Picture: Sikorsky-Boeing concept for U.S. Army's Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) Phase 1 program

This artist's rendering depicts a Sikorsky-Boeing JMR-FVL concept aircraft with counter-rotating co-axial main rotors and a pusher propeller based on Sikorsky's X2® Technology rotorcraft design. The future rotorcraft will deliver significant improvements in speed, combat radius and hover performance for the Army's next-generation utility and attack helicopter fleets.

via Boeing

Read more...

Boeing Statement on Air China’s Commitment to Purchase 31 Boeing Jetliners

SEATTLE, March 4, 2013 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that Air China has agreed to buy two Boeing 747-8 Intercontinentals, one 777-300ER (Extended Range) and 20 Next-Generation 737-800s. In addition, Air China Cargo, a subsidiary of Air China, has agreed to buy eight 777 Freighters. The airline plans to expand its capacity to meet growing demand in Asia-Pacific and China, the most dynamic market for commercial airplanes.

The agreement requires Chinese government approval. Boeing looks forward to working with Air China, a long-time valued customer, to obtain approval. Once approved, the order will be posted to Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website.

"We're very pleased that Air China has decided to add more 747-8 Intercontinentals, 777-300ERs and 737-800s to its expanding fleet and we are excited to introduce our super-efficient 777 Freighters to the Air China Cargo fleet," said Ihssane Mounir, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Northeast Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Our long and enduring partnership with Air China goes back to the airline's beginning and we're proud to be part of their success."

Read more...

IRKUT CORPORATION, PART OF UNITED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (UAC) DELIVERS A TEST FUSELAGE SECTION OF THE NEW MC-21 AIRCRAFT TO TSAGI

IRKUT Corporation, part of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), delivered a test metal cylindrical fuselage section of MC-21 aircraft to Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). The section will go through destructive and survivability testing. The section was manufactured by Irkutsk Aviation Plant (IAP) ¨C¡¡the branch of IRKUT Corporation, in accordance with the working design documentation elaborated by the engineers of Yakovlev design bureau (part of IRKUT Corporation) and the specialists of IAP.

A number of advanced technologies have been used during production of the section. These technologies will be used in test and serial aircraft production. The section was delivered to Zhukovsky by An-124 Ruslan aircraft. Due to large dimensions of the section it was transported with some elements removed. The specialists of IAP and TsAGI will assembly the section and carry out the pressure leakage testing and pressurization. Afterwards scientists and specialists of TsAGI will start the destructive and survivability testing. The section will be mounted on a test rig designed for simulating the strain on all flight stages and recording many parameters characterizing the behavior of the section and its elements.

The purpose of these tests is experimental verification of the implemented design effectiveness and technology solutions ensuring the designed service life of the MC-21 airframe type. The testing of the fuselage section is just a part of major efforts made in the network of this project. At present IAP is manufacturing a lot of test specimen including several types of fuselage panels, lateral and longitudinal joints, compartments for bird strike tests, etc. The enterprise is going to launch the production of four test aircraft in the nearest future:¡¡three of them will be used for flight testing and one more ¨C for static testing.

The president of IRKUT Corporation, Oleg Demchenko, noted: ¡°The development of MC-21 aircraft has entered the manufacturing and testing stage¡±.

CEO of TsAGI, Boris Aleshin, said: ¡°The studies of this section will be carried out by specialists of Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute over the next two years. The airframe of MC-21 will perform about 100 thousand simulated flights during this period of time. TsAGI has unique test equipment, which allows to verify the implemented design and technology solutions¡±.

The creation of MC-21 new generation airliner - the major prospective project of the Russian civil aviation industry is included in the Federal Target Program ¡°The development of the Russian civil aviation technique for the period until 2015¡±. IRKUT Corporation, a part of United Aircraft Corporation is the prime contractor of the MC-21 project.

TsAGI is the main test area within the MC-21 project. Aerodynamics models of MC-21 have been tested here from 2009 till now, since 2010 ¨C elementary and structurally-similar patterns of units and details have been tested as well.

During the mentioned tests:

• Aerodynamic design of the wing of high aspect ratio with higher values of aerodynamic control in cruising flight was developed and experimentally verified;
• A complete series of experimental studies on models MC-21 aircraft, including tests at high angles of attack, and in a tailspin were made;
• Experimentally demonstrated the ability to install the wing close-engine ultra-bypass ratio (type PD-14, PW1400G) with minimal losses to the interference of engine and airframe;
• Developed single-slotted wing high lift system and experimentally confirmed its high aerodynamic performance during takeoff and landing.

Within the MC-21 program, tests are also being held in Aviatest organization in Riga (Latvia). The MC-21 test aft fuselage section manufactured by ZAO Aviastar-SP was delivered there in January of the current year.

PR

Read more...

IAG baraja destituir a Vázquez y a Sánchez-Lozano y nombrar a Piqué

La cúpula del holding IAG, formado por Iberia y por British Airways, baraja desde hace semanas relevar al actual presidente del grupo y de la aerolínea española, Antonio Sánchez, así como al consejero delegado de Iberia, Rafael Sánchez-Lozano. El relevo estaría animado por la intención del holding de evitar que los actuales gestores lleguen a un acuerdo con los sindicatos españoles que contravenga las 'líneas rojas' marcadas por su CEO Willie Walsh.

 

Josep Piqué, actual presidente de Vueling (recientemente 'opada' por IAG), es el candidato en el que estarían pensando con más fuerza los ejecutivos de International Airlines Group para sustituir a Vázquez, según la información difundida este lunes por El Confidencial.

http://www.preferente.com/noticias-de-transportes/noticias-de-aerolineas/iag-planea-destituir-a-vazquez-y-a-sanchez-lozano-y-nombrar-a-pique-237440.html

Read more...

El futuro bombardero estratégico ruso PAK DA será subsónico y furtivo

• Reemplazará a los Tu-95 y Tu-160
• El ganador del proyecto ha sido Tupolev
• El bombardero será subsónico, furtivo, configuración ala volante (como el B-2)
• Otros proyectos presentados al concurso han sido las opciones supersónica e hipersónica de la aeronave. El viceprimer ministro ruso, Dmitri Rogozin insistió en que el nuevo bombardero debería ser hipersónico
• La producción del avión debería iniciarse en 2020

Texto completo en: http://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/view/88095-bombardero-rusia-furtivo-subs%C3%B3nico

Read more...

Alestis prejubila a 55 empleados y despide a otros 179

Alestis prejubila a 55 empleados y despide a otros 179:
Los prejubilados percibirán un 85% del salario neto y un 1,5% de revisión anual. El resto de las extinciones planteadas contarán con una serie de medidas que faciliten su recolocación en los próximos años, indica la empresa.

Read more...

Robotic bat wing reveals flight secrets of bats

Robotic bat wing reveals flight secrets of bats:

Recently, we've seen a robotic ostrich. Now, there’s a robot bat – or at least, part of one. Joseph Bahlman, a graduate student at Brown University, with the help of Professors Kenneth Breuer and Sharon Swartz, has developed a robotic bat wing that mimics the ligaments, skin and structural supports of the real thing. The purpose of the motorized plastic bat is to gain a better understanding of how bats are engineered and fly.
..
Continue Reading Robotic bat wing reveals flight secrets of bats

Read more...