Boeing could propose developing a "purpose-built" airframe as one of
several options to replace the US Air Force's fleet of Northrop T-38
jet trainers, say industry officials.
This is the culmination of a two-year programme, which included
extensive integration and mission testing with both BAE Systems and
the end users. The Thales ASTA devices have been progressively
installed and commissioned at RAF Kinloss in Scotland since 2004. The
devices are to be utilised by the RAF to prepare the mission syllabus
for the start of training around the activities of the upgrade.
Today's milestone supports the Nimrod MRA4 programme in-service date
of 2010.
Albacete, 29 sep (EFE).- Aumentar la inversión en investigación y desarrollo (I+D) de las empresas aeronáuticas y mejorar su productividad son algunas de las recomendaciones que se incluyen en un informe del sector presentado hoy en Albacete.
Se trata del "Análisis estratégico de las empresas del sector aeronáutico en Castilla-La Mancha"
El touroperador británico TUI ha cancelado un pedido a Boeing de diez
B787 Dreamliner valorados en más de 1.500 millones de dólares (1.000
millones de euros), según precio de catalogo, y eleva las renuncias de
este modelo del constructor estadounidense a 83 aviones.
British Airways inaugura mañana un servicio de lujo, exclusivamente de
clase "business" con camas y la última tecnología en comunicaciones,
entre el aeropuerto de la 'City' de Londres y Nueva York.
Según informes de la compañía, el servicio, dos veces al día, ofrece
32 asientos en un Airbus A-318 que contarán con servicio de Internet y
tendrán un coste de 1.901 libras (unos 2.091 euros) por un billete de
ida y vuelta.
PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus parece estar listo para entregar 13
superjumbos A380 en el 2009, menos que su último objetivo de 14, luego
de conversaciones con uno de sus clientes, Singapore Airlines, dijo el
lunes el presidente de EADS, la casa matriz del fabricante de aviones.
"Estamos discutiendo con Singapore Airlines sobre la posibilidad de
entregar el último avión (frente al esquema de entregas para el 2009)
en enero del año próximo", dijo a Reuters el presidente ejecutivo,
Louis Gallois.
Airbus Military has released this image of the first A400M fitted with
four flightworthy engines and propellers. This marks another step
forward in the development of the long-awaited transport aircraft,
which had its formal roll-out in June 2008.
Paves the way for 100 per cent synthetic jet fuel approval
Airbus welcomes the latest steps towards the approval by ASTM
International, one of the largest voluntary standards developing
organizations in the world, for the use of a 50 per cent synthetic jet
fuel in commercial aviation. Synthetic liquid jet fuels can be made
from biomass, natural gas or coal. All of these are known as xTL
fuels.
29/09/2009 (Infodefensa.com) Madrid - Los países promotores del
A-400M, el avión de transporte militar de EADS y Airbus, han llegado a
un principio de acuerdo con el consorcio aeroespacial europeo para
modificar el contrato inicial firmado para el desarrollo de la
aeronave, que rondaba los 20.000 millones de euros para 192 aparatos y
que lleva tres años de retraso respecto al cronograma inicial.
PZL Mielec, a Polish subsidiary of Sikorsky Aircraft, has entered the
final stages of the production of its first S-70i Black Hawk
helicopter. The news was announced last week during the International
Defence Industry Exhibition held in Kielce.
The first unit, which is intended for international military use, is
expected to be ready in 2010.
Un Airbus A380 de la compañía Singapore Airlines que hacía la ruta Paris-Singapur tuvo que regresar este domingo y aterrizar en el aeropuerto Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle a causa de un problema en un motor, informó una fuente aeroportuaria.
two French Rafale fighters collided and crashed in the Mediterranean,
about 30 kilometers off the French coast. At least the French Navy
believes it was a collision. The two aircraft were operating from the
French carrier de Gaulle. There are only 17 navalized Rafales
operating with the French navy. Now there are fifteen.
[...]
The most recent crash comes at a bad time, for Brazil recently said it
was interested in buying 36 Rafales.
Supersonic commercial transport aircraft concepts for 2018 and beyond are the subject of a NASA-funded study to be carried out by Lockheed Martin.
The work will focus on "systems-level experimental validation activities" and is part of the NASA aeronautics research mission directorate fundamental aeronautics programme's supersonics project.
Anticipándose al relanzamiento del concurso, Boeing ha puesto en
marcha su maquinaria de propaganda, y ha lanzado toda una ofensiva
aprovechando todos los medios a su alcance.
Los dos Rafales se han estrellado en un momento Critico para
Dasault,pendiente del concurso de cazas de Brasil
Boeing said it has not yet decided whether to stick with its modified
767 tanker, which lost a previous, canceled competition, or go to a
larger 777-based tanker.
The Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods will fly on the Royal Moroccan Air
Force's newly purchased F-16 block 50 aircraft.
la colocación de la primera piedra de Alestis supone el primer paso
firme para la construcción de una factoría llamada a ser uno de los
principales nichos de empleo de la Bahía de Cádiz. De hecho, ya tiene
varios contratos firmados, entre los que destaca la construcción del
cono de cola y la panza del nuevo A350 de Airbus, además de otro
contrato con la firma brasileña Embraer, que le garantizan carga de
trabajo para varios años.
http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=50590
London, England, September 24 2009 – 'Very Light Jets' (VLJs) will
play a key role in the future of European business aviation, but no
one should believe that they will bring easy profits or easyJet
prices.
That's the opinion of Patrick Margetson-Rushmore, chief executive of
London Executive Aviation ('LEA'), one of Europe's largest business
jet charter operators.
Rapid technological developments are changing how wars are fought, but
as Predator drones and ground robots are supplemented by bigger,
better and deadlier upgrades, moral and ethical implications will need
to be assessed, Simon Roughneen writes for ISN Security Watch.
"What the Air Force presented today is a much clearer and more
definitive bid than we had the last time, where there was a lot of
wiggle room that ended up in trouble," said Sen. Patty Murray (D.,
Wash.), an ardent Boeing backer.
Dos Rafales navales, del Charles De Gaulle, se estrellaran en el Mar
Mediterráneo. Los aparatos se estrellaron a unos 30km de Perpiñan,
sobre las 18h del día 24 de Septiembre. En una nota la marina indicaba
que se había encontrado a uno de los pilotos con vida, pero no
indicaban su estado de salud.
The United Arab Emirates air force is to equip its three Airbus
Military A330 Multi Role Tanker Transports (MRTT) with the standard
passenger cabin used by the country's national airline, Etihad
Airways.
That problem has been solved by hiring over a hundred additional
experts. But the real problem (choosing a politically acceptable
supplier) is not acknowledged. There are two aircraft in contention,
the Boeing KC-767 and Airbus MRTT/KC-30. The big problem is that the
superior aircraft is made by a European firm [...] When it comes to
military equipment, especially high priced items, nations always try
to build it themselves, even if it costs more, or results in an
inferior weapon. Thus many European nations are buying the new
European designed and Built Typhoon jet fighter
September 24, 2009: The U.S. Navy is looking for a new COD (Carrier
Onboard Delivery) aircraft. It is now using 35 aging C-2s [...] Since
the navy has agreed to buy 48 V-22 tilt rotor aircraft, but has yet to
decide what it would do with them, the COD mission seems like a
suitable job. Both aircraft weigh the same (about 25 tons).
key improvements being planned for the S-92 helicopter are:
•Increased maximum gross weight from 26,500 pounds to above 27,000 pounds.
•Improvements to the durability of the main gear box.
•Limited icing certification.
•A fully coupled and automated approach capability that will allow
pilots to approach offshore platforms with greater safety and lower
minimums.
Airbus aims to spend $200 million next year on procuring aircraft
parts from China and it is possible that China will have more than 5%
of the work on the A350 programme.
Last year Airbus spent a little over $100 million buying aircraft
parts from China and next year it is aiming for $200 million and in
2015 it will be close to $500 million, says Airbus China president
Laurence Barron.
On Sept 11/09, L-3 Communications Geneva Aerospace of Carrollton, TX
received a not-to-exceed $250 million indefinite-delivery/
indefinite-quantity contract for U.S. Special Operations Command's
Expeditionary Unmanned Aircraft System. The competed contract is for 1
year with 4 option years, with a minimum of $5 million and orders to
be issued as desired (H92222-09-D-0051). That minimum was met
immediately in the initial $6.6 million delivery order.
L-3 is not known as a UAV maker; instead, Geneva Aero is best known as
a maker of key flight and datalink systems for use in UAVs. The firm
is expanding their reach, however, and L-3 representatives have now
confirmed that the SOCOM UAV is their Viking 400 model [PDF]. It's
larger than SOCOM's Puma AE mini-UAVs, and in a similar size class to
Aerovironment's RQ-7 Shadow.
23/09/2009 (Infodefensa.com) Madrid - El Ejército del Aire español ha
adjudicado a la compañía EADS Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A. (CASA)
la puesta al día de la documentación técnica referida al avión T-19,
denominación española del CN-235, por un importante de 528.615 euros,
incluidos los impuestos.
24/09/2008 (Infodefensa.com) Madrid - Un total de 61 empresas e
instituciones asistieron a la sesión informativa sobre el estado
actual del programa Advanced Unmanned Air Vehicle (A-UAV) organizada
por la Dirección General de Armamento y Material (DGAM) del Ministerio
de Defensa español, informó este departamento.
Getafe, 23 sep (EFE).- El alcalde de Getafe, Pedro Castro, junto con
una comitiva de miembros del Ayuntamiento, ha visitado hoy las
instalaciones de EADS CASA, donde le han transmitido la necesidad de
llegar a un acuerdo con la Comunidad de Madrid en el tema Carpetania
para poder desarrollar sus nuevos proyectos en la región.
Chinese state-owned helicopter manufacturer Avicopter is working with
Russia to develop a heavy-lift helicopter and hopes to have it flying
within five to 10 years.
It will be greater than 20t and we are working with Russia "to do the
feasibility study and work out the general configuration", says
Avicopter VP international operations and marketing Xia Qunlin. He
says the partner is Russian Helicopters, the consortium that includes
Mil.
PARIS, Sept 23 (Reuters) - European safety officials have ordered
checks on certain Airbus (EAD.PA) speed sensors supplied by U.S.
manufacturer Goodrich (GR.N), weeks after clamping down on alternative
equipment from France's Thales (TCFP.PA).
[...]
In an airworthiness directive dated Sept. 22, the European Aviation
Safety Agency said there had been reports of loose fittings on a
number of Goodrich sensors, known as pitot probes.
BEIJING — The designer of China's largest home-produced commercial jet
expects strong interest from domestic and overseas buyers when it
starts taking orders next year, state media reported Wednesday.
Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), designer of the C919
jet, is in talks with potential customers and hopes to get about 90
orders in the first half of 2010, the Beijing Morning Post said,
citing a COMAC official.
Alenia Aeronautica is seeking to streamline costs for a proposed final
assembly and check out (FACO) facility based in Italy for the Lockheed
Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The Italian plant at Cameri air base would open with only the
"essential" needs, and striking "costly" equipment and tooling that
Lockheed uses to meet production rate targets at the F-35's primary
assembly centre in Fort Worth, Texas, says Alenia CEO Giovanni
Bertoleone.
September 22, 2009: India has successfully tested a locally designed
and manufactured 35mm anti-aircraft gun. India wants to replace
hundreds of imported (in the 1970s) anti-aircraft guns 40mm guns.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Europe could still settle
dueling lawsuits about illegal aircraft subsidies if Boeing ( BA -
news - people ) Co and Airbus concluded the benefits of such a deal
outweighed the cost of the battle, the European Union's envoy to
Washington told Reuters Monday.
Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot's wholly-owned southern airline,
Aeroflot-Don, is to be rebranded under the new name Donavia.
Aeroflot says the decision is part of a strategy to develop its
subsidiaries under independent brands.
The RQ-1 Predator had an accident rate of about 30 per 100,000 hours
earlier this year. [...] Older model UAVs had much higher rates (up to
363 for the RQ-2A). But these high accident rates have come way down
in the last decade. UAVs are expected to follow the experience of
manned warplanes in this area.
For example, the new F-22 an accident rate is about 6 per 100,000
hours. F-15s and F-16s have an accident rate of 3-4 per 100,000 flight
hours. India, using mostly Russian aircraft, has an accident rate of
6-7 per 100,000 hours flown
El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid ha anulado la aprobación
definitiva de un nuevo sector residencial, en El Molar. En este
sector, denominado SAU 21, se pretendía construir 8.800 viviendas a
pesar de situarse bajo la huella acústica del aeropuerto de Barajas y
superar los niveles de ruido permitidos. Ecologistas en Acción
recurrió la aprobación definitiva del Consejo de Gobierno de la
Comunidad de Madrid en 2005. Esta organización alerta de las graves
irregularidades que se cometen en la Dirección General de Urbanismo,
dependiente de Ana Isabel Mariño
Wall Street Journal -
BEIJING (Dow Jones)--European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is planning
to set up a new logistics center in China to coordinate its growing
operations in the country, Airbus China Ltd. President Laurence Barron
said Tuesday.
"We've got so much industrial activity here, we want to harmonize the
transport systems for all the goods flowing in and out of China for
us," Barron said at an aviation forum in Beijing.
A normal A320 has 124 economy class seats and 20 J-class seats. After
the conversion, making it a full economy class plane, the number of
seats increases to 168.
BRASILIA — La Fuerza Aérea Brasileña (FAB) amplió diez días, hasta el
2 de octubre, el plazo para la entrega de propuestas de la millonaria
licitación abierta para la compra de 36 aviones de combate, por la que
compiten la francesa Dassault, la estadounidense Boeing y la sueca
Saab, informó el arma en un comunicado oficial.
Dassault Falcon has become the first business airframer to offer
Aircell's in-flight high-speed internet system across its entire fleet
of jets, in a deal that further underscores Aircell's growing presence
in the US business aviation market. Dassault Falcon customers can now
select Aircell's air-to-ground (ATG)-based system for their new Falcon
7X, 900LX, 900EX, 900DX, 2000LX and 2000DX aircraft
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian defense ministry is due to show its latest
products, including high-tech Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and
missiles, in military parades to be staged here in Tehran on Tuesday.
The MiG-29 has been in service for 25 years, but stocks of Cold War
era spare parts are still around, and it was first thought that some
were put to use to build the Algerian aircraft. These are supposed to
be "new," but some of their components were definitely not. Some MiG
employees were very unhappy with the corrupt practices involving
aircraft parts. This sort of crime often extends to parts for
airliners
Italian rotorcraft maker AgustaWestland hopes to acquire control of
the BA609 civil tiltrotor programme it shares with Bell Helicopter, in
order to speed up the aircraft's certification and delivery to market.
Chief executive Giuseppe Orsi says negotiations are ongoing and adds
that AgustaWestland's parent, the Italian industrial giant
Finmeccanica, "has authorised us to conclude negotiations within
certain conditions to reach this important achievement".
"What we must not do is repeat what happened with our last manned
bomber," he said. "By the time the research, development, and
requirements processes ran their course, the aircraft, despite its
great capability, turned out to be so expensive – $2 billion each in
the case of the B-2 – that less than one-sixth of the planned fleet of
132 was ever built. Looking ahead, it makes little sense to pursue a
future bomber – a prospective B-3, if you will – in a way that repeats
this history."
According to Graham Warwick of Aviation Week, General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems and Lockheed Martin are partnering to fly an
Avenger UAV with a version of the F-35's stealth-imbued
electro-optical targeting system (EOTS).
Boeing eyes 2010 launch of 777 converted freighter
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/09/18/332451/boeing-eyes-2010-launch-of-777-converted-freighter.html
Airbus now plans first A330-200F delivery in August 2010
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/09/18/332513/airbus-now-plans-first-a330-200f-delivery-in-august.html
La ampliación se produce a cuatro semanas después de que la Junta de Castilla y León haya decidido destinar 928.570 euros dentro de la inversión prevista por Aresa de 10.317.453 euros para expansión de la capacidad productiva de la planta, con una creación de 20 nuevos puestos de trabajo.
La apuesta de Aresa por la línea productiva es clara. En concreto, va a ganar un 200% de sala limpia, al pasar de los 2.000 metros cuadrados actuales, a los casi 6.000 metros que sumará con los 3.961 útiles que se comenzarán a construir en breve.
19/09/2008 (Infodefensa.com) Madrid - La Junta de Andalucía reclama al
Ministerio de Defensa que corra con todos los gatos -un millón de
euros- de extinción del incendio ocurrido en el parque natural de
Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas (Jaén) causado el pasado día 10 por al
accidente de un caza de combate Mirage F-1 del Ejército del Aire.
The P-47 in WWII
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aunews/archive/2009/0419/Articles/Baughn10.htm
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Lahav Division is continuing studies
with aircraft manufacturer Airbus on the development of a semi-robotic
towbarless tractor called the TaxiBot Dispatch Towing System.
Major components of the TaxiBot concept include a towbarless FMC
Technologies (now JBT AeroTech) PTS-1 tug equipped with a unique
mechanical interface to the nose landing gear; a low-level control
function for driving the vehicle; and a vehicle electronics system
that provides high-level control for managing towing operations while
in pilot-control mode.
Company Auctions History Making Jetpack Flight On eBay
The country that brought the world jet boating and bungee jumping has
done it again, by now becoming the 'first' place in the world where
you can fly a jetpack.
New Zealand's Martin Aircraft Company unveiled its innovative new
aircraft, the Martin Jetpack, to the world last year.
Now they have announced another history making event, an auction on
eBay that will allow the winning bidder to become the first person,
outside their close development team, to fly the Martin Jetpack as a
fully fledged test pilot.
Aviation insiders will understand that it is highly unusual to offer
test pilot status by auction. But jetpack inventor Glenn Martin points
out "our aim is to make the easiest to fly aircraft in the world.
Because of the fly-by-wire systems we have developed in the last year,
we recently had a novice pilot fly solo quite safely with 12 minutes
of flight time."
Airlines No Longer "Customers"
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has announced a 'new' focus on
improving the agency's response to public safety complaints and
whistleblower contributions, as well as renewing efforts to ensure
consistent interpretation of agency regulations and policies. He also
outlined ongoing actions to ensure that air carriers comply with
safety directives while minimizing disruptions to passengers.
Over 1000 Ordered Since Its Introduction At AirVenture 2007
The first production Skycatcher is off the ground. Cessna announced
Thursday that the first Model 162 Skycatcher fabricated and assembled
on production tooling flew Thursday at the factory in Shenyang in
northeast China. The aircraft performed a number of handling quality
tests during the flight.
SDS International (SDS) recently received an order from the U.S. Air
Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) for 20 of its laptop-based
RavenView(tm) tactical simulation systems for use in training
AFSOC/Special Operations Command (SOCOM) forces.
FAA says airlines are no longer its 'customers'
By JOAN LOWY (AP)
WASHINGTON — Responding to criticism that his agency has become too
cozy with companies it regulates, the new head of the Federal Aviation
Administration said Thursday the FAA will stop calling airlines
"customers," as he announced steps to ensure air carriers comply with
safety orders.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, who took over the agency in June,
outlined a series of initiatives that address complaints by members of
Congress and others that the agency's relationship with airlines was
placing the industry's economic interests above passengers' safety.
During the Bush administration, the FAA adopted a business model for
evaluating its performance and began calling airlines, aircraft
manufacturers and others that it regulates "customers." The new term
is "stakeholder."
Demanda de aviones más grandes y eco-eficientes
Blagnac, 17 de Septiembre de 2009
Alrededor de 25.000 nuevos aviones de pasajeros y carga, valorados en
3.1 billones de dólares, serán entregados entre 2009 y 2028, según la
última Previsión Global del Mercado de Airbus. Las economías
emergentes, la evolución de las redes de las líneas aéreas, la
expansión de las compañías de bajo coste y el incremento del número de
mega-ciudades, así como el crecimiento del tráfico y la sustitución de
aviones antiguos, menos eficientes, por aparatos más eco-eficientes,
son los factores que empujan la demanda de nuevos aviones.
WICHITA, Kan. and OWEGO, N.Y., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawker Beechcraft
Corporation (HBC) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) have teamed to compete for
the opportunity to provide a low-cost, low-risk solution to address U.S. Air
Force (USAF) needs for a Light Attack and Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR)
aircraft. The USAF is expected to launch an acquisition program in fiscal year
2010.
Thu, 17 Sep '09
Bob Hoover To Receive 2009 Howard Hughes Memorial Award
Robert A. "Bob" Hoover, World War II fighter hero, postwar U. S. Air
Force and civilian test pilot, and for many years a popular air show
star, has been chosen by the Aero Club of Southern California to be
the 31st recipient of its Howard Hughes Memorial Award.
