Pratt & Whitney Congratulates U.S. Marine Corps for World's First F-35B Lightning II Operational Squadron

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), joined today with other industry partners to celebrate and offer congratulations to the United States Marine Corps for the official stand-up and re-designation of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the world's first operational squadron to fly the F-35B Lightning II aircraft.

During a ceremony today at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., representatives from Pratt & Whitney joined with esteemed aviation painter Keith Ferris, and his wife, Peggy, to present to the Marine Corps Ferris' painting "High Tide at Red Beach," which depicts the F-35B flying over the skies of Camp Pendleton, Calif.

"Hundreds of thousands of Marines have participated in amphibious landing and aviation training exercises at Red Beach on the Camp Pendleton complex, and many of them would instantly recognize that setting, which is wholly unique to the Marine Corps experience," said Ferris. "This painting captures the expeditionary and amphibious character of the Marine Corps, and the role of Marine Tactical Aviation in supporting the Marine on the ground. It was a delight to paint, and an even greater honor to present it to the Commandant of the Marine Corps on this historic occasion."

"This is yet another historic achievement for the F-35 program, and for the F-35B in particular," said Bennett Croswell, president, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. "Just over a year ago, two F-35B aircraft accomplished their 'first ever' sea-based short take offs and vertical landings during trials aboard the USS Wasp, demonstrating to our STOVL customers the unique capabilities of the F135 STOVL propulsion system. Now we're celebrating another first for the program – the arrival of the first operational F-35B to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, and the beginning of a new fifth generation fighter era for the Green Knights of VMFA-121."

The F-35B, a short takeoff and vertical landing multi-role fighter, is slated to replace the Marine Corps' F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier and EA-6B Prowler. The F-35B's propulsion system, powered by Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine and the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem, allows the aircraft to operate from expeditionary airfields in remote, non-permissive environments with shorter runways, as well as amphibious vessels, contributing to the Marine Corps' role as the nation's expeditionary force-in-readiness.

The F-35 program includes three variants to meet the unique needs of the U.S. armed forces and the international participants in the program: the Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL), the Carrier Variant (CV), and the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL). To date, the F135 propulsion system has powered more than 358 vertical landings, 2,623 test flights producing more than 4,055 flight hours. Pratt & Whitney has delivered 41 CTOL/CV and 35 STOVL engines and related propulsion system hardware. The success of the F135 engine program validates the reliability, safety and performance of the engine.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities and operational engine performance. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in funding related to the F-35 aircraft and F135 engines, changes in government procurement priorities and practices or in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production and support of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Pratt & Whitney to Develop Advanced Variable Speed Turbine for Army Rotorcraft

Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to research and develop an Advanced Variable-Speed Power Turbine (AVSPOT) to meet the range and lift requirements for current and future force rotorcraft.

The AVSPOT program is an initiative by the U.S. Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, in collaboration with NASA, to develop turbine technology that improves performance, efficiency, and affordability of rotorcraft engines, and to validate that technology in a laboratory environment by 2016.

Although future mission requirements are still being considered, the program aims to develop a power turbine that would allow future medium as well as large rotorcraft to hover at up to 10,000 ft and cruise at up to 25,000 ft altitude while maintaining high operating efficiency. Whereas current state of the art power turbines operate in the 95-105 percent speed range, AVSPOT is intended to allow rotorcraft to optimize power turbine speed in the range of 55-105 percent while optimizing fuel consumption, cost, weight and durability.

There are significant challenges to enabling the higher power and rotor speed needed for takeoff and climb, as well as slower optimized rotor speed at cruise. To address these challenges, Pratt & Whitney is pursuing a technological approach that reduces the speed of the power turbine while optimizing its efficiency.

"Pratt & Whitney looks forward to participating in the AVSPOT program, and we're confident we will be able to meet the mission profile requirements needed for future rotorcraft engines," said Annette Jussaume, general manager, Small Military Engines. "We have the technology know-how that will allow us to develop an efficient high-power turbine that can operate over a wide range of engine speeds."

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

Northrop Grumman to cut 200 jobs at two sites - Los Angeles Times

Northrop Grumman to cut 200 jobs at two sites - Los Angeles Times:

Aviation Today (subscription)

Northrop Grumman to cut 200 jobs at two sites Los Angeles Times Citing proposed cuts to Pentagon spending, aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp. revealed plans to eliminate about 200 positions in Woodland Hills and Salt Lake City by March. Northrop confirmed that it has offered a voluntary separation program open ... Northrop Grumman Awarded US Postal Service ContractNASDAQ Northrop Grumman (NOC) Receives U.S. Postal Service Contract Worth Over ...iStockAnalyst Northrop Grumman Aerospace awarded $15M contractSan Diego Source (subscription) Aviation Today (subscription) -Vertical Magazine (press release) los 17 artículos informativos »

Alestis inicia su plan de viabilidad con un ERE para 94 trabajadores de la Bahía

Alestis inicia su plan de viabilidad con un ERE para 94 trabajadores ... - La Voz Digital (Cádiz):

Diario Bahía de Cádiz

Alestis inicia su plan de viabilidad con un ERE para 94 trabajadores ... La Voz Digital (Cádiz) La extinción de contratos es la primera medida que recoge el informe estratégico y afecta a 312 empleados de las factorías de Cádiz, Sevilla y Vitoria El ERE de Alestis afectará a 312 personasEl País.com (España) Alestis despedirá a 312 personasAndalucía Información Alestis Aerospace presenta un ERE con el que pretende despedir a ...Diario Bahía de Cádiz los 30 artículos informativos »

MI-26T2 and IL-78MK-90 Will Continue to Fight for Indian Order

Rosoboronexport expects to win the Indian Air Force tenders on the delivery of heavy-lift transport helicopters and refueler aircraft in which Russia is offering the Mi-26T2 helicopter and Il-78MK-90 aircraft respectively.

Rosoboronexport disproves media reports about Russia’s losing the above mentioned tenders and informs that such publications are not true. The results have not been announced yet and any early announcements mislead general public and professional community both in Russia and India.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/mi-26t2-and-il-78mk-90-will-continue-to-fight-for-indian-order-45733/#ixzz2Dh9Cmw15

Astrium to build two new research satellites for NASA

• Grace Follow-On – building on Astrium’s achievements in environmental and climate satellites
• This key climate mission gives the go-ahead to ensure continuation of the original highly successful Astrium-built Grace satellite mission
• Twin Grace Follow-On satellites to investigate the Earth’s gravity field

Astrium, Europe’s leading space technology company, has been commissioned to build two new research satellites for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL (Pasadena, California). The agreement was signed today in Friedrichshafen, Germany. For a minimum of five years from August 2017, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (Grace FO) mission will continue the extremely accurate measurement data collection of the first twin Grace satellites, which have been in orbit since 17 March 2002.

Astrium’s Grace satellites have been making a hugely important contribution to global climate research since 2002. Based on their observations of changes in the Earth’s gravity field over time, geoscientists are gaining new insights into the dynamic processes in the planet’s interior, into deep and surface currents in the oceans, and into variations in the extent of ice coverage at the poles, in Greenland and over mountain ranges. The original Grace mission allowed scientists for the first time to identify which masses of water, ice and solid material are moving; Grace is even able to provide long-term observation of water table levels around the world.

Each of the Grace FO satellites measures approximately 3 x 2 x 0.8 metres and weighs around 580 kg. Like their predecessors, they will be placed in a polar orbit at an altitude of some 500 kilometres and follow each other 220 km apart. As they fly, the two satellites constantly and extremely precisely determine the distance between them, which varies under the influence of the Earth’s gravity; this fluctuating distance provides the data for continued measurement of our planet’s gravity field.

The measurements taken by the Grace FO satellites will be exceptionally accurate because their positions will be minutely ascertained using on-board GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers, while a satellite-to-satellite microwave link will enable the exact distance between them to be calculated to within a few thousandths of a millimetre. In contrast to the original Grace mission, the distance between the new satellites will also be measured using lasers – a technological experiment in preparation for future generations of gravity-research satellites.

Throughout the five-year mission, these measurements will be used to generate an updated model of the Earth’s gravitational field every 30 days. In addition, every day each satellite will create up to 200 profiles of temperature distribution and water vapour content in the atmosphere and ionosphere.

With this new two-satellite contract, Astrium in Friedrichshafen is building on the success of its unique series of small satellites. Numerous important scientific missions, such as Champ, GOCE and Swarm, have been based on Astrium’s satellite platform. The Grace satellites, launched in 2002, have now been successfully carrying out their mission for double their nominal five-year service lifetime. Moreover, they were delivered to NASA on time and on budget.

As a leading satellite system specialist, Astrium has extensive expertise and operational mission experience in the field of environmental and climate satellites. Astrium’s prime contractorships in this field include Europe’s largest environmental satellite, Envisat, the ice-observing CryoSat satellite, Aeolus (the first mission to measure wind profiles on a global scale) and EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer). Astrium also played a major role in the SMOS (soil moisture and ocean salinity observation) satellite, and has designed and produced a full range of state-of-the-art meteorological satellites (MetOp A, B and C) and payloads (Seviri instrument for Meteosat Second Generation).



For more information about Grace, see:
http://www.astrium.eads.net/en/programme/grace.html

To download the animation / footage:
http://www.astrium.eads.net/en/press_centre/broadcast-room.html

Airbus offers new 242 tonne A330 takeoff-weight capability to extend market coverage

• 242 tonne option increases revenue payload on longer missions
• Extra fuel capacity extends range by around 500nm at full passenger payload
• Opening new direct flights with A330-300s between South-East Asia and Europe

Airbus has improved the A330-300 and A330-200 even further by providing operators both with a 242 metric tonne maximum take-off weight (MTOW) capability and, for the larger A330-300, an increased fuel capacity option. These enhancements build on the capability announced earlier this year for an increased 240 tonne MTOW, and will be available for operators in 2015.

The new take-off weight capability combined with the fuel capacity increase enables operators of these new A330-300s to carry additional payload on longer missions. Overall, the full payload range now increases by around 500nm over today’s 235 tonne A330-300, and by around 350nm over today’s 238 tonne A330-200.

The A330-300’s optional fuel capacity increase will be achieved by activating the centre wing tank for the first time on this model. The centre tank and its associated systems have always been present as standard on its longer-range sibling – the A330-200. The additional fuel capacity for the A330-300 allows operators to fly new longer distance routes, such as direct flights between South-East Asia and Europe. For example, it will permit westbound direct flights such as Kuala Lumpur to Frankfurt or Paris, with the ability to carry additional cargo on the eastbound return flight.

Head of the A330 programme Patrick Piedrafita commented: “The A330 is already a highly efficient and reliable airliner and we have taken it as our duty to maximise this even further, along with range and payload increases.” He added: “We are currently delivering more A330s per month than ever before, and this is set to continue, especially given the ongoing improvements we are introducing to the airframe, cabin interior, and engines.”

The A330 Family, which spans 250 to 300 seats, and includes Freighter, VIP, and Military Transport/Tanker variants, has now attracted more than 1,200 orders and around 900 aircraft are flying worldwide. Ever since the original version of the A330-300 entered service, the hallmark has been its very efficient operating economics. Thanks to the introduction of numerous product improvements, it remains the most cost-efficient and capable aircraft in its class and the Family is achieving average dispatch reliability above 99 percent. With headquarters in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.

Qantas becomes a launch customer for Airbus’ iPad Electronic Flight Bag solution

Combining Airbus’ EFB content with the iPad portable device


Qantas has become a launch customer for the ‘FlySmart with Airbus’ cockpit applications on iPad. These ‘Electronic Flight Bag’ (EFB) applications will be used by all pilots in the airline who fly Airbus aircraft.

The Airbus EFB solution for iPad was announced at the Farnborough Air Show earlier this year and Qantas has been working closely with Airbus since the launch of the project. Qantas pilots took part in testing the Airbus applications and worked with Airbus engineers to help define the best iPad EFB applications for the pilot community.

The Airbus iPad EFB applications will soon be delivered to Qantas as well as to a growing number of launch customers worldwide who have chosen the system. Pilots around the world will soon be able to consult all their Airbus operational manuals on iPad. They will also be able to compute their aircraft performance calculations which will provide them with optimised and accurate results on any runway of their operational route network.

Qantas’ Head of Flight Technical, Captain David Oliver, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Airbus on this innovative new EFB application, which will form part of the broader roll-out of iPads to all Qantas pilots over the coming months. Qantas is committed to new technology that reduces paperwork in the cockpit and improves access to information for our pilots, and this app very much meets that requirement.”

Didier Lux Executive Vice President of Airbus’ Customer Services commented: “We are delighted that Qantas has become a launch customer for the iPad FlySmart with Airbus EFB apps following our close collaboration during the development phase of the project.” He adds: “We have listened to our customers’ requirements for a lightweight alternative to PC operating system EFB devices.”

A pioneer in providing EFB applications to the industry with the goal of creating the ‘paperless’ cockpit 15 years ago, Airbus is again leading the way in achieving this important leap in technology by combining its EFB content with the iPad.

Airbus is the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer offering the most modern, innovative and efficient family of passenger airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Airbus has design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the US, China, Japan and in the Middle East. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.

Northrop Grumman, U.S. Navy Conduct First Catapult Launch of X-47B Unmanned Aircraft

Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy have conducted the Navy's first catapult launch of an unmanned system using the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator.

Photos:  http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=16009

The test was conducted today at a shore-based catapult facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. It marks the first of several shore-based catapult-to-flight tests that will be performed before the Navy's UCAS Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program catapult launches the X-47B from a ship.

Northrop Grumman is the Navy's prime contractor for the UCAS-D program.

"Today's successful launch is another critical milestone in the carrier-suitability testing phase of the UCAS-D program," said Mike Mackey, Northrop Grumman's UCAS-D program director. "It also provides another confidence-building step toward our rendezvous with history next year."

Following the catapult launch, the X-47B conducted a test flight over Chesapeake Bay near Patuxent River. The flight included several maneuvers designed to simulate tasks that the aircraft will have to perform when it lands on a ship, including flying in a typical ship holding pattern, and executing a carrier approach flight profile. The flight also allowed the test team to gather precision navigation data associated with each of those maneuvers.

According to Daryl Martis, Northrop Grumman's UCAS-D flight test director, the catapult event was significant for another reason: "Today's launch provided our team with another opportunity to demonstrate the precision operation of the Northrop Grumman-developed Control Display Unit [CDU], one of the key enablers of future flight deck operations for the X-47B," he said.

The CDU is a wireless, arm-mounted controller that will allow a flight deck operator to control and maneuver the X-47B on the flight deck, including moving it into the catapult, disengaging it from the carrier's arresting wires and moving it quickly out of the landing area.

Over the next few weeks, the UCAS-D program expects to conduct several shore-based catapults at Patuxent River. On Nov. 26, an X-47B was hoisted aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) at Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Va. to begin a series of deck handling trials. The trials, expected to run through mid December, will be used to evaluate the performance of the CDU in an actual carrier environment.

In 2013, the program plans to demonstrate the ability of an X-47B to operate from a Navy aircraft carrier, including launch, recovery and air traffic control operations. The program will also mature technologies required for potential future Navy unmanned air system programs. For the latest X-47B news and information, please visit www.as.northropgrumman.com/products/nucasx47b/.

Northrop Grumman's UCAS-D industry team includes Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin, GKN Aerospace, Eaton, General Electric, UTC Aerospace Systems, Dell, Honeywell, Moog, Wind River, Parker Aerospace and Rockwell Collins.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cybersecurity, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

Video: X-47B first catapult Launch

In the same week, Northrop Grumman's X-47B combat aircraft system demonstrator has arrived on the aircraft carrier deck - by crane - and made its first catapult launch - on land.

vía ARES