miércoles, 3 de agosto de 2016
Make in India’ boost: Mahindra to make parts for Airbus Helicopters AS565 MBe Panther rotorcraft
- Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Group are proposing the Panther for India’s Naval Utility Helicopter programme
Airbus Helicopters has awarded a contract to Mahindra Aerostructures to make airframe parts for the AS565 MBe Panther. These parts will be produced at the Mahindra facility in Bengaluru. They will be shipped directly to the Airbus Helicopter production line in Marignane, France where they will be integrated with the rest of the airframe assembly and will form a critical part of the Panthers sold worldwide.
The contract positions Mahindra Aerostructures as the first Indian company to receive a
direct manufacturing contract from Airbus Helicopters as a Tier 1 supplier. Mahindra
Aerostructures will gradually emerge as the global single source supplier to Airbus
Helicopters for these parts. This work package is the first amongst a series of work packages which would embed Mahindra Group firmly in the Airbus Helicopters’ global supply chain and bind the two companies in a long-term ‘Make in India’ partnership.
“We are playing an active role in the development of a helicopter-focused Indian industrial eco-system, and are embedding Indian suppliers into our global supply chain,” said Fabrice Cagnat, Director - Make in India, Airbus Helicopters. “The contract will allow us to qualify Mahindra Aerostructures as a Tier 1 supplier, establish a manufacturing relationship with them on the Panther, and also lay the ground work for a rapid acceleration in terms of industrializing production in India, in case we are selected for the Naval Utility Helicopter programme,” he added.
“We believe this manufacturing relationship will allow us to demonstrate the quality and
competitiveness of Mahindra Aerostructures to Airbus Helicopters. We are already
committed to become a trusted partner and supplier to the Airbus Group for airframe parts and assemblies. This contract with Airbus Helicopters signals our further commitment to work with them to develop a robust Indian ecosystem for both design and build capabilities in aerospace,” said Arvind Mehra, Executive Director & CEO, Mahindra Aerospace.
As announced earlier, Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence are in the process of
forming a joint venture to target India’s military helicopter programmes such as the Naval Utility Helicopter, the Naval Multi-Role Helicopter and the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter. The AS565 MBe Panther is competing for the Naval Utility Helicopter programme. In case the Indian Government selects the Panther, Airbus Helicopters will establish India as a global hub for Panther production in partnership with Mahindra Defence.
Airbus Helicopters’ Panther is an all-weather, multi-role light rotorcraft, designed for
operation from ship decks, offshore locations and land-based sites. It is made for a multitude of naval warfare and coast guard missions such as maritime surveillance, search and rescue, casualty evacuation, EEZ Surveillance & control counter-terrorism and Anti Surface / Antisubmarine warfare. Some 250 Panther are operated in more than 20 countries by military customers, including 100 in service with the US Coast Guard. Recently, Panther has won contracts in Indonesia and Mexico. With an unmatched state of the art 4-axis digital autopilot, high temperature performance, capability to carry 2 x torpedoes / depth charges and long range radar, the combat proven AS565 MBe Panther is the perfect candidate for the Indian Navy’s Naval Utility Helicopter programme.
About Mahindra Aerospace & Defence
Mahindra Aerospace has led the Mahindra Group’s foray into utility aircraft and aerostructure manufacturing since 2008. Its utility aircraft business, based in Australia, currently produces the Airvan 8, the most capable, rugged and versatile utility aircraft in its class. Certified in more than 30 countries, over 220 are in service. Mahindra Aerospace is also developing a next-gen 10-seat turboprop, the Airvan 10. In the Aerostructures domain, Mahindra Aerospace operates a 250,000 sq ft (25,000 sq. m.) facility in Bengaluru that provides comprehensive capabilities to produce sheet metal parts, surface treatment and assemblies. Approved to AS9100C standards, the facility holds all relevant NADCAP certifications as well as numerous OEM and Tier 1 approvals. Inaugurated in 2013, the plant currently exports parts, components & sub-assemblies for global aircraft platforms.
Mahindra Defence has companies engaged in catering to needs of all three wings of
Defence forces –Army, Airforce and Navy. Our product range includes armoured vehicles, underwater warfare equipment, radars and surveillance equipment’s etc. Through our Land Systems units in India and UAE we have been supplying customized armoured vehicles to the Indian Army and Para Military Forces and overseas customers. Naval Systems unit based in Pune has been supplying Sea Mines, Decoy launcher & Torpedo launchers, large composite structures for defence applications to the Indian Navy. We are also engaged in Defence Electronics through our Telephonics JV.
» (www.mahindra.com)
About Airbus Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters, a division of Airbus Group, provides the most efficient civil and military helicopter solutions worldwide. Its in-service fleet includes nearly 12,000 helicopters operated by more than 3,000 customers in 154 countries. Airbus Helicopters employs more than 22,000 people worldwide and in 2015 generated revenues of 6.8 billion euros.
» (www.airbushelicopters.com)
H160 demonstrates next-generation passenger experience in flight tests
- Several key design assumptions confirmed and exceeded during flight tests
- Unprecedentedly low vibration levels to set new standards of flight experience for passengers and crews
- Aeromechanical configuration frozen and flight envelope fully opened
“Thanks to more than 200 hours accumulated in flight-testing, and with the achievement of this formal programme milestone, we have been able to confirm several key design assumptions and even exceed some of them against a real-life environment”, said Bernard Fujarski, Senior Vice President in charge of the H160 programme. “With the helicopter’s flight envelope now fully opened, we are confident that our next-generation helicopter will set new standards of flight experience for passengers and crews”, he added.
During its ongoing flight-test campaign, carried out with two prototypes in the company’s main site in Marignane, France, the H160 has demonstrated exceptionally low vibration levels along with remarkable aircraft stability levels, setting new benchmarks in the field.
“Vibration levels have been a key objective since the launch of programme, and observed results give us confidence that the H160 will set new comfort standards for all missions segments, from EMS to passenger transport or private and business aviation. We can’t wait for our customers to experience this exceptional level of comfort themselves”, Fujarski added.
Next steps of the flight campaign will focus on hot weather trials, to take place over the summer, followed by continued performance testing of the Arrano engines – now equipping both prototypes – as well as cold weather tests later in the year. A third prototype will join the flight-test programme next year to support the certification process ahead of the H160’s entry into service.
Airbus Reveals Urban Air-Transport Projects
AirbusGroup has provided a glimpse into its research on air taxis as an answer to growing surface gridlock in the world's largest cities.
This includes prototyping an autonomous air vehicle for individual passenger and cargo transport, and studies of a multi-passenger CityAirbus concept. The single-passenger vehicle is being developed by A3, Airbus's Silicon Valley outpost, under Project Vahana, launched in February. A team of internal and external developers have agreed on a vehicle design, and the prototype is scheduled to fly at the end of 2017, according to Airbus Group magazine Forum.
The CityAirbus concept ... full text http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/airbus-reveals-urban-air-transport-projects
In Airbus' web: http://www.airbusgroup.com/int/en/news-media/corporate-magazine/Forum-88/My-Kind-Of-Flyover.html
Air Force Declares F-35A Ready for Combat
http://www.defensenews.com/story/breaking-news/2016/08/02/f35-ioc-air-force-operational-acc-combat/87948142/
WASHINGTON — The US Air Force on Tuesday declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for battle, 15 years after Lockheed Martin won the contract to make the plane.
The milestone means that the service can now send its first operational F-35 formation — the 34th Fighter Squadron located at Hill Air Force Base, Utah — into combat operations anywhere in the world. The service, which plans to buy 1,763 F-35As, is the single-largest customer of the joint strike fighter program, which also includes the US Marine Corps, US Navy and a host of governments worldwide.
WASHINGTON — The US Air Force on Tuesday declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for battle, 15 years after Lockheed Martin won the contract to make the plane.
The milestone means that the service can now send its first operational F-35 formation — the 34th Fighter Squadron located at Hill Air Force Base, Utah — into combat operations anywhere in the world. The service, which plans to buy 1,763 F-35As, is the single-largest customer of the joint strike fighter program, which also includes the US Marine Corps, US Navy and a host of governments worldwide.
SkunkWorks’ Spider-Robots Will Inspect LMH-1 Airship Envelope
http://aviationweek.com/technology/skunkworks-robots-will-inspect-lmh-1-airship-envelope?NL=AW-05&Issue=AW-05_20160803_AW-05_628&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1&utm_rid=CPEN1000002242919&utm_campaign=6607&utm_medium=email&elq2=3def022a66594373ae1cb27dccb477ae
With about 80,000 ft² of envelope to inspect during assembly and maintenance,Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has developed a robot to scour the hull of its LMH-1 commercial heavy-lift hybrid airship for helium-leaking pinholes in the Vectran fiber.
Manual inspection of an airship hull requires crews working outside and inside the deflated envelope. The Skunk Works' autonomous Spider (Self-Propelled Instrument for Damage Evaluation and Repair) has inner and outer halves that magnetically couple through the airship envelope and traverse the inflated hull together.
With about 80,000 ft² of envelope to inspect during assembly and maintenance,Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has developed a robot to scour the hull of its LMH-1 commercial heavy-lift hybrid airship for helium-leaking pinholes in the Vectran fiber.
Manual inspection of an airship hull requires crews working outside and inside the deflated envelope. The Skunk Works' autonomous Spider (Self-Propelled Instrument for Damage Evaluation and Repair) has inner and outer halves that magnetically couple through the airship envelope and traverse the inflated hull together.
El centenario de Boeing incluye patrocinio de simuladores de vuelo
NOTA DE PRENSA
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5keEhrG7VDg
ACERCANDO LA AVIACION AL PUBLICO GENERAL
Un nuevo simulador de vuelo con movimiento está disponible en el Museo de la Técnica de Berlín gracias al patrocinio de BOEING y FIRST Scandinavia Foundation
Boeing celebra su centenario. Los primeros 100 años según dicen en la empresa con base en Chicago. En este excitante viaje durante el pasado siglo, el mundo ha visto el progreso del hombre en el control de la ingeniería más allá de lo esperado hasta emprender a la humanidad en un viaje que ha ido desde los primeros despegues de los hermanos Wright hasta la investigación en el espacio. Mientras tanto nosotros, de abuelos a nietos, hemos sido incapaces de no ilusionarnos con los siguientes hitos aeronáuticos por descubrir.
Boeing quiere aprovechar la oportunidad que le brinda su centésimo aniversario para permitir que la gente pueda descubrir, disfrutar y entender algo mejor qué puede sentir un piloto, qué pueda hacer un avión. Como resultado de esta iniciativa, desde el pasado 31 de mayo, todos los visitantes al Museo de la Técnica de Berlín tendrán la oportunidad de adentrarse en un simulador de vuelo con movimiento y biplaza para experimentar por sí mismos cómo es ser un piloto. El simulador de vuelo, de la marca Virtual-Fly, está equipado con un panel digital para la simulación glass-cockpit en aviones mono-motores y bimotores, tanto para experiencias de entrenamiento como de entretenimiento.
El Museo de la Técnica de Berlín es un entorno privilegiado para emplazar un simulador de este tipo. Los visitantes podrán ver y sentir la evolución de la tecnología aeronáutica ya que este innovador simulador está rodeado de máquinas voladoras legendarias. El objetivo del departamento de Aire & Espacio del museo está claro: aumentar el valor añadido que se transfiere a los visitantes para aumentar su satisfacción, lograr que esten más tiempo en las instalaciones y que recomienden la experiencia del museo a sus familiares y amigos más cercanos.
Sobre Boeing:
Boeing es la compañía aeroespacial líder mundial y el mayor fabricante en conjunto de aviones comerciales y militares. Además, Boeing diseña y fabrica helicópteros, sistemas electrónicos y de defensa, misiles, satélites, vehículos de lanzamiento y sistemas avanzados de comunicaciones e información. La compañía también proporciona numerosos servicios de soporte a la aviación comercial y militar. Boeing tiene clientes en más de 150 países y es uno de los mayores exportadores de Estados Unidos en términos de ventas.
Sobre FIRST Scandinavia Foundation:
FIRST Scandianvia Foundation es una organización sin ánimo de lucro localizada en Bodø, Noruega y que centra su actividad en ofrecer a los niños y adolescentes experiencias enriquecedoras dentro del entorno de las ciencias naturales y la tecnología, contribuyendo así a que más alumnos elijan las opciones de educación científicas. Desde el año 2000, FIRST ha desarrollado e implementado conceptos y proyectos científicos para más de 200.000 niños y jóvenes. FIRST LEGO y Newton son dos de sus más extensos e importantes programas que engloban acciones continuas en más de 65 ciudades.
Sobre Virtual-Fly:
Virtual-Fly es una empresa de I+D localizada en la provincia de Barcelona y especializada en el diseño de hardware para simulación aérea. Virtual-Fly entrega sus soluciones de elaboración propia basadas en simuladores de vuelo realistas, robustos y fiables. Su tecnología Plug&Fly™ está preparada para la fácil activación de sus productos, una gama extensa con múltiples opciones para personalizar la solución final y la posibilidad de graduar la dificultad y realismo de las experiencias de vuelo, permitiendo así que los operadores puedan maximizar su espacio, su inversión y el valor añadido de su negocio.