JetBlue's Airbus A320 Fleet To Be Retrofitted With 'Sharklets'

JetBlue's Airbus A320 Fleet To Be Retrofitted With 'Sharklets': The Letter Of Intent Includes 110 Ship-Sets Of The Wingtip Devices For The Airline's In-Service A320 Aircraft JetBlue Airways has signed a letter of intent with Airbus to acquire 110 ship-sets of retrofit "Sharklets" for the airline's in-service A320 aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2014. Just last week, JetBlue Airways unveiled the first of its A320 aircraft to be outfitted with "Sharklets" ... newly designed wing tip devices that are expected to improve the aerodynamics of Airbus aircraft and significantly cut fuel burn and emissions by up to four percent.

CASA -Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA- Cumple 90 años mañana 2 de Marzo

CASA fue fundada hace 90 años en Getafe. Originalmente los trabajos para el Arma Aérea de Aviación se repartían entre CASA (transportes y bombarderos) e Hispano Aviación (cazas y entrenadores).

Finalmente ambas se integrarían en una sola.

Mañana 2 de Marzo hace 90 años que CASA inició su andadura en Getafe. ¡Feliz cumpleaños!

Cassidian delivers 100th Eurofighter to the German Air Force

• The Eurofighter is the most modern combat aircraft currently available worldwide
• German Air Force Chief of Staff Muellner: “Eurofighter is the backbone of the air forces”
• Seven nations use the Eurofighter worldwide

Cassidian handed over the 100th Eurofighter to the German Air Force today, at the Military Air Systems Centre in Manching. The anniversary aircraft with the identifier 31x00 took off in the afternoon on its delivery flight to Boelke Fighter Bomber Wing 31 in Noervenich. Speaking to invited delegates who included politicians, representatives of the public authorities, the German armed forces and industry, Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of Cassidian, underscored the importance of this milestone for the company: “The Eurofighter programme is and remains one of the essential pillars of Cassidian’s business. Eurofighter is the largest European high-tech programme and is the most modern multi-role combat aircraft on the market today. Together with the German Air Force, we can be proud that this programme is running soundly and successfully.”

General Lieutenant Karl Muellner, Chief of Staff of the German Air Force, said: “Due to its interoperability, modularity and growth potential, the multi-role weapon system, Eurofighter, is today, and will remain in future, the backbone of the German Air Force’s combat aircraft fleet, particularly in light of the new orientation of our armed forces.”

The German Air Force received its first Eurofighter from Cassidian at the beginning of 2003. The combat aircraft was launched in Germany in 2004 and since then has flown more than 30,000 flight hours without accident. The Eurofighter is currently operational at ‘Steinhoff’ Fighter Wing 73 in Laage, Fighter Wing 74 in Neuburg and ‘Boelke’ Fighter Bomber Wing 31 in Noervenich.

The Eurofighter is the most modern and capable multi-role combat aircraft currently on the market. Currently, seven nations (Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia and Oman) have procured the Eurofighter. At present, the aircraft are being operated by 20 operative entities worldwide. To date, the Eurofighter fleet has completed more than 160,000 flight hours globally. It is thus the safest and one of the most reliable combat aircraft in operational use.

With 719 aircraft under contract, 571 orders and 355 deliveries, the Eurofighter is currently the largest military procurement programme in Europe and, thanks to its high technology, boosts the European aviation industry’s standing in international competition. The programme means work for more than 100,000 people at 400 companies. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH manages the programme on behalf of the Eurofighter partner companies Alenia Aermacchi/Finmeccanica, BAE Systems and Cassidian in Germany and Spain

Maiden flight of Cassidian’s ATLANTE unmanned air vehicle in Spain

• The ATLANTE programme is the most important technological and industrial initiative in the Spanish unmanned air vehicle sector.
• First flight took place today at Rozas airfield in Lugo

Cassidian today successfully performed the maiden flight of the ATLANTE Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The flight took place at Rozas airfield, in the Castro de Rey municipality of Lugo.

After having determined the Spanish industry’s interest in UAS, the ATLANTE programme was launched by the Spanish Centre for Industrial Technological Development (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial – CDTI), which acted as an aviation industry programme manager, with the aim of fostering the development of this kind of technology through a project carried out entirely in Spain. The ATLANTE is now the most important industrial and technological initiative in Spain in the UAS sector. Cassidian is participating in the programme as the driving force behind the industrial model, with three high-tech venture capital partners (Indra, GMV and Aries). More than 140 Spanish subcontractors and suppliers are also cooperating in the programme, generating more than 500 skilled jobs.

The ATLANTE UAS is equipped with the latest-generation technology (automation, sensors, protection systems, etc.) developed by the Spanish industry, and has been designed according to the standards used for manned aircraft. This gives it unique features in terms of airworthiness and certification that will allow it to operate in civil airspace, unlike current systems that are limited to operations in conflict scenarios (e.g. Afghanistan). This ability, coupled with its operating flexibility – in accordance with the Spanish customer's requirements – make the ATLANTE the first tactical UAS capable of carrying out both civil and military missions, such as urban and rural surveillance, search and rescue, natural disasters, forest fires, monitoring of sporting events, etc., and of operating from prepared runways or being launched from catapults.

Pilar Albiac Murillo, COO of Cassidian and CEO of Cassidian Spain, said: “Today is a very special day for Cassidian and the Spanish industry. ATLANTE’s first flight is a milestone that demonstrates our technological and human capabilities in programme development. We have the best team needed to ensure that ATLANTE is a success in the export market in the coming years.”

Airbus in Hamburg: Lufthansa takes delivery of its first Airbus A320 equipped with Sharklets

Airbus in Hamburg: Lufthansa takes delivery of its first Airbus A320 equipped with Sharklets
1 MARCH 2013 PRESS RELEASE


Lufthansa has taken delivery of its first A320 equipped with Sharklets at the Airbus site in Hamburg, Germany. Lufthansa is becoming the first carrier in Europe to take benefit of the new fuel-saving wing-tip devices. The airline will receive 21 more A320 Family aircraft equipped with Sharklets until 2015.

Sharklets are made from light-weight composites and are 2.4 meters tall. They are an option on new-build A320 Family aircraft and standard on all members of the new A320neo family. They offer operators up to four percent fuelburn reduction on longer range sectors and provide the flexibility of either adding an additional 100 nautical miles range or increased payload capability of up to 450 kilograms.

As of today, over 9,000 Airbus A320 Family aircraft have been sold worldwide and over 5,400 aircraft delivered to more than 380 customers and operators, making it the world’s best selling commercial jetliner ever.

PICTURE: Bombardier reveals engine-equipped CSeries

Bombardier has revealed the first image of a nearly structurally-complete 

CSeries test aircraft equipped for the first time with a pair of Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines.

The photo posted on the company's Twitter account shows the small narrowbody almost ready to make its public debut in a 7 March event inside Bombardier's factory in Mirabel, Quebec.

The photo reveals much progress in the roughly seven weeks since Bombardier last posted images showing the pace of progress in final assembly since the first flight event was delayed as much as six months from late December.

Picture and Full Text: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-bombardier-reveals-engine-equipped-cseries-382777/

Estados Unidos selecciona el A29 Super Tucano de Embraer para el Programa LAS

La Fuerza Aérea de Estados Unidos (USAF, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció la selección del avión de combate ligero A29 Super Tucano de Embraer Defensa y Seguridad para el programa LAS (Light Air Support). La aeronave se producirá en asociación con la estadounidense Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) y utilizada para misiones de entrenamiento avanzado en vuelo, reconocimiento aérea y apoyo áerea táctico. Tras un riguroso proceso licitatorio, la USAF consideró uqe Embraer y SNC presentaron la mejor propuesta para cumplir la misión LAS.El contrato, por valor de 427 millones de dólares incluye 20 aviones de apoyo aéreo táctico, equipos para entrenamiento de pilotos en suelo, piezas de repuesto y apoyo logístico. El avión seleccionado para el programa LAS será construido en Jacksonville, Florida.

http://www.infodefensa.com/?noticia=estados-unidos-selecciona-el-a29-super-tucano-de-embraer-para-el-programa-las

Boeing and Sikorsky Pick X2 for JMR Demo

Boeing and Sikorsky Pick X2 for JMR Demo:
This is no surprise, coming after the shock of Boeing and Sikorsky teaming in perpetuity to pursue the US Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, but they have picked Sikorsky's X2 configuration for their Joint Multi Role (JMR) technology-demonstrator proposal.

Los ingenieros técnicos volverán a la Universidad para su adaptación a grado

Los ingenieros técnicos volverán a la Universidad para su adaptación a grado:
Valencia.- Los ingenieros técnicos, independientemente de su titulación y experiencia profesional,  tendrán que pasar de nuevo por la Universidad para adaptar a grado sus titulaciones, según las exigencias de la normativa europea.

China prevé lanzar al espacio una nave tripulada el próximo verano

China prevé lanzar al espacio una nave tripulada el próximo verano:
La nave Shenzhou 10 despegará de una base espacial en el desierto de Gobi y se acoplará al módulo experimental Tiangong 1.

La operación se concibe como un paso importante hacia la construcción, para el año 2020, de un laboratorio espacial permanente en que varios astronautas trabajen durante períodos prolongados.