Airbus and Rolls-Royce sign agreement for enhanced A350-1000

Today, the CEOs of Airbus and Rolls-Royce, Tom Enders and John Rishton (pictured below), signed the milestone agreement for the joint development of the enhanced Airbus A350-1000 airliner powered by a higher thrust Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofan.

The enhanced version of the Trent XWB engine will be fully optimised for the largest member of the A350 XWB Family and will deliver up to 97,000lbs of thrust on takeoff, making it the most powerful engine ever developed for an Airbus aircraft. The extra thrust together with an increased aircraft takeoff weight capability of 308 tonnes will enable airlines to fly the new A350-1000 approximately 400nm further with a full load of 350 passengers, or carry around 4.5 extra tonnes of payload at a given range. Moreover, the A350-1000 will save airlines around 25% of fuel consumed and CO2 emissions compared with its competitor. This will assure the A350-1000’s position as by far the most efficient aircraft in its category.

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Airbus undertakes large winglet retrofit evaluation on A320 Family

Large winglets upgrade to bring further fuel efficiency and residual value benefits for in-service A320 Family aircraft

21 JUNE 2011 PRESS RELEASE
Encouraged by the popular ‘Sharklet’ programme for new A320 Family aircraft, Airbus has decided to pursue a retrofit option of large winglets for the legacy in-service fleet. To this end, Airbus is evaluating the technical, operational and business aspects of a retrofit offering, to provide a solution for A320 Family aircraft currently in service.

Tom Williams, Executive Vice President, Programmes, says: “We are confident that our customers will appreciate not only the benefits from improved fuel efficiency that retrofitting large winglets will bring to their in-service A320 Family fleets, but also from the enhanced residual value."

He adds: “We’ve begun investigating in earnest, and our technical teams are confident that we can develop a retrofit solution. We are committed to making it happen either in-house or with external partners.”

The proposed large winglet retrofit offering will directly benefit from Airbus’ experience in developing the forward-fit Sharklet option for new-build aircraft, for which tests will soon be performed on our flight test A320 MSN1 aircraft.

Airbus invests approximately 100 million euros each year to keeping the A320 Family the benchmark eco-efficient Single Aisle airliner in service.

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Check-in to the App Store to experience flight in 2050

The futuristic concept for air travel unveiled to the world by Airbus last week is now available at the Apple App Store, giving everyone a chance to interact with the in-flight cabin experience of 2050.

Available for iPad and iPhone, the free ‘fly-through’ App puts passengers onboard the leading aircraft manufacturer’s innovative Concept Cabin. The App was launched today at Le Bourget Paris Airshow as part of the ‘Future by Airbus’ – a vision of air travel in 2050. The blueprints released last week sent public interest soaring with over 30,000 mentions in social media and half a million hits on You Tube.

Those who experienced the ‘nature inspired’ futuristic Concept Cabin design can now take a virtual tour of Cabin’s personalised ‘Vitalizing’, ‘Smart Tech’ and ‘Interactive’ zones that replace first, business and economy classes.  From 30,000 feet up people are able to stare at the stars through the aircraft's intelligent, transparent wall membrane from a morphing seat that moulds to their body and harvests heat to power certain cabin features. 

Rainer Ohler, Airbus Senior Vice President Public Relations and Communications, said: “The Airbus Concept Cabin has generated huge interest and excitement across the globe. Our vision of flight in 2050 has really captured people’s interest and with this App everyone can experience how the journey can be as much a voyage of discovery as the destination."

The Airbus Concept Cabin’s personalised zones are designed to focus on different aspects of the passenger experience.  The ‘Vitalising zone’” focuses on passenger wellbeing with vitamin and antioxidant-enriched air, mood lighting, aromatherapy and acupressure treatments. In the 'Interactive zone' there are virtual pop-up projections taking passengers to whichever social scene they want to be in, from holographic gaming to virtual changing rooms for active shoppers. At the rear of the plane the 'Smart Tech zone' is tailored towards the functional passenger, allowing passengers to continue life as if on the ground.

100 percent recyclable, the Concept Cabin has self-cleaning materials grown from sustainable plant fibres which reduces waste and maintenance. It has an integrated neural network that recognises passengers and adapts accordingly their needs.  The Concept Cabin follows last year’s unveiling of the Airbus Concept Plane – packed with technologies to reduce fuel burn, emissions, waste and noise – and gives further insight into some of the innovations and technologies that will shape future passenger experiences on board.

The App is available to download from itunes.apple.com or search for The Future by Airbus. A web version is also available to explore at www.thefuturebyairbus.com

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Airbus Military and Israel Aerospace Industries join forces on C295 AEW&C Programme

Airbus Military and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are combining forces to jointly develop and market a new version of the Airbus Military C295 platform fitted with an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system produced by ELTA Systems, a wholly owned IAI subsidiary.

The primary sensor of the AEW&C will be the IAI/ELTA 4th Generation Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar with integrated IFF.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to this effect was signed today at the Le Bourget Airshow by IAI Corp. VP and ELTA President, Mr. Nissim Hadas, and Airbus Military CEO Mr. Domingo Ureña. With this agreement, Airbus Military will expand its mission capability to the Airborne Early Warning & Command sector, while ELTA will be expanding its AEW&C fleet to include a turboprop platform.

The C295 AEW&C has been designed to provide high quality 360 Surveillance, creating in real-time an integrated Air and Maritime Situation Picture and Electronic Order of Battle. The AEW&C Situation Picture is shared with friendly forces via Network Centric data links.

A C295 fitted with a rotodome demonstrator is conducting flight trials from Airbus Military's Seville facility since 8th June. The initial tests have shown that the aircraft is aerodynamically an excellent platform for this purpose. ELTA Systems and Airbus Military are now conducting engineering studies to integrate the mission suite, including AESA radar, among other sensors, into the aircraft. The aircraft demonstrator can be seen on the static display at the Le Bourget Airshow.

Providing a new and very cost effective solution in the so far uncovered medium size market, the C295 AEW&C is both rugged and versatile. It can be configured with the full range of AEW&C sensor and control systems, including; AEW Radar, IFF, ESM/ELINT, CSM/COMINT, Self Protection Suite (SPS), Command & Control, Multi-Mode Radar, comprehensive communication suite including Network Centric Operation (NCO) Data Networks and Satellite Links.

Airbus Military CEO, Domingo Ureña, stated: “We see a growing demand emerging for medium size early warning systems and platforms at an affordable price for both air defense and homeland security. This cooperation between ELTA Systems and Airbus Military, which combines the excellent engineering skills and experience of our two companies in their respective fields, will provide the market with a highly efficient and affordable solution, the first in this market segment”.

IAI Corp. VP and ELTA President, Nissim Hadas, referring to the mutual cooperation agreement, noted:”The emerging conflicts across the globe are emphasizing the importance of special mission fleets. We are sure that by joining forces, we will offer the market the right solution with the right technology. Airbus Military and IAI/ELTA's superior capabilities in special mission aircraft, advanced sensors and system integration enable us to provide an effective and proven solution for these growing needs.”

The new generation C295 is the ideal aircraft for military transport and civil missions such as humanitarian aid, homeland security, maritime patrol, and environmental surveillance. Thanks to its robustness and reliability, and with simple systems, this medium sized tactical airlifter provides the wide versatility and flexibility required for personnel, troop and bulky/palletized cargo transportation, casualty evacuation, communication and logistic duties, or certified air-dropping capabilities. It is fitted with both civil and military technology equipment which ensures success in demanding tactical missions, as well as growth potential for future equipment installation and compatibility with the latest civil airspace environment. The C295 is part of Airbus Military’s family of light and medium airlifters which also includes the smaller C212 and CN235 platforms.

IAI/ELTA is a front-runner in the development of airborne radar systems and in particular AESA Radar for AEW&C aircraft. IAI/ELTA’s current 3rd Generation AEW&C products, the Gulfstream G550 Conformal AEW&C and the Ilyushin IL-76 AWACS, are the leaders in their respective categories, both in terms of performance and landmark design. The newest
member of IAI/ELTA’s family of AESA Radars is a rotating dome radar combining both true 360o AESA radar and IFF in a unique low weight 4th Generation design.

About Airbus Military
Airbus Military is the only military and civic/humanitarian transport aircraft manufacturer to develop, produce, sell and support a comprehensive family of airlifters ranging from three to 45 tonnes of payload. An Airbus daughter company, Airbus Military is responsible for the A400M programme, as well as the Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) A330 and for further military derivatives based on Airbus civil aircraft. Together with the smaller “Light & Medium” C295, CN235 and C212, Airbus Military is the global leader in the market for military transport, tanker and surveillance aircraft able to perform the most varied missions. Altogether, Airbus Military has sold more than 1,000 aircraft to some 130 military, civilian and governmental customers. More than 800 of these aircraft have been delivered. Airbus is an EADS company.

About ELTA Systems Ltd.
ELTA Systems Ltd., a Group and wholly-owned subsidiary of IAI, is one of Israel's leading defense electronics companies and a leader in Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), Early-Warning Command & Control, Home-Land Security, Self-Protection and Self-Defense, and Fire-Control applications on board both manned and
unmanned aircraft.

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