made from corn oil and jetfuel. Several airlines haveannounced similar initiatives toswitch to biofuel/kerosene-blendedfuels. “We welcome inquiries andlook forward to discussing ideas[here] about securing a sustainableaviation fuel supply for aviation’sfuture growth,” said Richard Alt-man, executive director of theCAAFI program.

In addition to participation byU.S. companies, several states alsohave a presence in the U.S. Interna-tional Pavilion at this year’s show.Alabama Governor Bob Riley andGeorgia Governor Sony Perduehave traveled to the show to wavethe flags of their respective states.They have formed an aerospacealliance with Mississippi, Louisianaand Florida aimed at attractingaerospace projects and jobs to theGulf Coast region. A representativefor the Florida delegation noted that18 companies from the state areexhibiting in the U.S. Pavilion,where officials from 11 U.S. stateshave joined the trade contingent.

Reserving booth space inside theU.S. Pavilion costs more than goingit alone, but companies that partici-pate benefit from the use of officesand a lounge within the U.S. Interna-tional Pavilion as well as a two-storychalet that features meeting rooms,an elegant dining area and a deck

overlooking the Farnborough flightline. Kallman designed the chaletlayout and provides design servicesfor participating companies, whichare located in U.S. International Pavilion space in Halls 2, 3 and 4.

“The U.S. International Pavilioncame to Farnborough for the firsttime in 1996,” recalled Kallman.“We started with a small presence inHall 2 and now we have spaces thesize of football fields in three halls.”

Mind you, those are Americanfootball fields, not European foot-ball pitches, but the pace of growthis impressive nonetheless. The U.S.International Pavilion had itslargest ever presence at a Farnbor-ough show two years ago. Despitethe economic havoc since then, 25new companies are part of the con-tingent at this year’s show.

Former U.S. astronaut BuzzAldrin was on hand yesterday morn-ing to host the opening of the U.S.International Pavilion in Hall 3. �


More than 200 American aerospace companies are exhibiting at the U.S. InternationalPavilion here at Farnborough, which has real estate in Halls 2, 3 and 4.

U.S. contingent comes out in full force

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SOUTH CAROLINA SEEKINGMORE AEROSPACE BUSINESS

South Carolina governor Mark Sanford,and Lindsey Graham, one of the state’stwo U.S. senators, have made the trip toFarnborough to help the South CarolinaDepartment of Commerce (in the U.S.Pavilion, Hall 3 Stand B3) and local eco-nomic developers attract more aerospaceinvestment to their sunny, southern state.

South Carolina is already home to“more than 160 aerospace-related compa-nies, which employ more than 18,000workers,” according to officials. Amongthese companies are GE Aviation, which inApril inaugurated its high-pressure tur-bine-blade factory in Greenville, andBoeing, which in 2009 chose NorthCharleston as the location for its second787 final assembly line. �

� Associated Aircraft To Develop Next-gen IFFU.S. Pavilion exhibitor Associated Aircraft

Manufacturing & Sales has signed an agreement withNorthrop Grumman to further develop the next-generationmilitary identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) transponder–theAN/APX-121. The company will continue to develop,manufacture and make upgrades to the device to meetfuture requirements. It already provides support fornumerous IFF users around the world.

� Beaver Boasts New Landing Gear ActuatorBeaver Aerospace & Defense is here in the

Farnborough airshow’s U.S. Pavilion in Hall 2 unveiling anew electromechanical landing gear actuator. The devicedoes not employ hydraulics and, in case of power outage,the landing gear can deploy by freefall. The technologygives aircraft manufacturers a weight-saving opportunityand also reduces maintenance requirements.

� Makino Shows Hi-Tech Machine ToolsMakino Milling Machine Co. is here at the U.S. Pavilion in

Hall 4 (Stand A14) exhibiting its next-generation of MAGseries five-axis machine tools–the A7. The company pledgesincreased accuracy and reduced cycle times for large,complex aluminum monolithic parts.

The A7 features volumetric accuracy compensationand a high-power, high-torque spindle. It canaccommodate part sizes up to 276- by 79- by 28 inchesfor a maximum weight of 11,024 pounds. New linearmotors yield 0.5g accelerations. At peak power, thespindle can remove 5,400 cubic centimeters of chips perminute.

For titanium machining, Makino’s Advantige technologyquadruples productivity and doubles tool life, the companysays. Improvements can be found in spindle performance,coolant delivery, vibration damping, machine rigidity andcutting strategies.

Also on display is Makino’s G5 Grinder horizontalmachining center. It can grind, drill, bore and mill–all onthe same machine, saving on equipment costs andallowing the user to keep the part in the machine.

� LM Picks Marotta for JAGMLockheed Martin has selected Marotta Controls of

Montville, New Jersey, to provide the pneumatic coolingsystem for the imaging infrared sensor on the joint air-to-ground missile, which is to replace the Hellfire II, airborneTOW and Maverick missiles in U.S. forces. MarottaContols is exhibiting here in Farnborough at the U.S.Pavilion in Hall 2 (Stand A13).

NEWS CLIPS✪ USA PAVILION ✪

by Steve Pope

Motion and control-technol-ogy company Parker Aerospace(Hall 4 Stand A18), a divisionof Parker Hannifin, has wonvaluable systems business fromCommercial Aircraft Corp. ofChina (Comac) for the 170-pas-senger C919 single-aisleairliner. The company designs,manufactures and services fluid,fuel, flight-control and enginecomponents and systems foraerospace and other industries.

The contracts could gener-ate $4 billion in revenue overthe life of the program. ParkerAerospace will develop pri-mary flight-control actuation,

including horizontal-stabilizertrim and motor control;aileron, rudder, spoiler, andelevator actuators; remoteelectronic units; and allhydraulics. Its fluid and elec-tronic systems divisions willdevelop fuel inerting systems,including control and gaugingsoftware in the integratedmodular-electronics cabinet.

Parker Aerospace hasestablished a joint venturewith China Aviation IndustrySystems (AVIC Systems) todevelopment and support theC919 and also provides fuel,hydraulic, and flight-control

systems for Comac’s ARJ21regional jet, which made itsfirst flight in 2009.

Here at the Farnboroughshow, Parker Aerospace isemphasizing its expertise incomplete flight control systemsin an exhibit that includes a cut-away wing model and its“stick-to-surface, adaptable fly-by-wire” capabilities. Its enginesubsystems and technologiesdisplay highlights pneumatic,fuel actuation and fluid con-veyance devices and systems.

The exhibit also shows itssealing solutions, electromag-netic interference shielding,alternative energy and “smart”materials capabilities, as wellas its “green” technologiesand advances in filtration.

Parker Aerospace’s StratoflexProducts division will design

and make the Airbus A350XWB main landing-gearhydraulic-fluid conveyancesystem for Messier-Dowty.The award follows earlier col-laboration covering similarwork for the Airbus A400M.

The company has alsoentered a risk-and-revenue-sharing agreement with Rolls-Royce for high-temperatureflexible hoses for the TrentXWB, Trent 1000 and BR725engines. With integration part-ner Curtiss Wright Controls,Parker Aerospace’s HydraulicSystems division produces aft-strut fairing hydraulic modulesfor the Boeing 787. �

Parker wins systemswork for Comac C919

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Last February’s SingaporeAirshow defied the economicdownturn to draw 62 of theworld’s top 100 aerospace compa-nies. The next event in 2012 hasalready sold 70 percent of itsenlarged exhibit space and if you

want to join those already bookedyou have until this Friday here atthe Farnborough show (Chalet31) to book space at special rates.

According to Singapore Air-show general manager AngelicaLim, two key factors account for

the event’s appeal: the continuedgrowth potential of the AsiaPacific aerospace and defensemarket and the prospect for accessto some 259 government and tradedelegations from 80 countries.

According to analysts Frost &Sullivan, the Asia Pacific regionwill account for around 30 per-cent of the $1.6 trillion globaldefense spending over the next10 years. With this in mind, showorganizers are adding a newunmanned systems pavilion forthe 2012 event, which will alsofeature a land defense pavilion

for the first time.Lim told AIN that the imper-

ative for the industry to achievesignificant cost reduction isstimulating outsourcing of man-ufacturing and services to AsiaPacific companies and the Sin-gapore show is proving to be an important gateway to estab-lishing these partnerships. Theregion is increasingly emergingas a hub for component manu-facturing.

“Our theme for 2012 will be‘big show, big opportunity’,” saidLim. The show site itself, conve-

niently located on the edge ofChangi Airport and with room forflying displays over the adjoiningsea, is also getting bigger with theaddition of DeBoer temporarystructures like those used for theexhibit halls here at Farnborough.

The Singapore event (Feb. 14-19, 2012) will once again featurespecial business forums at whichbuyers will explain their needsand preferences to prospectivevendors. There will also be high-level conferences focused onsecurity, defense and, now, land-based military. �


With 70 percent of its exhibit space already sold out, sales for the 2012 SingaporeAirshow are off to a roaring start, according to general manager Angelica Lim.Companies that sign up to exhibit this week can get special rates.

Asian boom gives liftto Singapore showby Charles Alcock

Crane Aerospace & Electronics (Hall 4 StandA21) is developing a new fuel control and monitor-ing system (FCMS) for under-wing tanks for thePilatus PC-21 turboprop military trainer. The tanksare a requirement of the United Arab Emirates,which ordered 25 PC-21s. Crane’s Eldec subsidiaryin France will be in charge, as it already provides theFCMS for the main tanks.

Crane also said here in Farnborough that its newlanding gear control interface unit (LGCIU),recently certified and soon to be standard on AirbusA320 family aircraft, will become available forretrofit this year. Crane claims the new LGCIUimproves reliability tenfold, bringing the mean timebetween unscheduled removals to 45,000 hours. The

unit also is lighter than and fully interchangeablewith the previous model. The LGCIU senses theposition of the landing gear and its doors, the flapdisconnect status and cargo door position.

For premium passenger seats, Crane is introduc-ing the MCX premium modular control system,which reduces overall system hardware and wiringcomplexity. Expected benefits of MCX are enhancedflexibility for seat manufacturers and less motionnoise for passengers.

The company also noted that parent Crane Co.earlier this year acquired Merrimac Industries, aspecialist in RF microwave signal processingcomponents. Merrimac has 210 employees and aturnover of $30 million. �

Crane Aero keeps busy with new products

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Pg-51-d2_v2.qxp 7/19/10 9:42 AM Page 1

A DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE

So the A400M has finallyarrived, 26 years after Europe’sflagship airlifter was first con-ceived by seven EuropeanDefence Ministries. And it is 16years since an intense battle toprotect and promote the project,then known as the Future LargeAirlifter (FLA), culminated hereat Farnborough. This is a battlethat could happen again asBritain’s new government–deter-mined to cut public spending–

decides whether it will have tochoose between the A400M andthe Royal Air Force’s existingmilitary transports, the C-130Jand the C-17.

It’s War!“FLA declares war on Lock-

heed’s C-130J” was the headlinefor this editor’s story on the frontcover of AIN’s opening day editionhere on Sept. 5, 1994. The UKRoyal Air Force was keen on Lock-heed’s upgraded Hercules, as areplacement for its ageing 50-strong fleet of C-130s. BritishAerospace (BAe–now BAE Sys-tems) was then a full member ofthe Airbus consortium and tookfright at the prospect of losing theFLA wing design and productionwork. BAe built a full-scalewooden and concrete model of theFLA in the Farnborough static parkat a cost of more than $800,000. Itwas dismantled after the show andnever appeared again.

AIN spoke last week to the twomen at the heart of the great air-lifter debate of 1994. They were

Peter McLoughlin, governmentrelations director for BAe, andMike Wood, the UK marketingdirector for Lockheed. “You couldnever mount a campaign like thatagain. We had the workforce, theunions, the politicians in the TradeDepartment and the ForeignOffice all involved,” saidMcLoughlin. “There was briefingand counter-briefing. The Ministryof Defence [MoD] eventuallydemanded a halt,” recalled Wood.

The FLA war was foughtpartly in the corridors of powerand partly through the media.BAe’s emotive full-page adver-tisements claimed that the UKwould lose at least 7,500 aero-space jobs and $7.5 billion worthof business if the FLA wasrejected. McLoughlin hired atruck-mounted billboard that wasdriven around Whitehall, timed tocatch the eye of Prime MinisterJohn Major as he was driven toand from Parliament.

Lockheed fought back. Woodtold AIN that the company spent$600,000 in six weeks on adver-tising. Some of that money wenton a six-page leaflet headlined,“As a Matter of Fact, Not Fiction:C-130J vs. FLA–Setting theRecord Straight.” The leafletexplained how Lockheed wouldplace significant C-130J subcon-tracts with 36 British companies.The FLA could not be deliveredin time to meet the RAF require-ment, and would cost “three tofour times the price of C-130J,”the leaflet claimed.

Just before the FarnboroughAir Show, a “spoof proof ” of thisleaflet was mailed to this editor,and others, in a plain brown enve-lope. Lockheed’s leaflet had beenreprinted with no fewer than 30“corrections” handwritten into themargins. One of the commentsread: “Careful. From the SBACreports we have seen, it is clearthat there is much more work onFLA than C-130J for UK indus-try.” To this day, McLoughlinwon’t admit responsibility for the“spoof proof,” which AINreprinted in its entirety.

The OutcomeThe outcome of this extraor-

dinary affair? The UK becamethe launch customer for the C-130J; Wood told AIN that theaircraft were delivered on time atthe bargain price of $42 millioneach. Through Lockheed’s UKIndustrial Support Group, Britishcompanies gained significantwork on the first 125 airplanes,he added.

But the UK ordered only 25C-130Js. The government indi-cated that a second order for newairlifters would follow in duecourse. Over the next few years,the RAF made clear its prefer-ence for a mix of C-130Js andthe much larger but very expen-sive C-17. Ironically, BAerecruited Wood to help in thecontinuing effort to press themerits of the FLA.

In 2000, the UK struck a dealwith Boeing to lease four C-17s. In2003, the FLA was finallylaunched as the Airbus A400M byeight European countries, includingthe UK, which ordered 25. Theprogram foundered on a mix of badorganization and technical prob-lems. It was apparently rescued lastMarch by an outline agreement toamend the combined developmentand production contract.

But now the rumors are flyingagain, saying that the UK maypull out of the European programas a result of the current defensereview. The RAF currently ownssix C-17s, with a seventh onorder (the leases were bought outin 2006). A few more C-17scould be a compromise substitutefor the 25 A400Ms. Boeing hasalready provided the price of aneighth C-17 to the MoD.

McLoughlin is retired, andWood runs his own consultancycompany. Maybe they shoulddust off their campaigning skills.A re-run of 1994 might still beon the cards: A400M versus C-17 this time? �


From FLA to A400M,airlifter war again?

� Champagne Adds Fizz to Middle East MarketDubai Airshow organizer F&E Aerospace (Hall 4 Stand A4) is

offering a bottle of champagne at the Farnborough airshow toexhibitors who book space at the next Middle East BusinessAviation (MEBA) show or the Dubai Airshow. MEBA is taking placeat Dubai’s Airport Expo, December 7 to 9 this year, and the DubaiAirshow is to follow in 2011 from November 13 to 17. F&E has alsoconfirmed that the third Aircraft Interiors Middle East show will beheld in Dubai in 2012 on February 1 and 2.

Alison Weller, managing director of F&E Aerospace, expressedher confidence in a resurgent aerospace industry across theMiddle East, both in the civil aviation and defense sectors. “Weare here at Farnborough to let exhibitors know that the region isshowing very positive signs of a return to business,” she said. “Wewant to celebrate the fact by offering exhibitors a bottle of bubblyif they book for either the Middle East Business Aviation show orthe Dubai Airshow. If they book for both, they’ll get a magnum.”

The organizer’s confidence is based partly on predictions bythe International Air Transport Association that Middle East airlineswill post profits of $100 million this year--their first profitable yearsince 2005--and a military market analysis by ForecastInternational. The latter predicts that the six states of the Gulf Co-operation Council will spend $63 billion this year, and with growthin the Middle East defense market at 11 percent over the next fiveyears, will spend nearly $120 billion by 2015.

� Hawker Beechcraft Selects CAE for AT-6 TrainingHawker Beechcraft has selected CAE to provide the ground-

based training system for the AT-6 light attack and armedreconnaissance aircraft. CAE will provide a comprehensivetraining package for both air and ground crew, and will alsodevelop embedded aircraft training solutions for the AT-6 andother T-6 variants. The training systems provider will also supportHawker Beechcraft in its export marketing campaigns for the AT-6.

� Thales GateSync Coming to an Airport Near YouThales has finalized an agreement with CSC, a U.S.-based

information technology company, to develop a technology calledGateSync, which allows airlines to transfer digital content amongaircraft on the ground. GateSync can be used to deliver time-sensitive information, such as passenger manifests, daily newsupdates, meal inventories, crew logs and system performance data.The core of the Wi-Fi system is proprietary management softwarecalled AirSync/GS that turns aircraft into active nodes in an airline’senterprise network. Aboard the airplane, GateSync interfaces withthe Thales TopFlight in-flight entertainment system. The technologyhas been undergoing testing at three major airports in anticipationof its broader deployment starting later this year.

� ADAT Signs Up flydubaiAbu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (Hall 4 Stand D9) has signed a

10-year contract with low-cost carrier flydubai for Boeing 737maintenance. The Mubadala group company will provide“maintenance services for various fast-track components.” Theairline operates nine 737s and has another 45 scheduled fordelivery by 2011.

� EADS Lightweight Transponder Nears CertificationEADS Defence & Security has recently completed development

of its LTR 400-A transponder that significantly enhances safetywhile reducing weight. At just over six pounds the LTR 400-A ismuch lighter than similar systems, making it ideal for rotary-wingapplications. It has already been selected by Eurocopter Germanyfor installation in EC 635 helicopters. Civil and military certificationby the European Aviation Safety Agency is expected this summer,after which the transponder can be used aboard civilian aircraftand unmanned air vehicles.

The LTR 400-A transponder works to the latest civilian air trafficcontrol standard, Mode S Enhanced Surveillance, but alsoincorporates a QRTK3-NG encryption/decryption function,allowing it to transmit military identification information as well.

NEWS CLIPS

by Chris Pocock

The Future Large Airlifter, unveiled here at Farnborough 16 years ago, eventuallymorphed into the A400M. At the time, the Royal Air Force was weighing the Europeantransport and a U.S. airlifter (the C-130J). Despite eventually commiting to the A400M,UK budget cuts now threaten to endanger this order and replace it with one for a fewU.S.-built C-17s.

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High technology has its own languageEngines that power a takeoff every 2.5 seconds, landing gear that touch down

35,000 times a day, high-precision inertial navigation systems for aircraft

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Clean Sky, the European Union’s ?1.6billion ($1.9 billion) aeronautical researchprogram, is aiming to have several demon-strators running on the ground or flying in2014-2015. At the first Clean Sky confer-ence, held June 18 in Brussels, projectleaders said that after a slow start in 2008-2009 the joint technology initiative (JTI) isgathering speed.

The Clean Sky team is striving to offertimely solutions to make the next generationof aircraft more environmentally friendly.In their view, it would be a mistake to workon brilliant technologies that would beavailable too late. The public-private part-nership is to end in 2017, by which timethe European Commission and the industrywill have each spent ?800 million ($950million), in cash and in kind, respectively.

The project is structured around sixintegrated technology demonstrators (ITDs)focused on the following topics: • more efficient engines; • a “smart” fixed-wing aircraft with reduced

drag and advanced engine integration; • regional aircraft; • rotorcraft; • on-board systems and optimized flight

paths; and • ecological design for a lower environmental

impact over the aircraft lifecycle. In addition, there will be an “evaluator”

phase to assess the impact of the technolo-gies using simulation. The technologiesare to be brought to at least technologyreadiness level six, which corresponds todemonstration in operational conditions.

500 Members EventuallyThe JTI has gathered 78 member compa-

nies and organizations such as universitiesand research centers–12 have “leader” statusand 64 are “associates.” The Clean Skyjoint undertaking, now staffed with 20,plans to launch four calls for R&Dproposals each year until 2012, which is expected to bring more small- andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) onboard, with the total number of externalpartners eventually reaching 500. Collec-tively, the SMEs are supposed to contributeabout 25 percent of the total work, saidexecutive director Eric Dautriat.

In the field of engines, both SnecmaSafran and Rolls-Royce are studyingcontra-rotating open rotor powerplants.Safran is working on a direct drive version,while Rolls-Royce is working on a gearedengine. Still to be defined is how thechoice will be made between the twooptions when the time comes to prepare anengine for flight-testing on an AirbusA340-600 test bed in 2015.

Meanwhile, one of the toughest chal-lenges will be to cut noise. One conceptinvolves minimizing the interaction betweenthe two rows of blades possibly byaltering the sizes of the blades. At theClean Sky conference, Safran exhibited a

mockup of an engine in a configuration inwhich the blades in the first row arelonger than those in the second row.

Safran and Rolls-Royce representativestold AIN that they still do not understandall the potential risks with open rotors,adding that ground or flight-testing willlikely reveal any problems.

The engineering teams do acknowl-edge that a lot has to be done inaircraft-engine integration with regard toacoustic, vibratory and aerodynamicaspects. Other engine demonstrators arebeing studied in the ITD phase of CleanSky, including two- and three-shaft turbo-fans and a helicopter turboshaft.

Besides Safran and Rolls-Royce, otherengine specialists–including MTU, Avio,ITP and Volvo Aero–are working on thesustainable and green engine (SAGE) ITD.The goals for this project are to cut carbondioxide (CO2) emissions by 20 percent,nitrous oxides (NOx) by 60 percent andnoise by 20 EPNdB.

Work in the smart fixed-wing aircraftITD is being lead by Airbus and Saab.Their main aim is to cut wing drag by 25percent for which they plan to use laminar-ity, either natural or induced throughaspiration of the wing structure.

High-speed DemonstratorPlans call for a high-speed demonstra-

tion of this technology on an A340-300 in2014. In parallel, either an Airbus A320 ora Dassault Falcon business jet is to beselected as a low-speed demonstrator testbed this year. According to Airbus researchand technology expert Gareth Williams,

this work will deal with the high-liftdevices associated with the low-drag wingconcept. The “smart wing structure con-cept” with a manufacturing solution is dueto be ready in December 2011.

The “green regional aircraft” (GRC) ITDis led by Alenia and EADS-CASA. Onemajor focus is on an all-electric architecture.Vito Perrupato, Alenia’s chief technical offi-cer for the Clean Sky project, told AIN thatif the environment control system (ECS)and flight controls, for example, were tochange to being electrically driven, energymanagement would play a key role. Toavoid the need for electric generators to behuge, the power management system wouldhave to be able to disengage non-prioritysystems, such as the ECS, should powerdemand be at a temporary peak.

Tests are planned for electromechanicactuators (EMAs) that would replacehydraulic actuators for control surfacepower. EMAs will be tried at the compo-nent level, though, without being integrated

in a full fly-by-wire and power-by-wire sys-tem. The GRC ITD’s targets are to cut CO2emissions by 10 to 20 percent and noise by10 dB. The envisioned configurations forthis work are a 92-passenger turbopropand a 130-passenger aircraft powered byturbofans or open rotors.

Some ITDs are intended to havecross-over functions. In “Eco-design,” forexample, research engineers will look for ways to reduce the scrap rates for rawmaterials in production.

The “technology evaluator” ITD willhelp to determine how effective Clean Sky’stechnologies are. This simulation tool willbe able to assess their impact at, for exam-ple, the airport level, comparing a given dayof operations with and without these tech-nologies. The first release of the technologyevaluator is pegged for next year.

The Clean Sky conference took placemore than two years after the JTI was bornin February 2008. Explaining the delay,Dautriat said that more work to get to thispoint was necessary than had been antici-pated. He told AIN that budgets are now infull swing and research activity is almost atcruise speed, with the first preliminarydesign reviews set to take place this year. �


CleanSky’s green researchaccelerates after slow startby Thierry Dubois

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Under the Clean Sky joint technology initiative, a wide-ranging aerospace research project, Europeancompanies are working toward greener air transport, possibly using open rotors such as the one explored by Safran. The mockup was shown at the first Clean Sky conference, in Brussels on June 18.

After four days during which aerospaceand defense industry leaders have been thecenter of attention here at FarnboroughInternational, the focus shifts to the nextgeneration on Friday. International Futuresfor Youth day, previously known as YouthDay, will allow more than 2,000 young peo-ple (aged between 7 and 20) to come to theshow and get a taste of career opportunities.

A program under the theme “InspiringYoung Minds Towards a Career in Aero-space and Defence” will run from 10 a.m.to 5 p.m., starting and ending with specialceremonies involving industry leaders and,perhaps more impressively, astronauts. Theevent will include a careers fair, a series of15- to 20-minute lectures, demonstrationsand access to flight simulators and robots.

The day will also feature the Build-a-Plane Challenge competition between rivalschools and, similarly, the biennial Tri-national Rocketry Finals between schoolstudents from France, the UK and the U.S.

Young visitors also will be able to take aclose look at the Mars Rover program inthe show’s Space Zone.

The program also includes a debate aboutaviation’s impact on the environment, a treas-ure hunt and various outdoor challengesorganized by the British Army and the RoyalAir Force. The University of Manchester’sAerospace & Research Institute will be chal-lenging students to help design an engine.

But, arguably, the headline act will besomething that doesn’t have wings at all.The Bloodhound Project–a UK attempt tobreak the world land speed record byexceeding 1,000 mph–will make its fulldebut at Farnborough this year. Young peo-ple will have the chance to meet itsdirector, Richard Noble, and RAF WingCommander Andy Green, who is due to beat the controls of the Bloodhound car itself.

Futures Day is sponsored by Airbus andthe UK’s South West Regional Develop-ment Agency. �

Pros nurture next gen at av-career forum here

TEXT NOW, BUY LATER

When you see this sign at a Farnbor-ough International exhibition stand, itmeans you can send a text message ore-mail to the exhibitor to request fur-ther information or follow up via yourmobile phone. Exhibitors registeredahead of the show to take advantage ofthis marketing service, paying a £150fee in the hope of receiving so-called“warm leads” from prospective clientswho might not have the time to wait fora company representative to be free ata busy stand or may simply prefer tomake contact after the show. �

Pg-54-d2_CleanSky_v3.qxp 7/8/10 2:51 PM Page 1

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Notwithstanding the unprece-dented scale of compositescontent in the Boeing 787 andAirbus A350XWB airliners, alu-minum still reigns as the materialof choice in most airliner fuselageapplications. At least that’s themessage Alcoa–the aluminumcompany–wants to send here in Farnborough, where scores ofexamples of flying machinesmade of the metals the companysupplies grace the static display.

Of course, the use of carbon-fiber products doesn’tpreclude the use ofaluminum and variousother more exotic metalsin the same airplane.Even what many con-sider an all-compositefuselage in the 787uses thousands ofhighly specialized andexpensive metallic fas-teners made by Alcoa.In fact, according toBill Christopher, Alcoaexecutive vice presidentand group presidentof the company’s Engi-neered Products & Solutionsdivision, the dollar value ofAlcoa’s contribution to the 787virtually equals that of the alu-minum-bodied 767.

Unfortunately, delays to the787 and the A380 along withpressures such as inventory de-stocking and a collapse in theregional and business aircraftmarkets resulted in less demandfor Alcoa’s aerospace products lastyear, when sales fell from $4billion in 2008 to “just north of $3billion.” However, the company’sfinancial position looks better thisyear, said Christopher. “If youlook at the de-stocking on the jetengine side, that’s behind us;we’ve seen a pickup in the MRO,the replacement side of the busi-ness,” he added. “I think thatde-stocking through that wholesupply chain is done.”

Thankfully, the underlyingfundamentals of the large com-mercial aircraft business “held upvery well” all along, said Christo-pher, and Alcoa remains bullishabout its prospects for the nexttwo to three years, as manufactur-ers proceed with planned buildrate increases and the 787 andA380 programs “ramp up to runrates.” Still, he said, “it will belater this year, early next yearbefore we start to see any signifi-cant activity back there again.”

Three years ago Alcoa had justfinished adding sheet and platecapacity at its Global Rolled Prod-ucts division mills in Davenport,Iowa; Kitts Green, UK; Fusina,Italy; and Belaya Kalitva, Russia.The additions accounted for some50 percent capacity expansion.Today, not only Alcoa, but theentire industry faces an overcapac-ity situation, particularly on theplate side, [but] “less so on extru-sions,” said Christopher. “[Interms of] fasteners and airfoils,

there’s some excesscapacity but not nearlyto the same extent, andmost of that is drivenjust by business jet andregional jet demand.”

About half of thecompany’s portfolioconsists of its traditionalaluminum structuralbusinesses it started acentury ago. The otherhalf consists of itsHowmet jet-engineinvestment castings unitand its Alcoa FasteningSystems (AFS) division.

Proprietary TechnologyAlthough Christopher wouldn’t

reveal what proportion of AlcoaAerospace’s revenue now comesfrom proprietary products, thecompany clearly has moved awayfrom commodity markets and intoproprietary technology. In 2004,proprietary products accounted for12 percent of Alcoa’s aerospacerevenue; in 2007 that share roseto more than 20 percent.

“If you ask what holds togethera portfolio of jet engine parts, fastening systems and sheet, plate and extrusions for aluminumstructures, it is technology,” said Christopher. “We look at each individual segment, we want highly complex applicationswhere, in fact, we expect missionrequirements to increase demandson the product, which allows us todevelop technologies that solvecustomer problems.”

Christopher explained that theeconomic rationale for replacingequipment lies more firmly todaywith the cost savings that comewith technology improvementsthan with direct acquisition costsavings the OEMs sought forearlier projects. The resultingdemand for more sophisticatedmaterials plays directly to Alcoa’sstrengths. “Overall, it is clearlywhat we drive for, whether it’s

proprietary, highly differentiated,a combination of technology orknow-how or special dimensionalcharacteristics,” he said. “And thatreally represents the core of allthree segments of what we have.

“For the next five or six yearswe’re going to go through a ren-aissance in the industry, where youhave all new platforms being runout,” Christopher predicted. “By2020 you’re going to be talkingabout everything from twin-aislesto your super jumbo jets all beingbrand-new platforms.”

The next “battle ground,”according to Christopher, willinvolve the single-aisle segment,where Alcoa believes its metallicproducts will prove superior to composites. Since Boeinglaunched the 787, Alcoa hasdeveloped three generations ofaluminum lithium alloys, he said.Stronger than traditional alu-minum, aluminum-lithium allowsmanufacturers to use thinner and,hence, lighter fuselage skins.

Incorporating HybridsAnother area in which Alcoa

believes it can compete withcomposites on weight involves so-called selective reinforcement,a concept that centers onstrengthening certain fuselage

points with hybrid material.“We’re now starting to look atsingle-aisle applications and sayingwe think that there’s anywherebetween a 3-percent and 14-per-cent improvement on weight thatcan be delivered [with selectivereinforcement],” said Christopher.

Whether or not aluminum-lithium or structural reinforce-ment technologies find their wayonto new narrowbodies mightwell depend on the partnershipsAlcoa manages to forge withOEMs. In fact, the company lastyear signed a strategic partner-ship agreement with Comac tohelp the Chinese company decideon what materials to use on theC919–the new 170- to 190-seatnarrowbody scheduled for marketintroduction in 2016. “We have afull team of people working withtheir design people on really put-ting forth our best technologies inthe design of that aircraft, fromboth a fastener perspective and analuminum structures perspective,”said Christopher.

Of course, Alcoa has shownintense interest in the narrowbodystrategies of Boeing and Airbusas well, along with the fortunes ofthe A380 and 747-8. The A380alone consumes nine times themetal and alloys required bytoday’s 737 and A320. The largestsupplier to the A380 program,Alcoa provides forgings, extru-sions, sheet, plate and castings forthe superjumbo’s wing and fuse-lage skins, along with stringers,frames, spars, gear ribs, engineand pylon supports, seat tracksand floor beams.

The AFS division has devel-oped multi-material lock bolts for

the assembly of the big jet’s wingbox and new-generation blindbolts tailored for the program’srobotic assembly techniques.Each A380 uses about one mil-lion Alcoa fasteners.

“When you look at theprospects right now, the 747-8and A380 [are] both metallicaircraft. They’re not going tochange for 25 years,” saidChristopher. “You’ve got thesingle aisles…obviously theirlifespan is going to be longerthan what everybody expectedand we think we have incrediblycompetitive alternatives for them–especially given a single-aislemission–that would provide themweight advantage and give thema lot more experience and pre-dictability in both their designand their launch costs.”

Alcoa (Hall 1 Stand A9) caneffect further weight savings byreplacing titanium with advancedaluminum alloys. “Our funda-mental belief is if you had achoice between aluminum andtitanium, obviously you’re goingto pick aluminum because itmachines faster and it’s lighter,”said Christopher. “But thenyou’re trading off, in certaincases, strength” as well as tita-nium’s resistance to expansion at high temperatures. “The coef-ficient of thermal expansionbetween aluminum and com-posites unfortunately is verydifferent,” he noted. “So there areplaces you just can’t put themtogether because, as the planeheats up or cools off, you’regoing to end up with structuralissues. So that’s part of thebarrier that we face there.” �


Aluminum remains relevantdespite trend toward compositesby Gregory Polek

Bill Christopher,Alcoa executive v-pand group presidentof its EngineeredProducts & Solutionsdivision

Alcoa Fastening Systems makes lockbolts that fasten together composite andmetallic parts. Each Airbus A380 featuresone million XPL Lockbolts.

Plate for the Airbus A380’s wing and fuselage skins is produced in Alcoa’s globalRolled Products division in Davenport, Iowa.

Alcoa manufactures airfoil castings at itsHowmet facility in Whitehall, Michigan.

Pg-56_d2_ALC_v4.qxp 7/8/10 12:48 PM Page 1

Environmental respect is the essential value for a green future.This is why we proudly believe in SSJ100, designed to anticipate the market needs and able to generate profi ts for the airlines, comfort for the passengers and one step ahead from the past towards an eco-friendly world.SSJ100 green as a mindset.


As Airbus considers an A320-replacement to compete againstprospective single-aisle modelsfrom Boeing and emerging chal-lengers from Russia and Asia, it isalso looking at technologies thatcould contribute to even longer-term designs in a program dubbed“A30X.” Mindful that modern jet-liners are expected to have workinglives of at least 40 years, chief oper-ating officer for customers JohnLeahy said Airbus needs “futuretechnology for future aircraft.”

The company recognizes thatits established single-aisle duopolywith Boeing will be diluted ifplanned projects from Canada,China and Russia progress beyondthe taxiway, but is unfazed by suchpossible competition. Technologi-cally, emerging designs offer “nostep change,” said strategy andfuture-programs senior vice presi-dent Ian Dawkins, speaking beforehe took a new position last monthas chief executive of OnAir, theAirbus/SITA cabin communica-tions systems joint venture.

Among its A30X studies, Air-bus is looking at “long-term,game-changing technologies” forapplication in future alternativeconfigurations in 2025 andbeyond, including the anticipatedopen-rotor or high-bypass-ratioengines. Dawkins cited potentialin “breakthrough” technologyareas such as fuel cells, innova-tive structures, “smart” wings,and new cockpits and air trafficmanagement (ATM) systems.

Fuel cell technology does notyet offer a viable opportunity foraerospace application, accordingto Dawkins. The requirement inthe coming 20 years will be tofind a way to integrate fuel cellsinto a multifunctional system thatwill reduce fuel burn and enableaircraft to be emission-free on theground, he said.

Future composite materialsand metals are expected to permitinnovative structures that Dawkinssaid could provide an optimummix for performance and oper-ability. This would include thenovel mechanical properties ofnanoscale materials, whose use ofvery small particles offers newmechanical effects such as alteredelectronic properties.

The likely high future price of fuel is driving consideration of“smart” wing technologies, includ-ing developed winglets (such asthe “sharklets” being offered onthe A320) and natural and hybridlaminar flow. Dawkins said the

new aerodynamics could provide“anti-contamination” or low-dragwing surfaces.

Airbus believes “a quantumleap in SFC [specific fuel con-sumption] reduction” could beavailable through innovativeengine technologies, such as open-rotor designs. It sees advancedturbofans employing ultra-high-bypass ratios as constituting a“next generation after [the CFM]LeapX and [Pratt & Whitneygeared turbofan] GTF,” accordingto Dawkins. The manufacturer hassuggested new side- or overhead-mounted rear-engine installationsto accommodate larger fan diame-ters (and perhaps reduce internal, ifnot also external, sound levels).

Nor has the cockpit beenignored in Airbus “blue-sky”thinking about future technolo-

gies. Dawkins said lower crewworkload is among characteristicsof innovative cockpits that willoffer improved mission manage-ment (through next generation“interactivity”). New flight deckswill take full advantage of forth-coming ATM systems that Airbusbelieves provide the “key to air-transport growth.”

Viewing itself as an aircraftintegrator, the manufacturer is“defining and developing futureon-board ATM capabilities andoperations.” As such, Airbus is

working to support “overall coher-ence and convergence of the 300[single European sky ATMresearch] SESAR projects,” at thecore of which is the introductionof four-dimensional trajectoriesthat accommodate predicted air-craft positions. Future ATM mustensure air transport growth, whileminimizing environmental impact,said Dawkins.

All such potential advancesare major elements in the manu-facturer’s mind as it works tounderstand necessary future

design characteristics, saidDawkins. “The requirements willdrive technology and decisions[we make],” he noted.

Airbus expects an A320-replacement design in the mid- tolate-2020s could be an all-compos-ite construction, powered byopen-rotor fans. “We do not knowenough about all-composites struc-tures yet,” said Leahy. The bestpowerplant will “probably be anopen-rotor fan, but engine-makershave not figured it out. [That willtake until] the middle or the end ofthe next decade–not before.”

More immediately, introductionof a fourth (probably open-rotor)powerplant choice for the A320, ifAirbus decides to go down thatpath by offering a new engineoption later this year, would con-firm what the company perceivesas current industry uncertainty.Powerplant manufacturers say thebest foreseeable technology is notyet available, while airlines are say-ing that they cannot wait while fuelprices continue to rise: they wantan interim improvement. �


Airbus peers into futureof single-aisle designsby Ian Goold

Many of the invited guestswho witnessed the unveiling ofthe Taranis unmanned combat airvehicle at BAE Systems’s Wartonplant last week won’t have realized the important role of asmall company based in the York-shire moors. Marshall SlingsbyAdvanced Composites has pro-duced airframe structures for allof BAE’s unmanned develop-ments in the last decade. Thecompany is also making low-costcomposite parts for seven otheraerospace majors.

The Slingsby name goes back80 years. The UK company man-ufactured sailplanes followed bythe T76 Firefly primary trainer atrural Kirkbymoorside. It wasowned, in turn, by Vickers, MLAviation and Cobham until a

management buyout in 2006.Then, last year, Slingsby becamethe first-ever acquisition by pri-vately held Marshall Aerospace(Hall 4 Stand A11).

“Their culture is compatiblewith ours, and we can blend ourskills in metals with theirs incomposites,” explained Phil Win-dred, managing director ofMarshalls’ technology, productsand services division.

According to Stephen Boyd,managing director of MarshallSlingsby Advanced Composites,the company has developed theskill to produce composite struc-tures without recourse to expensiveautoclaves. “We cure under vac-uum but in an oven, and we preferresin transfer infusion to resintransfer molding,” he explained.

Slingsby does have a 50-foot-long autoclave, however, intowhich the wing of BAE’s MantisUAV will just fit. Some ofSlingsby’s more sensitive work forthe UK defense industry is done ata second site at Prestwick in Scot-land, which was opened in 2008.

Boyd described Prestwick as abold move, but it has evidently paidoff, since turnover has risen by 40percent in the past few years. Thecompany was unprofitable until itmade the transition to compositedesign, engineering and manufac-ture, he noted. Today, it gains 60percent of its revenue from theaerospace industry, with the balancegained from the marine and railindustries, and aftermarket services.

Working to the outer moldlines and load cases provided byBAE Systems, Slingsby designedand produced the Raven andCorax experimental UCAV andURAV [unmanned reconnais-sance] airframes in only 12months. Then came the Herti, amultipurpose UAV that BAE hasdeveloped from a Polish gliderdesign. Slingsby re-engineeredthe structure so that the all-upweight could be doubled.

When BAE began pitching theMantis UAV for long-endurancesurveillance missions, Slingsbyproduced, in only two months, themockup that was unveiled heretwo years ago. It has since pro-duced the wing, T-tail and controlsurfaces for the demonstrator,which flew last October. The com-pany was unwilling to talk aboutits role in the Taranis UCAV, pend-ing last week’s official unveiling.

Slingsby has done other work

for BAE Systems. Using carbonfiber and other hybrid pre-impreg-nated materials, it manufactures byhand the inner and outer pilot hel-met shells for the Eurofighter to thevery high tolerances required tohold the helmet-mounted displayoptronics in exact position. Thecompany also claims to be produc-ing the world’s first compositestealthy submarine propulsionducts, rudders and hydroplanes–forBAE’s Astute series now enteringservice with the UK Royal Navy. Italso makes stealthy shields for theanti-aircraft guns on the Navy’sType 23 frigates.

For Bombardier, Slingsby pro-vides the propeller spinners for theDash 8 Q400 regional airliner,using pre-impregnated cloth toproduce a structure that can with-stand a bird strike at more than 250knots. “Carbon fiber would havebeen lighter, but more brittle,”Boyd explained. The company alsoproduces the carbon fiber air-con-ditioning plenum chamber andducting for the Dassault Falcon 7Xbusiness jet, trim panels for theinterior of the Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifter and an auxiliaryseat-cum-fuel tank for theAgustaWestland Lynx helicopter.

Boyd noted that the companyaims to provide a total project man-agement solution, from design todelivery. This can be for rapid pro-totyping, as in the work on BAE’sUAVs, or for series production. Justahead of the Farnborough show,Boyd said he was expecting arolling seven-year contract for C-130J trim panels to be concluded,and a production order for Hertiairframes via BAE Systems. �

Marshall/Slingsby linkupis a good composites fit

Marshall Slingsby Advanced Composites is expecting more work from BAE Systems ascustomers are secured for the Herti UAV. The company produced two airframes for thedevelopment program, after completely redesigning the structure.

by Chris Pocock

Among future airlinerconfigurations, Airbus’sA30X concept sports newside- and overhead-mounted rear-engineinstallations toaccommodate larger fans.

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Overlooking the airfield, on thenortheast corner of the Farnbor-ough International airshow site,and just behind the famous “BlackSheds,” is an old white militarybuilding surrounded by colorfulred, white and blue aircraft.Believed to be the country’s oldestpurpose-built building in continu-ous aviation use, this is now thepermanent home of the Farnbor-ough Air Sciences Trust (FAST)museum, opened in 2003. Thebuilding was re-named by FAST incommemoration of the fact that itonce housed the office of Hugh,later Lord, Trenchard, widely rec-ognized as “The Father of theRoyal Air Force” and it became

the first headquarters of the Army’sRoyal Flying Corps in 1912.

Since 1993, the FarnboroughAir Sciences Trust, a registeredcharity, has campaigned success-fully to save the most importantaviation buildings on the formerRoyal Aircraft Establishment(RAE) site, including the windtunnels, and to make available tothe public the story of Farnbor-ough’s unique aviation historyand the air science that itspawned. The museum, apartfrom exhibiting the FAST collec-tion, acts as a showcase for thekey technological developmentsundertaken in the former researchlaboratories of the RAE, test rigs

and aboard its test flying aircraftsince the earliest days of militaryflying. Of growing importance,reflected in a great increase in visits by parties of schoolchildren and families, is thepromotion of all aspects of aero-nautical air science aimed atinspiring future generations.

The exhibits and displaysinclude aircraft, missiles, drones,equipment and early jet enginecomponents tested by Sir FrankWhittle, and some historic engines,including a W200 from theGloster E28/39, the first British

jet aircraft, and the first after-burning engine jet pipes intendedfor the supersonic Miles M52 of 1946. The control panel fromthe world’s first unmanned airvehicle (dating from 1917) is partof the FAST collection, as is a set of wind-tunnel modelsshowing how the Concorde wingshape evolved.

Another unique item is a large-scale wind tunnel model of theArmstrong Whitworth M-WingSupersonic airliner project testedat the RAE in the 1950s. Amongthe FAST Museum facilities are

two fully operating wind tunnelsand two flight simulators that canbe “flown” by visitors.

At the last Farnborough Inter-national airshow a major center ofattention in the heritage exhibitionhall was the full-size Cody Flyerreplica, which had been built by anall volunteer FAST team in just 18months to celebrate the centenaryof Cody’s first powered flight,which was achieved just a fewyards from the site.

In October 2008 the FASTmuseum’s new Cody Pavilionwas opened to house the replicaand alongside is an extensiveexhibition depicting the colorfullife and times of this American-born pioneer aviator. During thisyear’s Farnborough show visitorscan preview a new exhibition thatis planned to open shortly afterthe airshow closes, dedicated tothe 70-strong fleet of capturedGerman aircraft that were evalu-ated and exhibited at the RAEafter the end of World War II.

For those who may havemissed seeing the Cody Flyer in2008, the museum will be open(to airshow visitors and exhibitorsonly) from Monday to Thursdayfrom 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Themuseum will be closed at othertimes because it will be occupiedfor private functions, but is other-wise open, free of charge, everyweekend throughout the year.

FAST always welcomes newmembers to its supporting associa-tion and has a show stand atFarnborough International openduring the public days, from Fri-day through to Sunday. For moreinformation, visit the FAST Website: www.airsciences.org.uk, or e-mail: [email protected], or telephonethe museum at: 01252 375050. �


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Samuel Cody’s first powered flight in the UK just over 100 years ago is commemorated by this full-size replica of the Cody Flyer(above left) in the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust’s heritage exhibition hall. The Farnborough airshow site has a rich Britishaeronautical heritage as quickly becomes apparent during a visit to the museum, housed in the hangar-style building (above).

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Aircraft interiors specialistEADS Sogerma has some sweetsleep for sale. The Airbus sub-sidiary formally introduced its“Ultimate Sleeper” premium first-class bed at the Aircraft InteriorsExpo in Hamburg in May, pro-moting it as having “the comfortof a real bed.”

The Ultimate Sleeper is theproduct of an earlier partnershipwith Lufthansa Technik. The

Hamburg-based cabin interiorsspecialist initially dubbed it the“aerosleeper,” part of Lufthansa’sconcept of a superior variant ofits super-first-class seat, the “Ulti-mate 17.”

The Ultimate Sleeper is inte-grated into a premium first-classsuite and combines some of thefeatures of the Harvey bed, afolding cabinet bed for whichAfrican-American entrepreneur

Sarah Goode was granted a patentin 1885.

The Ultimate Sleeper mattressfolds into two sections and whennot in use slides vertically into acredenza built into the side of thesuite. When deployed, it providesan 81-inch long, 30-inch wide,horizontal, full-flat surface withbuilt-in, spring-metal comfort.

Adding to the comfort of thesuite is an executive seat and a

facing bench seat. A table foldsout of a side pocket to allowsufficient workspace or diningarea for two persons. The suiteincludes its own mini-bar, asmall built-in hanging wardrobe,and a 30-inch high-definitionmonitor for entertainment or work.A sliding door allows privacywhen desired.

The surrounding shell is com-posed of carbon fiber, described as“much lighter” than the compositematerial currently in use. EADS isalready marketing the UltimateSleeper and expects it to be avail-able within two years. –K.J.H.

EADS sweetens in-flight sleep

FAST museum showsaviation heritageby Richard Gardener

Among other attributes, EADS’s Ultimate Sleeper suite boasts a table that folds out from a side pocket, a bench seat and a bed thatlifts out from a credenza and converts into an 81-inch long, 30-inch wide sleeping surface.P

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state for business, innovation andscience, who said at the unveiling,“The AW169 is indeed an excitingproject that will sustain and growour domestic high technology en-gineering and manufacturing baseinto the future.”

However, just how muchinvolvement the UK arm ofAgustaWestland will have in theAW169 is dependent partly on

whether there are significantorders from within the UK. AW’s Yeovil facility is alreadyparticipating in the design, devel-opment and eventual productionof some systems where it hasconsiderable expertise, notablythe transmission and blades.

Furthermore, AgustaWestlandforecasts sales of 900 to 1,000helicopters over the next 20years, which would necessitatethe establishment of a secondassembly line. If sufficient sales

can be made in the UK, thenYeovil would join the Italianproduction line in building theaircraft, allowing it to also bene-fit from building aircraft forexport. Graham Cole, Agusta-Westland’s managing director,put it simply: “The more [orders]we get from the UK, the morework we do in the UK.”

During the unveiling, Cole an-nounced the formation of a teamto begin marketing the AW169 toUK parapublic agencies. “If theybuy AW169s,” he told AIN,“they’ll be putting jobs into theUK and not elsewhere, and help-ing with the balance of trade.”

AW169 on ShowWhat was revealed yesterday

in mockup form is the outcome ofthe XX9 project that AgustaWest-land has talked about since at least2008. The detailed specificationsof the twin-engine AW169 haveyet to be finalized, but should becompleted in time to be revealedat the Heli-Expo exhibition nextMarch in the U.S.

The company is coy about theplanned date for the helicopter’sfirst flight, but said it is aimingtoward an FAA/EASA Part 29certification and service-entry inthe 2014 to 2015 timeframe. AWhas selected the Pratt & WhitneyCanada PW210 turboshaft engineto power the type, although alter-native powerplants could be of-fered at some point.

The AW169 is being developedto provide good hot-and-highcapability, and has a heavy-dutydesign so it can handle a range ofoperations, including militaryapplications. Prospective customersinclude law enforcement andsecurity agencies, including thosewith special forces, search-and-rescue organizations and emer-gency medical responders. Thetype also has natural applicationsin the commercial world, bothonshore and offshore. �

In its first publicly announcedorder, recently established AirLease yesterday agreed with Air-bus to a deal nominally valued at$4.4 billion and covering 51A320-series aircraft for deliveryfrom 2011 to 2015. The agree-ment involves 31 A320s and 20A321-200s; some of the latter willbe long-range variants equippedwith “sharklet” upturned wingtipsto enhance airfield and climb per-formance and cruise efficiency.

The new business has been setup by former International Lease

Finance Corp. (ILFC) founderand chairman Steven Udvar-Hazyand John Plueger, who retired asILFC chief executive less thanthree months ago. To obtain earlydelivery, Udvar-Hazy negotiatedat least some production slots pre-viously assigned to Air NewZealand. The 51 aircraft will bepowered by International AeroEngines V2500 and CFM Interna-tional CFM56 powerplants.

Unannounced Air Leaseorders include an Airbus A330,delivered two months ago to Air

Berlin. The upcoming A350XWB is said to be a considera-tion in “the next round” ofaircraft acquisitions. Plueger saidAir Lease is talking to manufac-turers “worldwide” and “willlook at any proposal” but expectsto concentrate on the “most pro-ductive, most profitable” designs.

Meanwhile, the new lessor iscompleting its management teamand establishing more financialsupport. Air Lease orders alsoinclude an Airbus A330, deliveredtwo months ago to Air Berlin. �


While the world’s radar housesconcentrate on developing andfielding active electronicallyscanned antenna (AESA, or “e-scan”) radars, there is still a placefor mechanically scanned (“m-scan”) radars, believes NorthropGrumman. “M-scan radars are stillrelevant to the world market,” saidTim Winter, v-p of global sensorsolutions. “It’s like big screen TVversus plasma screen. Big screenwill be around for years.”

Nowhere is that more apparentthan in the F-16 retrofit market,where Northrop Grumman con-tinues to pursue sales of them-scan APG-68(V)9, while pro-moting its SABR AESA thatleverages the company’s APG-80and APG-81 AESA programs.

Northrop Grumman has builtmore than 6,000 APG-66 andAPG-68 radars for the F-16, thelatest version of which is beingmarketed to a number of nations.The APG-68(V)9 was developedin collaboration with two interna-tional customers, Greece andIsrael, and Northrop Grumman hassold about 700 of them. It is inservice with the U.S. Air Force andmore than five overseas air arms.

While AESA radars offergreater performance and capability,there are several issues that stillmake the m-scan APG-68(V)9 anattractive proposition. Cost is anobvious one. Northrop Grummanis aiming to keep the price of itsSABR e-scan radar within thesame ballpark as an m-scansensor, but admits there is still apremium to be paid for being anearly AESA user. There are alsodevelopment schedule issues, andpossibly some export restrictionsfor some potential customers.

For its part, the (V)9 offersoutstanding performance with itsmechanically scanned antenna,while offering significant com-monality of modes and operatingsystem with Northrop Grum-man’s AESA products. Meantime between failures has beenincreased to around 220 hours,falling not far short of the typicalAESA figure of around 300.

The (V)9 has introduced newfunctions, such as the ability totrack 10 to 20 air targets simulta-neously, while offering greaterprotection against advanced jam-ming. More important, the (V)9gives the F-16 several advancedair-to-ground modes, including asynthetic-aperture patch map capa-bility and ground moving targetindication and tracking. �

M-scan radars not obsolete,argues Northrop Grummanby David Donald

According to AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi, among the roles envisioned for theAW169 are primary and secondary EMS tasks. The helicopter’s 222-cu-ft cabin canaccommodate one or two stretchers, either lengthwise or crosswise.

Steven Udvar-Hazy (second from left) is back in the aircraft leasing business, and hisnewly formed company, Air Lease, made a splash yesterday by signing for a deal for51 Airbus A320-series aircraft.

AW169 unveiled

worth just over $13 billion. On topof this, Russia’s Aeroflot signed acontract for 11 A330-300 twinjets,fitted with the new Sharkletwinglets, in a deal worth approxi-mately $1.7 billion.

Following in the wake of theaircraft transactions were billionsmore dollars’ worth of engineorders. The Emirates 777-300ERsare to be powered by GeneralElectric GE90-115 turbofansworth about $2 billion. TheGECAS 737s will carry CFM56-7BE engines worth $560 million,

and CFM56 powerplant will alsodrive its new A320s. Aeroflot issticking with the Rolls-RoyceTrent 700 for its latest A330s.

CFM International also won newbusiness yesterday from Air Chinaand China Eastern. The Asian carri-ers have ordered CFM56-5B en-gines for, respectively, 20 and 30A320s that they have on order.

Engine Alliance secured a$4.8 billion contract (also cover-ing support) for engines to be supplied for the 32 A380s thatEmirates ordered last month.

And, finally, Pratt & Whitneylogged a $100 million deal whenBrazil’s TAM Linhas Aereaschose its PW4000 engines topower two new A330-200s. �

Airlines boostbacklogs

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Airbus lands 51-aircraft orderby Ian Goold

Qatar stalls overC series orders�Continued from page 1

extending the reach of the airline’snew corporate jet operation–QatarExecutive–launched a year ago.Deliveries of the 13-seat Global1000s are to occur this October andin August 2011, respectively. Theaircraft will be fitted out to providethe “ultimate in luxury,” said AlBaker, and will be used on nonstoproutes to Hong Kong and otherimportant business destinations.

At the Global 5000 press con-ference, Al Baker had anothersurprise. “As we speak I havedecided to add a Bombardier 605medevac aircraft to our fleet,” hesuddenly interjected. Even Bom-bardier executives at the pressconference were taken by sur-prise, albeit pleasantly. �

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Pratt & Whitney believes openrotors are not the solution to pow-ering future single-aisle aircraftand will offer developed versionsof its PW1000G series of gearedturbofans for all new and deriva-tive single-aisle aircraft.

“We believe we can get betterfuel efficiency than open rotorswith our engine by leveraging thetechnology we already have,” saidBob Saia, vice president, P&Wnext-generation product family.He added that in its most devel-oped form the geared fan enginecould bring 30- to 35-percent

reduction in fuel burn over today’sengines. “That’s better than anopen rotor and it has none of thenoise and installation negatives.

“We are positioning ourselvesfor all potential applications,whether new or re-engined,” saidSaia. “We never really embracedthe open rotor because when wetested one on the MD-80 in thelate 1980s we found there wereserious noise and installationproblems. With a geared enginewe keep the nacelle, and the fanturns more slowly. It’s simplephysics.”

Testing to date has increasedconfidence in the PW1000 gear-box to the extent that P&W willbe able to increase the reductiongear ratio of the fan drive systemfrom today’s 3:1 to 5:1. “Thismeans the relationship betweenthe fan and turbine will be evenbetter,” said Saia. “Coupled withother improvements, we canachieve another 10- to 15-percentreduction in fuel burn over theengine we’re testing today. Thatputs us in the same arena as theopen rotor.”

Currently, the PW1000 hasfound three applications: theBombardier C Series and Mit-subishi MRJ regional jets, and the140- to 220-seat single-aisle IrkutMC-21 airliner. The first enginefor the C Series, the PW1500G, isto go to test in August, with certi-fication and first flight in 2012.Testing of the MRJ engine is tobegin at the end of the year, aim-ing for a 2014 in-service date,while the more powerful MC-21engine, producing up to 35,000pounds thrust, is expected to becertified in 2014 and ready forservice entry two years later. “Bythe time the MC-21 enters serv-ice,” said Saia, “around 400PW1000s will be in service andwill have accumulated a millionhours of revenue service.”

Hopes remain high at P&Wthat Airbus and Boeing will offerthe PW1000 engine for re-engined versions of the A320 andBoeing 737. Assuming the gearedfan meets performance claims,P&W would then be well posi-tioned to power an eventualall-new aircraft, effectively leav-ing its International Aero Enginespartner Rolls-Royce out of thesingle-aisle market for the fore-seeable future.

Saia said P&W is “still talk-ing” to its International AeroEngines partners about joining thePW1000 program. One of them,Germany’s MTU, is already

involved in the low-pressure tur-bine, but despite Saia’s assuranceto AIN that “there’s always a wayof making partnerships work,”Rolls-Royce has made it quiteclear it disagrees totally with thegeared fan concept. Like CFM,which is developing its Leap-X, ithas conventionally configuredadvanced turbofans under devel-opment for the 150- to 220-seatmarket. The UK company hassaid its Advance2 program could

lead to an engine in 2016-2017.This is too late, however, for the 2015 date being touted for a re-engined A320.

Initial versions of the PW1000will be capable of up to 40,000pounds thrust, Saia said. P&Wremains committed to continuingdevelopment of the geared enginefor widebody applications as well.“We see no reason not to go to100,000 and beyond,” he said. “It’sour next area of development.” �

China’s homegrown ComacC919 will be the first airliner in theworld to fly with a truly integratedpropulsion system (IPS) combin-ing engines with nacelles forimproved overall efficiency. TheIPS concept is being pioneered byNexcelle, a joint company formedlast year by GE Aviation’s MiddleRiver Aircraft Systems and theSafran group’s Aircelle. GE andSafran also jointly own CFMInternational, supplier of theC919’s Leap X1C engine.

“The Chinese could havegone with a traditional nacelle,but they recognized the perform-ance and customer supportbenefits an integrated propulsionsystem can provide,” said Nex-celle president Steve Walters.

The application of IPS tech-nologies in the C919 will yieldan extra 1.5-percent reduction infuel burn and a weight reductionof more than 200 pounds perengine, Walters said. This is inaddition to the 15-percent fuelsaving the Leap X1C engineitself is expected to achieve.

Nexcelle can squeeze theextra efficiency from the designby mounting the engine to thewing pylon in an orientation thatminimizes distortion of the com-pressor and by using moreefficient O-duct thrust reversers,which have been used on mili-tary aircraft but never an airliner.

The C919’s IPS also incorpo-rates an electric anti-ice systemthat weighs less and is easier to maintain than traditionalbleed-air anti-ice systems. Andthe design will incorporate acomposite nacelle intake, a firstfor an airliner. Taken together,the technology enhancementsadd up to an engine/nacellepackage that is lighter and more streamlined than whatcould have been achieved withtraditional engine and nacelleintegration techniques.

Nexcelle benefits from a poolof engineering talent at GE’sMiddle River group in Balti-more, Maryland, and Aircelle inFrance. The company is based inCincinnati, Ohio, near the head-quarters of CFM International.CFM and Nexcelle recentlycompleted the C919’s joint defi-nition phase with Comac inShanghai to freeze the finalengine design.

The 168- to 190-seat narrow-body airliner is expected to makeits first flight in 2014 and achievecertification in 2016. �

Irkut has signed a memoran-dum of understanding with VEBLeasing, a subsidiary of Russian-based Vnesheconombank, for 15firm and 15 optional MC-21 nar-rowbody airliners. The signingtook place on Monday and theRussian airframer’s CEO, OlegDemchenko, promised more con-tracts will come here at the show.

Meanwhile, Irkut parent com-pany United Aircraft Corp.

(UAC) and Ukrainian aircraftmanufacturer Antonov are con-sidering a merger. Both partiesare making progress and an auditis to start in October, UAC CEOAlexey Fedorov said during apress conference. Antonov willprobably be integrated into one ofUAC’s units, a process that willtake at least 12 to 18 months,starting with marketing and after-sales branches.

Fedorov promised that the 75-to 100-seat Superjet 100, which isbuilt by Sukhoi–another UACfirm–will not have to competewith the Antonov An-148/158,which has a slightly lower seatingcapacity but still falls in the 100-seat class. He explained that theSuperjet 100 and the An-158 willbe offered to different geographi-cal markets.

In military activities, this yearIrkut and India’s HAL are tofinalize the details of a joint ven-ture to build a transport aircraft,he reported. He also said Algeriahas exercised an option for 16more Su-30MK fighters, and pro-duction of Yak-130 trainers forthat country is also under way. �


VEB Leasing signsMoU for 30 MC-21s

Open rotors brushed offby Pratt & Whitney

C919 to haveintegratedpropulsion

by Julian Moxon

by Thierry Dubois

On Monday, VEB Leasing director general Viacheslav Soloviev and Irkut CEO Oleg Demchenko signed an MoU for 15 firm orders and 15 options for the MC-21.

by Stephen Pope

WEST MIDLANDS POLICE CAPTURES NEW EC 135

Eurocopter handed over an EC 135P2i to West Midlands Policeassistant chief constable Sharon Rowe yesterday here at the Farnbor-ough airshow. The helicopter, which was ordered last September, is areplacement of an EC 135 that was destroyed by arson last year. In themeantime, the French helicopter manufacturer kept the West Mid-lands Police in the air by supplying a police-configured interim EC135shortly after the incident. Eurocopter models comprise 75 percent ofthe in-service UK police helicopter fleet, with six police helicoptersbeing delivered by Eurocopter UK to police services in the British Islesthis year. �

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BETWEEN MULTI -NATION AND MULTI -MISSION,

THERE IS ONE IMPORTANT WORD: HOW.

The C-130J delivers multi-mission capability to the most remote and demanding places on earth. Ready to serve nations

of the world. Delivering mission-critical cargo virtually anywhere is all a question of how. And it is the how that Lockheed

Martin delivers.

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Farnborough Airshow News 7-20-10