Musical revue of the first "cruise" flight of the U.S. Navy's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstration aircraft. During this flight, conducted Sept. 30, 2011 flight, the aircraft's landing gear was raised and lowered for the first time, a key milestone in the envelope expansion phase of flight testing. The X-47B was designed, developed and produced by Northrop Grumman, the leader in unmanned systems.
jueves, 27 de octubre de 2011
X-47B UCAS First Cruise Flight
Boeing Reports Third-Quarter Results and Raises 2011 EPS Guidance
- Earnings per share of $1.46 reported on revenue of $17.7 billion
- Backlog grew to $332 billion, including $26 billion in orders during the quarter
- Operating cash flow of $0.4 billion reflects continued investment in development programs and $0.5 billion of pension funding
- Cash and marketable securities of $9.2 billion provide strong liquidity
- 2011 earnings per share guidance increased to between $4.30 and $4.40 per share on strong core performance across businesses
Boeing, Embraer and Sao Paulo Research Foundation to Lead Aviation Biofuels Program in Brazil
SAO PAULO, Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA), Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) and the Sao Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP) today announced plans to collaborate on long-term aviation biofuels-related research and development, a move that represents another major step toward the creation of a sustainable aviation biofuels industry in Brazil. Azul, GOL, TAM and Trip airlines will be strategic advisors in the program.
As a result of an agreement signed today, Boeing, Embraer and FAPESP are leading the development of a detailed report outlining the unique opportunities and challenges of creating a cost-effective, bio-derived, and sustainable jet-fuel production and distribution industry in Brazil. When completed in late 2012, the report, which will include a technology and sustainability roadmap, will be made public.
The study will be guided by a series of public workshops during 2012 with input from a wide range of stakeholders, as well as a strategic advisory board, which will give the project wide-ranging guidance and institutional support. Members will include airlines, fuel producers and suppliers, environmental experts, community groups, and government agencies.
The study will frame the creation of a sustainable aviation biofuels research center in Brazil. This center will be jointly funded by FAPESP and industry in order to drive a long-term research agenda for the development of aviation biofuels technology in Brazil. A special call for proposals by FAPESP to establish this center is expected to follow the initial study phase. The mission of the center will be to close the technical, commercial, and sustainability gaps needed to enable the creation of this new aviation fuel supply chain in Brazil.
"The partnership with Boeing and Embraer brings a new level of FAPESP efforts to foster research partnerships between universities and companies in Sao Paulo," said Suely Vilela, member of FAPESP's board of directors. "The research center will be created through public selection, according to FAPESP's Research, Innovation and Diffusion Centers, which aim to establish long-term advanced core research that results in innovation."
"Brazil already has shown global leadership in developing biofuels for ground transportation," said Donna Hrinak, president of Boeing Brazil. "Bringing together people from throughout Brazil who possess the leadership and expertise to create new, low-carbon energy sources for aviation is the right thing to do for our industry, for our customers, for Brazil, and for future generations."
"Embraer is proud of the role it has always played in the growth of Brazil's technological knowledge base and making our country ever more attractive, not only as a market but also as an innovation platform," said Mauro Kern, Embraer's executive vice president, Engineering and Technology. "Biofuel development has long been a focus of ours in other partnerships, and this new program will add substance to those efforts, especially because of FAPESP's participation."
Boeing and Embraer are focused on creating sustainable aviation biofuels produced from renewable resources that do not drive food competition in vulnerable regions by competing with land and water resources. Both companies are bringing together agricultural interests, academic researchers, environmental experts, refiners and aerospace companies around the globe to establish local infrastructure needed to develop a sustainable and economically viable biofuels industry.
In 2008, FAPESP announced a broad research program in bioenergy (BIOEN), through which the foundation supports more than 300 biomass and biofuels production scientists from Brazil and 11 other countries, as well as students and post-doctoral researchers.
Since 2008, flight tests conducted by airlines and military operators show that biofuels perform as well as or better than kerosene-based jet fuel.
Airbus President and CEO calls for a global aviation vision
Setting the tone at this month's SAE Aerotech 2011 Congress and Exhibition in Toulouse, France, Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders delivered an opening address that underscored the importance of a "truly global vision" for the air transport industry's future.
Enders, who was this biennial event's honorary chairman, said such an approach would allow the aviation industry to align its efforts and focus on using resources to bring significant improvements for airlines and passengers.
Airbus hosted this four-day congress and exhibition – the first SAE Aerotech event held outside of the U.S. -- which was based on the theme: "'Eco-efficient Innovation Leading the Future of Aviation" and brought together thousands of professionals from the global aerospace community to discuss current and future industry challenges, opportunities, systems and more.
During his keynote speech, Enders also called for shorter aircraft development times and more design flexibility to better respond to airlines' needs, and posed the question: "What about simple robust solutions that would give us plug-and-play planes that could evolve much more quickly in line with customer demands?"
To reinforce this point, he cited the example of United Airlines, which recently stated that introducing an iPad tablet device into the cockpits of its aircraft fleet could save 16 million sheets of paper and 300,000 gallons of fuel annually. "They want savings and solutions now, so why would they wait a decade for us to integrate them?" Enders asked rhetorically.
The SAE Aerotech 2011 Congress and Exhibition featured a busy technical programme with 405 presentations on eco-efficient technologies that could help shape the future of aviation, along with a speech by Airbus' head of engineering Charles Champion.
Delegates attending the event also were given guided tours of Airbus manufacturing and testing facilities in the Toulouse area, including its aircraft assembly lines, simulators and iron bird test benches.
The SAE Aerotech event was organised by SAE International, a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries.
Eurocopter comienza la construcción de sus nuevas instalaciones de producción de aeroestructuras y componentes en el estado mexicano de Querétaro
Eurocopter comienza la construcción de sus nuevas instalaciones de producción de aeroestructuras y componentes en el estado mexicano de Querétaro (Ref. P1020289, © Copyright cumbredenegocios).
La celebración del acto de colocación de la primera piedra, que tuvo lugar ayer, marca el inicio oficial de la construcción de la nueva planta de fabricación de Eurocopter en Querétaro (México), que se encargará de producir partes y componentes aeronáuticos.
Estas instalaciones, situadas en el Parque Aero-tecnológico adyacente al Aeropuerto Internacional de Querétaro, se dedicarán a la producción y ensamblaje de componentes de helicópteros y aeronaves, tales como conos de cola, estabilizadores verticales y estructuras para puertas. Las instalaciones incluirán una zona de taller para el corte, fresado, prensado, tratamiento de superficies y ensamblaje de componentes individuales y subconjuntos, así como un nuevo centro de mantenimiento de referencia para Eurocopter.
"Eurocopter no cesa de buscar oportunidades para mejorar su cadena de suministro mundial y en Querétaro hemos encontrado un entorno industrial atractivo con una disponibilidad de mano de obra cualificada ya existente" declaró Serge Durand, Director General de Eurocopter de México, durante la ceremonia de hoy. "Creemos firmemente en el éxito de estas nuevas instalaciones. Estos componentes de alta tecnología se integrarán en la cadena de suministro europea de Eurocopter." Está previsto que la nueva planta esté lista para comenzar a entregar producto a finales de 2012.
"La inversión inicial de Eurocopter en estas instalaciones es el equivalente aproximado de 100 millones de dólares," explicó el Vicepresidente Ejecutivo de Eurocopter, Dieter John. "A largo plazo, México se beneficiará de inversiones que alcanzarán los 550 millones de dólares, impulsadas por el desarrollo de las actividades de la nueva de la planta de Querétaro, así como por el crecimiento general de las actividades de Eurocopter de México y la previsible llegada a la zona, de proveedores y subcontratistas adicionales".
La construcción de estas nuevas instalaciones representa una ampliación de la red industrial mundial de Eurocopter, que se apoya en la transferencia tecnológica para impulsar el desarrollo regional de competencias de alto nivel.
"Me siento feliz de participar en la ceremonia de colocación de la primera piedra de este nuevo emplazamiento industrial que contribuirá a hacer de Querétaro un verdadero clúster de la aeronáutica", expresó Tonatiuh Salinas Muñoz, Secretario de Desarrollo Sustentable del Estado de Querétaro. "La Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro va a desempeñar, sin duda, un papel fundamental en la formación de una parte importante de la futura plantilla de esta planta, que se espera que llegue a las 180 personas en 2015".
La ceremonia, que incluyó la colocación simbólica de la primera piedra por parte de un helicóptero, fue retransmitida vía satélite a los dirigentes mexicanos, a la delegación de Eurocopter y al público asistente al Foro Económico, que se celebraba en el Centro de congresos de Querétaro.
Expresando su satisfacción por la presencia industrial de Eurocopter en Querétaro, Frederic García, Director General de EADS en México, señaló que la nueva instalación se inscribía en la visión global de EADS, participando de forma significativa al desarrollo de la industria aeronáutica mexicana.