SuperJet International launches the Sukhoi Business Jet with a 200 million dollars order from Comlux The Aviation Group

October 9, 2011, Las Vegas — SuperJet International -the joint venture between Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica Company, and Sukhoi Holding — has announced today a purchase agreement for two Sukhoi Business Jet (SBJ) aircraft plus two additional options, with Comlux The Aviation Group.

With this order Comlux becomes the launching customer of SuperJet International for this new type of VIP aircraft. Comlux represents one of the most innovative business aviation group worldwide, able to always offer to its VIP passengers new products for their travel needs.

The deliveries of the two SBJ aircraft are planned for the 2014. The order has an estimated value of US $200 million, including options.

Before the entry into service, the VIP cabin interior of the aircraft will be designed and outfitted by Comlux America, the completion center of the Comlux Group, based in Indianapolis USA. Comlux America is appointed as the first approved Sukhoi Business Jet completion Center.

The Sukhoi Business Jet is the VIP aircraft version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional airliner. It offers a spacious and ultra quiet cabin of 118 m3 / 4192 ft3, and a range of approximately 4300 nm (8000 km), thanks to its additional fuel tanks. The launch of the VIP aircraft version comes just four months after the successful entry-into-service of the SSJ100 in April 2011.

“This new partnership is a great achievement for SuperJet International and we are very honored to have been selected by Comlux, a company recognized worldwide for its excellence and the quality of its service to business aviation customers -says Carlo Logli, Chief Executive Officer of SuperJet International SpA -This order launches successfully the Sukhoi Business jet program which will become in the near future a new player in the wide-cabin VIP aircraft segment”.

“Comlux has gained its reputation in the worldwide business aviation market by offering a unique one-stop-shop solution for the widest range of wide-cabin VIP aircraft ” said Richard Gaona, President of Comlux the Aviation Group. " Combining Comlux expertise in bizjet aircraft transaction, our capabilities of cabin completion in Indianapolis, our Fly Comlux forces to display and charter the SBJ, together with Superjet willingness to be a major player in business aviation, we are looking for exciting time. With this launching order, we are pleased to offer to our prestigious clientele a new choice of VIP aircraft complementing our existing fleet and combining space, comfort, luxury and innovation. We are convinced that the SBJ, equipped with the latest Fly by Wire technology and integrated modular avionics, will deliver the efficiency and the reliability that our VIP customers are looking for".

Today, the Comlux fleet is comprised of 19 aircraft in service (1 BBJ767 limitless, 2 Airbus ACJ318, 2 ACJ319, 1 ACJ320, 4 Bombardier Global Express, 3 Global 5000, 3 Challenger 605, 2 Challenger 850 and 1 Dassault Falcon 900LX) and 8 aircraft on order or in completion phase (1 Airbus ACJ319, 2 Bombardier Global 6000, 2 Global 7000 and 3 Embraer Legacy 650).

About Comlux The Aviation Group:

Comlux The Aviation Group is a leader in VIP charter services operating worldwide with the highest standards of safety and quality. Beyond charter operations, Comlux offers a comprehensive set of services to VIP customers who wish to have their own aircraft managed personally and professionally. This includes exclusive aircraft management, sales and acquisitions, cabin design and completion as well as maintenance and engineering services.

About SuperJet International:

SuperJet International, a joint venture between Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica Company (51%) and Sukhoi Holding (49%), is in charge of the marketing, sales, customization and delivery of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jet in Europe, the Americas, Oceania, Africa and Japan. The Company is also responsible for training and worldwide after-sales support, as well as the design and development of VIP and cargo variants. A SuperJet International branch is active in Moscow, together with a sales office in Washington, DC, U.S.A.

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Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company and Aviotech signed an LOI for 10 Sukhoi Business Jet and 10 aircraft in option

Indian company Aviotech, corporate and defense aerospace specialist is to become important launch customer for JSC “Sukhoi Civil Aircraft” for the business version of the Sukhoi Superjet 100. The relevant letter of intent for 10 SBJ in VIP configuration and 10 aircraft in option was signed at the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2011. Aviotech noted it chose Sukhoi Business Jet for its excellent economic advantages and technological features. In the nearest future companies plan to start negotiations on the technical layout of the aircraft to be delivered.

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EADS North America begins deliveries of Lakota helicopters with an advanced Mission Equipment Package

Washington,  10 October 2011

Security and Support Battalion MEP continues to expand and evolve the UH-72A Lakota’s mission capabilities

Lakota fleet reaches 75,000 total flight hours, maintaining 90 percent Operational Availability rate

EADS North America has achieved another significant milestone on the UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program with the delivery of Lakotas to the National Guard outfitted with the Security and Support (S&S) Battalion Mission Equipment Package (MEP).

The UH-72A Lakota, built in Mississippi by the company’s American Eurocopter business unit, is one of the U.S. Army’s most successful acquisition programs and is repeatedly noted by DoD officials for its on-time and on-budget deliveries.

“This highly capable configuration is the latest and most significant evolution of the Lakota and the missions it is asked to perform,” said Sean O’Keefe, CEO of EADS North America. “These S&S Battalion Lakotas provide our Army National Guard units with the ability to effectively respond at a moment’s notice to a wide range of operational assignments including natural disasters, search and rescue operations, border protection missions and law enforcement support.”

Lakotas equipped with the S&S Battalion MEP will be operated by Army National Guard units across the country. The S&S Battalion MEP will greatly expand the capabilities of the Army’s UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopters and further demonstrates the platform’s flexibility for growth and mission-specific configurations.

Currently 68 of the 99 anticipated S&S Battalion MEP installations are on contract. Of the 68 on contract, 52 Lakotas will be built with the S&S Battalion MEP integrated during production, and 16 Lakotas already in service with the Army National Guard will be retrofitted at the company’s American Eurocopter facility in Columbus, Miss.

The S&S Mission Equipment Package contains a centerline electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) sensor, a 30 million candle power search light, analog/digital video downlink, rear observers’ console with a 15-inch display, an enhanced tactical communications suite, an onboard digital video recorder, 10.4-inch auxiliary displays for the pilot and co-pilot, and a video management system.

The Lakota is based on the commercially successful EC145 multi-role helicopter and was developed by EADS’ Eurocopter division. As part of EADS North America’s commitment to the U.S. Army, the company’s American Eurocopter business unit created a dedicated UH-72A manufacturing facility in Mississippi capable of sustained annual output of 55 Lakotas.

UH-72A Lakotas are operating from 33 locations in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico, Germany and the Kwajalein Atoll. The U.S. Army has ordered 237 UH-72As to date out of a total program of 345 helicopters through 2015. To date 190 aircraft have been delivered to the Department of Defense, including five for the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School.

The U.S. Army is using Lakotas in multiple configurations to fulfill a range of missions, including medical evacuation, search and rescue operations, homeland security, VIP transport, disaster response and relief, general aviation support, combat flight training and pilot sustainment training.

EADS North America also provides the Army with FAA-certified flight and maintainer training. More than 600 pilot and nearly 400 maintenance personnel have completed classes at American Eurocopter’s headquarters facility in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Lakota program also includes full and hybrid contractor logistics support to the Army and Army National Guard, and modifications and retrofit of mission equipment packages onto existing aircraft.

The UH-72A is a Defense Acquisition Category (ACAT) I major defense acquisition program. Deliveries of the aircraft to the Army and Army National Guard allow aging OH-58 and UH-1 rotary-wing aircraft to be retired, while freeing up UH-60 Black Hawks for assignment to combat missions.

About American Eurocopter
American Eurocopter is a helicopter manufacturer that produces, markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and para-public helicopters offered by any manufacturer in the United States. The company is a subsidiary of EADS North America Holdings, the North American operations of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services, and is an affiliate of Eurocopter, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world. American Eurocopter’s product line represents the most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters, ranging from light single to heavy twin, serving all markets and missions. Company headquarters and main facilities are located in Grand Prairie, Texas, with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Miss., that produces the UH-72A for the U.S. Army’s Light Utility Helicopter program.

About EADS North America
EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $11 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. Operating in 17 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.

About EADS
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2010, the Group - comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 45.8 billion and employed a workforce of nearly 122,000.

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Gear Up! U.S. Navy/Northrop Grumman X-47B Demonstrator Flies in Cruise Mode for First Time

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Oct. 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Navy/Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration aircraft reached a major milestone Sept. 30 when it retracted its landing gear and flew in its cruise configuration for the first time.

The flight, conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, also helped validate precision navigation hardware and software that will allow the X-47B to land with precision on the moving deck of an aircraft carrier.

"Last week's flight gave us our first clean look at the aerodynamic cruise performance of the X-47B air system…and it is proving out all of our predictions," said Janis Pamiljans, vice president and Navy UCAS program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "Reaching this critical test point demonstrates the growing maturity of the air system, and its readiness to move to the next phase of flight testing."

The recent flight was part of an on-going "envelope expansion" program for the first of two X-47B aircraft produced by Northrop Grumman for the Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. Envelope expansion flights are used to demonstrate aircraft performance under a variety of altitude, speed and fuel load conditions.

The UCAS-D program plans to begin transitioning aircraft to Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Md. in late 2011 to begin shore-based carrier suitability testing in 2012. The focal point of the program is to demonstrate in 2013 the first aircraft carrier launches and recoveries by a tailless, low-observable-relevant unmanned system.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

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